General Public
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 in Birmingham, England |
| Founder | Dave Wakeling, Ranking Roger |
| Headquarters | Birmingham , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
General Public was an English new wave ensemble established in Birmingham in 1983 by vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, both formerly of the Beat. The lineup also included ex-members from Dexys Midnight Runners, the Specials, and the Clash. Their most notable songs are "Tenderness" (1984) and their 1994 rendition of "I'll Take You There."
Career
Following the disbandment of the Beat in 1983, vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger initiated a new project. They collaborated with keyboardist Mickey Billingham (formerly of Dexys Midnight Runners), guitarist Mick Jones (from the Clash), bassist Horace Panter (of the Specials), and drummer Andy "Stoker" Growcott (associated with Dexys Midnight Runners and the Bureau) to form a UK punk and ska supergroup. This collective, named General Public, secured record deals with Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and I.R.S. Records in North America.
Their debut album, All the Rage, was released in 1984. Although Mick Jones departed during the recording sessions, he remained credited on the album sleeve; his replacement, guitarist Kevin White, appeared on the back cover photo.
In 1984, the single "General Public" reached number 60 on the UK charts. Interestingly, its B-side track "Dishwasher" gained unexpected popularity in the Netherlands' Top 40 following radio play. In North America, their subsequent single "Tenderness" climbed to number 11 in Canada and number 27 in the United States, aided by its inclusion in John Hughes' films Sixteen Candles (1984) and Weird Science (1985). Additional songs like "Taking the Day Off" were featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).
For their sophomore album Hand to Mouth, brothers Gianni and Mario Minardi replaced Kevin White and Stoker on guitar and drums respectively. The album did not achieve commercial success, resulting in the band's breakup shortly afterward. The 1993 reissue of this album incorporated "Taking the Day Off" along with other bonus tracks.
Afterward, Roger and Wakeling embarked on solo endeavors before reuniting General Public in 1994 to record a cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" for the soundtrack of Threesome. This iteration featured only Wakeling and Roger from previous lineups, supported by Michael Railton, Randy Jacobs, Wayne Lothian, Thomas White, and Norman Jones.
"I'll Take You There" became a Top 40 hit in both the US and Canada while reaching number 73 in the UK charts. Following this release, Jacobs and White left the group and were succeeded by drummer Dan Chase. This six-member formation produced Rub It Better under Epic Records in 1995, with production by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads. Guest appearances included Mick Jones, Saxa, Pato Banton, and Chris Spedding. Former members Horace Panter and Stoker contributed to songwriting efforts. The single "Rainy Days" achieved moderate success in the US but fared better internationally, particularly in Brazil. Despite this, overall sales declined leading to another disbandment as Roger grew tired of touring commitments.
Since 2004, Dave Wakeling has toured across the United States with a full ensemble under the name English Beat, frequently including General Public material in performances.
"Ranking" Roger Charlery passed away at his residence in Birmingham on 26 March 2019 at age 56.
Studio albums
| Year | Album information | Highest chart rankings |
Certifications (sales criteria) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | ||||||||
| 1984 | All the Rage
|
26 | 19 |
| |||||
| 1986 | Hand to Mouth
|
83 | 84 | ||||||
| 1995 | Rub It Better
|
— | — | ||||||
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts | |||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Classic Masters
|
Singles
| Year | Single title | Highest chart positions achieved | Album source | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | CAN | NL | NZ | US | US Dance | US Main | US Mod | GER | |||
| 1984 | "General Public" | 60 | — | — | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | All the Rage |
| "Dishwasher" | — | — | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Tenderness" | 95 | 50 | 11 | — | — | 27 | 15 | 39 | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Never You Done That" | — | — | — | — | — | 105 | 13 | — | — | ||
| "Hot You're Cool" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | ||||
| 1986 | align=left|"Come Again" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hand to Mouth |
| align=left|"Faults and All" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| align=left|"Too Much or Nothing" | — | — | 83 | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | ||
| align=left|"In Conversation" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | align=left|"I'll Take You There" | 73 | — | 7 | — | 8 | 22 | 1 | — | 6 | 71 | Threesome soundtrack |
| rowspan=2 |1995 | align=left|"Rainy Days" | — | — | — | — | — | 93 | — | — | 40 | — | Rub It Better |
| align=left|"Warm Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
See also
- Compilation of Billboard chart-topping dance club tracks
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
External links
- Articles with short description
- English new wave bands
- Musical acts from Birmingham, West Midlands
- Groups formed in 1983
- Bands disbanded in 1987
- Musical acts reunited in 1994
- Groups dissolved in 1995
- New wave supergroups
- British supergroups
- 1983 establishments in England
- 1995 disestablishments in England
- I.R.S. Records artists
- Epic Records artists
- Musical groups disestablished in 1987