Ghost Town

One of the most scathing socio-political commentaries to be recorded remains the Specials' venerable 'Ghost Town'. Written and laid down during the dawn of union-busting and unemployment-precipitating Thatcherism, this indisputable ska classic perfectly reflected the sense of economic despair so prevalent at the time, quickly becoming the anthem for disenfranchised, rebellious British youths (who would shortly embark upon wild rampages in the kingdom's decaying inner cities). The song's potency lies in the atmospheric, ghostly production values and bleak, eerie instrumentation, taking in shivery wind samples, a brooding synth melody, and the brilliant use of some ghostly, wordless vocalese in the chorus. Check out the equally evocative video, which showed the band driving an ancient Vauxhall Cresta around a desolate, post-apocalyptic London.