The English Beat: What is Beat?/ 12" & Dub Versions/Peel Sessions & Live in Boston

Alright, here's all the miscellaneous English Beat shit I own:

The English Beat: What is Beat?

1983

IRS Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Mirror In The Bathroom  2. Twist & Crawl  3. Tears Of A Clown  4.
Can't Get Used To Losing You (Remix)  5. Doors Of Your Heart  6. What's Your Best Thing?  7.
Hit It  8. Save It For Later (12" Version)  8.Best Friend  9.I Confess  10. Too Nice To Talk To  11.
Get A Job /Stand Down Margaret


Vinyl greatest-hits package from the early 80's. I can tell you that before "The Complete Beat" made this redundant,  this record was essential shit. It contained 3 non-album singles, an awesome live take of "Get A Job /Stand Down Margaret" and a handful of remixes that weren't available anywhere else. Lots of fond memories of sitting on the floor of my room listening to this one. 

The three non-album singles: I believe I've covered "Too Nice To Talk To" elsewhere, but it really is one of my favorite English Beat songs. Darker and funkier than anything else they've recorded.  I'm never really aching to hear "Hit It", since it doesn't have a great chorus that gets lodged in your skull (like so many of their other songs), but whenever it's actually on I find myself falling for its cool, angular funkiness. I like "What's Your Best Thing?" very much. It has such a bizarre mix that I seriously thought my speakers were missing a channel when I first heard it. It's like a dub version or remix of itself. The vocals are mixed very low, the drums really loud, then suddenly a big dry guitar or violin will appear at ear-splitting levels and overtake everything. The song is so sturdy that it bears out the interesting mix, at least. 

I still bust this out from time to time to listen to the rarities in a vinyl format and I often find myself just letting the whole thing play. Great comp. Let's listen to "Too Nice to Talk To"...

The English Beat: 12" & Dub Versions

2012

Shout Factory! Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

1. Hands Off... She's Mine (Extended)  2. Twist & Crawl (Extended)  3. Stand Down Margaret (Dub)  4. Too Nice To Talk To (Dubweiser)  5. Psychedelic Rockers (Dubweiser)  6. Doors Of Your Heart (Extended)  7. Drowning (Dub)  8. Hit It (Extended)  9. Which Side Of The Bed? (Extended)  10. Save It For Later (Extended)  11.What's Your Best Thing (Dub)  12. Cool Entertainer (Extended)  13. Jeanette (Extended)  14. March Of The Swivel Heads (Extended)  15. I Confess (Dave Allen Remix)


The minute they announced an English Beat box set, I whipped out my wallet . There was no way I wasn't getting this, and I went to the record store the day it came out. This was one of two bonus discs, a 78 minute monster packed with the band's  dub versions and extended 12-inch mixes. And they certainly are...longer.

The thing with The English Beat, is that they took a very gentle approach with the dubs and remixes. The end of a vocal phrase echoed, an additional instrumental breakdown, some pushed up bass or subtle percussion. You almost forget that you're not just listening to a greatest hits comp. To the point where some of these appear on greatest hits albums and nobody bats an eye or says, "Hey! That's not the version of 'Save It For Later' I wanted!"

(For some reason I'm a huge fan of 70's and 80's dubs but despise 90's-current remixes. Why is that? Oh, yea! Cos 70's and 80's shit didn't just have a shitty, programmed techno "Oonce Oonce Oonce oonce" beat slapped haphazardly over everything. Look! You can dance to it now! It has an "Oonce Oonce Oonce" on it).

I listen to this quite a bit when I can't decide which Beat album I want to hear. A good mix of the big hits and more obscure numbers like "Psychedelic Rockers." Here's the extended "Save It For Later." One of my all-time favorite songs. No question.

English Beat: Peel Sessions & Live in Boston

2012

Shout Factory! Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc
Track Listing: Peel Session - November 5, 1979: 1. Tears Of A Clown  2. Ranking Full Stop  3.
Click Click  4. Mirror In The Bathroom  5. Big Shot  Peel Session - September 22, 1980:   6.Too Nice To Talk To  7. Psychedelic Rockers  8. Monkey Murders  9. Walk Away Peel Session - March 29, 1982:  10. Spar Wid Me  11. End Of The Party  12. She's Going  13. Save It For Later  14.
Sole Salvation  15. Pato And Roger A Go Talk Opera House, Boston - November 19, 1982  16. Best Friend  17.  Tears Of A Clown  18. Twist & Crawl  19. Get-A-Job/Stand Down Margaret


This is the second bonus disc (there was a different version that had a bonus dvd of the band playing the Us festival, but I don't have that version) featuring the various Peel Sessions the band did over the years. It also includes 4 live tracks from the same show that the version of "Get-A-Job/Stand Down Margaret" from "What is Beat?" originates. 

