The English Beat vs. The Beat
moanna stclair
Just out of plain curiousity -- is the English Beat the
same as the Beat or are these two entirely different bands.
Also which one had Rankin Roger & the lead singer who formed
General Public?
Thanks in advance, Athena
Richard Stueven
>
>Just out of plain curiousity -- is the English Beat the
>same as the Beat or are these two entirely different bands.
>Also which one had Rankin Roger & the lead singer who formed
>General Public?
In the beginning, there was The Beat, a British ska band whose members
included Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling. When they started to sell
albums in the US, they were sued by a US band called The Beat (which I
don't know anything about), so they changed their name to The English
Beat. Several of the members went on to form General Public.
Eventually, a few ex-English Beat got together with a few ex-Specials
to form Special Beat, coming soon to a club near you.
have fun
gak
---
I guess there's some things | Seems like the more I think I know
I'm not meant to understand | The more I find I don't
Ain't life a riot? Ain't love grand? | Every answer opens up so many questions
Richard Stueven g...@wrs.com ...!attmail!gakhaus!gak
P.S. What does the "Ranking" in Roger's name mean, anyway?
Dan Cogswell
>In the beginning, there was The Beat, a British ska band whose members
>included Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling. When they started to sell
>albums in the US, they were sued by a US band called The Beat (which I
>don't know anything about), so they changed their name to The English
>Beat. Several of the members went on to form General Public.
>Eventually, a few ex-English Beat got together with a few ex-Specials
>to form Special Beat, coming soon to a club near you.
And lately the Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling have been performing with
a band called The International Beat. They do SOME ska, but Dave has a
tendancy to try other things. I don't know if there's an album.
--
Dan Cogswell Or as we say in Michigan: "Dee-troit"
Balam Willemsen
Ummmmmm...
Ranking Roger is one of the front-men of Special Beat. (Got to catch them
in Boston a couple of months ago). Dave Wakeling released his first solo
album not too long ago. (Rally not ska, but still quite good)
The International Beat is a band which has two other ex-Beat members
Everett Moreton, and Saxa in it, as well as a bunch of other people...
Ranking Roger produced the only album of theirs that I am aware of ("The
Hitting Line") and did some back-up vocals. Mickey Billingham (Dexy's
Midnight Runners, General Public) also appeared. Note, that there is
also a Special Beat Live CD available.
Just for the record, Fine Young Cannibals, was also a band formed by two
ex-Beat members. (Are they still around?)
IMHO. Both the International Beat, and Special Beat are closer to ska
than the Beat on "Special Beat Service".
Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling also did some back vox on Madness' "Keep
Moving" and (or so I'm told) the first album by Londonbeat. (what's the
connection? Anyone?)
Anyhow, is there a discography of Two Tone, and related material? (By
that I mean anything realted to The Specials, Madness, the (English)
Beat, the Selecter, ... and all their spin off's (General Public, Fun
Boy 3, FYC, Nutty Boys, ColourField, Special Beat, International Beat,
etc...)). I'd love to know what's out there, and what I might be
missing. ;-) If such a beast does not exist, is anyone interested in
helping me start one? (I do have enough material for a start, but I am
missing lots of stuff being on this side of the Atlantic.)
--
Balam A. Willemsen
Graduate Student, Physics Dept., Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA 02115
Angus P. MacDonald
I don't think the American Beat actually sued, it's just that they
had product out in the U.S. before the English band did. Later, after
the English Beat got more popular anyway, the American band was called
the "Paul Collins Beat," after their main guy, a power-popper who had
earlier been in the Nerves. I saw Paul Collins open for Doug and the
Slugs in San Fran in 1987; don't know where he is now. BTW, the American
band was managed by Bill Graham.
Angus MacDonald; an...@well.sf.ca.us
Ben Bradley
Doug and the Slugs played in San Francisco??? I remember them
having some local success (in Vancouver, BC) and even playing at
a dance in my high school. Hmm...
plowe...@vax.clarku.edu
Dan Cogswell
>The International Beat is a band which has two other ex-Beat members
>Everett Moreton, and Saxa in it, as well as a bunch of other people...
>Ranking Roger produced the only album of theirs that I am aware of ("The
>Hitting Line") and did some back-up vocals. Mickey Billingham (Dexy's
>Midnight Runners, General Public) also appeared. Note, that there is
>also a Special Beat Live CD available.
