Beat Boy

For the 2009 single by Die Antwoord, see $O$.

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Smash Hits
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Beat Boy is the third studio album by the British new wave band Visage. It was recorded at Trident Studios between 1982 and 1983 and released on Polydor Records in October 1984 (delayed by contractual problems the band were having at that time). It reached #79 on the UK album chart and would be the band's last studio album for almost thirty years.

History

The album was recorded and released after lead singer Steve Strange decided to make Visage a live band instead of being solely a studio-based project, a decision that left him working only with drummer Rusty Egan and a trio of newer musicians. Whilst the first two Visage albums had a typical synthpop/post-punk feel, Beat Boy attempted to mix the synthetic sound with American styled rock. In a scathing review of the album, Smash Hits magazine characterised Strange and Egan as "two wafer-thin talents" and described the album as "a cross between all-purpose Euro-disco and Queen, with excruciatingly amateurish lyrics".

Though the band's first two studio albums peaked within the Top 20 and Top 10 respectively, each earning a Silver disc in the UK, Beat Boy peaked at number 79 and spent only two weeks on the album chart. Neither of the singles from the album reached the Top 40, and the album effectively marked the end of Visage as a recording act.

The cassette version of the album featured remixes of the album's original tracks, with a total running time of over 50 minutes. This included an extra track, the instrumental "Reprise" (a reprise of the track "Questions").

Originally only released on vinyl and cassette, Beat Boy was finally released on Compact Disc for the first time in February 2009 by Cherry Red Records, and featured the same tracklisting as the original vinyl album with four extra tracks (see below).

Track listing

All songs composed by S. Barnacle/Egan/Strange unless otherwise noted.

1. "Beat Boy" (Barnacle/Barnett/Egan/Formula/Strange) – 6:46
2. "Casualty" (Barnacle/Barnett/Egan/Strange) – 5:28
3. "Questions" – 6:11
4. "Only the Good (Die Young)" (Barnacle/Barnett/Currie/Egan/Formula/Strange) – 5:58
5. "Can You Hear Me" – 6:29
6. "The Promise" (Barnacle/Barnett/Egan/Strange) – 3:59
7. "Love Glove" – 4:45
8. "Yesterday's Shadow" – 6:29

Bonus tracks on 2009 CD re-release

9. "Beat Boy (Dance Mix)" – 7:19
10. "Love Glove (Long Version)" – 6:38
11. "She's a Machine" (G. Barnacle/Barnacle/Barnett/Egan/Strange) – 4:54
12. "Der Amboss" (Currie/Egan/Formula/Strange/Ure) – 5:39

Remixed cassette version

1. "Beat Boy" - 7:15
2. "Casualty (Dance Mix)" - 5:58
3. "Questions (Dance Mix)" - 7:06
4. "Only The Good (Die Young)" - 5:30
5. "Can You Hear Me" - 6:26
6. "The Promise (Dance Mix)" - 4:08
7. "Love Glove" - 5:40
8. "Yesterday's Shadow" - 6:30
9. "Reprise" - 2:35†

† an instrumental reprise of the intro section to the Dance Mix of "Questions".

Singles: UK chart positions

1. Love Glove – 4:00 (Aug. 1984), #54
2. Beat Boy – 3:30 (Oct. 1984), did not chart

Personnel

Visage members at the time of the album's recording were:

• Steve Strange - lead vocals
• Andy Barnett - guitar
• Steve Barnacle - bass
• Gary Barnacle - saxophone
• Rusty Egan - drums, electronic drum

Additional personnel

• Billy Currie - keyboards
• Dave Formula - keyboards
• Marsha Raven - backing vocals
• Karen Ramsey - backing vocals
• Rose Patterson - backing vocals