Shout! Factory has announced a reissue campaign of The
English Beat catalog, beginning with a July 10 release of a new single-disc
compilation titled Keep The Beat: The Very Best Of The English Beat, which
is accompanied by a new introduction written by Rhoda Dakar of The
Bodysnatchers, and a new box set titled The English Beat:
The Complete Beat.The 5-CD Complete Beat box
set features all 3 studio albums with bonus tracks, remastered from the
original tapes; 2 discs of bonus material most of which is previously
unreleased on CD— three sessions recorded with the legendary John Peel for his
show on BBC Radio 1, tracks from a live show recorded at Boston’s Opera House,
and 12” and dub versions of some of the band’s biggest singles —and a booklet
with rare photos and an essay by music scholar Alex Ogg, Both releases have
been produced in collaboration with the band.
Fans buying the box set on Shout! Factory’s website will
also receive a bonus – the first ever release of The English Beat: Live
At The US Festival, in a 2-disc CD/DVD set, part of Shout! Factory’s new
line of US Festival releases. Pre-order at http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=5257717.
Rollingstone.com premiered 2 tracks from Keep
The Beat on Friday, April 13, which are available to stream now http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/song-exclusive-the-english-beats-which-side-of-the-bed-and-save-it-for-later-20120411.
The Beat was formed in 1978 by Dave Wakeling (vocals,
guitar) and Andy Cox (guitar). Band members Ranking Roger (vocals), David Steele
(bass), Everett Morton (drums), and Lionel Augustus Martin a/k/a Saxa
(saxophone), would then each find their way to the lineup via their own unique
path. “People just appeared as required. It had a kind of kismet feel,” says
Wakeling.
The Beat got their start in Birmingham amidst a burgeoning
punk scene, developing a new sound at the same time that The Specials, and
Jerry Dammers’ Chrysalis-backed subsidiary, 2 Tone, rose to fame. After
releasing their version of “Tears of a Clown,” the band broke straight
into the Top 10. Within 6 months of playing their first gig, The Beat was on
top of the charts and performing the first of many performances on Top
Of The Pops.
The Beat released I Just Can’t Stop It in
1980, featuring the singles “Hands Off . . . She’s Mine,” “Mirror In The
Bathroom,” “Too Nice To Talk To,” and “Best Friend,” which was accompanied by
their rebuttal of Thatcherism, “Stand Down Margaret.” Their next release, Wha’ppen?, expanded
their sound with calypso and also shades of Mediterranean rhythms, samba
and world beat — as well as a deeper exploration of reggae, too, beyond
frenetic ska. By the time Special Beat Service was
released in 1982, the band’s popularity had grown significantly in
the U.S., where they called themselves The English Beat to avoid confusion with
Paul Collins’ group. Special Beat Service featured the songs
“Jeannette,” the astute “I Confess,” and “Save It For Later,” which would go on
to be covered by Pete Townshend and Pearl Jam.
Soon after, however, the band began to dissipate, splitting
up to form General Public and Fine Young Cannibals, with Ranking Roger and
Wakeling going on to release solo albums. The latter’s adventures with Miles
Copeland’s IRS Records resulted in him relocating to America. That prefaced the
slightly unusual but largely amicable situation whereby various reformations of
The Beat have been spearheaded by Ranking Roger in Britain and Wakeling in
America.
Ogg writes in The Complete Beat essay,
“while The Beat’s original lineup played together for four short years, their
brief but memorable existence yielded three increasingly experimental albums
that continue to reward repeat visits, five of the finest hit singles of the
era and, often forgotten in the ledgers of great bands, hundreds of
intoxicating live shows. They were a core part of the still-influential 2 Tone
movement, but beyond that, they were intrinsically a wonderfully gifted
songwriting unit, drawing on a serendipitously assembled cast of contributors
who found themselves able, through either skill or simple instinct, to fluently
combine reggae and pop traditions without compromising either. This box set
incorporates practically their entire recorded output, and the absolute dearth
of chaff is a small and lovely miracle.”
The English Beat are currently on tour and appeared at
The 27th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony
on April 13th, performing their hits “Save It For Later,” “Mirror In
The Bathroom,” “Tears Of A Clown” and “Tenderness.” For more information
on tour dates, please visit http://www.myspace.com/officialbeatspace
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company
devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture.
Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers
sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the
world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and
cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and
documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio
catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from
storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of”
compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate
that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and
commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout!
Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through
acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout!
Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit
www.shoutfactory.com.
THE ENGLISH BEAT TOUR DATES
Apr 16
Wooly’s
Des Moines, IA
Apr 17 The Waiting
Room
Omaha, NE
Apr 19 ACM @ UCO Rocks
Bricktown Oklahoma City, OK
Apr 21 Blueberry
Hill
St. Louis, MO
Apr 22
Skully’s
Columbus, OH
*w/ Squeeze
Apr 25 Count Basie
Theatre*
Red Bank, NJ
Apr 26 Carnegie Hall of
Homestead*
Munhall, PA
Apr 27 Rams Head
Tavern*
Baltimore, MD
Apr 28 Roseland
Ballroom*
New York, NY
May 04 Saint
Rocke
Hermosa Beach, CA
May 05 Mozambique
Restaurant
Laguna Beach, CA
May 10 Dixon May
Fair
Dixon, CA
May 11 The Canyon
Club
Agoura Hills, CA
May 18 Avalon
Ballroom
Santa Clara, CA
May 26 Downtown LV
Outdoor Festival
Las Vegas, NV
May 27 The Bunkhouse
Las Vegas, NV
May 31 The Canyon
Club
Agoura Hills, CA
Jun 01 Belly Up
Tavern
Solana Beach, CA
Jun 02 Fiesta Del
Sol
Solana Beach, CA
Jun 22 Motorcity Casino
Hotel
Detroit, MI
Jul 04 Palisades
Charter High
School
Pacific Palisades, CA
Jul 20 Stephen
Talkhouse
Amagansett, NY
Jul 27 Monte De
Oro
Winery
Temecula, CA
Jul 29 The Hangar
@ Orange County
Fair
Costa Mesa, CA
Keep The Beat: The Very Best Of The English Beat Track
Listing
1. Mirror In The Bathroom
2. Doors Of Your Heart
3. Save It For Later
4. Twist & Crawl
5. The Tears Of A Clown
6. Best Friend
7. I Confess
8. Ranking Full Stop
9. Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
10. Get-A-Job
11. Jeanette
12. Too Nice To Talk To
13. Can’t Get Used To Losing You
14. Sole Salvation
15. Hands Off . . . She’s Mine
16. End Of The Party
The English Beat – The Complete Beat 5-CD
Set Track Listing
Disc 1: I Just Can’t Stop It (1980)
1. Mirror In The Bathroom
2. Hands Off . . . She’s Mine
3. Two Swords
4. Twist & Crawl
5. Tears Of A Clown*
6. Rough Rider
7. Click Click
8. Ranking Full Stop*
9. Big Shot
10. Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
11. Noise In This World
12. Can’t Get Used To Losing You
13. Best Friend
14. Jackpot
*Not on original U.K. release
Disc 2: Wha’ppen? (1981)
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?**
*Not on original U.K. or U.S. release
**Bonus Tracks
Disc 3: Special Beat Service (1982)
1. I Confess
2. Jeannette
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 & Stress
11. End Of The Party
12. Ackee 1 2 3
13. What’s Your Best Thing**
14. March Of The Swivel Heads**
15. Cool Entertainer**
16. A Go Talk (Tappy Luppy Dub)**
**Bonus Tracks
BONUS BEAT
Disc 4 – 12" & Dub Versions
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)
Disc 5 – Peel Sessions & Live In Boston
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. To The 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
Coming Soon
from Shout! Factory:
April 17 Ernie
Kovacs: The ABC Specials
April 17 Grateful
Dead All The Years Combine: The DVD Collection Box Set
May 15 CHAPPO Moonwater
May 15 Diana Ross Live
In Central Park
May 15 The
Vans Warped Tour: No Room For Rock Stars
June 19 The
Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series
July 10 The
English Beat: The Complete Beat 5-CD Box Set
July 10 Keep The Beat: The Very Best Of The English
Beat
July 31 Fat
Albert and the Cosby kids: The Complete Series Box Set
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