B IS FOR BEATS INTERNATIONAL
Some jazzy soul from an early incarnation of Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim).
After the 1988 demise of the fourth best band in Hull, the Housemartins, Brighton-born bassist Norman Cook returned to DJing. He launched his career away from the Housemartins in 1989 and 1990 with a series of singles. These included, “Won’t Talk About It,” featuring the falsetto vocals of Billy Bragg and “For Spacious Lies,”. Cook then formed Beats International, a loose confederation of studio musicians including vocalists Linda Layton and Lester Noel, rapper MC Wildski, and keyboardist Andy Boucher.
Beats International’s 1990 single, “Dub Be Good to Me” – a cover of the SOS Band’s “Just Be Good to Me” incorporating the bass line of the Clash’s “The Guns of Brixton” – topped the UK charts, becoming an international club smash. After another hit, the soul/jazz/worldbeat cocktail “Burundi Blues,” the group issued their sample-heavy debut LP Let Them Eat Bingo, which debuted in the Top 20 of the British charts. Although Cook had become even more highly sought-after as a remixer he reconvened Beats International in 1991 for Excursion on the Version, an exploration of dub and reggae rhythms; when the album failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, Cook disbanded the group to focus on his new unit, Freak Power.
Beats International – Burundi Blues
Beats International – Burundi Dub
Beats International – Burundi Dub
And a recent remix of their big hit:
Beats International – Dub Be Good To Me (DJ Woods Twilight Beats Remix) with thanks to palmsout sounds
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