Low-Noise28 Jul 2025

The Beat

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of English band The Beat (known in the United States and Canada as the English Beat and in Australia as the British Beat) in (just over) twenty minutes. The band formed in Birmingham in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.

After the break-up of the Beat in 1983, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger went on to form General Public and had some success in the US and Canada, while Andy Cox and David Steele formed Fine Young Cannibals. Drummer Everett Morton and Saxa formed the International Beat and toured the UK and United States until 1992.

March of the Swivelheads (an instrumental version of the Beat's song Rotating Head from the album Special Beat Service) was used in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Save It for Later (from the same album) was featured on the soundtrack album to 1996 film Kingpin, the 2010 film Hot Tub Time Machine and the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming. Save It for Later has been covered by PeteTownshend, The Who, The Wonder Stuff, Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam.

http://englishbeat.net/

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

Mathew Woodall

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