The English Beat

An agile band that mingled ska and new wave without overstretching either, The English Beat started as part of the Two-Tone scene that gripped England in the late '70s. The group angled alongside some of the socially conscious concerns aired by progressive bands of the time, but The English Beat never raised as much radical capital as, say, The Specials. The band did pen a string of terrific songs, though: “Mirror In The Bathroom,” “Twist And Crawl,” “Save It For Later,” “I Confess,” and so on. After splitting into U.K. and U.S. versions of the band earlier this decade, the Stateside English Beat toured with Reel Big Fish and talked about recording new material, but hasn't yet moved beyond the obligatory greatest-hits collections.

Updated 02/11/2010