The Beat

The Beat were part of the original Ska revival that happened in the UK in the late 1970s. the band consisted of Dave Wakeling, Ranking Roger, Andy Cox, David Steele and Everett Morton.

Hailing from the Midlands they signed to the legendary 2 Tone label and was the agreement with every act they just had to release one single before going on to sign for a bigger label. The label had the likes of The Specials, Madness, The Selector but the The Beat were different in the approach and one of the differences was Ranking Roger Toasting as the back up vocal. Although not a new thing where it originally gave birth in Jamaica, it did add a Jamaican feel to the sound.

There first and only release on 2 Tone was a cover of the Smokey Robinson hit 'Tears of a Clown' with 'Ranking Full stop' as the double A side contribution. The song was a huge hit and broke into the top 10 and gave the band the exposure they needed. That success led to them forming there own record label Go Feet Records and the success carried on into the early 1980s.

They released there first album 'I just can't stop it' and the album went gold with a number 3 spot in the charts. Three further singles were released 'Hands off she's mine' and 'mirror in the bathroom' which both went top 10 in the UK singles chart.

On the back of that success the second album 'Wha'ppen?' was released and although again reached number three in the UK album charts it wasn't quite the same album commercially as the first album. Two singles were released but neither reached top 20 success with 'drowning' and 'doors to your heart' the offerings given out.

In 1982 they released there last studio album named 'Special Beat Service' and the album reached 21 in the album charts which represented a decline on the last two releases. However, it was there best showing in America where Ska was beginning to be popular. Three singles were released but all failed to reach the top 40 with 'save it for later' , 'Jeanette' and 'I confess'.

The band broke up in 1983 but not before a compilation album ( a top 10 hit in the UK album charts) was released and 2 singles followed with 'Can't get used to loving you' which reached number three and 'Ackee 1-2-3' failed to make the top 40.'

The band went there separate ways and two groups evolved General Public and Fine Young Cannibals.

Although the band had a short existence there contribution towards the Ska revival was immense.