ARTIST: The Specials
TITLE: Ghost Town
ALBUM: The Singles Collection
By: Winston Campbell
intro
F#dim Bbdim Ddim F#dim* Bbdim* Ddim*
G -------------------------------------------------------------------------
D -------------------------------------------------------------------------
A ---------------------------------5-5-5-5-9-9-9-9-13-13-13-13-17-17-17-17-
E -2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-----------------------------------------
The verse (please pay mind to the bars) is:
Cm?...
G -----------------------------------------|---------------------------
D ----1------0------3--6--5----------------|----1------0------3--6-----
A -3------3------3----------3--3--3------2-|-3------3------3--------3--
E ------------------------------------3----|---------------------------
Gm7
G --5-5-5-5-5-5-----|---------------------------------------|---------
D ------------------|----1------0------3--6--5--------------|---------
A ------------------|-3------3------3----------3--3--3------|---1-1-1-
E ------------------|------------------------------------3--|-3-------
E
G -------------------------|-----------------------------|
D -------------------------|-----------------------------|
A ---1-1-1---1-1-1---1--1--|-2--2-2-2----2--2-2-2----2-2-|
E -3-------3-------3-------|-----------0-----------0-----|
Okay the chords played with the bass lines are played like this:
Cm?... consists of three chords (that I have personally named Cm, CmX, and
CmY), that and the rest are played like:
E A D G B E
-----------
Cm x x x 5 4 3
CmX x x x 7 6 4
CmY x x x 7 6 6
Gm7 x x x 7 6 6
E x x x 9 9 7
Notice that CmY and Gm7 are played identically. Trust me about this. The
way how these chords are played are with a quick backstroke to the beat
(like how many reggae songs are played). You should play the chords in
this order with occurence with the bass notes and music:
Cm Cm CmX CmY
Cm Cm CmX Cm
Cm Cm CmX CmY
Cm Cm CmX CmY
Cm Cm CmX CmY
Cm Cm CmX Cm
Gm7 Gm7 Gm7 Gm7
E E E E
I hope you understood that. If you did not, you listen to the music
carefully to see what I mean. Every chord is a guitar stroke. Anyway,
those cool riffs that are played by the horns and whistles (?) during the
verse goes something like this:
Riff 1:
E -------------7h8p7--------
B -8--------8--------9--8---
G --------------------------
D --------------------------
A --------------------------
E --------------------------
Riff 2:
E ----------------------
B ----------------------
G ----------------------
D ----5-4-----3--1--0---
A -3--------------------
E ----------------------
Riff 3:
E -3---1-------------
B --------2--1--0----
G -------------------
D -------------------
A -------------------
E -------------------
Riff 1 is that Middle Eastern sounding flute. Riff 2 are the horns that
play and Riff 3 is that little whistle played during the Gm7 to E chord
change. The Riffs go in order: 1, 2, 1, 3. Listen to the song to check
with that.
After that verse section, the second verse section begins. It is that eerie
sounding part where you hear the children screaming and chanting. I really
do not know what the guitar plays but in theory the chord changes with the
bass riff underneath is as follows:
Cm Bdim Bb
G --------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
D ------5---------5---|------5---------5---|------3---------3---|
A -3--6---6--3--6---6-|-3--6---6--3--6---6-|-2--5---5--1--5---5-|
E --------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
Cm Gm
G ---------------------|
D ------5--------------|
A -3--6---6------------|
E -----------3----3----|
The song then goes back to the intro riff and then the bridge appears, this
is that -Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town- part,
which takes the song from it~s eerie doomy feel to happy tidings or so-so.
The bass riff is:
Db Gb Db Gb G
G -------------|----------------------|-------------|-----------------|---|
D -------------|------------4--4--2-1-|-------------|----4--1--1------|---|
A -4--4--4-4-4-|------1-2-4-----------|-4--4--4-4-4-|------------4----|---|
E -------------|-2--2-----------------|-------------|-2-------------2-|-3-|
The song takes us back to the verse, then the second verse and then it
pretty much stays on the verse bass notes until the end of the song. These
are basically the riffs for Ghost Town.
A way of playing the intro chords are these ways:
E A D G B E
----------------
F#dim x x x 2 1 2
Bbdim x x x 6 5 6
Ddim x x x 10 9 10
F#dim* x x x 14 13 14
Bbdim* x x x 18 17 18
Ddim* x x x 22 21 22
Personally I do no have a guitar that goes up to the 22nd fret so Ddim*
can be played like Ddim. It really does not matter.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Lyrics:
This town is coming like a ghost town
All the clubs are being closed down
This place is coming like a ghost town
Bands won't play no more
Too much fighting on the dance floor
Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town
We danced and sang and the music played in any boom town
This town coming like a ghost town
When you see them fight against themself
This place is coming like a ghost town
No job to be found in this country
Can't go on no more
People getting angry
This town is coming like a ghost town
