“This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide“, The Kings

This way: This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide

Do I love this or hate this, i can not decide. The Kings are a Canadian rock band formed in 1977 in Oakville, Ontario. They are best known for their 1980 song "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide", which was a hit in the United States and Canada. 

Recording history

The Kings were formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Oakville, Ontario in the late 1970s. The original lineup included David Diamond, bass, lead vocals; Mister Zero (aka John Picard, listed as Aryan Zero in the original "Kings Are Here" LP liner notes), guitar; Sonny Keyes, keyboards and vocals; and Max Styles (drums), with Zero and Diamond serving as the main songwriters with contributions from Keyes. The Kings were originally known as WhistleKing and rehearsed, performed club gigs, and wrote a considerable number of songs for more than three years.

In early 1980, the band went into Nimbus 9 Studio in Toronto to record their first album. While recording, renowned producer Bob Ezrin visited the studio, listened to the band, and liked what he heard. Together they created the album The Kings Are Here with the songs "This Beat Goes On" and "Switchin' To Glide", The double-A side single spent 23 weeks on the U.S. charts, peaking at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100. On superstation WLS-AM in Chicago, the song peaked at number nine during January 1981. It reached #59 in Canada. Two other singles followed, including "Don't Let Me Know" which only reached #109 on Billboard, and the band began touring extensively with Bob Seger, Jeff Beck, The Beach Boys and Eric Clapton. During 1980, their rising commercial fortunes culminated in an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and the closing spot at the major Heatwave festival in August.

[Spotify] This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide