The English Beat: Sorry
[purchase]
I am sorry that I missed last week's challenge, being on vacation ("up north" in the vernacular of the natives) and away from my computer. This is kind of a two-fer, then, although I'd have chosen this song anyway.
The English Beat (or simply The Beat in Britain) was probably one of the better-known ska revival bands that popped up in England in the late 70's (as did The Selector, who Darius featured a few weeks back). They banged out albums in 1980, 1981, and 1982 and then broke up to form two new bands: Fine Young Cannibals and General Public.
This song is from their last album. What made the English Beat one of my favorite bands was not only their infectious rhythm, their sparkling vocals, and their tight arrangements, but their clever lyrics, e.g.:
Words are just another violence,
Nothing rings as true as silence.
Dave Wakeling, lead singer and nouveau Californian, has reformed the English Beat in recent years and tours the US regularly. They perform the old hits and are quite good if you have a chance to catch them live.