#183
by Brian San Marco
The English Beat
I Just Can’t Stop It
Genre: Ska, Mod – I was never really sure what that meant. Modern? Wasn’t New wave modern at the time?
Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 After group consideration, it has been bumped to a 5
Brian’s Rating 4.75 our of 5 stars – minus .25 for being a victim of 80’s recording styles
**
Allen’s Highlights:
Mirror in the Bathroom
Best Friend
Brian’s Highlights:
Hand’s Off She’s Mine
Ranking Full Stop
Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margaret
I feel like there are two types of people in this world. Those who like Ska and those who don’t. I happen to be one that does. At least most Ska. At least THIS Ska. The English Beat came around when there was magic in the air for reggae and Ska. These sounds started influencing rock music in the years prior, but it was the English Beat who took it to the next level. They influenced a generation of 80s kids and were a trailblazers who along with KROQ radio influenced those same kids to dress a certain way and listen to a whole new wave of music.
As soon as I heard Hand’s Off, She’s Mine”, I was taken back to the beginning of the KROQ days in Los Angeles. The English Beat helped build KROQ into a powerhouse of modern music and then sustain them as the influence of The Beat grew and redeveloped into acts I loved almost equally: General Public and The Fine Young Cannibals.
Songs like “Mirror In the Bathroom”, “Hand’s off, She’s Mine”, and “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” tent pole an album that makes you move one way or another. These are real players and real instruments through and through. “Hand’s Off” reminds me of being a kid, steel drums and all. But honestly, it’s the second half of the record that really spotlights the intricacy and diversity of their sound. The 4-on-the-floor Ska of “Twist and Crawl” and The Tears of a Clown” lead into the backbeat reggae of “Rough Rider”. By “Whine and Grine”, I’m passing the doobie, and then the dance party starts all over again. Looking back on it, I understand the influence it had on me as a player and a stoner.
https://open.spotify.com/album/08zjJfP4f6cXGxscvztbvh?si=Q_LdKVO1TNGrznrWmVj_gw
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