No huge surprises here. The English Beat live sounds pretty the same as English Beat in the studio. They're very skilled and polished live musicians, hitting everything dead on song-after-song. It's certainly impressive, but again I often forget that I'm not listening to a very interesting hits compilation.  By the way, I fucking love Peel Sessions. Getting to hear good bands hashing it out in a live setting with studio quality. What's not to love? 

I kinda wish this set would have included the band's performance on the 1982 Kid Jensen  radio show, where the band performed two new songs that could have probably appeared on their 4th album (which the liner notes tantalizingly discuss being tracked). Frustratingly, at the same time the box set was issued, there were deluxe import versions being sold that had these tracks, making this "The Incomplete Beat." Oh, well...

Here's the "Sole Salvation" Peel session...Enjoy...

English Beat: Special Beat Service

English Beat: Special Beat Service

1982

IRS Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl and Compact Disc

Track Listing:  1. I Confess  2. Jeanette  3. Sorry  4. Sole Salvation  5. Spar Wid Me  6. Rotating Head  7. Save It for Later  8. She's Going  9. Pato and Roger a Go Talk  10. Sugar and Stress  11. End of the Party  12. Ackee 1-2-3 CD Bonus Tracks: 13. What's Your Best Thing  14. March Of The Swivel Heads  15. Cool Entertainer  16. A Go Talk (Tappy Luppy Dub)

"Alright. John McLaughlin punk/ska/record-dork round-table discussion for today. Is 'Special Beat Service' a brilliant comeback and perfect swan song or a commercial sellout?  Discuss."

"The English Beat make a total comeback from the morass of "Wha'ppen?" "Special Beat Service" is one of the greatest 80's albums ever. As soon as the album kicks off with "I Confess" you know they're back on track. Such a great, sophisticated, uplifting slice of catchy reggae soul-pop. Every song is an effervescent, infectious treat. E=MC2!"

"I disagree. Total sell-out, dude. Go back and listen to 'I Just Can't Stop It.' They don't come close to that original energy. And 'Wha'ppen?" at least took some chances. They play it safe. For MTV. Total sellout."

"Next question! Best song on 'Special Beat Service.' I say it's 'Save It For Later.' Which isn't only the band's best track, but the single greatest song of the 80's. Perhaps even overtaking 'Mirror in the Bathroom' as the band's signature song. A timeless confection so perfect that the band broke up rather than having to face topping it. Your opinion, Albert Einstein?"

"I agree. A rare example of an absolutely perfect single. I heard there's this random middle-aged guy on Earth named Jamin that listened to it no less than 10 million times. Although, I think we have to give props to the two Ranking Roger toasting tracks 'Pato and Roger a Go Talk' and 'Spar Wid Me.' Even folks who aren't into toasting will get into these due to the band's skill at turning everything they touch into sprightly pop."

"Don't over look 'Ackee 1-2-.3' You cannot play that song and not realize that life is great. Life is beautiful. Life is fleeting. Enjoy every moment. Do a conga dance around your apartment! Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-DA!"

"Yes, yes. 'Ackee 1-2-3.' Great choice. Great choice. Jesus Christ?!"

"Rotating Head.' Cos it was on Ferris Bueller. Awesome flick."

"Well. I think the consensus here seems to be that 'Special Beat Service' is right up there with the band's debut in terms of sheer greatness. Is it different? Sure. The punk edge is mostly gone at this point, but what they lose in brute force they gain in shimmering hookiness. The best 80's pop/new wave album? Could be...Could be...Next question. How soon is too soon?"

*******************************************************************

Back in the land of the living:

(Suddenly feels a supernatural chill in the air.)

( RIP: John McLaughlin. PBS will seem meaningless without you...

Except "Check Please Arizona." That show rules. The only show where the clothes wear the host...

)

Alright, let's listen to some music. Here's "Pato and Roger a Go Talk" by the English Beat. Enjoy...

English Beat: Wha'ppen?

English Beat: Wha'ppen?

1981

Sire Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl & Compact Disc

Track Listing: Vinyl Version: 1. Doors of Your Heart  2. All Out to Get You  3. Monkey Murders  4. I Am Your Flag  5. French Toast (Soleil Trop Chaud)  6. Drowning  7. Dream Home in NZ  8. Walk Away  9. Over and Over  10. Cheated  11. Get-a-Job  12. The Limits We Set

CD Version: 1. Too Nice to Talk To  2. Doors of Your Heart  3. All Out to Get You  4. Monkey Murders  5. I Am Your Flag  6. French Toast (Soleil Trop Chaud)  7. Drowning  8. Dream Home in NZ  9. Walk Away  10. Over and Over  11. Cheated  12. Get-a-Job  13. The Limits We Set  14. Psychedelic Rockers  15.  Hit It  16. Which Side of the Bed...?

Alright, today's discussion? Which 2nd wave British ska band put out the most disappointing 2nd album that you ended up liking 20 years later?

