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The Beat
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The Beat was an English ska band from Birmingham, formed in 1978. The singer and guitarist Dave Wakeling, the toaster Ranking Roger, the guitarist Andy Cox, the bassist David Steele and the drummer Everett Morton were joined by Saxa, a Jamaican saxophonist who had already played with Prince Buster. The group was mixed, with Black and white members, and so belonged to the 2 Tone movement. In the United States the band was called The English Beat, to avoid confusion with an American group.
Music and breakthrough
At the end of 1979 2 Tone released a ska version of Smokey Robinson's The Tears of a Clown, which reached number 6 in England. After that the band set up a label of its own, Go-Feet. Mirror in the Bathroom appeared in April 1980 and reached number 4. The song is faster and barer than ska from Jamaica, with a driving drum beat and a tight bass line. The lyrics are about vanity: people who, while shopping, mainly look at their own reflection. The debut album I Just Can't Stop It (1980), produced by Bob Sargeant, reached number 3 in England. It also contains Stand Down Margaret, an attack on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Influence
After Wha'ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982) the band split up in 1983. Wakeling and Ranking Roger started General Public, while Cox and Steele formed Fine Young Cannibals with the singer Roland Gift. With The Specials and The Selecter, The Beat showed that ska, punk and soul together could form a British dance music of their own, with a political message.
Listening
Mirror in the Bathroom · The Beat, 1980Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 1980I Just Can’t Stop It
- 1981Wha’ppen?
- 1982Special Beat Service
- 2016Bounce
- 2018Here We Go Love
- 2019Public Confidential
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 2: Youth Cultures 1950-1980NL Reader
- Mixtape 3: The BeatlesNL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- 2 Tone Genre
In 1979 Jerry Dammers founded the label 2 Tone in Coventry, with deliberately mixed bands that played ska with the energy of punk: The Specials, The Selecter and The Beat.