Specials was ranked among the top ten “Albums of the Year” for 1979 by
NME. In June 2000, Q placed Specials at number 38 in its list of the
100 greatest British albums ever. Pitchfork Media featured Specials at number
42 in their list of the “Top 100 Albums of the 1970s”. Rolling
Stone listed the album at number 68 in their list “100 Best Albums of the
Eighties”, as the album was not released in the US until 1980.