General Public – Nostalgia Central

After the break-up of The Beat in 1983, vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger decided to continue working together in a new venture. They joined up with keyboardist Mickey Billingham (Dexys Midnight Runners), guitarist Mick Jones (The Clash), bassist Horace Panter (The Specials) and drummer Stoker (Dexys Midnight Runners and The Bureau) to form a supergroup from the British punk and ska scene.

They named the band General Public and were immediately signed to Virgin Records in the UK and IRS Records in North America.

Mick Jones left while the group were recording their debut LP All the Rage (1984) and was replaced by Kevin White.

The track General Public reached #60 in the UK singles chart in 1984, while the B-side Dishwasher (an instrumental mix of Burning Bright from All The Rage) became a surprise Top 40 hit in the Netherlands.

Their second single Tenderness was a Top 30 hit in Canada and the US. The song appeared in the John Hughes films Sixteen Candles (1983) and Weird Science (1985) and would later appear in Amy Heckerling’s Clueless (1995).

Another General Public song (Taking the Day Off) was featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).

For the follow-up album, Hand to Mouth, White and Stoker were replaced by brothers Gianni and Mario Minardi on guitar and drums, respectively.

The LP was significantly less successful than their debut, and the band dissolved soon after its release.

Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger dusted off General Public in 1994 to record a cover of the Staple Singers‘ hit I’ll Take You There for the Threesome film soundtrack. The vocal duo was backed by Michael Railton (keyboards), Randy Jacobs (guitars), Wayne Lothian (bass), Thomas White (drums), and Norman Jones (percussion).

The song was a Top 40 hit in the US and Canada and a minor hit in the UK (#73).  The group released the album Rub It Better in 1995 but soon broke up again.

Ranking Roger Charlery died at his home in Birmingham on 26 March 2019 at the age of 56, having undergone surgery for two brain tumours. He was also undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

Dave Wakeling
Vocals
Ranking Roger Charlery 
Vocals
Mick Jones
Guitar
Mickey Billingham
Keyboards
Horace Panter
Bass
Stoker
Drums
Kevin White
Guitar
Gianni Minardi
Guitar
Mario Minardi
Drums

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