Great song, good band, but in the UK I think they were just known as "The Beat". Now go check out The Selector and The Specials.

BreddieMercury said:

I have this one:


What do you suggest from The Selector though?

Has to be Celebrate the bullet.

Yes, Celebrate the Bullet.

But it's spelled "selecter" with an "e".

minneapolisgenius said:

riiiiight

I always got mo o's and e's mixod up.

grand stuff...partial to the cover of
"tears of a clown"

0V3RF13ND said:

CinisterCee said:

Excellent Album, I own it too.
Blank Expression
and
You're wondering now

those are my favorites on this album

yes, great band, my fave from that record whine & grine/stand down margaret.

i remember seeing them open for the pretenders in 1980 at a club in atlanta, great show, great energy.

Just out of spite,
I confess I've ruined three lives
Now don't sleep so tight
Because I didn't care till I found out that one of them was mine.

Night after night time time after time.
Done too much of both types of w(h)ining.
Still wasn't right fight after fight
Till "Get out of my life get away from me get away from that gun"

"No it's not a joke it's cards on the table time
Yes I could have phoned
I could have wrote
But how to break the news without beaking your heart
Being dead don't hurt,
No only dieing
Cards on the table time,
Sometimes it's right to say goodnight."

Always searching for paradise,
I'll admit that I'm good as blind
Darling I confess yes I've ruined three lives
And didn't care till I found out that one of them was mine.

I confess
Our love seems like a punishment
And I confess,
If it's all the same to you I'll stay indifferent

I confess I confess I confess
I confess I confess I confess.

No-one wins and there's no denying,
Don't pretend like you don't know why,
Just a little word here a little push there Darling
I confess look I confess that I don't really care

I confess I confess I confess.

Out like a light,
Another boy who's given up trying,
Blinded by fright,
He scream my life's not open,
Please get out,
I know I'm shouting,
I like to shout.

It's not a joke it's cards on the table time
It's not a joke it's cards on the table time
I could have phoned
I could have wrote
But how to break the news without beaking your heart
Being dead don't hurt,
No only dieing
Cards on the table time,
Sometimes it's right to say goodnight."

Always searching for paradise,
I'll admit that I'm good as blind
Darling I confess yes I've ruined three lives
And didn't care till I found out that one of them was mine.

I confess
I deserve some type of punishment
I confess
If it's all the same to you I'll stay indifferent
I confess I confess I confess
I confess I confess I confess
I confess I confess I confess
I confess I confess I confess
I confess I confess I confess

Ska head over here! "Can't Get Used to Losing You" and "Big Shot" were instant favorites from I Just Can't Stop It. I've been tryin' to find a T-shirt with the cover of that album on it ....no luck though I love all of the 2-tone British ska bands from the 80's....especially The Specials and Madness. It's perfect feel good/driving music....driving music on the way to a beach. The Selecter is probably my least favorite of the more popular ska bands....after a while Pauline's voice gets to me. I can only take Selecter in small doses. I wonder where's NWF?

typo
[Edited 4/8/05 20:37pm]

Since the Specials were mentioned..... Bob Marley and the Wailer's "Concrete Jungle" or The Specials' "Concrete Jungle"

DiminutiveRocker said:

I LOVE that song. I only have it on LP though, so I haven't heard it in ages.

AnckSuNamun said:

I can't believe this thread slipped past me!!!!!

I love The Beat! or "English Beat" as it's called in America. I've even had the fortune of meeting Ranking Roger in Central Park a couple of years ago. I told him that they made some great music.All them bands from the 2-Tone era were great. It's some of the most inspiring and invigorating music I've ever heard.


Everyone seems to dig "I Just Can't Stop It" the most. I hated that album the first time I heard it. But it's one of those records that grows on you. So while it didn't hit me immediately, I got used to it over time. Now I like it. But the album that I like the best would be their next one, "Wha'ppen?". I like the chords, melodies, and their courage to break away from the frenetic Ska sound and go back to de island riddims, mon. Most of the songs are downtempo Reggae/Calypso/Pop tunes that are as refreshing as a cool breeze on the beach. But if you listen closely, there are some Post-Punk overtones to it as well. Songs like "I Am Your Flag" and "Drowning", have a sort of left-of-center sensibility about it. Their change was almost as radical as The Specials when they put out "More Specials". It's a great album and I think everyone should check it out.


It's just sad how these groups never got too popular in America. I'd say Madness and the Beat had the most success though with the help of their videos being shown on MTV in its inception. But I guess their influence permeated into the next generation of Alternative artists to come along and skank things up. You know, bands like the Toasters, Fishbone, No Doubt, Suicide Machines, Operation Ivy, Rancid, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Slackers, Less Than Jake, and hundreds of others. But a lot of them are too influenced by hardcore Punk and don't really have much of the Jamaican Soul or British New Wave influence in their sound, which sort of puts me off a bit. Also, most of these bands only appeal to mostly White people from the suburbs, whereas the 2-Tone groups tried to appeal to all colors.

Another reason why I like these 2-Tone bands a lot is because their a Socialist's wet dream.

What I mean is that their politics were just as important as their music. They promoted racial harmony and unity at a time where there was much racial strife looming in England. I think all bands should aspire to the 2-Tone groups' ability to bring audiences of all colors, creeds, genders, etc. together to dance and be free.

NWF said:

That's my favorite album of theirs as well.

NWF said:

I think that's one of the reasons why I'm not too crazy about the more recent ska bands, because they're more punk influenced.

Great band.I was listening to them just the other day.