Beat Drowning in Confusion

A SHAKY YEAR for The Beat so far was compounded last week by a mix-up over their new single, 'Hit It'. The twelve-inch copy that arrived for review sounded like a hazy, befuddled jumble of half-conceived ideas, a seven-minute shadow of the real Beat. Could this be the group that made the crisp sparkle of 'Too Nice To Talk To' et al?