Madness had a longer stream of hit singles and The Specials wrote the soundtrack for the generation with “Ghost Town”, but for this writer THE BEAT – historically 2-Tone’s bronze medallists – were every bit their equal.
Let’s face it, the Brummie boys had a hell of a lot going for them. In Dave Wakeling they had a talented, charismatic frontman; in Ranking Roger they had a livewire presence, vocal foil and dextrous MC/ toaster; in Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass) they had the songwriting team that would later go on to worldwide success when teamed with Roland Gift and Fine Young Cannibals and in drummer Everett Moreton they had one of the most rhythmic players out there. And then, of course, there was Saxa. And how many bands’ records are made complete by a fifty-something sax player whose contributions remains instantly recognisable to this day?
And most of their crucial cuts are present on correct on “The Platinum Collection”: a new series from Warner Music which – apparently randomly – presents sort-of-best-ofs from a melange of different artists they’ve had on their books over the past 30 years or so.
Because “The Platinum Collection” is by no means an exhaustive ‘Greatest Hits’ and if you want to pick holes in most of the collections it’s pretty easy in that respect. In The Beat’s case, for example, the likes of “Tears Of A Clown”, “Ranking Full Stop,” “All Out To Get You”, “Hit It”, “Get-A-Job” and “Jeanette” are conspicuous in their absence.
However “The Platinum Collection” works very well as a mid-price introduction to a band with a decent back catalogue and in The Beat’s case that’s a catalogue well worth (re)discovering. After all, once you’ve heard songs like the ridiculously infectious “Hands Off, She’s Mine”, the edgy “Too Nice To Talk To” and the sunny skank of “Doors Of Your Heart” you’ll never scrape them out of your psyche. But then, why would you want to anyway?
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Naturally, Warners don’t deviate from the Singles plot line too much, and sensibly include perennial dancefloor favourites like the ratchety paranoia of “Mirror In The Bathroom” and the deceptively lazy “Drowning”, while remembering that “Best Friend” and “Save It For Later” are still among the most irresistible pop songs ever written, regardless of prevailing trends. But it’s to their credit that there’s also room for a few half-hidden gems such as the niggly “Twist And Crawl” and the insistent Midlands Motown of “Sole Salvation.”
The Beat’s small-ish, but nigh-on perfectly formed back catalogue is well-documented and to complete the picture you’ll always need their three studio albums “I Just Can’t Stop It”, “Wh’appen?” and “Special Beat Service”. However, “The Platinum Collection” is a handy pocket compendium, and while it’s easy enough to carp about omissions and a lack of chronological presentation, the ageless quality of the music is never in any doubt.
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