I Just Can't Stop It

I Just Can't Stop It is the debut album by English two-tone band the Beat. The album was released in 1980 via Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom. It was released the same year in the United States on Sire Records under the band name "The English Beat". In Australia, it was released on Go-Feet under the band name "The British Beat".

I Just Can't Stop It
Studio album by the Beat
Released	May 1980
Genre	Ska two-tone new wave
Length	36:24
Label	Go-Feet Sire
Producer	Bob Sargeant
The Beat chronology
I Just Can't Stop It (1980) Wha'ppen? (1981)

Well received from the start, publications such as Rolling Stone raved that the music was "wild and threatening, sexy and sharp."[1] AllMusic later said it "was a stunning achievement", which has not been diminished by time.[2]

The album was reissued on CD in 1990 by I.R.S. Records in the US, and in 2012 by Edsel Records in the UK and Shout! Factory in the US.[3]

Artwork

The "Beat Girl" icon seen on the cover, and used on the band's merchandising, was designed by Birmingham-based cartoonist Hunt Emerson.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Record Guide	A−[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Smash Hits	9/10[7]
Sounds	[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10[9]

At the end of 1980, I Just Can't Stop It appeared in numerous lists of the best albums of the year: NME ranked it 3rd,[10] Sounds ranked it 13th, The Village Voice ranked it 21st and OOR ranked it 41st.[11] In 1995, Spin ranked the album at number 94 in their list of the top "100 Alternative Albums".[11] Fast 'n' Bulbous ranked the album at number 283 in their list of "The 500 Best Albums Since 1965".[12] A 2002 poll of KCPR DJs ranked it at number 40 in their list of the "Top 100 Records of the 80s".[11] Les Inrockuptibles included it in their list of "50 Years of Rock 'n' Roll."[11] Music journalist Simon Reynolds lists it as one of the five most important albums of "2-Tone and the Ska Resurrection" in his 2005 book Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984.[13] In 2016, Paste ranked I Just Can't Stop It at number 48 on its list of the 50 best new wave albums.[14]

"Mirror in the Bathroom" was ranked at number 3 in the NME "Singles of the Year" list and at number 24 in Sounds' "Singles of the Year" list.[15] In 2003, Q ranked the song at number 517 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".[16] In 2002, Gary Mulholland included the song in his list This is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock.[15] In 2001, Michaelangelo Matos included it in his list of "The Top 100 Singles of the 80s."[15] In 2006, 97x ranked it at number 186 in their list of "The 500 Best Modern Rock Songs of All Time."[15] In 1990, Robert Christgau ranked "Twist and Crawl" at number 10 in his list of the best songs of the 1980s.[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Beat (as per ASCAP: Roger Charlery, Andy Cox, Everett Morton, David Steele and Dave Wakeling),[18] except where noted. Note that despite the group author credits on the label, Saxa is not listed as a co-author of any song according to ASCAP.

Original UK release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mirror in the Bathroom"		3:10
2.	"Hands Off...She's Mine"		3:01
3.	"Two Swords"		2:19
4.	"Twist & Crawl"	The Beat Les Bradsell	2:35
5.	"Rough Rider" (originally performed by Prince Buster & the All Stars)	Eddy Grant Patrick Grant Dervan Gordon Lincoln Gordon	4:53
6.	"Click Click"		1:28
7.	"Big Shot"		2:34
8.	"Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margaret" ("Whine and Grine" originally performed by Prince Buster & the All Stars)	The Beat Prince Buster	3:51
9.	"Noise in This World"		2:19
10.	"Can't Get Used to Losing You" (originally performed by Andy Williams)	Doc Pomus Mort Shuman	3:04
11.	"Best Friend"		3:01
12.	"Jackpot" (originally performed by The Pioneers)	George Agard Sydney Crooks Jackie Robinson	4:19

The US LP release of the album on Sire Records added "Tears of a Clown" and "Ranking Full Stop", originally released as double A-sides of a single on 2 Tone Records in 1979 (TT 6).[18] These tracks remained on subsequent CD reissues of the album.[18]

US LP release and CD reissues

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mirror in the Bathroom"		3:10
2.	"Hands Off...She's Mine"		3:01
3.	"Two Swords"		2:19
4.	"Twist & Crawl"	The Beat Bradsell	2:35
5.	"Tears of a Clown" (originally performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)	Henry Cosby Smokey Robinson Stevie Wonder	2:39
6.	"Rough Rider"	E. Grant P. Grant D. Gordon L. Gordon	4:53
7.	"Click Click"		1:28
8.	"Ranking Full Stop"		2:44
9.	"Big Shot"		2:34
10.	"Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margaret"	The Beat Prince Buster	3:51
11.	"Noise in This World"		2:19
12.	"Can't Get Used to Losing You"	Pomus Shuman	3:04
13.	"Best Friend"		3:01
14.	"Jackpot"	Agard Crooks J. Robinson	4:19

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[19]

The Beat

• Dave Wakeling – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Ranking Roger – toasting, vocals
• Andy Cox – lead guitar
• David Steele – bass
• Everett Morton – drums
• Saxa – saxophone

Technical personnel

• Bob Sargeant – production
• Alvin Clark – engineering
• Mark Dearnley – engineering
• Mike Dunne – engineering
• Trevor Hallesy – engineering
• Nick Rogers – engineering
• Hunt Emerson – artwork

Charts

Chart (1980–81)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[20]	66
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21]	30
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[22]	30
UK Albums (OCC)[23]	3
US Billboard 200[24]	142

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25]	Gold	100,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Rose, Frank (4 September 1980). "The English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It". Rolling Stone. No. 325. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
2. Greene, Jo-Ann. "I Just Can't Stop It – The English Beat". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2004.
3. "Discography". englishbeat.net. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
4. "The Beat Girl – Noted Cartoonist Hunt Emerson Designs a 2-Tone Era Icon". Marco on the Bass. 16 December 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
5. Christgau, Robert (1990). "The English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
6. Considine, J. D. (2004). "English Beat". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Fireside Books. pp. 277–278. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
7. Cranna, Ian (29 May – 11 June 1980). "The Beat: I Just Can't Stop It". Smash Hits. Vol. 2 no. 11. p. 30.
8. Silverton, Peter (24 May 1980). "The Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (Go Feet)". Sounds. Retrieved 19 November 2020 – via Rock's Backpages.
9. Hermes, Will (1995). "English Beat". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 127. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
10. "1980 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
11. Acclaimed Music - I Just Can't Stop It
12. Best Albums Since 1965 | Fast 'n' Bulbous
13. Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-21569-6.
14. "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
15. Acclaimed Music - Mirror in the Bathroom
16. Q - 1001 best songs ever (2003)
17. Robert Christgau: Decade Personal Best: '80s
18. I Just Can't Stop It (CD liner notes). The Beat. Los Angeles: Go-Feet Records/Shout! Factory. 2012. 826663-13177-B1.CS1 maint: others (link)
19. I Just Can't Stop It (liner notes). The Beat. Go-Feet Records. 1980. BEAT 1.CS1 maint: others (link)
20. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). Australian Chart Book. pp. 29, 46. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
21. "Charts.nz – The Beat – I Just Can't Stop It". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
22. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Beat – I Just Can't Stop It". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
23. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
24. "The English Beat Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
25. "British album certifications – Beat – I Just Can't Stop It". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 November 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type I Just Can't Stop It in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.