ENGLISH BEAT - IN CONCERT AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Details

• Release Year: 2005
• Genre: Music
• Plot: The English Beat was one of my favorite bands, and they should have been one of yours. ; ; They burned brightly during the early 80's with three albums, two of them stone cold classics ('I Just Can't Stop It' and 'Special Beat Service'). They were lumped together with bands like Selecter, Madness, and the Specials as members of the ska-punk-pop movement. They were wildly popular in England, moderately so here. ; ; This DVD documents a glorious reunion gig over there in the UK, and it makes me feel like I won the lottery. I missed the Beat (and their 'offspring', General Public) several time on tour back then, and now I finally can revel in their unique blend of ska, reggae, unadulterated rock and fizzy pop. ; ; Original band members include Dave Wakeling, Ranking Roger, Everett Horton and Saxa, their million-year-old saxophone player. They're all a little older, and they seem to be a little slow, tempo-wise, at the beginning of the show. ; ; I think it's because, as stage vets, they know how to pace themselves. ; ; As the show goes on, the energy rises, Ranking Roger's manic bouncing almost reaches lift-off, and Mr. Wakeling's driving rhythm guitar and soulful vocals soar to great heights. ; ; They run through all their 'hits', the only 'big' one missed being 'I Confess'. They all sound glorious. 'Tears Of A Clown' (still one of the best Motown covers ever), 'Save It For Later', 'Hands Off She's Mine', 'Doors Of Your Heart', 'Mirror In The Bathroom', 'Ranking Full Stop', 'Best Friend', 'Rough Rider', 'Click 'Click', 'Get A Job/Stand Down Margaret'... ; ; The Beat was known for not only their tunefulness and instrumental prowess, but also for their intelligence and political attitude. They were never afraid to offer an opinion; I loved how they tweaked their anti-Thatcher rocker, 'Stand Down Margaret' to incorporate Bush and Tony Blair... ; ; They are clearly having fun on stage, and when Saxa, seated in a chair for the majority of the show, takes over on the mike, he's a riot. ; ; His clean, concise and lyrical sax lines are often the highpoint of any individual song, and he delivers them all from his folding chair right there in front on stage. In fact, when he gets up to boogie near the end of the show, it's almost like seeing the Sphinx get up and move... ;
• Cast: Ranking Roger; Dave; Saxa; Everette Morton; Dave Blockhead; Neil Deathridge; Andy Pearson; Dave Meehan; Frank Lea; Colin Newman
• Director: Dave Meehan
• Runtime: 2:05
• Company: Secret Films, Music Video Distributors
• Media Format: Movie