http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2002-2006 by the authors Mon, 8 Sep 2003 00:44:50 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17632 Dance Craze is awesome. I have it on video and vinyl. Eric, don't forget the Body Snatchers, the all girl ska band! They are probably the most unknown of the bunch, but from what I saw on the Dance Craze film, they were great! My all time favorite ska band of that era(or maybe of the whole genre, although it's a close call w/ Toot and the Maytals) would be Bad Manners. Love that stuff. ]]> 17632@blogcritics.org Mon, 8 Sep 2003 00:44:50 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17628 Actually had the "Dance Craze" soundtrack, maybe I still do, somewhere in my cassettes. It seemed that the English Beat gained popularity in the US in '82 (at least they played a sold-out show at Red Rocks in Colorado in'82) and promptly broke up. Shame. You are right, they were a great group, I will have to dig them out again. ]]> 17628@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Sep 2003 23:32:15 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17622 I actually got into the ska revival in Cleveland in '79 when the "Dance Craze" movie came through, but I doubt it was on the radio. ]]> 17622@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Sep 2003 22:23:08 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17616 My first concert ever: The English Beat opening for the Clash at the San Diego Civic Center in '82. They put on a great live show, too. ]]> 17616@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Sep 2003 22:10:23 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17613 KROQ and LA was literally an alternative universive then: in Connecticut, the rock stations wouldn't touch it. One station put it "Save It For Later" on its playlist for about a week until a huge uproar from the Led Zep crowd forced them to pull it off. ]]> 17613@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Sep 2003 21:04:48 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17609 There were a bunch of them - a real scene: English Beat, Specials, Madness, Bad Manners, Selecter, etc. RE "Special Beat Service" - it was huge in L.A. where I was then. KROQ played the hell out of it. ]]> 17609@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Sep 2003 20:42:32 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17607 i loved this group. Madness too. despite the fact that it was used to sell toothpaste (the Colgate Pump) the song "Baggy Trousers" was one of my favorites. ]]> 17607@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Sep 2003 20:21:23 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/07/161909.php#comment-17605 I always thought it was great that they had to change their name to the English Beat in the U.S., since it was a much cooler name. But I don't remember Special Beat Service being much of a hit in the U.S., unfortunately; pre-1983, almost none of that new wave Britpop charted in this country. It was also one of the first albums to be recorded digitally, if I recall correctly. ]]> 17605@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Sep 2003 19:41:03 EDT