The Beat (American band)
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The Beat (soon renamed to Paul Collins' Beat) is an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and power pop band from Los Angeles that formed in 1979. Paul Collins' Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material. Front man Paul Collins has released several projects with his
alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
group The Paul Collins Band, who play Americana music inspired by
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
and folk rock.


Early development

The roots of The Beat lie in The Nerves, a seminal power pop combo featuring Paul Collins (born 1956, New York City), Peter Case (the future front man of The Plimsouls), and Jack Lee. Collins played drums; all three members composed and sang. Collins contributed several songs to the band including "Walking Out On Love," "Let Me Into Your Life" and 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" later popularized by Blondie on their breakthrough album '' Parallel Lines''. After The Nerves' demise Collins and Case formed The Breakaways which went through several guitarists until Case and Collins both moved to guitar and recruited Mike Ruiz (drums - Milk 'N' Cookies) and Steven Huff (bass and backing vocals - The Apollo Stars). Case left the group after a few months of rehearsals to pursue a solo career which led to the eventual formation of The Plimsouls. Collins, Huff and Ruiz officially became "The Beat", when pressed for a group name prior to an interview to promote the release of The Breakaways recording of "Walking Out On Love" (credited as Paul Collins), on Bomp's ''Waves Vol. 1''.


Transition years

The Los Angeles power pop scene was beginning to garner national attention and with the help of Collins' friend from The Nerves days in San Francisco, Eddie Money and his record producer
Bruce Botnick Bruce Botnick (born 1945) is an American audio engineer and record producer, best known for his work with the Doors, the Beach Boys, Eddie Money, Love and film composer Jerry Goldsmith. Early work Botnick engineered Love's first two albums, and ...
, Collins was able to ink a deal with Columbia/CBS and Bill Graham Management. CBS released their self-titled debut in October 1979. All 12 songs were Collins originals; Peter Case, Steven Huff and 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 this4.5-star review in AllMusic). The group appeared on Dick Clark's ''
American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...
'', (March 8, 1980), The Merv Griffin Show and that same year contributed a song to the soundtrack LP of the popular comedy movie '' Caddyshack''. Despite promotion, respectable airplay on commercial and College radio, diligent touring alongside such popular artists as
Ian Gomm Ian Robert Gomm (born 28 March 1947 in Chiswick, West London) is a British singer-songwriter, who was the rhythm guitarist for Brinsley Schwarz from 1970 to 1974. He was named "Best Rhythm Guitarist" by ''NME'' in 1971. Early career Gomm's car ...
, The Jam and a tour of Europe, The Beat found little commercial success. The band's second CBS LP, ''The Kids Are The Same'' was released two years later in 1982, with drummer Ruiz now replaced by Dennis Conway, who played for both
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
and Alice Cooper. The group was now billed worldwide as "Paul Collins' Beat". The British ska group of the same name were first to establish themselves as "The Beat" in Europe, prompting a voluntary decision for the U.S. group to be billed as "Paul Collins' Beat" in Europe. In the U.S., Collins' "The Beat" was first to release an album in turn forcing the British group to use the name "
The English Beat ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
" in the U.S., albeit only after the British group was threatened with a lawsuit by
Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
, Collins' record label. Not as critically successful as its predecessor, ''The Kids Are The Same'' was also a commercial flop. A two-year lag between releases, a name change and this "sophomore slump" resulted in the group being dropped from CBS-Columbia. Undaunted, the group self-financed the production of three videos featuring songs from the LP now abandoned by their former label. One of these videos "On The Highway", which had been modestly promoted to AOR radio by CBS, was put on medium rotation for several months on the then fledgling MTV network. With an overhauled New York City line-up (Conway and Whitman were replaced by Patti Smith drummer
Jay Dee Daugherty Jay Dee Daugherty (born March 22, 1952) is an American drummer and songwriter most known for his work with Patti Smith. As a member of the Patti Smith Group, he has been nominated twice to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Biography Moving to N ...
and Television/ Tom Verlaine guitarist Jimmy Rip), the group reclaimed the name "The Beat" and released the five song 12-inch mini-album ''To Beat or Not To Beat'' in 1983, on the independent Jem/Passport label in the U.S.. One song from the album, "Dance, Dance", was made into a music video in 1984 and received limited exposure on MTV. ''To Beat or Not To Beat'', with an additional song, was released in Europe where the group relocated (and would remain for the next several years) to promote the release and tour, this time featuring Paul's brother Patrick Collins on guitar and Fabian Jolivet on drums during that year of extensive touring and television appearances. In 1985, another six song 12-inch mini-album ''Longtime Gone'' was produced by former Motörhead drummer Lucas Fox and recorded in London with British musicians, including Jim Barber on guitar (The Rolling Stones & Mick Jagger solo album), being released only in Europe. A live album recorded in Madrid, Spain with Spanish members (featuring Manolo Iglesias on drums) titled ''Live At The Universal'' followed in 1986. Collins relocated to San Francisco, releasing the album ''One Night'', with yet another incarnation of an all American Beat, this time credited as "Paul Collins + The Beat", through Sony in 1989 (again only in Europe). ''One Night'' was their first album to feature acoustic instruments such as mandolin and acoustic guitar. This was their final studio album before disbanding. Collins would go on to record several solo albums before later re-forming a new version of The Beat.


