1) The English two-tone ska band The Beat known as The English Beat in North America and The British Beat in Australia.
2) The American power-pop band became known as Paul Collins' Beat in Europe.
1. The Beat are a band founded in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.
The Beat, consisting of Dave Wakeling (vocals, guitar), Ranking Roger (vocals), Andy Cox (guitar), David Steele (bass), Everett Morton (drums), and Saxa a.k.a. Lionel Augustus Martin (1930 – 2017) (saxophone), released three studio albums in the early 1980s: I Just Can't Stop It (1980), Wha'ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982), and a string of singles, including "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Too Nice to Talk To", "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Hands Off, She's Mine" and "All Out to Get You".[3]
Although the group’s main fan-base was in the UK, they were also popular in Australia thanks to regular exposure on the government-owned rock radio station Triple J and the nationally-broadcast TV pop show Countdown. They had a sizeable following in the U.S., and a strong presence on that country’s college radio.
After the break-up of The Beat, Dave Wakeling (guitar, lead vocals) and Ranking Roger (vocals) went on to form General Public, while Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass guitar) formed Fine Young Cannibals with vocalist Roland Gift.
Members of the band often collaborated on stage with The Specials and performed together on tracks such as “Free Nelson Mandela”. In the early 1990s, Roger joined members of The Specials to form the new band The Special Beat, which released two live albums.
Ranking Roger’s son, Ranking Junior, has followed in his father’s footsteps. In 2005, he appeared on The Ordinary Boys’ single “Boys Will Be Boys”. In 2003, The Beat’s original line-up, minus Cox and Steele but with the addition of Junior, played a sold-out one-off gig at the Royal Festival Hall. As of 2005, The Beat has reformed, counting Roger, Blockhead and Morton of the original line-up, with Ranking Junior also on vocals. The band is said to have the blessing of Cox, Steele and Saxa (of Desmond Dekker fame).
The Beat’s lead singer Dave Wakeling also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he has done for the last three decades, with an amazing all-star ska backing band playing the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs.
Saxa died on 3 May 2017, Ranking Roger died on 26 March 2019.
2. The Beat (known in Europe as The Paul Collins Beat or Paul Collins' Beat), were an American rock and power pop group from Los Angeles, California that formed in the late 1970s. The Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material as Paul Collins' Beat. Frontman Paul Collins has released several projects with his alternative country group The Paul Collins Band, who play Americana music inspired by country rock and folk rock.
Whine & Grine / Stand Down Margaret
The Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say whether you whine or grine
Can you shake it up right on time
I say shake it up right on time
First thing she ax, if you 'ave your brush
If you 'ave your brush, you can avoid the rush
I say whether you whine or grine
Then you shake it up right on time
I say shake it up right on time
She want a ruff ruff rider
He want a cool cool stroker
Come whether you whine or grine
I say whether you whine or grine
Can ya shake it up right on time
I say shake it up right on time
Whoa, bwoy come watch I-man
Because he son a lead da way
He son a lead da way
Ya gotta understand as I will tell ya from the top
My body uptown sound, ya rankin sound
You gotta come around
Awar
I say you rub it uptown and ya rub it downtown
You body sonna lead the way, lord
I say you rub it all around,
But you are gwarn like a clown
You body sonna lead the way
I tell you body uptown sound, yeah
Ow, ow
I tell you body unity sound yah
Brrrr, ah
Love and unity, love and unity
Love and unity, awar
Say so, oh lord
Good god
I said I see no joy
I see only sorrow
I see no chance of your bright new tomorrow
So stand down Margaret
Stand down please
Stand down Margaret
I say stand down Margaret
Stand down please
Stand down Margaret
You tell me how can it work in this all white law
What a short sharp lesson,
What a third world war
Oh stand down Margaret
Stand down please
Stand down Margaret
I say stand down Margaret
Stand down please
Stand down Margaret
Say too much war in the city yeah
Say too much war in the city, whoa
I sing I said a love and unity, the only way
And unity, the only way
Yeah ya know
You know what
The lyrics to The Beat's song Whine & Grine / Stand Down Margaret are split into two distinct sections that reflect the political and social climate of the time in which the song was written. The first half of the song is dedicated to getting people up and dancing, with the singer exhorting listeners to "shake it up right on time." The lyrics are full of slang and patois (the Jamaican creole language) that are typical of the ska and reggae music that The Beat was influenced by. The second half of the song is a response to then-UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her government's policies. The lyrics urge Thatcher to "stand down" and end her reign, with the singer expressing concern about the "short sharp lesson" that could result from her leadership. The song uses a bold combination of upbeat ska rhythms and socially conscious lyrics, making for an unusual but effective musical message.
Line by Line Meaning
Come whether you whine or grine
Come no matter how you feel about it
I say whether you whine or grine
I repeat, no matter how you feel about it
Can you shake it up right on time
Can you dance to the beat on time?
