I Just Can't Stop It

I Just Can't Stop It is the debut studio album by the English two-tone band the Beat, released on 23 May 1980[citation needed] by Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom. It was released the same year in the United States on Sire Records, with the band credited as "The English Beat"; in Australia, it was released on Go-Feet under the band name "The British Beat".

The album was well received; Rolling Stone raved that the music was "wild and threatening, sexy and sharp," while AllMusic later wrote it "was a stunning achievement" which had not been diminished by time.

The album was reissued on CD in 1990 by I.R.S. Records in the U.S, and in 2012 by Edsel Records in the UK and Shout! Factory in the U.S.

Artwork

The "Beat Girl" icon seen on the cover and used on the band's merchandising was designed by Birmingham-based cartoonist Hunt Emerson.

Critical reception

At the end of 1980, I Just Can't Stop It appeared in numerous lists of the best albums of the year: NME ranked it third, Sounds ranked it 13th,[citation needed] The Village Voice ranked it 21st[citation needed] and OOR ranked it 41st.[citation needed] In 1995, Spin ranked the album at No. 94 in its list of the "Top 100 Alternative Albums". Fast 'n' Bulbous ranked the album at number 283 in its list of "The 500 Best Albums Since 1965". A 2002 poll of KCPR DJs ranked it at No. 40 in a list of the "Top 100 Records of the 80s".[citation needed] Les Inrockuptibles included it in its list of "50 Years of Rock 'n' Roll."[citation needed] Music journalist Simon Reynolds lists it as one of the five most important albums of "2-Tone and the Ska Resurrection" in his 2005 book Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. In 2016, Paste ranked I Just Can't Stop It at No. 48 on its list of the 50 best new wave albums.

"Mirror in the Bathroom" was ranked at No. 3 in the NME "Singles of the Year" list[citation needed] and at No. 24 in Sounds' "Singles of the Year" list.[citation needed] In 2003, Q ranked the song at No. 517 in its list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2002, Gary Mulholland included the song in his list This Is Uncool: The 500 Greatest Singles Since Punk and Disco. In 2001, Michaelangelo Matos included it in his list of "The Top 100 Singles of the 80s."[citation needed] In 2006, 97x ranked it at No. 186 in its list of "The 500 Best Modern Rock Songs of All Time."[citation needed] In 1990, Robert Christgau ranked "Twist & Crawl" at No. 10 in his list of the best songs of the 1980s.

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Beat (as per ASCAP: Roger Charlery, Andy Cox, Everett Morton, David Steele and Dave Wakeling), except where noted. Note that despite the group author credits on the label, Saxa is not listed as a co-author of any song according to ASCAP.

The U.S. release of the album on Sire Records added "Tears of a Clown" and "Ranking Full Stop", originally released as double A-sides of a single on 2 Tone Records in 1979 (TT 6). These tracks remained on subsequent CD reissues of the album.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

The Beat

• Dave Wakeling – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Ranking Roger – toasting, vocals
• Andy Cox – lead guitar
• David Steele – bass guitar
• Everett Morton – drums
• Saxa – saxophone

Production and artwork

• Bob Sargeant – production
• Alvin Clark – engineering
• Mark Dearnley – engineering
• Mike Dunne – engineering
• Trevor Hallesy – engineering
• Nick Rogers – engineering
• Hunt Emerson – artwork

"Thanks to: John Peel, the Specials, Selecter, A/W Hunt Emerson"

Charts

Certifications

External links

• at Discogs (list of releases)