Later years

Collins embarked on a solo career in the 1990s, releasing "Paul Collins" in 1992, featuring numerous guest appearances by S.F. Bay Area notables. Collins then returned to his "hometown" of New York City. Focusing his songwriting on Country, Folk and Americana he formed "The Paul Collins Band" which produced the 1993 release "From Town To Town". Collins continues to tour, while retaining a cult following; he is particularly popular in Spain. The
Paul Collins' Beat The Beat (soon renamed to Paul Collins' Beat) is an American rock and power pop band from Los Angeles that formed in 1979. Paul Collins' Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material. Front man Paul Collins has rele ...
music videos "On The Highway" and "Dance, Dance" are occasionally aired on the VH1 Classic and MTV2 television networks. In 2006, Collins resurrected "Paul Collins' Beat" with the help of bassist Juancho Bummer and a slightly younger Spanish lineup and recorded a live album entitled ''Live In Europe'', released as a free MP3 CD album download on their official website followed by a CD of all new original material, "Flying High", recorded in Madrid, Spain. That was followed in March 2008 with ''Ribbon Of Gold''. This album contains several songs the band performs live in concert, including ''Falling In Love With Her'', ''I Still Want You'', ''Big Pop Song'' and ''She Doesn't Want To Hang Around With You''.
Paul Collins' Beat The Beat (soon renamed to Paul Collins' Beat) is an American rock and power pop band from Los Angeles that formed in 1979. Paul Collins' Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material. Front man Paul Collins has rele ...
latest release is a split 7-inch with the Italian powerpop band Radio Days (band), released by the Italian label Surfin Ki Records. In 2009, Bill Graham catalog released Live At Berkely Theatre with Eddie Money through Wolfgang's Vault. Collins continues to tour and record new material.


Comeback albums

In 2010, Collins Paul Collins' Beat signed a record deal with Alive Naturalsound and recorded an album of new material with
Jim Diamond James Diamond may refer to: *Jim Diamond (singer) (1951–2015), Scottish songwriter and singer **Jim Diamond (1988 album), ''Jim Diamond'' (1988 album) **Jim Diamond (1993 album), ''Jim Diamond'' (1993 album) *Jim Diamond (music producer) (born 19 ...
at his Ghetto Recorders studio in Detroit, Michigan. Diamond is a respected Record producer, who is best known for his work with The White Stripes. The studio was chosen because it relies on vintage recording and Diamond is said to use a 2" 24-track tape machine among other mixing boards and various pieces of equipment. The album was entitled "King Of Powerpop," which included artwork by famed artist Bill Stout in addition to a guest performance by
Wally Palmar Wally Palmar (born Volodymyr Palamarchuk; April 27, 1954 in Hamtramck, Michigan) is a Ukrainian-American musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He is best known as a founding member and lead singer of The Romantics, a rock band from Detroit, ...
, vocalist and harmonica player from The Romantics and
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former The Beatles, Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr. History and description Since 1989, Starr h ...
. In 2014, Alive Records released Collins' second comeback album, entitled ''Feel The Noise.'' In support of the new album, Collins embarked on a world tour and released a music video for the single, "I Need My Rock N' Roll."


Green Day Broadway musical

In 2011, the American punk rock band
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
launched the ''American Idiot'' Broadway musical production. Each night included a live rendition of the song "Walking Out On Love," which was written by Paul Collins. The song was previously recorded by Collins' groups The Beat, The Nerves and The Breakaways.
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is an outspoken fan of the song, which may appear on a future studio album by
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
. To celebrate the success of the musical, The Paul Collins Beat joined Green Day onstage for live performances in New York.


