Paul Collins led The Beat in the US
after he was a member of the Nerves
with Jack Lee and Peter Case.
They did “Hangin’ on the Telephone,”
which Blondie liked enough to make a hit.

Dave Wakeling led The Beat in the UK
along with Ranking Roger on vocals,
where they ska’d it up during the same late seventies,
early eighties years. Wakeling and Roger
became the English Beat
and Collins became Paul Collins’ Beat,
just to give each other breathing room.
The English Beat became the bigger band,
with “Save It For Later” being the biggest song
to come out of it all.
It’s a smash.

Wakeling and Roger ended up in General Public,
and their bandmates became Fine Young Cannibals
and International Beat.
Paul Collins ended up in the Paul Collins Band,
which, you know, I guess,
we could have assumed would have happened.

The Beat wars ended exactly as they should:
not with a bang,
but with bruises.