English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It

English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It

1980

Sire Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl and Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Mirror in the Bathroom  2. Hands Off...She's Mine  3. Two Swords  4. Twist & Crawl  5. Rough Rider  6. Click Click  7. Big Shot  8. Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margaret  9. Noise in This World  10. Can't Get Used to Losing You  11. Best Friend  12. Jackpot



If you're holding a drunken, record dork/McLaughlin Group-style round-table, a fun topic is always, "What 2nd wave British ska band had the best debut album?"

Do you go with The Specials dry and gritty debut? After all it is the one that kicked the whole thing off?

Or is it Madness' "One Step Beyond," with its superior musicianship and totally bonkers carnivalesque atmosphere that captured the manic fun of its time? 

Or do you go with the crystalline, laser-cut pop of The English Beat's "I Just Can't Stop It?" The argument could be made that it's not just the best 2nd wave ska album, but possibly the best pop album of the 80's, with every song featuring a sharp hook gleamed to polished perfection. Or is this an argument against it? Are tracks like "Best Friend" more closely related to jangly power-pop than ska?

This is truly is one of those rare albums where you listen to it and go, "This is the best song! No, wait! This one is! No! This one!" Maybe that's a completely different, unanswerable question. What's the best track on "I Just Can't Stop It"? The paranoid, edgy "Mirror in the Bathroom"? The anti-Thatcher political track "Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margaret" which should be extremely dated due to the specificity of its politics. Fortunately, it sports a chorus chant so flawless and immortal that it'll be stuck in the heads of generations to come who accidentally encounter it digging thru their ancestor's dusty old vinyl...

Let me put it this way, look at any English Beat greatest hits disc and count the number of tracks that originate on this album. Is it about 75%? Are they essentially "I Just Can't Stop It" with a few bonus tracks? 

 Oh, and another argument for this being the best 2nd wave ska debut is the consistently sweet performances by Saxa, who is easily the most listenable sax player in the history of ska/rock. If you're thinking, "Hey, whatabout...?" The answer is "No." I'm someone who generally dreads the thought of a big, honking sax on a rock album, but Saxa's playing is so pleasant and blends with the music so perfectly that you almost don't realize he's there until you start trying to pinpoint what makes a particular track so great...

Yea, you know what? I'm convinced. "I Just Can't Stop It" is the best ska album. Hands down. Can you feel that sense of joy as they bid the listener farewell on "Jackpot." You actually feel a slight wrenching in your gut cos you're so sad to hear them go...Yea, I'm going with this album. Easy.

"But what about The Specials debut and their perfect album closer, 'You're Wondering Now'?"

Fuck...We're never gonna solve this one...Let's just listen to some music...Here's "Best Friend" by The English Beat...Enjoy...