Monday 18 April 2022

Monday long song(s): Ranking Full Stop / Mirror In The Bathroom

A bit of a cheat here, because although this live rendition of Mirror In The Bathroom is nearly long enough on its own to make the Monday long song threshold, it takes the seamless prequel of Ranking Full Stop to make sure. So two songs, run together, rather than one, but my gaff, my rules ... and I really wanted to post this, because it's fantastic. Featuring the late, great and much-missed Ranking Roger, and his son, with their version of The Beat (Dave Wakeling has his own version too).

So much to love here, aside from the brilliance of the music and the performance. Did you spot the kid standing motionless in the crowd throughout, whilst his parents and their generation do their best middle-aged skanking all around? And the guy holding his empty plastic beer glass in his mouth so he can applaud at the end? Such sights are common at gigs for people of my age, seeing bands that were popular in their youth but are no longer the next big thing. We might not be able to skank for quite as long, or as energetically, as in days gone by, but it doesn't matter - the nostalgia is every bit as important as the music and the band ...

10 comments:

  1. Nostalgia - it ain't what it used to be!

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  2. The Man Of Cheese19 April 2022 at 22:37

    That BBC session is spot on. Whilst missing out on seeing The Beat in the early days I saw them regularly over the last decade,most notably in Whistable of all places,in an intimate venue where Roger and his son were joined by his daughter for one track. I think she was about 16 at the time but like her dad and brother what a voice. Ranking always was so energetic and seemed to really care about giving a great show-so sad he left us at such a young age. When hearing any Beat track I always indulge in my own nostalgia of that gig,where I belive I may have indulged in some middle aged skanking. PS The Beat are playing Margate in July,with Dave Wakeling fronting,got to be worth seeing?

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    Replies
    1. Brilliant that Roger's music, and his love of it, lives on in his children.

      As for Margate, sounds like a possible.

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  3. What a fantastic clip and what a great band Roger had put together. Really enjoyed that, thanks for posting it Martin.

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  4. Ah, middle-aged skanking. A great cardio workout.

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  5. Utterly feelgood! Thanks Martin.

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