Again, this could turn into a pretty interesting debate if such record-gazing arguments are your thing. The English Beat put out a flat-ass classic with "I Just Can't Stop It" which is one of the most kinetic, catchy records ever made.  Then they followed it up with the sloooow, dubby, all-over-the-place "Wha'ppen?" where the Beat drop the bpm's and expand their musical palette into areas like calypso, dub reggae, and conga. The whole things a little darker, paranoid and atmospheric.  The snap and bite is taken out of the rockers and replaced with suspicion. You could almost imagine the band selling their souls to Satan himself for the albumful of  hooks they produced with "I Just Can't Stop It." The hooks on "Wha'ppen?" are very human indeed. Why, it's the "Candy-O" of 2nd wave ska!

You almost get the feeling the album would totally sink if it wasn't for the beautiful recording, which is nice and snappy, yet low, rounded and boomy. Beautiful sound that sucks you into the dubbier stuff like "Drowning." The first dozen times or so I heard this album it just would quietly sneak past me without making much of an impression outside of a few head-nods. But slowly, I would recognize the woozy pop at the center of "Doors of Your Heart" and the nagging vocal hook on "Cheated." The recent CD reissue from Shout Factory remedies this a bit by making the great, rump-shaking, non-album single "Too Nice to Talk To" the opening track. Perfect. Can't believe the band didn't think of it. Something to get you going and after that track's nervous jitter, "Doors of Your Hear" feels like a huge, sweet relief.

Again, it takes awhile for this stuff to sink in. And a lot of folks have kids and lives and shit. See, I sit in a cubicle all day and have no children, so I have all the time in the world to listen to "Wha'ppen?" a gazillion times as "The Limits We Set" slowly morphs into a great song. Or maybe that's working against me? Maybe this album sounds better after you're able to manage 40 minutes away from the kids to luxuriate into the big, slow, warm bath that is "Drowning" and "Walk Away."  I guess I could totally see the appeal in this case. If the debut is too frantic/punk for you and the follow-up is too pop, this might be just right...

The CD version I have is the one included in the 2012 "The Complete Beat" box set. It's a great disc because the band was churning out some pretty solid non-album singles and B-Sides around this time, such as "Psychedelic Rockers" which sounds like "Too Nice to Talk To" turned inside out.   "Which Side of the Bed...?" would have been a highlight if they would have included it on "Wha'ppen?" I've never quite warmed up to "Hit It" but it sure does sound great tacked on to the end of the album, providing a bit of uptempo fun. 

I'm drunk. Let's listen to some music...Here's "Doors of Your Heart" by The English Beat...Enjoy...

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...

Dance Craze: The Best of British Ska...Live!

Dance Craze: The Best of British Ska...Live!

1981

Chrysalis/2-Tone Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. The Specials: Concrete Jungle  2. The English Beat: Mirror in the Bathroom  3. Bad Manners: Lip Up Fatty  4. Madness: Razor Blade Alley  5. The Selecter: Three Minute Hero  6. The Bodysnatchers: Easy Life  7. The English Beat: Big Shot  8. Madness: One Step Beyond  9. The English Beat: Ranking Full Stop  10. The Specials: Man At C&A  11. The Selecter: Missing Words  12. Bad Manners: Inner London Violence  13. Madness: Night Boat To Cairo  14. The Selecter: Too Much Pressure  15. The Specials: Nite Klub




I picked this up at Revolver Records awhile back...This is the soundtrack to a 1981 film chronicling the height of the British Two-Tone explosion...

 I paid 10 bucks for it (which I consider to be a lot of money for an album) but looking at that line-up, I couldn't pass it up... It's a compilation of smokin' live tracks from ska heavyweights The Specials, The English Beat, Madness, Bad Manners, the Selecter and some band I hadn't heard of called the Bodysnatchers (turns out they never got around to recording an album...Just a coupla singles...). 

This was done right when most of the bands had just put out their second albums (some of them wouldn't make it to a third and the others largely abandoned the ska style after the second albums), so the timing couldn't have been more perfect...I can't really think of a better overview of the Two-Tone era, really..Unfortunately later versions of this album had to remove the Madness tracks and replace them with additional live Specials recordings, greatly lessening the impact (despite the greatness of the Specials material)...I mean, how can you have a proper "Best of British ska" without Madness?!?!  I bet lawyers are to blame for this...

Boo, lawyers...Hiss...Anyway, if you plan on picking up a copy of the album, keep your eyes open, because there's two version of it out there...I guess either way, it's a good listen...

On a side note, I like all the band's cool logos on the cover, such simple, crisp designs...I can't pick a favorite, but if I had to choose, I'd pick The Specials' classic two-tone man or the English Beat girl, (although I have to give mad credit to that Bodysnatchers mascot)...But why didn't the Selecter get a sweet mascot?  Couldn't they have that miserable-looking bastard from the "Too Much Pressure" album leaning against the big shoe or something?



It's a real shame that the "Dance Craze" film hasn't been released on DVD...I'd buy a copy in a heartbeat! Oh well, there's always youtube...Pop up some popcorn, and have a seat, cos here's the entire movie...Enjoy, while my account gets termed...