The Beat 1980
Introduction
Late 1979/early 1980 the 2 Tone ska-revival raged across the UK. Europe’s mainland would soon follow. Following the successful debut single Tears Of A Clown, The Beat released their debut album in 1980.
The Beat
The band was formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. The toaster Ranking Roger and saxophone player Saxa both came from a Jamaican background and added reggae and ska to the group’s sound, which already was highly eclectic with influences of latin, pop, soul and punk.
The Beat – Tears Of A Clown
The band’s music connected with the ska-revival bubbling in the underground and the political convictions were a perfect match for the recently founded 2 Tone Records, the label that was in the midst of releasing music by The Specials, Madness and The Selecter. The Smokey Robinson cover of Tears Of A Clown and the self-penned Ranking Full Stop were released on November 30, 1979, on The Beat’s double A-side debut single. Both songs were successful, especially in the UK.
When Madness left the 2 Tone Records label, The Beat decided to leave as well. The band founded their own label Go-Feet and signed a distribution deal with Arista. The band went to work on a debut album, which was preceded by two singles: Hands Off…She’s Mine and Mirror In The Bathroom, which were both huge hits.
The Beat – I Just Can’t Stop It
I Just Can’t Stop It
On May 23, 1980, The Beat released their debut album I Just Can’t Stop It. Sometime later in the year the album was also released in the US and Australia. To avoid confusion with an American band called Beat, the I Just Can’t Stop It album was released under the respective monikers The English Beat and The British Beat.
Like many of the other ska items, I Just Can’t Stop It was also a musical combination of punk, ska and reggae mixed with socially conscious lyrics. The band’s line-up was multi-racial, which also fit the standards of the 2 Tone craze. However, musically The Beat deviated somewhat, because of the soul and new wave influences which were an intricate part of the band’s sound.
Even though the 2-Tone craze had been around for some time, The Beat’s album wasn’t too late. In part due to the original mix of styles, like punk, reggae, calypso and pop, which are all represented equally. The Beat was original enough to fend for its own existence.
The Beat / The English Beat / The British Beat – I Just Can’t Stop It
Lyrics
As was the case with a lot of the 2-Tone bands and music, The Beat was also politically and socially engaged. The song Two Swords addresses right-wing and left-wing extremism. Right-wing violence elicits left-wing violence, but, in the end, it’s all violence.
Two Swords I’ve never been one for the punch-up
But look I really hate those Nazis
A certain something gets to wind me up
How could I hate them oh so violently
Big Shot is about people with power, money and the hunger for more and more.
Yes, I’ve seen you go to work in your big car
Yes, your fat and can afford to be tasteless
You’re a big shot
Who wants a whole lot
And if I like it or not
You still control me
You tell me what to think and what to be
One of the most obvious references included in a song title, is Stand Down Margaret, a call to Margaret Thatcher, who had become UK’s Prime Minister in 1979. She didn’t listen, it would take another 10 years before Thatcher left her position.
Success
I Just Can’t Stop It was a big success, internationally as well. In the UK the album stayed in the charts for 8 months in a row. By the end of 1980, the album was part of many ‘best-of-the-year’ lists.
I Just Can’t Stop It was the first digitally recorded album to be released in the UK. The single Mirror In The Bathroom was the first ever digitally recorded single to reach the top position in the UK charts.
The Beat – The creation of the “Beat girl”
Beat girl
In 1979 British music magazine Melody Maker published an article on the emerging ska scene, which depicted a 1964 photo of a 19 year old woman twisting with Jamaican ska pioneer Pince Buster. Cartoonist Hunt Emerson used that photo as inspiration for The Beat’s “Beat girl” logo.
But, who was the woman? Read it in the sub article Brigitte Bond: the story of the “Beat girl”.
Review
Even though the album is often thrown in the same pile with other 2-Tone releases of that era, The Beat was less ska than the other bands. Their roots were more part of new wave and punk than reggae and ska (although it’s definitely a part of the album).
What sets the album truly apart, is its production. Recorded at the Roundhouse Studios Camden by John Peel Sessions producer Bob Sargeant, the album still sounds fresh today, like it’s been recorded only yesterday. The soundscape is rich, varied and pristine. Each individual instrument has a distinct place within the mix and is easily identifiable, and the vocals are perfectly attuned to the music.
But, in the end, it all boils down to the songs, and they are all of an extremely high level. Mind you, we’re talking about a debut album here. With Mirror In The Bathroom, Hands Off…She’s Mine, Rough Rider, Can’t Get Used To Losing You and Best Friends the album contains so many classic songs, the album itself can easily be categorized as a classic. Add the songs off the debut single to the collection, and you have an album that’s required listening for all music lovers.
The Beat – I Just Can’t Stop It – Singles
Singles
The album spawned 3 singles.
