The English Beat - Save It For Later

The first of three songs in honor of the upcoming All Hallows Even.  However, we did not want to be lazy about the holiday and go with "Thriller" and the like; instead we have chosen songs that have a Halloween vibe (to us, at least).

The English Beat (The Beat to all non-Americans) were a 2 Tone ska/pop band founded in England in the late 1970s.  The group's sound evolved over time and by 1982's Special Beat Service, it was clear that they were venturing away from their ska roots and into something different ... more like a ska influenced new wave pop sound.

Although it was actually an old song (written before the band formed, in fact), "Save it for Later" fit in quite nicely with this post-ska aesthetic.  It is a wonderfully odd sounding song, driven by an unusual open D guitar tuning (DADAAD, if you must ask).  Lyrically, it is about a teen's transition into a twenty-something, with a dirty joke thrown it, to boot ("for later" ... fe'llator ...)

But it is the video that places the song here, in late October.  The strangle club, the skeletons, the unusual clientele -- it all reminds us of a Halloween party (a really cool one, in England circa 1982).

Sadly, The English Beat broke up soon after Special Beat Services was released, but returned (in a way) as former members became General Public and Fine Young Cannibals.