|
|
![]() |
Music | 11/19/2009 |
|
| |
Second Wave rave
Ska veterans the English Beat visit the Chance in Poughkeepsie this Friday |
|
|
| |
|
by Bob Margolis
Just what is "2-Tone"? Otherwise known as the Second Wave of ska - the first being the reggae-tinged '60s Jamaican scene that produced the Wailers, the third the rock-tinged form that ruled the mid-'90s - this late-'70s strain originated from an English label whose roster included the Specials, Madness and Bad Manners. Despite the style's rich hooks, jazzy brasswork and dancehall-driven bounce, it holds little cultural currency in contemporary America. One casualty was the English Beat, a trusty Birmingham gang that roped reggae, punk and pop into a simmering ska brew.
Though not groundbreaking, these stalwarts had a knack for solid songwriting. The Beat's finest cuts sound nothing alike: 1980's "Mirror in the Bathroom" is an agitated missive that cranks with back-alley grimness, whereas 1982's "Save It for Later" sashays to a carefree summer jangle. The Beat turns 30 this year, and will play the Chance in Poughkeepsie on Friday, November 20, featuring a sole original member, Dave Wakeling. "Mirror" lent its name to a Degrassi: The Next Generation episode; director John Hughes selected frontman Wakeling to pen a titular track for 1988's She's Having a Baby; and two ex-Beaters created '80s pop-rockers Fine Young Cannibals.
The band was known by two names for the majority of its existence: Around the world, in every country but the United States, they were the Beat, but due to another band with a similar name in the US, the band was called the English Beat to avoid litigation. After the band split up in 1983, Wakeling and co-founder Ranking Roger went on to form General Public, while other members of the band co-formed the Cannibals and the International Beat. Ranking Roger also did a stint in Mick Jones of the Clash's project, Big Audio Dynamite. Wakeling also played solo and with a band called Bang for a while, as Ranking Roger performed with his own group, Twist and Crawl, named after a Beat song.
In 2003, Mojo Magazine reunited five bands, including the Beat, and had them play one big concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Wakeling, who had been living in California for about 16 years, went back to England and played some warmup shows for the reunion night with Ranking Roger. As the two traveled together, they discovered that they had both been running into similar issues with the way their post-Beat projects would be advertised. Wakeling tired of seeing his gigs being listed as "the Beat, General Public, Bang and Dave Wakeling," "and it would look like there was four bands." To remedy the situation, Wakeling suggested that Ranking Roger go ahead and use the name the Beat in England, and Wakeling himself would use the English Beat - which is how it's ended up being, with the exception of some small private parties where General Public has reunited to play music.
This Friday's show at the Chance also features Perfect Thyroid, the Closers and Bring Back the M. For info call (845) 471-1966.
Click here to discuss this article in our forum.
|
|
|
|
© 2010 Ulster Publishing, Inc.
|
|
|
