The Beat were one of the founding members of the ska revival movement of the late seventies and early eighties. Along with The Specials, Madness and The Selector, they fused reggae, pop, punk and soul with left-wing political lyrics and socially challenging messages. They released three albums in their career - 1980's 'I Just Can't Stop It', 1981's 'Wha'ppen?' and 1982's 'Special Beat Service'. The Beat broke up in 1983 and the various members focused on other projects, but they reformed in 2003 minus guitarist Andy Cox and bassist David Steele.
