Wha'ppen to the Beat?

The English Beat : Doors of Your Heart

In May of 1981 The English Beat followed up their exhilarating debut with Wha'ppen, significantly slowing down the songs, making them more atmospheric and at times more political. 

"I hate lies," Dave Wakeling told Record Mirror. "Most of all, institutional lies. If they didn't fill up the news with the Ripper and Prince Charles perhaps they'd have to admit that yes, well, there are actually four million unemployed people in the country. As things get tougher the government are forced to show their cards, to get more obvious in showing that they are the capitalist, racist, sexist types that you always suspected they were"

Saxa, the 51 year old saxophone player, continues to play a big role in The Beat.

"Saxa's the most articulate musician in the band by far," says Wakeling. "When he's playing his solo, he's not aware of the instrument being there at all., he's just telling you how he feels at that particular moment, about that particular song. He teaches you what the song is about".

Released on May 8, in one of the great all time months for album releases, Wha'ppen peaked at UK#3 and US#126. The singles were the UK#22  double A side "Drowining/ All Out To Get You" and  "Hit It ( Auto Erotic)". The album finished No 4 in the NME critics poll, No 5 in Robert Christgau's year end list and No 23 in the Village Voice Pazz and Jop critics poll.

Rock critic dean Robert Christgau gave the album a grade of A writing:

David Wakeling shows more character (and timbre) than Terry Hall, Ranking Roger could rub his dub in a pedigreed reggae band, and the rhythms aren't solely riddims. So as two-tone grays out, the Beat follow their chops into the world-beat sweepstakes, where snaky grooves are worth their weight in yen. The Afrobeats and studio spaces and steel drums are as seamlessly colloquial as the depression politics and depressed romances, so it would be a shame if its sinuous midtempos dismay fans of its predecessor's hectic pace. I hear not resignation or compromise but a stubborn, animated adaptability. Unity rocker: "Doors of Your Heart," in which love means eros and agape simultaneously, and Wakeling finds that dread blocks the way to both, and Roger advises him to stop his fighting,

From Record World

Billboard:

The catchy song below is about shoplifting.

 

Ranking Roger : My All Time Top 10

The Beat : Rough Rider

[Purchase]

At the end of August, 1980, as The Beat's debut album was selling its way to Gold Record status,  teenage toaster Ranking Roger  provided Smash Hits with his all time top 10 favorite songs. The list includes The Sex Pistols, two songs by The Clash, Kraftwerk , The Specials and features four reggae artists. Militant Barry's "Pistol Boy" is about Sid Vicious and the murder of Nancy Spungen.

1980's Best Self Isolation Songs

The Police : Don't Stand So Close To Me

[Purchase]

In 1980 quite a few rock bands recorded songs about the threat of nuclear warfare. I've already covered that. 40 years later, we now live in a new age that will define this generation. To lower the infection rate of the Covid-19 virus, we must put up barriers between the infected and would-be patients. Here are some songs to help us keep this in mind.

1. The Police : Don't Stand So Close To Me

Inspirational Lyric:

He starts to shake he starts to cough
Just like the old man in
That famous book by Nabakov
Don't stand so close to me

2. Joy Division : Isolation

Inspirational Lyric:

In fear every day, every evening

... Isolation, isolation, isolation.

3. English Beat: Mirror in the Bathroom

Inspirational Lyric:

Mirror in the bathroom 

Please talk free 

The door is locked 

Just you and me

4. Generation X : Dancing With Myself

Inspirational lyric:

So let's sink another drink
Cause it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance I'd ask the world to dance
And I'll be dancin' with myself

5. 10cc : I Hate To Eat Alone

Inspirational lyric:

'N' frozen dinners don't do much for me
When you've got T.V. on the table
'N' T.V. on T.V.
All you do is chew your fingers
Down to the bone
I hate to eat alone

6. The B-52's: Private Idaho

Inspirational lyric:

You're living in your own Private Idaho 

Living in your own Private Idaho 

Underground like a wild potato 

Don't go on the patio

7. Bruce Springsteen : You Can Look But You Better Not Touch

Inspirational lyric:

You can look but you better not touch boy
Mess around and you'll end up in dutch boy
You can look but you better not, no you better not, no you better not touch

8. Utopia : Alone

Inspirational lyric:

Alone, alone
Nobody knows how lonely it can be
And I'm so tired of being alone

9. The Cramps: Fever

Inspirational lyric:

When you put your arms around me
I get a feeling that's hard to bear
You give me fever, when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night

10. The Specials Do Nothing

Inspirational lyric:

I'm just living in a life without meaning
I walk and walk, do nothing
I'm just living in a life without feeling
I talk and talk, say nothing

Dave Wakeling (English Beat) Picks His Top Ten Fave Songs (1980)

English Beat songwriter and guitarist Dave Wakeling provided this list for the April 3, 1980 issue of Smash Hits courtesy of  Like Punk Never Happened. At the time, The Beat were just weeks away from releasing their monumental debut I Just Can't Stop It.

1. Toots and The Maytals: Pomp and Pride
2. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: Tracks Of My Tears
3. Manfred Mann: Ha Ha Said The Clown
4. The Congo: Children Cry
5. Tim Buckley: Sweet Surrender
6. Tapper Zukie: Viago
7. Elvis Costello And The Attractions: Secondary Modern
8. Percy Sledge: When A Man Loves A Woman
9. The Undertones: Male Model
10. Captain Beefheart: Moonlight On Vermont

"I like all of these because of their lyrics, especially the Tim Buckley one."