“I Just Can’t Stop It was a late arrival onto the checker- boarded scene, the Specials, Madness and the Selecter had all beat the (English) Beat to the punch, but luckily this wasn’t a race. Besides, the band had already primed the pump with a trio of Top 10 singles — the double A-sided ‘Tears of a Clown’/’Ranking Full Stop,’ ‘Hands Off She’s Mine’ and ‘Mirror in the Bathroom,’ their debut album followed hard on ‘Mirror”s heels, picking up the latter two songs and “Full Stop” to boot. … Their own compositions were heavily cultural in theme — the radical cries to depose the prime minister on ‘Margaret,’ the slashing anti-violence of ‘Two Swords’ and even more ominous and feverish ‘Click Click,’ through the cultural nihilism of ‘Mirror’ itself. With a few softer love and lovelorn tracks taking some of the edge off. Stop was a stunning achievement, its driving, frenetic numbers grounded in punk’s fury smashing into the loose-limbed grooves and melodies of rocksteady inspired songs, and banging head on into sweeter pop fueled pieces. The album remained on the British charts for a whopping eight months, eventually peaking at Number Three. Time has not diminished its glory, the songs remain hugely as their continued inclusion in the band’s offshoot’s repertoire have proved.”
allmusic (Audio)
W – I Just Can’t Stop It
Genius
YouTube: Mirror In The Bathroom [Official Music Video]
YouTube: THE BEAT – (THE COMPLETE I JUST CAN’T STOP IT ALBUM) 35:41