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A steel tray is an unlikely piece of equipment to associate with one of British music’s defining debut albums. Yet among the details reported about the making of The Specials, there it is: Elvis Costello adding to the snare-drum rhythm on Nite Klub by striking a tray. It is a small contribution, but a useful way into a bigger question. How do you record a band whose appeal depends on the feeling that the room might erupt? Released on 19 October 1979, The Specials reaches its