Well, maybe The International Beat has changed line-ups but I know for
sure that Dave and Roger were in the band and I assumed they were the
reason FOR the band. I know it was them because I saw them at the San
Francisco International Ska Festival. It was Dave and Roger. I even
shook their hands and talked to Dave a bit.
Balam Willemsen
Really? Interesting! What was the time frame on this? [Post General
Public? Post Roger's "Radical Departure"? ('88)]
Now I'm SERIOUSLY curious!
I'm still also wondering about the Londonbeat connection.
Before I found "The Hitting Line" I had heard that Saxa & Everett had
formed a band and Roger was supposedly showing up at some gigs with them,
but I thought that Dave dropped out of sight soon after General Public's
"Hand To Mouth".
(BTW. I know Roger was still with Special Beat a couple of months ago
when I saw them at Avalon in Boston. No sign of Dave though ;-). SB
seems to have a fluid line-up as well with only Roger, Finny, Neville
and Brad as constants. I know that Horace Panter was in an earlier
line-up, but he was not here. The July '92 SB Live CD I picked up also
featured Lynval and Saxa. Over all there's definitely more Specials than
Beat ;-). Great show though!)
Balam
Dan Cogswell
>>
>>Well, maybe The International Beat has changed line-ups but I know for
>>sure that Dave and Roger were in the band and I assumed they were the
>>reason FOR the band. I know it was them because I saw them at the San
>>Francisco International Ska Festival. It was Dave and Roger. I even
>>shook their hands and talked to Dave a bit.
>Really? Interesting! What was the time frame on this? [Post General
>Public? Post Roger's "Radical Departure"? ('88)]
Yes. It was April 20, 1990. (Earth Day). Both of them were very nice
guys. I just asked Dave what else he and the band were going to be
doing and he mentioned some other shows in California and that was about
it. They seemed like they were doing well (i.e., had money) so I guess
there MIGHT be money in ska.
>(BTW. I know Roger was still with Special Beat a couple of months ago
>when I saw them at Avalon in Boston. No sign of Dave though ;-). SB
>seems to have a fluid line-up as well with only Roger, Finny, Neville
>and Brad as constants. I know that Horace Panter was in an earlier
>line-up, but he was not here. The July '92 SB Live CD I picked up also
>featured Lynval and Saxa. Over all there's definitely more Specials than
>Beat ;-). Great show though!)
I missed their Detroit show mainly because I've never been very fond of
The Specials. Just my opinion: The Specials first album is pretty
annoying. The only good songs are covers or ripoffs.
Flame away, everybody. :-)
>Balam
>--
>Balam A. Willemsen
>Graduate Student, Physics Dept., Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA 02115
Balam Willemsen
<Re: International Beat>
>>Really? Interesting! What was the time frame on this? [Post General
>>Public? Post Roger's "Radical Departure"? ('88)]
>
>Yes. It was April 20, 1990. (Earth Day). Both of them were very nice
>guys. I just asked Dave what else he and the band were going to be
>doing and he mentioned some other shows in California and that was about
>it. They seemed like they were doing well (i.e., had money) so I guess
>there MIGHT be money in ska.
Really quite interesting. I kind of dropped off the face of the earth
from '89 to '91 (Grad School, Qualifiers, etc...). So I totally missed
that I was given the impression by a couple of friends that Dave was
suffering from severe burn-out during this period as well and was not
making music. I'm glad to hear that that's not the case!
Anyhow, from "The Hitting Line" the line up is:
TONY BEET vocals, guitar LOUIE CAMPBELL vocals ALAN BEET keyboards
NEIL DEATHRIDGE guitar SAXA saxaphone KENT PETERS bass guitar EVERETT
MORTON drums
And the CD is Copyright '91
<Re: Special Beat>
>I missed their Detroit show mainly because I've never been very fond of
>The Specials. Just my opinion: The Specials first album is pretty
>annoying. The only good songs are covers or ripoffs.
>Flame away, everybody. :-)
No flames here. Of the Two Tone bands, I'll take Madness or the Beat
most of the time over the Specials. "The Specials" has a place in my
collection though, 'cause it was my initiation into this kind of music,
and brings back some good memories.
Never having been able to see any of them live before, Special Beat was
a treat. (I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the
first time around I was only 14)
Aaron Phillip Hertzmann
Specials, Madness (thought there were something else entirely), etc.
