The Specials AKA feat Rico — Jungle Music

JUL 01 1982 · 12:00

The Specials AKA feat Rico — Jungle Music (1982) Director: Barney Bubbles & Lizzie Soden Era: 2-Tone Post-Punk Transition (1982) - Late phase of the 2-Tone movement, bridging ska-punk energy with African hi-life and reggae influences as The Specials AKA evolved beyond the original lineup High. This video sits at the intersection of three significant cultural narratives: the twilight of the 2-Tone movement, the full arc of Barney Bubbles' career as Britain's most important independent-music visual artist, and the emergence of a reggae-hi-life synthesis that would shape British anti-apartheid pop. Its co-direction by a Coventry art student (Soden) and its role as a near-final 2-Tone artefact give it exceptional archival weight for both music historians and visual culture researchers. Context: Released in February 1982 as one of the final singles on the 2-Tone label, 'Jungle Music' represents the transitional moment when The Specials — rebranded as The Special AKA after the departure of Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding — were exploring new sonic territory. The track, written by Rico Rodriguez and produced by Jerry Dammers, blends reggae, ska and African hi-life influences, foreshadowing the pan-African musical politics that would culminate in Dammers and Cuthell's 'Nelson Mandela' (1984). The song's lineage traces back to a Stevie Wonder jam session at a Jamaican hotel, illustrating the transnational, diasporic flows at the heart of 2-Tone's cultural project. The video, co-directed by Barney Bubbles — the graphic designer-turned-video director who had already defined the visual language of the 2-Tone era with 'Ghost Town' — situates the performance within the austere, low-budget aesthetic of British independent music television promotion. Director notes: The 'Jungle Music' video was co-directed by Barney Bubbles and Lizzie Soden, produced by Genevieve Terry (Bubbles' regular video producer), and shot by cinematographer John Davey — the same core crew responsible for Bubbles' other early 1982 videos including Fun Boy Three's 'The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)' and two promos for Paul Carrack. The single was released on 2 February 1982 on the 2-Tone/Chrysalis label (catalogue CHSTT19 / UK), making it one of the final singles released on the 2-Tone label. The track was produced by Jerry Dammers. Lizzie Soden's involvement connects the video directly to the Coventry art and music scene from which 2-Tone emerged; she was an art student at Coventry University during the label's peak years.