They’re called THE BEAT, although in the States this band are known as THE ENGLISH BEAT and in Australia THE BRITISH BEAT, and they’re one of the most prominent representatives of the two-tone movement – perhaps, less famous than MADNESS or, say, THE SPECIALS, but still. What sets the Dave Wakeling-fronted ensemble from the rest of these groups is the scarcity of concert releases, the earliest of those appearing only in 2012 and harking back to 1982-83, which is why the fresh issue of the collective’s earlier live recordings feels more than welcome.
Just out, “At The BBC” spans 1979 to 1982 and includes 21 track from the team’s first longplays and singles, as well as a cover of “Night And Day” that didn’t seem to have a studio counterpart. An important document.
At The BBC
John Peel Show – November 5th, 1979:
1. Tears Of A Clown
2. Ranking Full Stop
3. Click Click
4. Mirror In The Bathroom
5. Big Shot
Mike Read Show – February 11th, 1980:
6. Hands Off… She’s Mine
7. Rough Rider
8. Twist & Crawl
9. Mirror In The Bathroom
John Peel Show – September 2nd, 1980:
10. Too Nice To Talk To
11. Psychedelic Rockers
12. Monkey Murders
13. Walk Away
14. Sounds Like Sorry
The Evening Show with David Jensen – April, 22nd, 1982:
15. Night And Day
John Peel Show – March 29th, 1982:
16. Spar Wid Me
17. End Of The Party
18. She’s Going
19. Save It For Later
20. Sole Salvation
21. Pato And Roger A Go Talk
