Ah, the (English) Beat. Great sound, great musicality, great groovaliciousness. Just a great band, period.
Remember the VH1 show Bands Reunited? Basically, they would try to reform a popular 80s band for a one-off televised performance. They tracked down each band member individually and if enough of them agreed to do it, then they'd gather them together, give them a rehearsal space and stage a reunion show in some dive. Realistically, all they needed to get was the lead singer. If they got him/her, then they'd just fill out the roster with session players and do the show anyway. All they got from ABC was the singer and the drummer, and they performed anyway. For Frankie Goes To Hollywood they got everyone but the lead singer. No show.
They tried to reunite the English Beat. Most of the guys were raring to go, but bass player David Steele and guitarist Andy Cox (the guys who were also in Fine Young Cannibals, more on them later) apparently weren't even willing to be shown on camera, so no show took place. Bummer. But several months later they reformed anyway (sans Cox and Steele) and are still active today.
So you could say that they, ahem, got a job. And there are certainly worse jobs to be had than professional skanking.
Hear "Get a Job" on YouTube.
This is part of a week-long series on songs about jobs/working.
