The Beat (UK)
Ska revivalists The Beat were formed
in Birmingham, England, in 1978 in the aftermath of punk. Early pub
gigs garnered a devoted following, but also a reputation for
privileging musicianship over soul.
This was remedied by the recruitment of black rapper Ranking
Roger and a 60-something Jamaican saxophonist known simply as Saxa,
who had once worked with Ska legend Prince
Buster. They added a much-needed element of fun.
The band's first break came in 1979, when Jerry Dammers of The
Specials signed them to his 2-Tone label. Dammers had been attracted
by their pumped-up Bluebeat sound, but also by their stridently
anti-racist politics - always an essential ingredient in the
lyrics.
Now The Beat were label mates with not only The Specials but also
Madness, The
Selecter, and other very hip names, and were firmly
associated with the burgeoning Ska Revival, a movement devoted to
putting danceability back into 'alternative' pop.
Their first single, a cover of Smokey
Robinson's Tears Of A
Clown, went into the UK Top 10, and overnight turned the band
into Top of the Pops favourites: the mix of Wakeling's cool
demeanour and the frantic energy of Ranking Roger would become a
familiar sight on the program in years to come.
The band now had some clout within the music industry, and parted
company with 2-Tone soon afterwards. They came to an arrangement
with corporate giants Arista to form their own subsidiary label, Go
Feet, over which they would have complete artistic control - a way
of both making money and staying 'indie' (something that 2-Tone had
already achieved by becoming part of Chrysalis).
The singles released on the label in 1980 were incredibly
successful, and included three upbeat Top 10 hits - Hands Off . .
.She's Mine, Mirror In The Bathroom, and Too Nice To
Talk To.
Politics was still an important element. Benefit gigs for CND and
organisations for the unemployed confirmed the band's radical lefty
credentials - there was never any question that they would attract
the same kind of National Front following as the unfortunate
Madness.
Their main vinyl contribution to the cause was the magnificent Stand
Down Margaret, a practical bit of advice to the (then) Prime
Minister ("I see no joy, I see only sorrow: I see no chance of
your bright new tomorrow"), which became something of an anthem
among Britain's politically aware youth.
The debut album, I Just Can't Stop It (1980), contained
many of the hits, plus two excellent cover versions: Prince Buster's
Rough Rider, plus the less obvious Can't Get Used To
Losing You, originally a hit for none other than Andy
Williams.
One of the finest pop LPs of the 1980's, it went to Number Three. But it
was also the high spot for the band.
By the end of 1980, the ska boom was losing its original punk
edge, and the bands associated with it were testing new directions.
Madness became more orientated towards the kids market with their
'nutty sound', while The Specials experimented with darker
soundscapes inspired by Dammers' interest in film themes.
The Beat chose to try out a new reggae-influenced approach.
Things slowed down a great deal on the second album, Wha'ppen
(1981), a huge disappointment, with lyrics expressing paranoia and
despair in place of the old anger. It nevertheless climbed to Number
Three, and spawned the Top 30 single Drowning/All Out To Get
You.
Live, the band emphasised instrumental passages, and especially
the saxophone breaks, though the ever-more-doddery Saxa retired in
1982, to be replaced by Wesley Magoogan. Guitarist Cox had also
developed into a very individual player, though his rubber-legged
dancing technique was an unsettling sight. Ranking Roger, meanwhile,
looked increasingly lost.
By now, things were clearly on the slide for the band, and as the
hits dried up, they decided to try to break America, where they
toured as The English Beat, to avoid confusion with the US powerpop
band fronted by Paul Collins. They never achieved their goal, and
the third and final album, Special Beat Service, was barren
as far as hit singles were concerned, but nevertheless went Top 30.
Ironically, 1983 saw the band's biggest chart hit in the form of
a remix of Can't Get Used To Losing You, from the first
album, which went to Number Three. But it was all too late, and Wakeling
quit soon afterwards. He and Ranking Roger went on to form General
Public, while Cox and Steele regrouped as Fine Young
Cannibals.
The Beat will probably be remembered as 'the third' 1980s ska
band after Madness and The Specials, but to anyone who can recall
the heady days of 250,000-strong CND marches, and sore-throated
choruses of Stand Down Margaret, their music will always have
a special resonance.
Members of the band had often collaborated on stage with The
Specials and in the early 1990s, Roger joined members of The
Specials to form a new band called Special Beat, which toured and
released two live albums.
|
