Dance Craze

December 5, 2007 6:25 AM

Courtesy of Youtube, here are some performances from the 1981 movie Dance Craze: Nite Klub, Too Much Too Young & Concrete Jungle by The Specials; Three Minute Hero & Too Much Pressure by The Selecter; Ranking Full Stop & Mirror in the Bathroom by The (English) Beat; The Prince & Swan Lake by Madness; (Lets do the) Rock Steady & 007 (Shanty Town) by The Bodysnatchers and; Nee-Nee-Na-Na-Na-Nu & Lip Up Fatty by Bad Manners.

Sadly, I was unable to find a clip of The Specials’ rendition of Man in C&A from this movie, ‘which is thought to be the only known recording in existence of Terry Hall laughing.’

posted by misteraitch (22 comments total)

I've listened to this record a hundred times but I've never actually seen this movie. I've been able to see the reunited Specials and various Dave Waekling incarnations (which were all fun), but I'm real envious of anyobdy that actually saw the Specials back in this era.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 6:38 AM on December 5, 2007

sweet!
posted by mwhybark at 6:59 AM on December 5, 2007

Ska was so much more fun to dance to than disco. Thanks for the memories.
posted by caddis at 7:01 AM on December 5, 2007

Man, I love me some 2-Tone. If only I could view these at work.
posted by tommasz at 7:07 AM on December 5, 2007

You've done too much, MrH. Thanks.
posted by GeckoDundee at 7:09 AM on December 5, 2007

I never knew that record was until just now. Cool.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 7:10 AM on December 5, 2007

Takes me back to the days when we'd leave MTV on low volume just waiting for one of these bands to show up, because short of extraordinary measures like renting the film and a projector, that was the only goddamn way we were going to see anything like this in Binghamton NY in the early 1980s.
posted by lodurr at 7:17 AM on December 5, 2007

In high school ALL of my friends were obsessed with this movie. I was embarrassed that I'd never seen it so I pretended I had. For 2 years. I was even invited to go see it but said no because I didn't want people to figure out I didn't really know it by heart like they did. So now, thanks to misteraitch, I'll be able to call up all of my friends from high school and talk about it. Of course, many of them probably won't know who I am anymore, but I'm sure they'll still be impressed. Thanks, misteraitch!

My first concert ever was the English Beat, though. So that was cool. (Although I did make an ass of myself in front of Ranking Roger a few years later and it still makes me wince when I remember it.) I also got to see Bad Manners and Madness. So, yay.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:19 AM on December 5, 2007

From 2-Tone.info "The Specials" and "The Bodysnatchers".
posted by adamvasco at 7:24 AM on December 5, 2007

Yep, had this album in high school and listened to it repetitiously, along with angst ridden hardcore and others. It's a really great album that's stuck with me and occasionally I'll think of that Nite Klub line "What am I doing here? Is this the in place to be?"
posted by PHINC at 7:37 AM on December 5, 2007

"I always wanted to be a rude boy".
posted by digiFramph at 7:37 AM on December 5, 2007

This is heaven... Been after a copy of Dance Craze for years. Back in the day I loved Two Tone and still do. I remember in the 80s when I was student putting on a white jacket and trousers a black shirt and a black and white piano keyboard tie and crashing a Bad Manners gig, one of the best nights of my life.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:43 AM on December 5, 2007

I never had this album or saw this movie, but these bands were the soundtrack to a good portion of my teenage years. With this post and the Post-Punk one from a few days ago I feel like I'm in High School again. In a good way.
posted by lekvar at 8:46 AM on December 5, 2007

Nice find - never knew of this movie. Always wished there were more ska in Urgh! A Music War. _(previously)
posted by not_on_display at 8:51 AM on December 5, 2007

I used to know this movie by heart. It played midnights at various LA theatres in the early 80s, and if there were no decent gigs happening, we'd all go and dance this. IIRC correctly, the first song was the Specials, doing that slow dirge at the beginning of the song PHINC references, and just after Terry moans about spending money on beer, the tempo breaks out - and I'd be up outta my seat and skanking like a crazy girl. Shoot, I've still got my 2-Tone singles.
posted by goofyfoot at 1:36 PM on December 5, 2007

It's a really great album that's stuck with me and occasionally I'll think of that Nite Klub line "What am I doing here? Is this the in place to be?"

Yes!

I won't dance
In a club like this
All the girls are sluts
And the beer tastes just like piss

The Specials have always been a big favourite of mine. In terms of nite klubbing, I love the complacent, shoulder-shrugging despair of Friday Night, Saturday Morning, and these lines are pure observational genius:

The hen party has saved the night
Freed themselves from drunken stags
Having fun and dancing in
A circle round their leather bags
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:19 PM on December 5, 2007

(those friday night, saturday morning lyrics linked above are wrong more often than they are right)

I get in the taxi cue
Sitting Stand in someone else's spew
With Wish I had lipstick on my shirt
Instead of piss stains on my shoes
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:28 PM on December 5, 2007

THANK YOU !!!
posted by spish at 6:11 PM on December 5, 2007

I'd give some money to rent this and dance in a theatre again.
posted by goofyfoot at 10:59 PM on December 5, 2007

* puts on cherry doc brogues & harrington jacket *

* dances *
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:24 AM on December 6, 2007

*skanks to the beat*
posted by lekvar at 10:17 AM on December 6, 2007

* skinhead moonstomps *
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:26 PM on December 6, 2007