 The English Beat The English Beat's final album is their finest, a strong and confident record that is full of emotion and, yes, fun. They were shaking off the pure ska-pop sound for a more polished, dare I say cosmopolitan approach that works even better. You can see the buds of General Public and Fine Young Cannibals just starting to pop out of the soil. Meanwhile, you can't stop dancing and singing. The singles are their strongest ever: "I Confess," "Save it For Later," "Sole Salvation." "Save it For Later" is about as good a single as can be, sitting in the middle of the album like an ornate buttress in a great cathedral. Without this song there would be no "Everyday is Like Sunday" – and then where would we be?! Dave Wakeling's lyrics detail infidelity and betrayal with ambiguous regret – made all the more ambiguous by the bright melodies and uptempo rhythms. Best line: "I confess that I've ruined three lives/Did not care 'til I found out that one of them was mine." Urban brilliance. The crashing sound of real life. Amid the sophisti-pop you get your reggae fix with Ranking Roger's "Spar With Me" and a couple of others. "Rotating Head" is thrown in to fill the "Mirror in the Bathroom" quotient – actually, it's very nearly Police-like. A reminder that though history has sorted the Beat into also-ran status, in their prime they were as good as anything. Side B veers a little far into "calypso party" territory, but overall the album is easy, breezy, unpretentious, and most of all, doing its own thing. Special Beat Service is the sound of a band at their peak. It leaves you wanting more, grateful yet sad that they hung it up immediately thereafter.
Review by Lewis Plether |