The Beat

I Just Can't Stop It – Deluxe Edition Edsel****

It was 1980, everyone was broke, Margaret Thatcher was officially the Wicked Witch of the West, and the ska revival was in full swing, with The Specials, Madness and The Selecter riding high in the charts. With their hit ska version of Smokey Robinson’s Tears of A Clown, Brummie combo The Beat could have been dismissed as a novelty act, but their debut album proved that these guys were ranking with the best.

Opening with the dazzling Mirror In The Bathroom, the album piles one great tune onto another, while never letting up on the relentless dub beats. Hands Off . . . She’s Mine, Twist and Crawl and Best Friend still have a kick to them, while Stand Down Margaret delivers the political punch and a cover of Can’t Get Used To Losing You makes it personal. CD2 features the debut single (plus B-side), along with extended tracks, dub remixes and Peel sessions.

Download tracks:Mirror In the Bathroom, Best Friend, Whine Grine/Stand Down Margaret