Collins and Case reunion tribute to the Nerves

In 2012, longtime friends and musical partners, Paul Collins and Peter Case embarked on a reunion tour paying tribute to their respective bands The Nerves, The Breakaways, The Beat and The Plimsouls. The touring band lineup for the Collins and Case tour was augmented by members of The Paul Collins Beat (Timm Buechler, bass, and Amos Pitsch, drums), offering audiences with full-band electric showcases. The tour included a date in Austin, Texas, where actor Bill Murray made a surprise appearance at the concert to introduce the band to the audience. The Beat had previously appeared on the '' Caddyshack'' original motion picture soundtrack alongside Murray in 1979. According to the L.A. Times Music Blog of March 22, 2012, the tour "fell apart" early due to "musical differences". Collins' guitarist is Tim Schweiger, a veteran musician who also tours with
Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...
of The Replacements.


The Beat Army

During 2005, Collins launched a new music program and partner-based booking agency that was recently renamed as
The Beat Army Paul Vincent Collins (born 1956, New York City) is an American writer, author, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work in the power pop groups The Nerves, The Breakaways and The Beat. Biography Collins was born ...
. Collins created a forum where fans, bands, clubs, radio stations, blogs and record stores can network. The interaction between Paul Collins' Beat and other bands has enabled him to cross-promote his new projects, book shows on several continents and establish a worldwide network of industry friends, fans, musicians and artists from the genres of
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, punk rock, power pop, new wave, alternative rock, ska,
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
, hardcore punk, classic rock and roll, skate punk,
emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
, melodic hardcore,
Grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...
, crust punk,
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
,
skacore Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 tone and ska with hardc ...
, heavy metal, thrash metal, crossover thrash,
metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
, rapcore,
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
and speed metal. The business model for The Beat Army is a simple process in which a band or artist agrees to book a club or festival gig for both themselves and Paul Collins' Beat, who agree to perform the show as a headlining act. Once Collins and his management approve the contract, the band serves as a booking agent and the venue is chosen based upon its style of music and the type of people it attracts. After the performance, Collins divides the proceeds evenly between his band, himself and the members of the opening act. With Collins' solo albums heavily rooted in the genres of alt-country, Americana, folk and country music, he continues to maintain a diversified fanbase. The Beat Army has enabled Collins to book shows with country bands, singer-songwriters, folk artists, and rockabilly bands.


Band members

Michael “The Beat” Ruiz] Alice Cooper drummer Dennis Conway, Thunderboss bassist Juancho Lopez, Protones guitarist Octavio Vinck, bassist Steven Huff, Drummer Fabian Jolivet (Pistones/The Chambers Brothers), Patti Smith Group drummer
Jay Dee Daugherty Jay Dee Daugherty (born March 22, 1952) is an American drummer and songwriter most known for his work with Patti Smith. As a member of the Patti Smith Group, he has been nominated twice to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Biography Moving to N ...
, guitarist Patrick Collins, Milk 'n' Cookies drummer Mike Ruiz, drummer Manolo Iglesias (Tequila), guitarist Jim Barber, Television guitarist
Jimmy Ripp Jimmy Rippetoe (born 1956), better known by his stage name Jimmy Rip, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer, who is known for his work with Jerry Lee Lewis, Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Paul Collins & The Beat, Michael Monroe ...
, Needles & Pins guitarist Larry Whitman, Secret Affair drummer
Paul Bultitude Paul Bultitude is an English musician and record producer. He was the drummer in power pop band Advertising, working with his cousin Dennis Smith, Tot Taylor and Simon Boswell, before replacing Seb Shelton as the drummer in Secret Affair. He w ...
,
Rebel Waltz A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...
bassist Timm Buechler, guitarist Tim Schweiger, drummer Chris Bongers (Bultacos), bassist Justin Perkins, guitarist Mike Cecchini, drummer Alan Cameron-Swift, bassist Derek Davidson (Electric Mess), guitarist Manolo Cahuchola, guitarist Jim Barber, bassist Simon O'Brien, drummer Brian Morris, guitarist Glenn Morris (Kings of The Sun) guitarist Morten Henriksen, drummer Tomas Dahl, bassist Stig Amundsen, guitarist Martin Deehan (The Yum Yums), bassist Paul Stingo.