Anyways, Pato Banton's Never Give In CD is quite good - note Ranking Roger
in the first song, "Pato and Roger Come Again." Also, "Don't Stiff Coke" is
a good.
I havn't bought the new CD, called something like "Go Pato", but the single
I've heard, "Bubbling Hot," (another Ranking Roger collaboration) sounds
pretty boring.
Aaron.
Balam Willemsen
>I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Pato Baton's solo album as well...
Now that you mention it... I know he has more than one.
How are they? I was reading a short thing on his latest effort in a
Reggae/World music magazine, and the said he was branching ouit in may
directions on this one (including ska to keep on subject). If this is
the same album I think I saw a short while ago, Ranking Roger is
involved with it.
Louis Koziarz
--
Louis Koziarz
koz...@chinet.chi.il.us
Alex Liu
Hey, yesterday I got a CD called "The Beat goes on", and includes
selection from The (English) Beat, General Public, Fine Young Cannibals,
Ranking ROger, Dave Wakeling, International Beat and Special Beat.
It is published by IRS records and it is circa 1991. It is really interesting.
They have the line ups of all those bands and a small note about them.
--
_____________________________________________________________________________
Alejandro Liu |EMail: al...@usc.edu |All mispellings are intentional
1551A Ridgecrest Apt A |Voice: 213-264-9400 |Anything mentioned here is not
Monterrey Park, CA91754 | |necessarily true.
Paul E. Hoffman
>Anyways, Pato Banton's Never Give In CD is quite good - note Ranking Roger
>in the first song, "Pato and Roger Come Again." Also, "Don't Stiff Coke" is
>a good.
That's Don't ***Sniff*** Coke, I believe. :-)
>I havn't bought the new CD, called something like "Go Pato", but the single
>I've heard, "Bubbling Hot," (another Ranking Roger collaboration) sounds
>pretty boring.
I was unimpressed with his first album. His ego is bigger, and his sexism
is worse, than much of the rap on the radio. The music was OK, not nearly
as varied as other older ska bands.
>>Paul Hoffman
--
|| Why quote someone else? ||
Marcus Jenkins
>Hi,
> Hey, yesterday I got a CD called "The Beat goes on", and includes
>...[stuff deleted]...
>It is published by IRS records and it is circa 1991. It is really interesting.
>They have the line ups of all those bands and a small note about them.
On the same sort of thread... I have being trying to get hold of the
(totally brilliant) "I Just Can't Stop It" by the (English) Beat on CD.
All Beat CD's in the UK are imports (ironic considering they are a band
that was formed just down the road and recored the first couple of LP's
just down the road, too). So, next time some of you people over
the pond go into a record shop, could you please take a look for me?
Incidentally, I have seen "W'Happen" and have bought "Special Beat Service",
but haven't seen the one I *really* want. Virgin records here in
Birmingham deny that their first LP is available on anything other
than cassette. I find it hard to believe.
Please mail me.
Thanks in advance.
_ _ _
' ) ) ) Internet: mar...@apricot.co.uk
/ / / __. __ _. . . _ UUCP: mar...@apricot.uucp
/ ' (_(_/|_/ (_(__(_/_/_)_ If all else fails from US, try:
Marcus Jenkins apricot!mar...@relay.EU.net
Tel: +44 21 472 3002 Fax: +44 21 471 2935
Disclaimer: Anything I wrote above is, of course, my own view and
does not in any way represent my employer.
Paul E. Hoffman
catalog but I might be able to special order it by number.
Paul E. Hoffman
>>It is published by IRS records and it is circa 1991.
>What is the number on the album? I can't find it in my Noteworthy
>catalog but I might be able to special order it by number.
I found it in the CD Online catalog with Alex's help. Here's the info:
CAP13086 BEAT GOES ON BEAT GOES ON
$11.79 CAPITOL 10/91 ENGLISH BEAT/GENERAL PUBLIC FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS
The price is CD Online's price, which is probably $2 less than the list
price. Noteworthy (800/648-7972) has it for $10.69.
Jordan Hayes
The International Beat is a band which has two other ex-Beat
members Everett Moreton, and Saxa in it, as well as a bunch of
other people...
Saxa is still alive?!? I would have thought his lifestyle would have
gotten the better of him by now.
"Blow, Rude Boy -- Blow!"
/jordan