The Beat
29 articles
Audio interviews
Interview by John Tobler, Rock's Backpages audio, November 1981
David Steele and Ranking Roger talk about playing political benefits; their unconcern with breaking America; changing producers; Malu Halasa's book about them; their record deal; their Go-Feet label, and working with the Congos' Cedric Myton; Saxa taking a back seat and his son Lionel taking over; doing cover versions; their new single 'Hit It', and their opposition to nuclear weapons.
File format: mp3; file size: 19.4mb, interview length: 20' 11" sound quality: *****
List of articles in the library
Report by Barney Hoskyns, New Musical Express, 25 September 1982
That Woz the Fest that Woz! Barney Hoskyns takes a bite of the rotten Apple and hangs his head in despair ...
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Report by Betsy Sherman, Boston Rock, 1 October 1981
Merit Badges Goes To Dianaland ...
The English Beat: 2-Tone Survivors Make a Joyful Noise
Interview by Bill Holdship, Musician, February 1983
"THE CIRCUMSTANCES that brought the Beat together make us tenuous, in a way," observes singer/guitarist Dave Wakeling. "With any one set of musicians, sooner or ...
The Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (Go-Feet)
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, New Musical Express, 14 June 1980
Are you ready for post-2-Tonism? ...
The Beat: Off The Beaten Track
Interview by Dave McCullough, Sounds, 7 June 1980
Dave McCullough suddenly discovers unexpected subtleties, lurking within 'the tatty tinkle of rude boy muzak'. And not because he's just found out that the Beat ...
The Beat: Don't Call Me Ska Face
Interview by Deanne Pearson, New Musical Express, 8 December 1979
"It's just The Beat having a Punky Reggae party," says Deanne Pearson of the latest 2-Tone tornadoes. 'Check' them out... ...
The Beat: Beat Crazy: Can't Stop It Now...
Interview by Deanne Pearson, The Face, July 1980
This time last year the Beat had just started their first one-night a week pub residency in Birmingham, after playing only six gigs. DEANNE PEARSON ...
Human League, Teardrop Explodes, The Beat, Flowers: Lyceum, London
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, 17 November 1979
HAIRCUTS, HAIRCUTS everywhere and 70p a drink. ...
For English Beat, Dance Music is the Medium for Tolerance
Profile and Interview by Geoffrey Himes, Baltimore Sun, 20 November 1982
ANDY COX, a young British lad with thick, wavy hair, plays a choppy guitar riff that's part slam-bang punk and part chinka-chinka reggae. Dave Wakeling, ...
The Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (Sire SRK6091)
Review by Ira Robbins, Trouser Press, August 1980
BIRMINGHAM, England has been the birthplace of several major musical trendsetters: the Move, Moody Blues, Black Sabbath. Unlike a number of other large cities in ...
The English Beat: Special Beat Service (IRS)
Review by J.D. Considine, Musician, February 1983
UNLIKE WH'APPEN, Special Beat Service successfully manages the transition from 2-tone to full color, giving the English Beat a sound that is at once more ...
The English Beat: Wha'ppen? (Sire); The Specials: 'Ghost Town' (EP)
Review by John Swenson, Musician, November 1981
TWO TONE is not merely the introduction of a black sensibility in British pop for the first time, it's a true melding of the interracial ...
Report and Interview by Jon Young, Trouser Press, February 1981
SOONER OR later, every British band of any significance has to decide what to do about America. ...
The Beat: Wha'ppen? (Go Feet) ****
Review by Mark Cooper, Record Mirror, 9 May 1981
IN WHICH the Beat define their sound over a whole album, realise their strengths (most notably the individuality of each performer) and, in general, settle ...
Interview by Mark Cooper, Record Mirror, 15 November 1980
THE BEAT are beginning again at the beginning. Here they are in Chicago, four or five weeks into their first American tour — much of ...
Report and Interview by Mark Williams, Melody Maker, 19 January 1980
MARK WILLIAMS explodes the 2-Tone myth with the Beat ...
The Beat, Tom Robinson, OK Jive, Joe Jackson: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 5 December 1981
Higher Ranking ...
Interview by Mike Stand, The Face, April 1981
"GOD HOLD you in the palm of His hand," said Saxa pulling the bedclothes up to his chin. "He close it and you are dead. ...
The Old (Rude) Boy Network: The Return Of Laurel Aitken
Profile by Paul Bradshaw, New Musical Express, 1 March 1980
SUNDAY NIGHT at the Lyceum and Laurel Aitken, the 'high priest of reggae' (remember that one, boot boys?) the king of Jamaican blues, whose musical ...
The Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (Go Feet)****
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, 24 May 1980
A JOURNALIST of this periodical on being asked if he fancied interviewing the Beat remarked that, although he'd nothing against the idea in principle, he'd ...
The Beat: Electric Ballroom, London
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, 2 February 1980
Ranking dead stop ...
Interview by Richard Cook, New Musical Express, 21 November 1981
A SHAKY YEAR for The Beat so far was compounded last week by a mix-up over their new single, 'Hit It'. The twelve-inch copy that ...
The Pretenders, the English Beat: Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, Washington DC
Live Review by Richard Harrington, The Washington Post, 20 September 1980
IF THE Pretenders proved nothing else at their sold-out concert at Lisner Auditorium last night, they did establish that vocalist/rhythm guitarist/songwriter Chrissie Hynde deserves her ...
Chewing the Fat with the Fine Young Cannibals
Interview by Rob Tannenbaum, Rolling Stone, 20 April 1989
A FEW WEEKS before the release of The Raw and the Cooked, Fine Young Cannibals' new album, Roland Gift and Andy Cox are in New ...
Live Review by Sheryl Garratt, New Musical Express, 30 May 1981
THE WAY to tell how well a Beat gig is going is by Saxa's smile, and tonight he was grinning so wide the ends nearly ...
Talking Heads and The Beat at the Greek Theater Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, 8 November 1980
THIS WAS no mere toe-tapper. We're talking worn shoe-leather tonight, holes in the soles and corns on the toes, sore feet in a venue more ...
Interview by Tim Lott, Record Mirror, 15 March 1980
They don't all wear hats and they're not all mad but The Beat definitely admit to being reds. ...
The Beat: Heartbeat & Strangelove
Interview by Vivien Goldman, New Musical Express, 7 November 1981
Vivien Goldman witnesses the subversive pop of The Beat at work in New York against the nuclear age. ...
see also Fine Young Cannibals
see also General Public
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