The English Beat formed in 1978, blending ska, pop, punk, soul, and reggae; their unique sound helped bolster a generation of music that showed heart, but also pushed back on conservative politics. While neither of those were out of place for a band from England growing up and trying to survive Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister, they left a legacy on their own with kids in both England and America. Enter Marc Wasserman, a teenage fan from New Jersey. Wasserman details his adolescence and how the English Beat helped him survive his teenage years while detailing the band’s rise and fall in his book, Soul Salvation: A Gen X Love Letter to the English Beat.
The book starts with a foreword by Jay Bogert, co-founder of IRS Records. Bogert tells the story about signing The English Beat for what would be their final album, Special Beat Service, leading to their sudden end and splitting into Fine Young Cannibals and General Public. Wasserman’s intro to the book describes meeting singer Dave Wakeling for the first time after his band, Bigger Thomas, had been asked to open for The English Beat.
Wasserman jumps back and forth between his personal family history and the band’s formation and eventual end. Wasserman had a typical Gen X childhood in many ways: divorced parents which led to being a latch-key kid in his early teens in a time where divorce wasn’t unheard of, but definitely still stigmatized. He teases us with the cracks that were slowly appearing in his parents’ deteriorating relationship. As Wasserman details the ups and downs of his childhood, he goes off on a few tangents giving info on some subjects to give some historical context. These little pockets of knowledge are well placed and do not distract you from the text whether about the band or other subjects related to his experiences.
Midway through the book, Marc Wasserman does a track-by-track analysis of Special Beat Service, giving each track their due and some a little more. I mostly agreed with Wasserman’s assertion of the songs. I revisited the album for this review, and while it’s still not my favorite English Beat album, it was interesting to get some behind-the-scenes info and an analysis from someone who’s had plenty of time with it. You can’t deny Special Beat Service is a departure in some ways from previous English Beat outings, I Just Can’t Stop It and Wha’ppen. However, the album has some of the band’s most solid songs like “Jeanette,” “I Confess,” and fan favorite, “Save It for Later.”
It was disappointing to hear how much of a stick in the mud bassist David Steele seemed to be when it came to vetoing things the band wanted to try. His bass playing was an influence on my own because of how diverse I felt it was, but also how tight it sounded on the English Beat’s songs. It made sense why the band split in two, with Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger starting General Public, and Steele starting Fine Young Cannibals with guitarist Andy Cox. I was surprised to learn Fine Young Cannibals was the more successful band of the two, but I feel more people remember General Public because of the inclusion of their song “Tenderness” at the end of the movie Clueless.
This book hit me in all the right places. I’m considered a(n) (elder) millennial, but have always felt closer to Gen X. While they were both technically adults, my parents were young when I was born, which led to my love for older bands from being their fault. I feel like if you were taught how to balance a checkbook in school, you’re Gen X. Marc Wasserman’s experience with bullying sounds like a nightmare for the stupidest reasons, but the parts about his first love were nice. If there is one criticism, I would say the book relies on quotations from other sources rather than reiterating them, but it was interesting to see how much had been written about the English Beat in general.
Marc Wasserman got to write the fanboy book every writer wishes they could about their favorite band, what they mean, and how their music got them through some horrible moments. Temporary relief in three- to five-minute spurts. It was great to have a band that is mostly relegated to a footnote given the main focus. We need more books like this. Soul Salvation: A Gen X Love Letter to the English Beat is available from Diwulf Publishing and for purchase here.