More photos to follow.  
Note: The US version was released with Gangsters included on Side 2 and a different rear cover photo. I never realised... Apparently the verson of Too Much Too Young is faster too. 
The cover has an alternative group photo reversing the front and back of the UK issue. Who knew?
Officially one of the best records ever by one of the coolest groups ever. Produced by Elvis, himself.
VG+ well preserved condition, very strong sound. Quiet background and intros/outros. Has a couple of surface hairlines which don't affect play. Two random spaced out 1 second clicks on Nite Club, and one on Too Hot, but otherwise pretty much as issued, great pressing and little played as I was listening to much music in the record shop, so didn't play the ones I collected. Later shipped back to the UK and carefully stored. Sad that it takes a hero to pass on to listen again... but this has always been one of my favourite records. And it hasn't aged. 
US Original, bought on release from Sound Warehouse Dallas, where I worked for a while. I was then given a promo copy which I am keeping. A treasured possession with many happy memories of Lanchester Poly, which I had not long left in summer 79, and where I saw the Specials [maybe The Automatics?]  as AKA once or twice.  Bought my copy of Gangsters from Virgin in Cov from drummer Brad. 
Still shrink protected, though obviously opened.  The record has always been stored in a poly inner - the original is a plain wraparound one, but I replaced with more modern paper/poly lined version, both included. Great condition - not played much, surfaces clean and strong sound. Sleeve clean. Labels clean. I am a collector of records, modern first editions and music magazines so I will price fairly, package properly and ship promptly. I refer to Goldmine record classification, which doesn't have an Excellent category.  VG+ represents a carefully handled and cared for record that has been played.  Next category up is Nr Mint. Below is VG which would indicate its been played more but still has good sound. Mint would be an unopened, unplayed record.

The Specials – The Specials

Tracklist

Companies, etc.

• Engineered At – T.W. Studios
• Published By – Plangent Visions Music Inc.
• Published By – Melodisc Music Ltd.
• Published By – Carbert Music, Inc.
• Published By – Wb Music Corp.
• Published By – Copyright Control
• Marketed By – Chrysalis Records Ltd.
• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Chrysalis Records
• Copyright © – Chrysalis Records
• Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria
• Lacquer Cut At – Allen Zentz Mastering

Credits

• Bass – Horace*
• Drums – Brad*
• Engineer – Dave Jordan
• Guitar – Lynval*, Roddy*
• Horns – Dick Cuthell, Rico Rodriguez
• Lacquer Cut By – CB*
• Organ – Jerry*
• Producer – Elvis Costello (tracks: A1 to B5, B7, B8)
• Sleeve – Chalkie Davis And Carol Starr*
• Vocals – Neville*, Terry*

Notes

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Barcode (Printed): 0 7558-51265-1
• Barcode (Scanned): 0075585126513
• 
  
• Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, etched, variant ?): \S CHR-1265-AS SM-2 AZ CB
• Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, etched, variant ?): \S CHR-1265-BS SM-1 AZ C3

Founding and early years (1977–78)

The group was formed in 1977 by songwriter/keyboardist Dammers, vocalist Tim Strickland, guitarist/vocalist Lynval Golding, drummer Silverton Hutchinson and bassist Horace Panter (a.k.a. Sir Horace Gentleman). Strickland was replaced by Terry Hall shortly after the band's formation. The band was first called the Automatics, then the Coventry Automatics.[8] Vocalist Neville Staple and guitarist Roddy Byers (usually known as Roddy Radiation) joined the band the following year; the new line-up changed their name to the Special AKA. Joe Strummer of the Clash had attended one of their concerts, and invited the Special AKA to open for his band in their "On Parole" UK tour. This performance gave the Special AKA a new level of national exposure, and they briefly shared the Clash's management.

The Specials began at the same time as Rock Against Racism, which was first organised in 1978. According to Dammers, anti-racism was intrinsic to the formation of the Specials, in that the band was formed with the goal of integrating black and white people. Many years later Dammers stated that "Music gets political when there are new ideas in music, ...punk was innovative, so was ska, and that was why bands such as the Specials and the Clash could be political".

Ascendancy of the Specials (1979–81)[

In 1979, shortly after drummer Hutchinson left the band to be replaced by John Bradbury, Dammers formed the 2 Tone Records label and released the band's debut single "Gangsters", a reworking of Prince Buster's "Al Capone". The record became a Top 10 hit that summer. The band had begun wearing mod/rude boy/skinhead-style two-tone tonic suits, along with other elements of late 1960s teen fashions. Changing their name to the Specials, they recorded their eponymous debut album in 1979, produced by Elvis Costello. Horn players Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez were featured on the album, but would not be official members of the Specials until their second album.

The Specials led off with Dandy Livingstone's "Rudy, A Message to You" (slightly altering the title to "A Message to You, Rudy") and also had covers of Prince Buster and Toots & the Maytals songs from the late 1960s. In 1980, the EP Too Much Too Young (predominantly credited to the Special A.K.A.) was a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart,[3] despite controversy over the song's lyrics, which reference teen pregnancy and promote contraception.

Reverting once again to the name of the Specials, the band's second album, More Specials, was not as commercially successful and was recorded at a time when, according to Hall, conflicts had developed in the band. Female backing vocalists on the Specials' first two studio albums included: Chrissie Hynde; Rhoda Dakar (then of the Bodysnatchers and later of the Special AKA); and Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's. In the first few months of 1981, the band took a break from recording and touring, and then released "Ghost Town", a non-album single, which hit No. 1 in 1981. At their Top of the Pops recording of the song, however, Staple, Hall and Golding announced they were leaving the band. Golding later said: "We didn't talk to the rest of the guys. We couldn't even stay in the same dressing room. We couldn't even look at each other. We stopped communicating. You only realise what a genius Jerry was years later. At the time, we were on a different planet." Shortly afterwards, the three left the band to form Fun Boy Three.