Dance Craze is a 1981 British documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 about the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 2 Tone

2 Tone

2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...

 music genre

Music genre

A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...

.

The film was directed by Joe Massot

Joe Massot

Joe Massot was a writer and director who was most notable for the film Wonderwall which featured George Harrison's first soundtrack, and the Led Zeppelin concert film The Song Remains The Same...

, who originally wanted to do a film only about the band Madness

Madness (band)

In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...

, who he met during their first US tour. Massot later changed his plans to include the whole 2 Tone movement. The film, shot in 1980, comprised performance footage of Madness, The Specials

The Specials

The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...

, The Selecter

The Selecter

The Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...

, The Bodysnatchers

The Bodysnatchers (band)

The Bodysnatchers were a seven-piece all-female band involved in the British 2 Tone ska revival of the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Career:Formed in London by Nicky Summers in 1979, in the aftermath of the punk rock scene, The Bodysnatchers released two ska/rocksteady singles on 2 Tone Records...

, The Beat

The Beat (band)

The Beat are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics....

 and Bad Manners

Bad Manners

Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...

 on tour throughout the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. A soundtrack album of the same name was released the same year, featuring fifteen of the songs that were featured in the film.

Songs

1. "Nite Klub" – The Specials
   The Specials
   The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
   
   
2. "The Prince
   The Prince (song)
   "The Prince" is a song by British ska/pop band Madness. It was written by Lee Thompson, and was the band's first single. On 10 August 1979 the single was released through 2 Tone Records and peaked at number 16 in the UK singles chart, spending a total of 11 weeks in the charts."The Prince" is a...
   
   " – Madness
   Madness (band)
   In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
   
   
3. "Ne-Ne-Na-Na-Na-Na-Nu-Nu" – Bad Manners
   Bad Manners
   Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
   
   
4. "007 (Shanty Town)" – The Bodysnatchers
   The Bodysnatchers (band)
   The Bodysnatchers were a seven-piece all-female band involved in the British 2 Tone ska revival of the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Career:Formed in London by Nicky Summers in 1979, in the aftermath of the punk rock scene, The Bodysnatchers released two ska/rocksteady singles on 2 Tone Records...
   
   
5. "Three Minute Hero" – The Selecter
   The Selecter
   The Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...
   
   
6. "Ranking Full Stop" – The Beat
   The Beat (band)
   The Beat are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics....
   
   
7. "Big Shot" – The Beat
8. "Concrete Jungle" – The Specials
9. "Swan Lake" – Madness
10. "Razor Blade Alley" – Madness
11. "Missing Words" – The Selecter
12. "Let's Do the Rock Steady" – The Bodysnatchers
13. "Lip Up Fatty
    Lip Up Fatty
    "Lip Up Fatty" is a single released by the ska band Bad Manners in June 1980, which got to #15 in the UK Singles Chart. It is one of a number of songs by Bad Manners about 'being fat', ....
    
    " – Bad Manners
14. "Madness" – Madness
15. "Too Much Too Young
    Too Much Too Young
    Too Much Too Young can refer to:*Too Much Too Young" , a song by The Specials*"Too Much Too Young", a song by Little Angels...
    
    " – The Specials
16. "On My Radio" – The Selecter
17. "Easy Life" – The Bodysnatchers
18. "Rough Rider" – The Beat
19. "Man at C&A" – The Specials
20. "Inner London Violence" – Bad Manners
21. "Night Boat to Cairo
    Night Boat to Cairo
    "Night Boat to Cairo" is a song by British ska/pop band Madness from their debut 1979 album One Step Beyond.... It was written by Mike Barson and Suggs , and was also included on the Work Rest and Play EP, which peaked at #6 in the UK music charts...
    
    " – Madness
22. "Twist and Crawl" – The Beat
23. "Wooly Bully
    Wooly Bully
    "Wooly Bully" is a popular song originally recorded by novelty rock 'n' roll band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1965. Based on a standard 12-bar blues progression, it was written by the band's leader, Domingo "Sam" Samudio. It was released as a single on the Memphis-based Pen label and...
    
    " – Bad Manners
24. "Too Much Pressure" – The Selecter
25. "Mirror in the Bathroom" – The Beat
26. "One Step Beyond
    One Step Beyond (song)
    12" vinyl-Chart performance:-Song appearances:* It is used in the episode "I'm with the Band" of the 2000-2001 show Freaks and Geeks when one of the characters, Sam Weir, streaks around the school while trying to avoid showering after PE....
    
    " – Madness
27. "Nite Klub" – The Specials

Soundtrack LP

Side One

1. "Concrete Jungle" – The Specials
2. "Mirror In The Bathroom" – The Beat
3. "Lip Up Fatty" – Bad Manners
4. "Razor Blade Alley" – Madness
5. "Three Minute Hero" – The Selecter
6. "Easy Life" – The Bodysnatchers
7. "Big Shot" – The Beat
8. "One Step Beyond" – Madness

Side Two

1. "Ranking Full Stop" – The Beat
2. "Man At C&A" – The Specials
3. "Missing Words" – The Selecter
4. "Inner London Violence" – Bad Manners
5. "Night Boat To Cairo" – Madness
6. "Too Much Pressure" – The Selecter
7. "Nite Klub" – The Specials

External links

• [ Dance Craze on www.allmusic.com]