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The Beat (British band)

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For the musical genre which originated in Britain, seeBeat music.

The Beat
The Beat performing in Truckee, California, 2007
The Beat performing inTruckee, California,2007
Background information
Also known asThe English Beat, the British Beat
OriginBirmingham,England
Genres
Years active
  • 1978–1983
  • 2003
  • 2006–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Ranking Roger and Everett Morton's reformation of the Beat in London in 2006

The Beat(known in the United States and Canada asthe English Beatand in Australia asthe British Beat[1]) are an English band formed inBirmingham,England, in 1978.[2]Their music fuses Latin, ska,pop,soul,reggaeandpunk rock.[3]

The Beat, consisting ofDave Wakeling(vocals, guitar),Ranking Roger(vocals),Andy Cox(guitar),David Steele(bass), Everett Morton (drums), and Saxa a.k.a. Lionel Augustus Martin (saxophone), released three studio albums in the early 1980s:I Just Can't Stop It(1980),Wha'ppen?(1981) andSpecial Beat Service(1982), and a string of singles, including "Mirror in the Bathroom","Save It for Later","I Confess","Too Nice to Talk To","Can't Get Used to Losing You","Hands Off...She's Mine",and" All Out to Get You ".[4]

Career

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1978–1983

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The Beat formed in Birmingham, England, in1978, during a periodof highunemploymentand social upheaval in theUnited Kingdom.Ranking Roger,one of the band's vocalists, added a Jamaican vocal flavour to the band's sound with histoastingstyle. JamaicansaxophonistSaxa added a Jamaican ska instrumental sound. Saxa (born Lionel Augustus Martin in 1930) had played saxophone withPrince Buster,[4]Laurel Aitken,andDesmond Dekkerin the first wave of ska. He joined the Beat to record their first single, "Tears of a Clown",acover versionof theMotownhit bySmokey Robinson and the Miracles.[4]

The band's debut studio album,I Just Can't Stop It,was released in May 1980, entering theUK albums chartat No. 3.[5]Notable singles from the 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 United States tour withthe PretendersandTalking Heads.The album yielded more UK hits, with "All Out to Get You", "Drowning" and "Doors of Your Heart", all of which broke into theTop 40of theUK Singles Chart.The Beat received support from modern rock radio stations such asKROQ-FMinLos Angeles,the now-defunctKQAKThe Quake 99FM (98.9) inSan Franciscoand KYYX inSeattle.[6]

Although the Beat's main fan base was in the UK, the band was also popular inAustralia,partly due to exposure on the radio stationTriple Jand the TV showCountdown.The Beat had a sizable following in the US and Canada, where the band were known asthe English Beatfor legal reasons (to avoid confusion with the American bandthe Beat).[4]The Beat toured the world with well-known artists includingDavid Bowie,the Clash,the Police,the Pretenders,R.E.M.,the SpecialsandTalking Heads.Members of the band often collaborated on stage withthe Specials.[7]

During their early career, the band were associated with Birmingham-based cartoonistHunt Emerson,who designed their 'Beat Girl' icon and painted the mural that was used on the cover ofWha'ppen?[8][9]

Post-breakup

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After the break-up of the Beat in 1983, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger went on to formGeneral Publicand had a couple of hit singles in the US and Canada including "Tenderness",whileAndy CoxandDavid SteeleformedFine Young Cannibalswith vocalistRoland Giftfrom the ska bandAkrylykz.Drummer Everett Morton and Saxa formed the International Beat along with the Birmingham-based singer, Tony Beet, and the band released an album titledThe Hitting LineonBlue Beat Recordsin 1990. The album was produced byRanking Rogerand he often guested with the band at some of their shows. The International Beat toured the UK and United States until 1992.[citation needed]

Ranking Roger also briefly joinedMick Jones'post-ClashbandBig Audio Dynamiteand 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", aninstrumental versionof the Beat's song "Rotating Head", was used in the climactic chase scene of 1986'sFerris Bueller's Day Off;the band was listed in the end credits as "The (English) Beat". "Save It for Later" was featured on the soundtrack album to 1996'sKingpin,2010'sHot Tub Time Machineand 2017'sSpider-Man: Homecoming.

Everett Morton formed Beat Goes Bang and recruited vocalist Ross Lydon from 360, bass player Faisal Rashid, and Lukasz Machometa on sax, former member of Citybeats and Urban Groove Syndicate.[citation needed]

Roger released his solo debut, a reggae-oriented album entitledRadical Departure,in 1988. In the early 1990s, Roger joined members ofthe Specialsto form Special Beat, which toured and released two live albums. They supported theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament(CND). 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,followed in his father's footsteps. In 2005, he appeared onthe Ordinary Boys' single "Boys Will Be Boys".

Pete Townshendperformed the song "Save It for Later" numerous times between 1985 and 1998.The Whoperformed the song twice on their1989 Reunion Tour.[10]

The Wonder Stuffalso played "Save It for Later" featuringRanking Rogeron their "From the Midlands with Love" series in June 2012.[importance?]

Pearl Jamalso began playing "Save It for Later" in 1996, blending it (a practice often known as "tagging" ) into the end of "Better Man",and it remained in the set list of their 2023 tour.[11]In June 2024, lead singer Eddie Vedder released a full, solo version of the track.

21st century

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In 2003, the Beat's original line-up, minus Cox and Steele, played a sold-out one-off gig at theRoyal Festival Hall.In 2004, theVH1showBands Reunitedtried unsuccessfully to reunite the original line-up.

In 2006, the UK version of the Beat, featuring Ranking Roger, recorded a new album that was mixed by Adrian Sherwood, but it remains unreleased. The band also featured Everett Morton andMickey Billinghamon keyboards, formerly a member ofDexys Midnight Runnersand General Public.

Dave Wakeling fronts the US version of the group as the English Beat, which usually adds a couple of General Public songs to the setlist.[12]The singer and his band flew over to the UK in April 2011, to perform at the London International Ska Festival at theClapham Grandmusic venue. They played theGreat Dorset Steam Fairshow 2011 on 31 August 2011. At this point, both the UK and US versions of the band continued to tour frequently on either sides of the Atlantic.

David Wakeling performs with The English Beat at The Palladium in New York City on April 7, 2024.

In mid-2012, the Beat released a box set, titledThe Complete Beat,comprising their three albums along with non-album singles, remixes and live material.[13]Additional bonus tracks were included on re-released, double-CD versions of each studio album.

The English Beat recorded two new songs that feature prominently in theScooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporatedepisode "Dance of the Undead"which aired 26 March 2013. It features a zombie ska group called Rude Boy and the Ska-Tastics who come back to life in order to turn people into zombies and make them dance to ska music forever. According to an interviewDave Wakelingconducted with theSan Francisco Examiner,he said: "This was my first opportunity to do anything for television as a gun for hire, and I actually managed to record and mix two songs in 12 hours. It was like running at double speed with no brakes, but it was exciting, andWarner Bros.really loved them. So the zombies have a song called 'You’re Dead Right, Mate,' and the Hex Girls have one called 'We're the Good Bad Girls,’ which has a definiteRamones-Runawaysvibe to it, but frankly, I'm really happy I did it, because I’ve always loved ‘Scooby-Doo."[14]

In late 2013, the Beat with Ranking Roger released the live album,Live in Londonwhich featured a new song titled "How Do You Do (Side to Side)" and also a song previously released solo by Ranking Roger, entitled "Dangerous", among many other songs.

The Beat feat. Ranking Roger releasedBounce,a studio album, on 30 September 2016, on CD, Vinyl and Digital on DMF Records. The first single from the album, 'Walking on the Wrong Side' was released in July 2016, whilst the album reached No. 49 on the UK Albums Chart.[15]

Saxa (born Lionel Augustus Martin) died on 3 May 2017 at the age of 87.

In 2018 the Beat feat. Ranking Roger releasedThe Beat – Live at the Roundhousea live album with accompanying DVD,[16]while the (English) Beat starring Dave Wakeling released an album calledHere We Go Love.[17][18][19][20]This album was announced by Wakeling in 2014, with the project funded through thePledgeMusicwebsite (which was a direct-to-fan music platform where fans could donate money to a group to complete an album project).[21][22]

On 26 January 2019 the Beat feat. Ranking Roger released a new studio album,Public Confidential.The first single from the album 'Maniac' was playlisted onBBC Radio 6 Music.[citation needed]

Weeks after undergoing surgery for twobrain tumours,and while undergoing treatment forlung cancer,[23]Ranking Roger died at home on 26 March 2019, aged 56.[24][25][26]

In March 2021, Mini Murphy (Ranking Junior from the Special Beat and the version of the Beat signed to DMF Music in 2016) teamed up with indie rock bandthe Ordinary Boysto record a tribute to his late father, Ranking Roger. The resulting double-A side single, with "Legacy" on one side and "Jump and Skank" on the other, was released as a download, vinyl and CD single by United Sound Records/Proper.[27]

In October 2021, drummer Everett Morton died at the age of 71.

Personnel

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The Beat / The English Beat

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  • Andy Cox– guitar (1978–1983)
  • Everett Morton – drums (1978–1983, died 2021)
  • Ranking Roger– lead vocals, toasting (1978–1983, died 2019)
  • Saxa – saxophone (1978–1983, died 2017)
  • David Steele– bass (1978–1983)
  • Dave Wakeling– lead vocals, guitar (1978–1983)
  • Dave 'Blockhead' Wright – keyboards (1980–1983)
  • Wesley Magoogan – saxophone (1981–1983)

The English Beat starring Dave Wakeling

[edit]
  • Dave Wakeling– lead vocals, guitar
  • Brian Nucci Cantrell – drums, vocals
  • Matt Morrish – sax, vocals
  • Wesley Perry – sax, vocals (current)
  • Kevin Lum – keys, vocals
  • Minh Quan – keys, vocals
  • Brad Engstrom – bass, vocals
  • Antonee First Class – toasting (current)

Discography

[edit]
Main article:The Beat discography

References

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  1. ^AlbumI Just Can't Stop ItGo-Feet Records L37344, Australia
  2. ^The English BeatatAllMusic
  3. ^"Baltimore Sun - The Beat goes on, By Evan Haga, Special to The Baltimore Sun".Articles.baltimoresun.com. 6 January 2011.Retrieved17 August2011.
  4. ^abcdStrong, Martin C. (2000).The Great Rock Discography(5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 63–64.ISBN1-84195-017-3.
  5. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 75 | Official Charts Company".www.officialcharts.com.Retrieved21 December2022.
  6. ^"KROQ Radio.com Event notification".Kroq.radio.com. 27 July 2010.Retrieved17 August2011.
  7. ^"The English Beat Biography".Sing365.com.Retrieved17 August2011.
  8. ^"The Beat Girl – Noted Cartoonist Hunt Emerson Designs a 2-Tone Era Icon".Marco On The Bass.16 December 2008.Retrieved27 March2019.
  9. ^The Beat (1981).Wha'ppen?(liner).Go Beat.
  10. ^"The Who Concert Guide: Concert List".Thewholive.net.Retrieved9 September2012.
  11. ^"Pearl Jam Songs Archive: Save it for Later".pearljam.com.Retrieved15 April2024.
  12. ^Dave Wakeling Readies First New English Beat Album in 34 years,Blastecho.com, 16 February 2016,retrieved2 September2016
  13. ^"Interview With Dave Wakeling of the English Beat".Nymn.com. 27 July 2012.Retrieved23 September2012.
  14. ^"Marco On The Bass: Scooby Doo Episode Features New Music By The English Beat".Marcoonthebass.blogspot.com. 22 March 2013.Retrieved2 April2014.
  15. ^"BEAT FT RANKING ROGER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company".www.officialcharts.com.
  16. ^"The Beat (6) - Live At The Roundhouse".Discogs.Retrieved30 March2019.
  17. ^Holley, Steve (23 March 2020)."Two-Tone Legend Dave Wakeling Talks to Essentially Pop".
  18. ^"The English Beat".englishbeat.net.
  19. ^"The English Beat - Here We Go Love".www.punknews.org.
  20. ^"The English Beat Talk First New Album in 36 Years & Feeling Like 'Ska-stradamus'".Billboard.
  21. ^"SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE ENGLISH BEAT STARRING DAVE WAKELING - HERE WE GO LOVE".The Spill Magazine.15 June 2018.
  22. ^"Album Review: English Beat - Here We Go Love".New Noise Magazine.
  23. ^"Tributes as The Beat star Ranking Roger dies".Bbc.co.uk.27 March 2019.
  24. ^Pearis, Bill (26 March 2019)."Ranking Roger (The English Beat, General Public), dead at 56".BrooklynVegan.Retrieved26 March2019.
  25. ^Otte, Jedidajah (27 March 2019)."The Beat singer Ranking Roger dies aged 56".The Guardian.Retrieved27 March2019.
  26. ^"Tributes as the Beat star Ranking Roger dies".Bbc.co.uk.27 March 2019.
  27. ^"Ordinary Boys team up with Ranking Junior for Ranking Roger tribute".18 March 2021.

Bibliography

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  • The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll,Third Edition (Fireside, 2001)
  • The Beat: Twist and Crawlby Malu Halasa (Eel Pie, 1981)
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toThe Beat.
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