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I Just Can't Stop It is the debut studio album by British ska band the Beat, released on 23 May 1980 by Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom. It was released the same year in the United States on Sire Records under the band name "The English Beat". In Australia, it was released on Go-Feet under the band name "The British Beat".

I Just Can't Stop It
Studio album by the Beat
Released	23 May 1980 (1980-05-23)
Genre	Ska two-tone new wave
Length	36:24
Label	Go-Feet Sire
Producer	Bob Sargeant
The Beat chronology
I Just Can't Stop It (1980) Wha'ppen? (1981)
Singles from I Just Can't Stop It
"Tears of a Clown"/"Ranking Full Stop" Released: 30 November 1979 "Hands Off...She's Mine"/"Twist and Crawl" Released: 14 February 1980 "Mirror in the Bathroom" Released: 25 April 1980 "Best Friend"/"Stand Down Margaret" Released: 8 August 1980

Well received from the start, publications such as Rolling Stone raved that the music was "wild and threatening, sexy and sharp."[1] AllMusic later said it "was a stunning achievement", which has not been diminished by time.[2]

The album was reissued on CD in 1990 by I.R.S. Records in the US, and in 2012 by Edsel Records in the UK and Shout! Factory in the US.[3]

Artwork

The "Beat Girl" icon seen on the cover, and used on the band's merchandising, was designed by Birmingham-based cartoonist Hunt Emerson.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Record Guide	A−[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]
Record Mirror	[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
Smash Hits	9/10[9]
Sounds	[10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10[11]
Tom Hull – on the Web	A−[12]

At the end of 1980, I Just Can't Stop It appeared in numerous lists of the best albums of the year: NME ranked it 3rd,[13] Sounds ranked it 13th, The Village Voice ranked it 21st and OOR ranked it 41st.[14] In 1995, Spin ranked the album at No. 94 in their list of the top "100 Alternative Albums".[14] Fast 'n' Bulbous ranked the album at number 283 in their list of "The 500 Best Albums Since 1965".[15] A 2002 poll of KCPR DJs ranked it at No. 40 in their list of the "Top 100 Records of the 80s".[14] Les Inrockuptibles included it in their list of "50 Years of Rock 'n' Roll."[14] Music journalist Simon Reynolds lists it as one of the five most important albums of "2-Tone and the Ska Resurrection" in his 2005 book Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984.[16] In 2016, Paste ranked I Just Can't Stop It at No. 48 on its list of the 50 best new wave albums.[17]

"Mirror in the Bathroom" was ranked at No. 3 in the NME "Singles of the Year" list and at No. 24 in Sounds' "Singles of the Year" list.[18] In 2003, Q ranked the song at No. 517 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".[19] In 2002, Gary Mulholland included the song in his list This is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock.[18] In 2001, Michaelangelo Matos included it in his list of "The Top 100 Singles of the 80s."[18] In 2006, 97x ranked it at No. 186 in their list of "The 500 Best Modern Rock Songs of All Time."[18] In 1990, Robert Christgau ranked "Twist & Crawl" at No. 10 in his list of the best songs of the 1980s.[20]

Track listing

The US LP release of the album on Sire Records added "Tears of a Clown" and "Ranking Full Stop", originally released as double A-sides of a single on 2 Tone Records in 1979 (TT 6).[21] These tracks remained on subsequent CD reissues of the album.[21]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[22]

The Beat

• Dave Wakeling – lead vocals; rhythm guitar
• Ranking Roger – toasting; vocals
• Andy Cox – lead guitar
• David Steele – bass
• Everett Morton – drums
• Saxa – saxophone

Production and artwork

• Bob Sargeant – production
• Alvin Clark – engineering
• Mark Dearnley – engineering
• Mike Dunne – engineering
• Trevor Hallesy – engineering
• Nick Rogers – engineering
• Hunt Emerson – artwork

Charts

Chart (1980–81)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[23]	66
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24]	30
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25]	30
UK Albums (OCC)[26]	3
US Billboard 200[27]	142

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]	Gold	100,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

External links

• I Just Can't Stop It at Discogs (list of releases)

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