The Beat 
Reggae / Ska / Ska Punk
One of the key bands of the U.K. ska revival of the late '70s and early '80s, [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink] (known as [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the English Beat[/wimpLink] in North America to avoid confusion with the [wimpLink artistId="3792425"]Paul Collins[/wimpLink]-led power pop group) achieved a near-perfect balance of pop melodies and taut rhythms that made them stars in Britain and won them a substantial cult following in the United States. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Dave Wakeling[/wimpLink] and toaster [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink], the racially integrated [wimpLink artistId="13607"]Beat[/wimpLink] were based in Birmingham, England and released their debut single, "Tears of a Clown" b/w "Ranking Full Stop," through [wimpLink artistId="9200"]the Specials[/wimpLink]' 2-Tone label in 1979. The single went Top Ten in the U.K., and they soon struck a deal with Arista to distribute their own Go Feet label. 1980's [wimpLink albumId="35353194"]I Just Can't Stop It[/wimpLink] (released by Sire in the United States) went gold in England on the strength of the single "Mirror in the Bathroom," and the band's ferocious performances and clever blend of personal and political lyrics made them stars at home. After a disappointing sophomore effort, 1981's [wimpLink albumId="35353220"]Wha'ppen?[/wimpLink], the band came roaring back with 1982's Special Beat Service, a more pop-oriented set that gave them a wider U.S. audience thanks to MTV's embrace of the singles "I Confess" and "Save It for Later." The band split at the end of that year, but in the 2000s, both [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Roger[/wimpLink] were fielding touring versions of [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink], and the [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] edition recorded a new album, 2018's Here We Go Love.
[wimpLink artistId="13607"]The Beat[/wimpLink] formed in 1978, and made their live debut in March 1979 in Birmingham, England, as several other like-minded ska-influenced bands (including [wimpLink artistId="9200"]the Specials[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="3513991"]the Selecter[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="9130"]Madness[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="25290"]Bad Manners[/wimpLink]) were beginning to make a noise on the U.K. club scene. Featuring [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Dave Wakeling[/wimpLink] on vocals and guitar, [wimpLink artistId="5488926"]Andy Cox[/wimpLink] on guitar, [wimpLink artistId="4732619"]David Steele[/wimpLink] on bass, and Everett Morton on drums, the band soon added vocalist and toaster [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink] (aka Roger Charlery), and grew to a sextet with the addition of Saxa (aka Lionel Augustus Martin), a sax player who had worked with ska legends [wimpLink artistId="55686"]Desmond Dekker[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="3553530"]Laurel Aitken[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="3681904"]Prince Buster[/wimpLink]. As [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink]'s reputation as a live act grew, the were invited to tour with [wimpLink artistId="9200"]the Specials[/wimpLink], who invited [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink] to make a record for their 2-Tone label. Featuring their cover of [wimpLink artistId="16866"]Smokey Robinson[/wimpLink]'s "Tears of a Clown" on the A-side and the original "Ranking Full Stop" on the flip, [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink]'s 2-Tone single rose to number six on the U.K. singles charts, and soon the band were touring as headliners. Eager to have control over their material, they formed their own label for their future releases, Go Feet Records, and they struck an international distribution deal with Arista Records (except for the United States, where the new wave-friendly Sire imprint released their material). [wimpLink artistId="13607"]The Beat[/wimpLink]'s debut album, 1980's excellent [wimpLink albumId="35353194"]I Just Can't Stop It[/wimpLink], was a Top Three hit in England and earned a Gold Record, while the American release, issued under the name [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the English Beat[/wimpLink], rose to a respectable 142.
[wimpLink artistId="13607"]The Beat[/wimpLink] toured extensively in support of the album, adding keyboard player Dave "Blockhead" Wright for live dates in 1981, and dropped their second album, [wimpLink albumId="35353220"]Wha'ppen?[/wimpLink], in June 1981. However, while the album once again hit number three in the U.K. charts and managed a higher chart placement in the U.S. than the debut, reviews were lukewarm and it ultimately sold less than [wimpLink albumId="35353194"]I Just Can't Stop It[/wimpLink]. Sire dropped the band's American deal, and while Saxa played on the sessions for 1982's Special Beat Service, sax player [wimpLink artistId="14905531"]Wesley Magoogan[/wimpLink] joined [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink] as the 60-something Saxa had trouble with the rigors of touring. While Special Beat Service was only modestly successful in the U.K., rising to only to 21 on the album charts, I.R.S. released it in the United States, and thanks to MTV play for the tracks "I Confess" and "Save It for Later," and extensive touring with [wimpLink artistId="27426"]the Police[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="580"]the Pretenders[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="31964204"]R.E.M.[/wimpLink], the disc peaked at number 39, establishing them a firm foothold in America. However, their stateside breakthrough came too late in the day, as [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink] broke up in 1983.
