S1 Episode 6 – ‘Rip It Up: The Best Of Specialty Records’
By Michael Elliott / 5 August 2021
Depending on your age or environment, the term “rock ‘n’ roll” can conjure an image as innocent as a jukebox in a soda shop, as threatening as a switchblade in a dark alley, or as distant and detached as an old movie populated from what seems like people from another planet. For the converted, however, it will undoubtedly inspire visions, among others, of records – 45s mainly – and the iconic labels that adorned them. The deep blue with silver lettering of Chicago’s Chess Records. The musical notes that danced around the bright yellow rays of light that illuminated Memphis’ Sun. The little yellow and white label with the bold scrawl across the top promising a whole lot of fun within its grooves: ‘Specialty’.
In TC’s B-rolls, audio book reader Terry Carter reads stories from headlines all over the world.