The Beat (US)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beat, sometimes referred to as The Paul Collins Beat or Paul Collins' Beat, were an American power pop group from Los Angeles, California that formed in the late 1970s.
The roots of The Beat lie in The Nerves, a seminal power pop combo featuring Paul Collins, Peter Case (the future frontman of The Plimsouls), and Jack Lee. Collins played the drums; all three members composed and sang. Collins contributed one song, "Working Too Hard", to the group's only release, a 1976 self-titled four-song EP distributed by independent Bomp! Records. The Nerves are most famous for Lee's "Hanging on the Telephone"; though it went unnoticed when it was originally released, Blondie turned the song into a UK top 5 single off their breakthrough album Parallel Lines. After The Nerves' demise, Collins and Case formed The Breakaways with Pat Stengl. The Breakaways swiftly dissolved as well, and Collins resurfaced with The Beat alongside Larry Whitman (lead guitar & backing vocals), Steven Huff (bass & backing vocals), and Michael Ruiz (drums). Collins now played rhythm guitar and took lead vocals on all of the songs.
The LA power pop scene was beginning to garner national attention, and the group was able to ink a deal with Columbia/CBS. They released their self-titled debut in June 1979. All 12 songs were Collins originals; Steven Huff, Peter Case, and Collins's friend Eddie Money had one co-writing credit each, all on different songs. Continuing in The Nerves' vein, the album consisted of harmony-laden, driving guitar pop songs, including a re-recorded version of "Working Too Hard". The album was critically acclaimed and is today remembered as a classic of the power pop genre (see this 4.5-star review in the All Music Guide). The group appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand on March 8, 1980 and that same year contributed a song to the soundtrack to the massively popular movie Caddyshack. Despite this promotion, and diligent touring alongside such popular British and American artists as The Ramones, The Police, The Jam, and Joe Jackson, The Beat found little commercial success outside of the Los Angeles area. (To avoid confusion with the British ska group of the same name, The Beat were referred to as The Paul Collins Beat outside of the US.
They released their second LP on CBS, The Kids Are The Same, in 1981. Not as critically successful as its predecessor, it was also a commercial flop and essentially ended the group. With an overhauled line-up, the group released two more EPs, (To Beat or Not To Beat) in 1983 and (Long Time Gone). Two singles from the EP (To Beat or Not To Beat), Alwyas Got You On My Mind and All Over The World were made into music videos in 1984, becoming substantial hits in Europe. Paul Collins' Beat released an energetic live album recorded in Europe in 1986 entitled (Live At The Universal). The country-rock tinged album (One Night) followed and was their final studio album, released by Sony in 1989. Due to numerous personnel changes, the band threw in the towel, calling it quits altogether. Collins embarked on a solo career in the 1990s, focusing his songwriting on country and americana. More recently, a new version of Paul Collins' Beat surfaced and Collins continues to tour with this lineup, while retaining a cult following; he is particularly popular in Spain. The music videos Always Got You On My Mind and All Over The World are played regularly on the VH1 Classic and MTV2 television networks. In 2005, The Beat recorded a live album entitled "You Got The Beat: Live!" Today, Collins continues to tour and record new material, playing dates in Japan, USA, France, Australia, Germany, UK, Sweden, Italy and Spain, where Collins has a particularly strong following. According to his website, Paul Collins is re-releasing The Nerves on vinyl and compact disc through Alive Records/Bomp Records in 2006.
Albums
The Beat LP © 1979 CBS Records CD © 2005 Wounded Bird Records The Kids Are The Same LP © 1981 CBS Records CD © 2005 Wounded Bird Records To Beat Or Not To Beat © 1983 EP Passport Records CD © 2005 Wounded Bird Records Long Time Gone CD © 1985 © 2005 Wounded Bird Records Live At Universal CD © 1986 One Night CD © 1989 Paul Collins (self-titled) CD © 1992 From Town To Town CD © 1999 Caroline Records/Wagon Wheel Records Live In Spain © 1999 Wagon Wheel Records Let's Go (Paul Collins with The Yum Yums) © 1999 Paul Collins (self-titled) CD © 2000 Julio's Records Label The Beat Or Not The Beat: A Tribute To Paul Collins CD © 2002 Wagon Wheel Records Flying High CD © 2006 Lucinda Records/El Diablo
Bootlegs
Live At Santa Monica Civic Center ©2002 Buddy Beat Records Live At Budokan ©2003 Popmeister Records
