Review: English Beat, "The Complete Beat" box set

It would be easy to attribute the resurgence of American interest in 2-tone/ska (there are thriving scenes from Boston to Los Angeles) to our propensity for tossing every musical movement from the past into the recycle bin for quick repackaging and mindless consumption. But the history of the music (which originated in Jamaica) is a rich one, with unforced cultural hybridity and a quest for racial harmony as two of its strong tenets. The volatile political tenor of our times is not too different...

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