- Hands Off…She’s Mine
(released on February 14, 1980) - Mirror In The Bathroom
(released on April 25, 1980) - Best Friend / Stand Down Margaret
(released on August 8, 1980)
The Beat – I Just Can’t Stop It – Back cover
Songs
All songs written by The Beat (Roger Charlery, Andy Cox, Everett Morton, David Steele, Dave Wakeling), unless stated otherwise.
- Mirror In The Bathroom
- Hands Off…She’s Mine
- Two Swords
- Twist & Crawl (The Beat, Dick Bradsell)
- Rough Rider (Eddy Grant, Patrick Grant, Dervan Gordon, Lincoln Gordon)
- Click Click
- Big Shot
- Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret (Whine & Grine: The Beat, Prince Buster)
- Noise In This World
- Can’t Get Used To Losing You (Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman)
- Best Friend
- Jackpot (George Agard, Sydney Crooks, Jackie Robinson)
It wasn’t before long that Tears Of A Clown and Ranking Full Stop, off the debut single, were added to the album’s track list.
The Beat – Hands Off…She’s Mine – Top Of The Pops 1980
Musicians
- Dave Wakeling – vocals, guitar
- Ranking Roger – toasting, vocals
- Andy Cox – guitar
- David Steele – bass
- Everett Morton – drums
- Saxa – saxophone
The Beat – I Just Can’t Stop It – Ad
After I Just Can’t Stop It
Within a year of the debut album the second Beat album was released. Wha’ppen? was well received and was viewed as the adult version of I Just Can’t Stop It. The band toured constantly for the album, in the US also, with The Pretenders and Talking Heads. After the release of Special Beat Service (1982) the inspiration (and success) had vanished into thin air and The Beat subsequently disbanded in 1983. I read somewhere that the lack of The Beat’s success was in part caused by front man Dave Wakeling, who, in comparison to The Specials’ Terry Hall, Madness’ Suggs and The Selecter’s Pauline Black, came across more as an accountant than as a bonafide popstar. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but the music was not at fault, as the second and third album were fine as well.
The Beat – Wha’ppen? & Special Beat Service
After The Beat
Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger founded General Public, and Andy Cox and David Steele would go on to form Fine Young Cannibals with singer Roland Gift and achieve international fame. Everett Morton and Saxa founded The International Beat.
Next, the band members played in different bands and some recorded solo albums (Ranking Roger). In 2003 The Beat (more or less) reunited, which quickly fell apart, leading to a UK version of the band (The Beat, later The Beat featuring Ranking Roger) and an American version (The English Beat).
In the meantime, three members of the initial line-up have died, Saxa (2017), Ranking Roger (2019) and Everett Morton (2021).
In closing
What’s your take on The Beat and I Just Can’t Stop It? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: I Just Can’t Stop It: The Beat’s debut album. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
3 comments
Author
On the Dutch version of this article Andre commented on the funny story of the secret Stand Down Margaret performance (thanks for the tip!). The story is as follows.
In 1980 The Beat was given the opportunity to play the song Stand Down Margaret on the BBC childrens tv program Cheggars Plays Pop. The BBC initially frowned upon the title, this isn’t about Thatcher, is it?, but their minds were put at ease. In 2013 Dave Wakeling said: “We had to get the song on by stealth. Our genial old Jamaican saxophonist, Saxa, explained to presenter Keith Chegwin that ‘The Stand Down Margaret’ was an old Caribbean dance. ‘Come now Cheggers,’ he was saying, ‘let me show you how to dance The Stand Down Margaret…’ and he invents some ridiculous little dance routine. Then we start playing the song and unzip our jackets and we’ve all got T-shirts emblazoned with pictures of Maggie Thatcher.” The image matched the back cover of the single (see below). The BBC couldn’t intervene anyomore. Criticism on Thatcher had been broadcast on national tv around teatime. The single sales spiked, effectively putting more money into the pockets of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), as the sigle’s proceeds were donated to that organization. The Beat was not invited back again at the Cheggers Plays Pop program.
I’m just curious as to the source of your claim that the album was the “first digitally recorded album to be released in the UK”. Aside from the fact that contentions about something being the “first” are never usually advisable (it’s more than likely that multiple classical albums had been released in the late 1970s in the UK that had also been digitally recorded), Ry Cooder’s Bop Till You Drop, was, it seems, released in the UK in 1979, and is famous as being one of the earliest digitally recorded pop albums.
Whilst I don’t doubt that the album could have been digitally recorded (and in fact find it fascinating that a ska group were early pioneers with such technology) it’s difficult to find legitimate sources for this, so I’d be very interested if you could let me know how you came about this information.
Author
Hi James, I first came across it on the BBC website, I’m sorry to say I don’t know where I got the confirmation (a second website) from.