The English Beat

The Beat (known in North America as The English Beat) are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae, and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity, and sociopolitical topics.

The Beat released three albums: ''I Just Can't Stop It (1980), Wha'ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service'' (1982), and a string of singles, including "Mirror in the Bathroom", " Too Nice To Talk To", "Can't Get Used To Losing You", "Hands off She's Mine" and "All Out To Get You".

Career

The Beat were formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978, during a period of high unemployment and social upheaval in the United Kingdom. Ranking Roger, one of the band's vocalists, added a Jamaican vocal flavour to the band's sound with his toasting style. Jamaican saxophonist Saxa added an authentic Jamaican ska instrumental sound. Saxa had played saxophone with Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, and Desmond Dekker in the first wave of ska (as well as with The Beatles in their Liverpool days). He joined The Beat to record their first single, "Tears of a Clown", a cover version of the Motown hit by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

Notable singles from the first album included "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Mirror In the Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine" and "Best Friend". The second Beat album, ''Wha'ppen? was supported by extensive touring, including a U.S. tour with The Pretenders and Talking Heads. The album yielded more U.K. hits, with "All Out to Get You" and "Too Nice To Talk To," both of which broke the U.K

. Top 40. The Beat received strong support from modern rock radio stations such as KROQ in Los Angeles and KYYX in Seattle.

Although The Beat's July 12, 2007.

Post-breakup

After the break-up of The Beat in 1983, Wakeling (guitar, vocals) and Ranking Roger (vocals) went on to form General Public, while Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass guitar) formed Fine Young Cannibals with vocalist Roland Gift. Everett Morton and Saxa formed The International Beat fronted by Tony Beet. Ranking Roger also briefly joined Mick Jones' post-Clash band Big Audio Dynamite and performed at several live shows with the band. However, the band broke up shortly after he joined when its last album was shelved by the record company. Meanwhile, "March of the Swivelheads," an instrumental version of the Beat's song "Rotating Head," was used in the climactic chase scene of 1986's ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off; the band was listed in the end credits as "The (English) Beat".

In the 1990s, Roger recorded his solo début, a reggae-oriented album entitled Radical Departure. In 2001, Roger released another solo album, Inside My Head, which included traditional reggae and ska with influences of electronica, jungle, and dub. Ranking Roger's son, Ranking Junior, has followed in his father's footsteps. In 2005, he appeared on The Ordinary Boys' single "Boys Will Be Boys" and is a current member of The Beat in the UK.

Reformations

The Beat live in London in 2006.
In 2003, The Beat's original line-up, minus Cox and Steele, played a sold-out one-off gig at the Royal Festival Hall. In 2004, the VH1 show Bands Reunited tried unsuccessfully to reunite the original line-up.

In 2006, the UK version of The Beat, featuring Ranking Roger and Morton, recorded a new album that was mixed by Adrian Sherwood, but it remains unreleased. After Dave Blockhead left the band, he was replaced on keyboards by Mickey Billingham formerly a member of Dexys Midnight Runners and General Public.

Wakeling fronts the US version as the "The English Beat". In 2009, Wakeling toured co-headlining with Reel Big Fish and also discussed plans to release new material in 2009.

Both the UK and USA versions of the band tour frequently and both recently celebrated the 30th Anniversary of The Beat.

Discography

Studio albums

First studio album

Release date: May 1980

Label: Go Feet/Sire Records
UK: Goldwww.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx

Compilation albums

Singles

Film and video

Dance Craze (1981 Independent Film - VHS) A compilation that contains live 1980 Beat footage among other Ska bands.
Video Collection (198x Channel 5 - VHS)
Live (198x unknown - VHS) 45 min live performance.
The Beat In Concert at the Royal Festival Hall (2005 MVD Visual - DVD)

Video

PUNKCAST#908 The English Beat @ Canal Room NYC on January 13, 2006. (Realplayer,mp4)

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