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Saturday, October 23, 2010

67. Ranking Full Stop by The Beat 1979




In January 1980 my girlfriend and I hire a car and drive up to Edinburgh from Blackpool to check out Scotland. Driving through the moors on a cold winter night was quite scary and at times it felt we were on another planet. We finally got to our destination which was a little bed and breakfast.
Digging out the NME to check for bands we notice The Purple Hearts, one of the new mod bands were playing at a club called Clouds. So off we went into the cold of the city.
Inside I'm given a hard time for drinking half pints by the local Scots who find this slightly feminine. Luckily I put on the Australian and manoeuvre away from the danger.
The Purple Hearts are great and do their "hit" Millions Like Us twice but what impresses me is the DJ who doesn't just play between bands but is the support act and actually compliments the act. It was an idea I brought back to use at our Mod nights at the Market Hotel. No crappy support act just good tunes.
Anyway this is what got me up to dance that night. I loved the sound of The Beat. Of all the ska bands I thought they actually took ska music somewhere different in their sound. This was the b-side of Tears of a Clown. One night we were watching Top of The Pops on TV when The Beat came on, then Madness then The Specials. Magic!

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