Beats International
Encyclopedia
Beats International was a British
electronic music
band
, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook (also known as Fatboy Slim
), after his departure from The Housemartins
.
s, the line-up also included vocalist Lindy Layton
, former North Of Cornwallis vocalist Lester Noel, rappers D.J. Baptiste (The crazy MC), MC Wildski and keyboardist
Andy Boucher. Unusually, the band's live line-up also incorporated a graffiti
artist, who would paint designs on a backdrop while the musicians played.
Their first album
, Let Them Eat Bingo spawned the UK
number one
single
"Dub Be Good to Me
", a re-working of the S.O.S. Band's hit "Just Be Good to Me", based around a sample
of the bassline from The Clash
's "Guns of Brixton" and featuring Layton on vocals.
The second Beats International album was 1991's Excursion on the Version, which featured a greater use of dub
and reggae
sounds, but failed to repeat the success of its predecessor. This was the final Beats International recording, with Cook next going on to form Freak Power.
"Excursion on the Version"
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook (also known as Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
), after his departure from The Housemartins
The Housemartins
The Housemartins were an English indie pop band that was active in the 1980s. Many of the Housemartins' lyrics were a mixture of Marxist politics and Christianity, reflecting singer Paul Heaton's beliefs at the time .-Formation:The band was formed in late 1983 by Paul Heaton and...
.
Career
A loose confederation of musicianMusician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s, the line-up also included vocalist Lindy Layton
Lindy Layton
Lindy Layton was a founding member of, and vocalist for, Beats International. She has released a number of solo albums and singles, and worked with other musicians, more recently including Hardknox and Dub Pistols.-Career:Layton attended the Barbara Speake Stage School in the 1980s...
, former North Of Cornwallis vocalist Lester Noel, rappers D.J. Baptiste (The crazy MC), MC Wildski and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Andy Boucher. Unusually, the band's live line-up also incorporated a graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
artist, who would paint designs on a backdrop while the musicians played.
Their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Let Them Eat Bingo spawned the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
number one
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Dub Be Good to Me
Dub Be Good to Me
"Dub Be Good to Me" is a popular single by the club music group Beats International, released in 1990. It is generally considered the band's signature song.-Song information:Written by Norman Cook aka...
", a re-working of the S.O.S. Band's hit "Just Be Good to Me", based around a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of the bassline from The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's "Guns of Brixton" and featuring Layton on vocals.
The second Beats International album was 1991's Excursion on the Version, which featured a greater use of dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
sounds, but failed to repeat the success of its predecessor. This was the final Beats International recording, with Cook next going on to form Freak Power.
Albums
| Year | Album | UK Albums Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Let Them Eat Bingo | |
| 1991 | Excursion on the Version | |
Singles
| Year | Single | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Dub Be Good to Me Dub Be Good to Me "Dub Be Good to Me" is a popular single by the club music group Beats International, released in 1990. It is generally considered the band's signature song.-Song information:Written by Norman Cook aka... " |
|
|
|
Let Them Eat Bingo |
| "Won't Talk About It" | |
|
|
||
| "Burundi Blues" | |
|
|
||
| 1991 | "Echo Chamber" | |
|
|
Excursion on the Version |
| "The Sun Doesn't Shine" | |
|
|
||
| "In the Ghetto" | |
|
|
||
| 1992 | "Change Your Mind" | |
|
|
|
Samples list
"Let Them Eat Bingo"- "Burundi Dub"
- "Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa" by Sly & The Family StoneSly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
/ bassline
- "Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa" by Sly & The Family Stone
- "Dub Be Good to Me"
- "Just Be Good to Me" by The SOS BandThe SOS BandThe SOS Band is an American musical ensemble, founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. Originally known as Santa Monica, the 'SOS' initialism in the band's name stands for Sounds of Success.-History:...
- "The Guns of Brixton" by The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
/ bassline
- "Just Be Good to Me" by The SOS Band
- "Blame It On The Bassline"
- "Get Into Something" by Isley Brothers / phrase "Come on now / give the drummer some"
- "Dance to the Drummer's Beat"
- "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly & Life
- "Tribute to King Tubby"
- "Unwind Yourself" by Marva WhitneyMarva WhitneyMarva Whitney is an African American funk singer. She is considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brassiest" music divas....
/ saxophone in beginning
- "Unwind Yourself" by Marva Whitney
"Excursion on the Version"
- "Echo Chamber"
- "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley & The WailersBob Marley & The WailersBob Marley & The Wailers were a Jamaican reggae, ska and rocksteady band formed by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in 1963. Additional members were Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Cherry Smith and Aston and Carlton Barrett...
- "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley & The Wailers
See also
- List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart