John Peel writes:
'Every two or three years a single comes along of such potency that the criteria by which all other records - old or new - are judged, are permanently affected. Such a single has been The Specials' "Gangsters". Released independently in the spring and based around Prince Buster's 1960s classic "Al Capone", "Gangsters" has cast into a harsh and unflattering light many of the records of the diehard punks, now as firmly locked into the past as Black Sabbath fans were in 1977. The sorcery of "Gangsters" has opened the way for such exuberant enchanters as Madness, The Selecter, and The Beat, and has led to a thaumaturgic LP, produced by Elvis Costello , generously stuffed with good tunes. If you're ever going to dance to your radio, tonight could be the night. "Don't argue." '