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General Public

 
Artist: General Public
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General Public

Group Members:

Ranking Roger, Dave Wakeling, Saxa, Horace Panter, Mickey Billingham, Kevin White, Stoker, Mario Minardi, Gianni Minardi

Similar Artists:

UB40, Madness, Londonbeat, Level 42, Fun Boy Three, Fine Young Cannibals, Duran Duran, Bananarama

Formal Connection With:

Ranking Roger, Dave Wakeling, The Specials, The English Beat, Saxa
See General Public Lyrics
  • Formed: 1983
  • Disbanded: 1987
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "All the Rage," "Hand to Mouth," "Rub It Better"
  • Representative Songs: "Tenderness," "Hot You're Cool," "General Public"

Biography

Considered by many as nothing more than an offshoot of the better-known '80s British outfit the English Beat, General Public still enjoyed several substantial hits on their own during their short career. Immediately after the split of the ska-pop outfit the English Beat in 1983, former members Dave Wakeling (vocals, born February 19, 1956) and Ranking Roger ("toaster," born February 21, 1961) formed General Public, which turned out to be more pop-based than its predecessor, with elements of classic Motown soul thrown in for good measure. Once former Dexy's Midnight Runners keyboardist Mickey Billingham, former Specials bassist Horace Panter, and a drummer known simply as Stoker were all enlisted, General Public was officially up and running. Signing on with the IRS label, General Public's debut album, 1984's All the Rage, was a commercial success back home, as it featured a guest appearance by former Clash guitarist Mick Jones and scored a Top 40 single with the track "Tenderness." 1986 saw the release of General Public's sophomore effort, Hand to Mouth, which failed to match expectations set by its predecessor despite spawning a pair of popular singles, "Too Much or Nothing" and "Come Again."

With both Wakeling and Roger unable to agree on a musical direction, General Public split up shortly thereafter. Roger issued a solo debut in 1988, the more ska-based Radical Departure, while Wakeling contributed the title track to John Hughes' 1988 film She's Having a Baby and issued a solo album as well, 1991's General Public-esque No Warning. Roger would go on to form another outfit, Special Beat, which included musicians from the late-'70s English ska scene, but in 1994, Roger and Wakeling were asked to reunite General Public for a track on the Threesome motion picture soundtrack. A UB40-like interpretation of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" was offered and became a surprise Top 40 hit. The duo remained together for a third General Public studio album, 1995's Rub It Better (produced by former Talking Heads keyboardist/guitarist Jerry Harrison), but when it sunk from sight upon release, the band split up once more. 2002 saw the release of the duo's first best-of collection, the 12-track Classic Masters. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: General Public
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General Public

Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling, 1994
Background information
Origin United Kingdom
Genres Rock, New Wave
Years active 1984 - 1995
Labels I.R.S., Virgin Records, Epic Records
Associated acts The Beat
Dexys Midnight Runners
The Specials
The Clash
Former members
Dave Wakeling
Ranking Roger
Mickey Billingham
Horace Panter
Stoker
Mick Jones
Kevin White

General Public was a rock band, formed by The Beat vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger.

Contents

Career

After the 1983 break-up of The Beat (known as The English Beat in North America), Wakeling and Roger decided to continue working together in a new venture. They joined up with keyboardist Mickey Billingham (ex-Dexys Midnight Runners), guitarist Mick Jones of The Clash, bassist Horace Panter (The Specials) and drummer Stoker (ex-Dexys Midnight Runners/The Bureau) to form a quasi-"supergroup" of the UK punk/ska/mod scene. The band was dubbed General Public, and was signed to Virgin Records in the UK and I.R.S. Records in North America.

The band recorded and released the album All the Rage in 1984. Jones left General Public part way through the recording process, but is listed in the album's inner sleeve credits as a group member (although he did not appear in any of the band photographs). Jones' replacement, guitarist Kevin White also played on the album, and was also listed an official group member. White's picture also appeared on the album's back cover.

In the UK, General Public had a minor hit with the eponymous track called "General Public", which reached # 60 in the UK Singles Chart in 1984.[1] As well, the B-side "Dishwasher" became a surprise top 40 in the Netherlands, after its use as a theme tune to the then popular pop radio show Avondspits.

Later in the year, the band fared even better in North America, where their second single "Tenderness" was a Top 40 hit in Canada (#11), and the U.S. (#27).

For the follow-up album, White and Stoker were replaced by brothers Gianni and Mario Minardi on guitar and drums, respectively. Despite featuring a track from the soundtrack to the movie, Weird Science, Hand to Mouth was significantly less successful than their debut album, and the band split up.

Their song "Taking The Day Off" was featured in the 1986 comedy film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, by film director John Hughes.

Roger and Wakeling worked on various solo projects for the next few years, before reuniting as General Public in 1994 to perform a cover version of The Staple Singers hit , "I'll Take You There" for the Threesome film soundtrack. The song was a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and Canada, and a minor hit in the UK (#73).

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 record producer Jerry Harrison. Sales were poor, and Roger was tired of travelling to America, and they soon broke up again.

Since 2004, Dave Wakeling has toured the U.S. as The English Beat, and he often performs General Public tracks in his set list with a full backing band.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak positions
US
[2]
1984 All the Rage 26
1986 Hand to Mouth
  • Second studio album
  • Release date: 1986
  • Label: I.R.S. Records
 151
1995 Rub It Better
  • Third studio album
  • Release date: April 4, 1995
  • Label: Epic Records
 —
"—" denotes released that did not chart

Compilation albums

Year Album details
2002 Classic Masters
  • First compilation album
  • Release date: January 26, 2002
  • Label: Capitol Records

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK NL AUS CAN US US Dance US Main US Mod
1984 "General Public" 60 — — — — — — — All the Rage
"Dishwasher" — 38 — — — — — —
"Tenderness" — — 50 11 27 — 39 —
"Never You Done That" — — — — 105 — — —
"Hot You're Cool" — — — — — 16 — —
1986 "Faults and All" — — — — — — — — Hand to Mouth
"Too Much or Nothing" — — — 83 — — — —
1987 "In Conversation" — — — — — 23 — —
1994 "I'll Take You There" 73 — — 14 22 1 — 6 Threesome (soundtrack)
1995 "Rainy Days" — — — — 93 — — 40 Rub It Better
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

See also

References

  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 224. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  2. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=GENERAL|PUBLIC&sql=11:3iftxqe5ldke~T50

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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