General Public

Many viewed General Public simply as a byproduct of the more prominent 1980s British group the English Beat, yet the band secured multiple notable successes under its own name during its brief run. Right after the English Beat, the ska-pop act, disbanded in 1983, its former members Dave Wakeling on vocals (born February 19, 1956) and Ranking Roger on toaster duties (born February 21, 1961) launched General Public, shifting toward a stronger pop foundation infused with classic Motown soul touches. Once they recruited former Dexy's Midnight Runners keyboardist Mickey Billingham, former Specials bassist Horace Panter, and drummer Stoker, the lineup was complete and ready to proceed.

Under contract with the IRS label, the group delivered its first album, All the Rage in 1984, which achieved solid domestic sales thanks to a guest spot by former Clash guitarist Mick Jones and the Top 40 single "Tenderness." Two years later General Public followed with its second album, Hand to Mouth, an effort that fell short of the prior release's impact even though it yielded the popular singles "Too Much or Nothing" and "Come Again."

Unable to settle on a shared musical path, Wakeling and Roger parted ways soon afterward. In 1988 Roger put out his ska-leaning solo debut, Radical Departure, while Wakeling supplied the title song for John Hughes' film She's Having a Baby that same year and later released his own solo album, the General Public-flavored No Warning in 1991. Roger next assembled Special Beat, drawing players from the late-1970s English ska circuit, but in 1994 he and Wakeling received an invitation to reform General Public for a contribution to the Threesome motion picture soundtrack. Their UB40-style cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" surprised everyone by reaching the Top 40.

The pair stayed together long enough to record a third General Public album, 1995's Rub It Better, produced by former Talking Heads keyboardist/guitarist Jerry Harrison, yet the project quickly faded after release and the band dissolved again. Their first retrospective arrived in 2002 as the 12-track Classic Masters collection.