First thing she ax, if you 'ave your brush
She asks if you have your brush, to avoid being late or unprepared
If you 'ave your brush, you can avoid the rush
If you have your brush, you'll be ready and avoid being rushed
She want a ruff ruff rider
She wants a tough and confident partner
He want a cool cool stroker
He wants a calm and controlled partner
Whoa, bwoy come watch I-man
Hey, come watch me
Because he son a lead da way
Because he'll lead the way
Ya gotta understand as I will tell ya from the top
You have to listen to me carefully from the beginning to understand
My body uptown sound, ya rankin sound
My body moves in a sophisticated way, with a high rank
You gotta come around
You have to follow my lead
I say you rub it uptown and ya rub it downtown
I say you can move your body stylishly up and down
You body sonna lead the way, lord
Your body will guide the dance
I say you rub it all around,
I say you can move your body around
But you are gwarn like a clown
But don't act foolish
You body sonna lead the way
Your body will guide the dance
I tell you body uptown sound, yeah
I'm telling you that moving stylishly is important
I tell you body unity sound yah
I'm telling you that being united is important
Love and unity, love and unity
We need to love and unite
Say so, oh lord
I pray for that, oh lord
Good god
That's wonderful
I said I see no joy
I can only see sadness and despair
I see only sorrow
I only see sorrow
I see no chance of your bright new tomorrow
I don't see any hope for a brighter future
So stand down Margaret
So back down, Margaret
Stand down please
Please back down
You tell me how can it work in this all white law
How can this racist system work?
What a short sharp lesson,
It will be a quick and cruel lesson
What a third world war
It will be like a war in a poor third world country
Say too much war in the city yeah
There's too much violence in the city
I sing I said a love and unity, the only way
I sing that love and unity is the only solution
And unity, the only way
And unity is the only solution
Yeah ya know
Yeah, you know
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Cecil Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
raul macias
I am deeply saddened this morning ~ July 19,2020! Just a few minutes ago I discovered Ranking Roger passed away last year on March 26,2019. My God! I am stunned! He was so young to pass at 56! What joy Roger brought into my life! His work with The Beat is eternal! Their message was "Love and Unity"! This morning I was doing a little research on the song "Whine And Grine". I knew The Beat covered the song and was featured on their debut album "I Just Can't Stop It". I actually first looked up the original version by "Prince Buster" which, after all these many years, I had never heard! As I listened to Prince Buster, I suddenly stopped and, intuition I suppose, decided to also check out the version by The Beat and began reading the comments section which said "R.I.P. Ranking Roger". I immediately went to Wikipedia and confirmed that sadly it is true Ranking Roger did indeed pass away.
I have fond memories of seeing The Beat in 1983 at the Country Club in Reseda,CA! In 1985, I saw General Public at an out door gig at U.C.L.A. on a beautiful sun shiny day!
As I look back, what really made The Beat special was to listen to Roger and Dave Wakeling blend their two wonderful singing voices together! It was truly transcendent and heavenly! I first heard The Beat on KROQ 106.7 FM Radio around September, 1981! It was a revelation in that I had become truly bored with American music! I was at work, with the radio playing in the background, and suddenly KROQ played the 12 Inch mix of "Too Nice To Talk To"! and I was immediately blown away! I began buying their British import 7" and 12" Singles on Go~Feet Records! I began collecting as many other British "Ska Revival" bands of the era! My faith in music was restored thanks to Roger and The Beat! Through Roger, I was turned on the U.K. Reggae Band "Aswad". I had read that Roger was a big fan of theirs! I would have to say the 12Inch Mix of "Which Side Of The Bed...?" to be my all~time favorite toasting by Ranking Roger! It is extraordinary and a joy to listen to!
Thank you Roger Charlery for all the years of joy your singing and toasting has brought into my life! Your music will live on for eternity bringing joy and happiness to future generations of music lovers!
R.I.P. ROGER "RANKING ROGER" CHARLERY.
FFM0594
A classic ska album from a class act.
Lincoln Hirschi
One of those rare albums that's perfect from start to finish.
apenas eu
Música incrível,e uma grande banda
g
Back in the day - my 1st EB album -- blasting this one at volume 11 on my record player and Altec Lansings - must have played it well over 1000 times!
Liliskp
Gracias a The Crown por recordarmela
simonp1970
Best band of all time!!
Doug Medina
Dave, Andy, Shuffle, Everett, Roger and Saxa! Pure gold!
Kevin D
Saw The Beat in DC open for original line-up Pretenders 1st US tour ever both. They blew Chrissie & the boys away no contest. And that's a v high bar, indeed.
Pietje Puk
Last month they played in Amstelveen (Netherlands). Still going strong!