Being that Dave Wakeling is still touring as both (or either) The English Beat and (or) GENERAL PUBLIC, it certainly makes sense that the latter’s two original albums, All the Rage and Hand to Mouth, are getting a vinyl reissue.
Wakeling and his English Beat cohort Ranking Roger started the group after their former band called it a day. Coming just after The Beat (as they are known nearly everywhere else) had just made solid inroads to the US charts with their 1982 release, Special Beat Service – and a couple of minor hits, “Save It for Later” and “I Confess” – it was anyone’s guess if the momentum could be capitalized on. Apparently, Dave and Rog had some ideas about how to do that. Beef up the dance beat and production values, keep some of the ska ingredients and melodies, bingo. You have to admit there’s something about General Public’s swing that makes you wanna move around. And it’s kinda hard not to get tunes like “Come Again,” “Tenderness” and “General Public” out of your head. (And these three charted much higher in the US than any of The Beat’s singles.) Regardless, I preferred (and still do prefer) the scruffiness of The Beat. Always the rebel.
For most of the last couple of decades the two friends kept touring, eventually even doing shows that featured both “bands” – as in, the two lead singers doing songs from both General Public and The Beat. Sadly, Ranking Roger passed away in 2019 so it was up to Dave to keep the fire burning. He has, and this summer The English Beat toured the US and at the time of this writing are playing UK dates. I missed my chance to see them this time but I DO have my original Beat albums and these two snazzy General Public reissues to ease the pain. – Marsh Gooch
3/5 (BMG 538889351 and 538889361, 2023)
NuDisc 