English Beat reissues coming this summer

I can't wait to hear these English Beat reissues. Read on for details...

Shout! Factory has announced a reissue campaign of The English Beat catalog, beginning with a July 10 release of a new single-disc compilation titled Keep The Beat: The Very Best Of The English Beat  and a new box set titled The English Beat: The Complete Beat.

 The five-CD box set features all three studio albums with bonus tracks, remastered from the original tapes; two discs of bonus material - most of which is previously unreleased on CD - three sessions recorded with the legendary John Peel for his show on BBC Radio 1, tracks from a live show recorded at Boston’s Opera House, and 12” and dub versions of some of the band’s biggest singles; also, there's  a booklet with rare photos and an essay by music scholar Alex Ogg. Both releases have been produced in collaboration with the band.

Those buying the box set on Shout! Factory’s website will also receive a bonus – the first ever release of The English Beat: Live At The US Festival, in a 2-disc CD/DVD set, part of Shout! Factory’s new line of US Festival releases. Pre-order at http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=5257717.

Rollingstone.com just premiered 2 tracks from Keep The Beat, which are available to stream now http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/song-exclusive-the-english-beats-which-side-of-the-bed-and-save-it-for-later-20120411.

Ogg writes in The Complete Beat essay:

“While The Beat’s original lineup played together for four short years, their brief but memorable existence yielded three increasingly experimental albums that continue to reward repeat visits, five of the finest hit singles of the era and, often forgotten in the ledgers of great bands, hundreds of intoxicating live shows. They were a core part of the still-influential 2Tone movement, but beyond that, they were intrinsically a wonderfully gifted songwriting unit, drawing on a serendipitously assembled cast of contributors who found themselves able, through either skill or simple instinct, to fluently combine reggae and pop traditions without compromising either. This box set incorporates practically their entire recorded output, and the absolute dearth of chaff is a small and lovely miracle.”

The Dave Wakeling-led version of English Beat are currently on tour and appeared at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony over the weekend, performing their hits “Save It For Later,” “Mirror In The Bathroom,” “Tears Of A Clown” and “Tenderness.”

THE ENGLISH BEAT TOUR DATES
Apr 16 Wooly’s Des Moines , IA
Apr 17 The Waiting Room Omaha , NE
Apr 19 ACM @ UCO Rocks Bricktown Oklahoma City , OK
Apr 21 Blueberry Hill St. Louis, MO
Apr 22 Skully’s Columbus , OH
Apr 25 Count Basie Theatre* Red Bank, NJ
Apr 26 Carnegie Hall of Homestead * Munhall , PA
Apr 27 Rams Head Tavern* Baltimore , MD
Apr 28 Roseland Ballroom* New York , NY
May 04 Saint Rocke Hermosa Beach , CA
May 05 Mozambique Restaurant Laguna Beach , CA
May 10 Dixon May Fair Dixon , CA
May 11 The Canyon Club Agoura Hills , CA
May 18 Avalon Ballroom Santa Clara , CA
May 26 Downtown LV Outdoor Festival Las Vegas , NV
May 27 The Bunkhouse Las Vegas , NV
May 31 The Canyon Club Agoura Hills , CA
Jun 01 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach , CA
Jun 02 Fiesta Del Sol Solana Beach, CA
Jun 22 Motorcity Casino Hotel Detroit , MI
Jul 04 Palisades Charter High School Pacific Palisades , CA
Jul 20 Stephen Talkhouse Amagansett, NY
Jul 27 Monte De Oro Winery Temecula , CA
Jul 29 The Hangar @ Orange County Fair Costa Mesa , CA
*w/ Squeeze 

Keep The Beat: The Very Best Of The English Beat Track Listing

1. Mirror In The Bathroom
2. Doors Of Your Heart
3. Save It For Later
4. Twist & Crawl
5. The Tears Of A Clown
6. Best Friend
7. I Confess
8. Ranking Full Stop
9. Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
10. Get-A-Job
11. Jeanette
12. Too Nice To Talk To
13. Can’t Get Used To Losing You
14. Sole Salvation
15. Hands Off . . . She’s Mine
16. End Of The Party

For more information, visit myspace.com/officialbeatspace