I Just Can't Stop It

I have added ever so slightly to my two-tone record collection by joining The Specials with The English Beat's I Just Can't Stop It (1980). "Mirror in the Bathroom" was the only track I'd heard for a while, thanks to John Cusack and his awesome kung fu, but a few years ago this album was sitting around an apartment I moved into in Providence. So it holds special nostalgic value for me after listening to it for the year after I graduated from college.

"Stand Down Margaret" is a reminder of the social/political context of Thatcher-era Britain. And "Tears of a Clown" is just a great ska cover. Also, one of the fun things about buying records from the 80s is you get to read the inserts that advertise the pre-internet merchandise you can buy if you send a check or money order. Records as historical artifacts and such.