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Dave Wakeling (The English Beat)


Carl

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You know those people who are ordinary and extarordinary at the same time? The ones that have some ridiculous talent but are into the same things we are: Friends, family, becoming a Buddhist Monk - OK, maybe he's a little different.

As the singer, guitarist and primary songwriter for The English Beat, Dave made a massive mark on the Ska scene. He continued his journey with General Public, giving us the delightful Tenderness. His songs all have stories: a sudden realization in Mirror In The Bathroom, the anger at an ingenuine politician in Stand Down Margaret, and the fallout from an affair in I Confess.

Check out the interiew here:

http://www.songfacts.com/int/2008/04/dave-wakeling-english-beat.html

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Excellent interview, Carl. Really interesting stuff.

I was a big fan of ska / TwoTone (The Specials, Selecter, Madness and, of course, The Beat) right at the end of the 70s. That also fuelled my interest in original 60s Jamaican ska, bluebeat and reggae.

It's a long time since I've heard anything from Dave Wakeling. Back in the day, he was the cool one that we adolescent rude boys wished we could be. :blush:

Great insight into the songs- I haven't listened to them for a few months, but now I simply must- but also nice that the interview shed some light on some features of UK history, customs and sayings, of which your predominantly American audience might not have been aware.

:thumbsup:

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Thanks Fitter. Dave was very generous in explaining all about British history and how it affected his music. I was a bit shocked to learn the there were hardly any black people in England until the '50s, which led to the Jamaiacan influence.

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I enjoyed the interview too... :) The English scene was a real mix by the late 70s/early 80s... I couldn´t stand New Romantics, punks were getting repetitive by then so ska and new wave would be my choice.

I didn´t know he was a building worker... :)

I remember we tried to make concerts for The Beat and General Public as well in Spain. We couldn´t bring them and I never saw them live. We had the American Beat instead ;) (Paul Weller´s band)

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I meant Paul Collins, you´re right, b-f, thanks... ;)

I guess I just banned the "Collins" from my musical memories :laughing:

...and you don´t remember much of the party when the party was fun. :cool:

...and let´s tell the truth, after all that fun, my brain has two remaining cells and they don´t work quite properly...

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