Anxious - Music

The Band General Public Formed After The 1983 Break-Up Of The Beat Aka The English Beat . Ex-Beat Vocalists Dave Wakeling And Ranking Roger Joined Up With Keyboardist Mickey Billingham Dexys Midnight Runners Bassist Horace Panter The Specials And Drummer Stoker Dexys Midnight Runners/The Bureau To Form The Band. Guitarist Mick Jones Of The Clash Was Also Originally Announced As A Band Member. General Public Signed To I.R.S. Records And Released All The Rage 1984 . However By The Time The Album Was Released Jones Was No Longer A Member Of General Public Although He Did Play Guitar On The Majority Of The Album's Tracks. Kevin White Who Also Played On The Album Was Now The Group's Official Guitarist And Sixth Member. In Britain General Public Had A Minor Hit With The Eponymous Track Called "General Public" Which Reached # 60. The Band Fared Better In North America Where Their Second Single "Tenderness" Was A Top 40 Hit In The US And Canada Reaching #27 On The U.S. Charts Thanks In Part To Heavy Play From MTV And Los Angeles-Based Modern Rock Station KROQ. Ironically The Beat Never Had Any Top 40 Hits In The UK. Chart Info Cited From The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Hits Billboard Books 2004 . For The Follow-Up Album White And Stoker Were Replaced By Brothers Gianni Minardi And Mario Minardi On Guitar And Drums Respectively. Unfortunately Despite Featuring A Track From The Soundtrack To Weird Science Hand To Mouth 1986 Was Significantly Less Successful Than The Debut Album And The Band Soon Split Up. They Both Front Two Versions Of The Band With Roger & Everett Moreton As The Beat In The UK & Dave In America As The English Beat . Roger And Wakeling Worked On Various Solo Projects For The Next Few Years Before Reuniting In 1994 To Perform A Cover Of The Staple Singers Hit "I'll Take You There" For The Threesome Soundtrack. The Song Credited To General Public Was A Surprise Top 40 Hit In The US And Canada And A Minor Hit #73 In The UK. The Duo Now The Only Members Of General Public Stayed Together To Release The Album Rub It Better In 1995 Recorded With The Aid Of Producer Jerry Harrison. But Sales Were Dismal And Roger Was Tired Of The Grind Of Touring So They Soon Broke Up Again. Beginning In 2000 Dave Wakeling Began Calling His Backing Band Alternately Either General Public Or The English Beat. He Then Toured Mostly In North America As Either "The English Beat Featuring Dave Wakeling" Or "Dave Wakeling & General Public". Aside From Wakeling This New Backing Band Featured No Original Members Of The English Beat Or General Public Although Reportedly Ranking Roger And Other Beat Members Turned Up As Guest Performers At A Handful Of Shows. read less