hypersongs

The Beat

The Birmingham two-tone band, The English Beat in North America, whose "Mirror in the Bathroom" was a UK number four in 1980.

Birmingham

The Beat formed in Birmingham in 1978 during high unemployment, with Dave Wakeling on lead vocals and guitar, Ranking Roger toasting, Andy Cox on guitar, David Steele on bass, Everett Morton on drums and Saxa, the Jamaican saxophonist born Lionel Augustus Martin in 1930, who had played with Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken and Desmond Dekker. Dave Blockhead Wright played keyboards and Wesley Magoogan saxophone in the later years. Steele was found through a local newspaper ad, and Wakeling called him the Mozart of The Beat. They are The English Beat in the US and Canada and The British Beat in Australia, and are not Paul Collins's American power-pop band of the same name. Morton suggested learning a song everyone knew to find a groove, and that was "Tears of a Clown".

"Tears of a Clown" with "Ranking Full Stop" (November 30, 1979, UK 6) came first, after Jerry Dammers offered a 2 Tone single and wanted "Mirror in the Bathroom"; Chrysalis wanted five years' rights to the song, the band refused and set up their own label, Go-Feet. I Just Can't Stop It (May 23, 1980, produced by Bob Sargeant) reached 3 in the UK and was gold, followed by Wha'ppen? (May 8, 1981, UK 3, with a US tour alongside the Pretenders and Talking Heads) and Special Beat Service (October 1, 1982, UK 21, US 39).

Split and afterward

The band split in 1983. Wakeling said they had effectively split months before the announcement and that he was just the one with the balls to pull the plug. Wakeling and Ranking Roger formed General Public, Cox and Steele formed Fine Young Cannibals with Roland Gift, and Morton and Saxa formed International Beat. There was a one-off gig at the Royal Festival Hall in 2003, and since 2006 two touring versions exist: The Beat featuring Ranking Roger, later with his son Ranking Junior, and The English Beat starring Dave Wakeling in the US. Saxa died on May 3, 2017, aged 87, Ranking Roger on March 26, 2019, aged 56, and Everett Morton on October 8, 2021, aged 71; Dave Wright died in October 2025.

Bounce came out in 2016 (UK 49), Here We Go Love in 2018 and Public Confidential in 2019; Official Charts shows a peak of 35 for the last, while Wikipedia's discography says it did not chart. The concert film Dance Craze (UK release February 1981) features the band. "Save It for Later" has been played by Pete Townshend, the Who and Pearl Jam, and "Stand Down Margaret" was covered by Elvis Costello.

Albums

Songs

  • Mirror in the Bathroom I Just Can't Stop It · 1980

    The third single from the debut, with a 2/2 bassline by David Steele, and a UK number four in 1980.

Sources

  1. The Beat (British band), Wikipedia
  2. The Beat discography, Wikipedia
  3. The Beat, Record Collector (2018-07-11)
  4. Dance Craze, Wikipedia