General Public were an English new wave band, formed in Birmingham in 1983, by vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger of the Beat, and which also included former members of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Specials, and the Clash. They are best remembered for their hits "Tenderness" (1984) and "I'll Take You There" (1994).
Career
After the break-up of the Beat in 1983 (known as the English Beat in North America), 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/the Bureau) to form a supergroup of the UK punk and ska scene. The single's B-side "Dishwasher" (an instrumental mix of "Burning Bright" from All The Rage) became a surprise Top 40 hit in the Netherlands, after its use as a closing theme tune to the pop radio show Avondspits.
Later in the year, the band fared even better in North America, where their second single "Tenderness" was a Top 30 hit in Canada (No. 11) and the US (No. 27). The song's success benefited from appearing in the John Hughes films Sixteen Candles (1984) and Weird Science (1985) from the time period, and it would later appear in Amy Heckerling's Clueless (1995) and in the horror film Devil's Due (2014). Meanwhile, another General Public song, "Taking the Day Off" was featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).
For the follow-up album, White and Stoker were replaced by brothers Gianni and Mario Minardi on guitar and drums, respectively. Hand to Mouth was significantly less successful than their debut album, and the band dissolved soon after its release.
"Ranking" Roger Charlery died at his home in Birmingham on 26 March 2019 at the age of 56.
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Album details
! colspan="2"| Peak chart<br />positions
! rowspan="2"| Certifications<br /><small>(sales threshold)</small>
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| US<br>
! width="40"| CAN<br>
|-
| 1984
| align="left"| All the Rage
- First studio album
- Release date: 28 January 1984
- Label: I.R.S. Records
| 26
| 19
| align="left"|
- CAN: Gold
|-
| 1986
| align="left"| Hand to Mouth
- Second studio album
- Release date: 1986
- Label: I.R.S. Records
| 83
| 84
|
|-
| 1995
| align="left"| Rub It Better
- Third studio album
- Release date: 4 April 1995
- Label: Epic Records
| —
| —
|
|-
| colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes released that did not chart
|-
|}
Compilation albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Album details
|-
| 2002
| align="left"| Classic Masters
- First compilation album
- Release date: 26 January 2002
- Label: Capitol Records
|-
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="10"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="30"| UK
! width="30"| AUS
! width="30"| CAN
! width="30"| NL
! width="30"| NZ
! width="30"| US
! width="30"| US Dance
! width="30"| US Main
! width="30"| US Mod
! width="30"| GER
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1984
| align="left"| "General Public"
| 60
| —
| —
| —
| 41
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="5"| All the Rage
|-
| align="left"| "Dishwasher"
| —
| —
| —
| 38
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Tenderness"
| 95
| 50
| 11
| —
| —
| 27
| 15
| 39
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1985
| align="left"| "Never You Done That"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 105
| 13
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Hot You're Cool"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 16
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1986
| align="left"| "Come Again"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="4"| Hand to Mouth
|-
| align="left"| "Faults and All"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Too Much or Nothing"
| —
| —
| 83
| —
| —
| —
| 21
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "In Conversation"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 23
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1994
| align="left"| "I'll Take You There"
| 73
| —
| 7
| —
| 8
| 22
| 1
| —
| 6
| 71
| align="left"| Threesome <small>(soundtrack)</small>
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1995
| align="left"| "Rainy Days"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 93
| —
| —
| 40
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| Rub It Better
|-
| align="left"| "Warm Love"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| colspan="16" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart
|-
|}
See also
- List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart