Copped all The Beat LPs and a bunch of Two-Tone records at Moby Disc in Pasadena. Would catch the Dial-a-Ride to the Coco's on Rosemead, then walk a few blocks. The Jam, Small Faces, Toy Dolls, Style Council, Echo and the Bunnymen... hell even Swamp Trash... Used to hit the import bin pretty hard. Great in-stores, too.
The Beat, or English Beat, as they were known stateside were a favorite. Been going back to their Wha-ppen? record a lot lately. I think lead singer Dave Wakeling has lived in L.A. for a long time now, and occasionally plays out with some formation of the band. Dug up this video for their cut "Drowning", which I really don't remember. These guys don't seem to get as much respect as some of their contemporaries, like say The Specials, but their tunes have held up really well.
The other cut, "French Toast (Soleil Trop Chaud)", though suffering a bit from tinny 80s production values, is incredibly current in terms of sound. So many young indie bands claim to be taking cues from African Highlife guitar figures, but you may have to strain to imagine you hear it. No such problem here. The band fuses that sound with the Ska sound which put them on the map.
DO THE SKA!!!!