In the wake of [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink] formed a new group, [wimpLink artistId="5416866"]General Public[/wimpLink], while [wimpLink artistId="5488926"]Andy Cox[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4732619"]David Steele[/wimpLink] formed [wimpLink artistId="11946"]Fine Young Cannibals[/wimpLink]; both acts enjoyed chart success in the United States. [wimpLink artistId="5416866"]General Public[/wimpLink] broke up in 1987 (they would briefly reunite in 1994) and in 1991, [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] released a solo album, a pop-oriented effort called No Warning. [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink], meanwhile, made his debut as a solo act with 1988's [wimpLink albumId="243561035"]Radical Departure[/wimpLink], where he focused on purer reggae sounds. And Everett Morton and Saxa formed a group called the International Beat, who released the album The Hitting Line and toured the U.S. and the U.K. before dissolving in 1992. In 2003, the original line-up of [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink], minus [wimpLink artistId="5488926"]Cox[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4732619"]Steele[/wimpLink], reunited for a successful British tour. By 2006, [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Dave Wakeling[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink] were both leading touring versions of [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink]; [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink]'s group, the English Beat featuring Dave Wakeling, primarily played in North America, while [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Roger[/wimpLink]'s version, the Beat featuring Ranking Roger (aka the New English Beat featuring Ranking Roger) was based in the U.K. In both groups, the frontman is the only original member. In 2015, [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] launched a crowd-funding campaign to finance a new album from his group; the album, titled Here We Go Love and credited to the Beat Starring Dave Wakeling, arrived in June 2018. Original drummer Everett Morton died on October 9, 2021 at the age of 71. ~ Mark Deming
[wimpLink artistId="13607"]The Beat[/wimpLink] formed in 1978, and made their live debut in March 1979 in Birmingham, England, as several other like-minded ska-influenced bands (including [wimpLink artistId="9200"]the Specials[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="3513991"]the Selecter[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="9130"]Madness[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="25290"]Bad Manners[/wimpLink]) were beginning to make a noise on the U.K. club scene. Featuring [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Dave Wakeling[/wimpLink] on vocals and guitar, [wimpLink artistId="5488926"]Andy Cox[/wimpLink] on guitar, [wimpLink artistId="4732619"]David Steele[/wimpLink] on bass, and Everett Morton on drums, the band soon added vocalist and toaster [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink] (aka Roger Charlery), and grew to a sextet with the addition of Saxa (aka Lionel Augustus Martin), a sax player who had worked with ska legends [wimpLink artistId="55686"]Desmond Dekker[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="3553530"]Laurel Aitken[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="3681904"]Prince Buster[/wimpLink]. As [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink]'s reputation as a live act grew, the were invited to tour with [wimpLink artistId="9200"]the Specials[/wimpLink], who invited [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink] to make a record for their 2-Tone label. Featuring their cover of [wimpLink artistId="16866"]Smokey Robinson[/wimpLink]'s "Tears of a Clown" on the A-side and the original "Ranking Full Stop" on the flip, [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink]'s 2-Tone single rose to number six on the U.K. singles charts, and soon the band were touring as headliners. Eager to have control over their material, they formed their own label for their future releases, Go Feet Records, and they struck an international distribution deal with Arista Records (except for the United States, where the new wave-friendly Sire imprint released their material). [wimpLink artistId="13607"]The Beat[/wimpLink]'s debut album, 1980's excellent [wimpLink albumId="35353194"]I Just Can't Stop It[/wimpLink], was a Top Three hit in England and earned a Gold Record, while the American release, issued under the name [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the English Beat[/wimpLink], rose to a respectable 142.
[wimpLink artistId="13607"]The Beat[/wimpLink] toured extensively in support of the album, adding keyboard player Dave "Blockhead" Wright for live dates in 1981, and dropped their second album, [wimpLink albumId="35353220"]Wha'ppen?[/wimpLink], in June 1981. However, while the album once again hit number three in the U.K. charts and managed a higher chart placement in the U.S. than the debut, reviews were lukewarm and it ultimately sold less than [wimpLink albumId="35353194"]I Just Can't Stop It[/wimpLink]. Sire dropped the band's American deal, and while Saxa played on the sessions for 1982's Special Beat Service, sax player [wimpLink artistId="14905531"]Wesley Magoogan[/wimpLink] joined [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink] as the 60-something Saxa had trouble with the rigors of touring. While Special Beat Service was only modestly successful in the U.K., rising to only to 21 on the album charts, I.R.S. released it in the United States, and thanks to MTV play for the tracks "I Confess" and "Save It for Later," and extensive touring with [wimpLink artistId="27426"]the Police[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="580"]the Pretenders[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="31964204"]R.E.M.[/wimpLink], the disc peaked at number 39, establishing them a firm foothold in America. However, their stateside breakthrough came too late in the day, as [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink] broke up in 1983.
In the wake of [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink] formed a new group, [wimpLink artistId="5416866"]General Public[/wimpLink], while [wimpLink artistId="5488926"]Andy Cox[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4732619"]David Steele[/wimpLink] formed [wimpLink artistId="11946"]Fine Young Cannibals[/wimpLink]; both acts enjoyed chart success in the United States. [wimpLink artistId="5416866"]General Public[/wimpLink] broke up in 1987 (they would briefly reunite in 1994) and in 1991, [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] released a solo album, a pop-oriented effort called No Warning. [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink], meanwhile, made his debut as a solo act with 1988's [wimpLink albumId="243561035"]Radical Departure[/wimpLink], where he focused on purer reggae sounds. And Everett Morton and Saxa formed a group called the International Beat, who released the album The Hitting Line and toured the U.S. and the U.K. before dissolving in 1992. In 2003, the original line-up of [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink], minus [wimpLink artistId="5488926"]Cox[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4732619"]Steele[/wimpLink], reunited for a successful British tour. By 2006, [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Dave Wakeling[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Ranking Roger[/wimpLink] were both leading touring versions of [wimpLink artistId="13607"]the Beat[/wimpLink]; [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink]'s group, the English Beat featuring Dave Wakeling, primarily played in North America, while [wimpLink artistId="3886221"]Roger[/wimpLink]'s version, the Beat featuring Ranking Roger (aka the New English Beat featuring Ranking Roger) was based in the U.K. In both groups, the frontman is the only original member. In 2015, [wimpLink artistId="8888406"]Wakeling[/wimpLink] launched a crowd-funding campaign to finance a new album from his group; the album, titled Here We Go Love and credited to the Beat Starring Dave Wakeling, arrived in June 2018. Original drummer Everett Morton died on October 9, 2021 at the age of 71. ~ Mark Deming
