>
For this latest installment of our Vintage Video series, we honor the life and music of The Beat’s Ranking Roger — who died Monday — with the single best document of the 2 Tone era, the criminally out-of-print concert film “Dance Craze: The Best of British Ska… Live!”
The Joe Massot-directed concert movie, released in 1981, has never officially been issued on DVD, nor is it on any streaming platforms (that we’re aware of). The 85-minute film captures frenetic performances by U.K. ska acts The Specials, The Beat, Bad Manners, The Selecter, Madness and more.
Watch the full film — and see the list of performances — below.
Performances in “Dance Craze”
1. “Nite Klub” – The Specials
2. “The Prince” – Madness
3. “Ne-Ne-Na-Na-Na-Na-Nu-Nu” – Bad Manners
4. “007 (Shanty Town)” – The Bodysnatchers
5. “Three Minute Hero” – The Selecter
6. “Ranking Full Stop” – The Beat
7. “Big Shot” – The Beat
8. “Concrete Jungle” – The Specials
9. “Swan Lake” – Madness
10. “Razor Blade Alley” – Madness
11. “Missing Words” – The Selecter
12. “Let’s Do the Rock Steady” – The Bodysnatchers
13. “Lip Up Fatty” – Bad Manners
14. “Madness” – Madness
15. “Too Much Too Young” – The Specials
16. “On My Radio” – The Selecter
17. “Easy Life” – The Bodysnatchers
18. “Rough Rider” – The Beat
19. “Man at C&A” – The Specials
20. “Inner London Violence” – Bad Manners
21. “Night Boat to Cairo” – Madness
22. “Twist and Crawl” – The Beat
23. “Wooly Bully” – Bad Manners
24. “Too Much Pressure” – The Selecter
25. “Mirror in the Bathroom” – The Beat
26. “One Step Beyond” – Madness
27. “Nite Klub” – The Specials
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Vintage Video: Mighty Lemon Drops unearth lost footage of 1988 show at Chicago’s Cabaret Metro
- Vintage Video: Julian Cope thrills in hour-long ‘MTV Saturday Night Concert’ set from 1987
- Vintage Video: Love and Rockets’ amazing low-budget TV commercial for ‘Express’
- Vintage Video: 10,000 Maniacs open a Grateful Dead stadium show on July 4, 1989
This is great – thanks for posting, especially in light of losing Ranking Roger. Spotify playlist to follow?
2 tone forever!
who would know that if you were not here RIP R/R and thank you S U E
The Best!! Lived it, love it still. 2 Tone !!!
RIP Roger
I wrote a little review of the film inspired by your post. Thanks for finding this and sharing it!
https://patricksmusic.blogspot.com/2019/04/dance-craze-1981.html
Insane this isn’t out on DVD
Listen to your Dark Wave show on First Wave Sirius. Love it! —Matt