The Paul Collins' Beat tour with The English Beat

In Fall 2012, The Paul Collins Beat joined a package tour "The Two Beats Hearting As One Tour," co-headlining with Two-tone Ska group The Beat. The English Beat and The Paul Collins Beat were both part of the "new wave" of bands to emerge from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The styles of music they play are very different. The tour package included dates at large music halls, casinos, auditoriums and clubs. According to a September 2012 interview with Collins, "Contrary to what the internet fabricates, there never was and is no animosity toward The English Beat. I am still a big fan of The English Beat. Ska is really cool music. Dave is a good friend. He's always so nice and always upbeat. He's just as supportive of my music as I am of his. Both of our fanbases are enjoying hearing each other's music." According to an October 2012 press release, Dave Wakeling stated, “Paul and I originally met back in '83 and have been in touch occasionally over the years, but recently we've been in closer Facebook contact, which led to this idea becoming a reality....Two beats, hearting as one!”


China tour

In Spring 2014, The Paul Collins Beat embarked on a groundbreaking tour of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, performing full-band electric concerts in nine cities, in addition to in-store performances at record shops and televised news programs. Supporting the Paul Collins Beat were Shanghai based punk group Round Eye who also organized the tour of the mainland. Neither Collins nor his earlier groups The Nerves, The Breakaways or The Beat had previously performed in China, although each project retains a sizeable following due to the resurgence of vinyl LP records and recent worldwide reissues. The tour provided The Paul Collins Beat the opportunity to perform in large cities, small working class towns and student centers based around Chinese colleges. Collins also performed a special acoustic concert at Shanghai Experimental School, which attracted the attention of Chinese media outlets and was aired on television.


Other information

Original Beat lead guitarist Larry Whitman (September 27, 1955 – July 26, 1997), a devoted fan of Phil Spector, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Before joining The Beat, Whitman was producer, songwriter and member of L.A. pop group Needles & Pins, whose only release was the Spector influenced 45 RPM single "Don't You Worry". A poster of The Beat's self-titled first album can be seen in the opening credits of some episodes of "WKRP In Cincinnati". Portions of the album ''
The Kids Are The Same ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' were recorded in 1980 at Twentieth Century Fox Music Scoring Stage during a Musician's Union strike against the motion-picture and television industries. Although The Beat's song "There She Goes" is included on the soundtrack album of the film, '' Caddyshack'', and listed in the closing credits, it was not used in the final cut of the film.


Discography


Albums

;as The Beat * '' The Beat'' (1979, Columbia Records) * ''To Beat or Not to Beat'' (EP, 1983, Passport Records) ;as Paul Collins' Beat * ''
The Kids Are the Same ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' (1982, Columbia Records) * '' Long Time Gone'' (1985, Closer, Record Runner) * ''Live at the Universal'' (1986, Twins) * '' One Night'' (1989, Closer) * '' Flying High'' (2004, Rock Indiana) * '' Ribbon of Gold'' (2008, Rock Indiana) ;Paul Collins solo * '' Paul Collins'' (1992) * '' Feel the Noise'' LP CD © Alive Records * ''King of Power Pop!'' Paul Collins solo LP CD © Alive Records * '' From Town to Town'' LP, CD © 1999 Caroline Records/Wagon Wheel Records * '' Live in Spain'' © 1999 Wagon Wheel Records, Phono Music * ''Let's Go'' (Paul Collins with the Yum Yums) © 1999 Pop the Balloon * '' Live in Europe: The Concert'' Free Web Download CD © 2008 Wagon Wheel Records * '' Live at Berkely Theatre with Eddie Money'' CD © 2009 Bill Graham Catalog on Wolfgang's Vault ;Other * ''The Beat or Not the Beat: A Tribute to Paul Collins'' Tribute Compilation (1994, Pop Attack)


References


External links


Official sitePollstar News ArticlePaul Collins Beat reissues on Wounded Bird Records
* ttp://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/peter-case-paul-collins-of-the-nerves-2012-reunion-tour/ 2012 Paul Collins & Peter Case Tribute To The Nerves Reunion Tour press release announcementbr>Peter Case's official tour dates for the Peter Case & Paul Collins tribute to The NervesSouth By Southwest 2012 article on Peter Case & Paul Collins' Nerves tributePollstar China tour diary by Paul Collins
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beat (American band), The American power pop groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups from New York (state)