Deep Sea Skiving Explained

Deep Sea Skiving
Type:	studio
Artist:	Bananarama
Cover:	Banana_dss.jpg
Border:	yes
Recorded:	1981–1982
Genre:	Pop new wave
Length:	37:59 40:16 (Japanese version)
Label:	London
Producer:	Barry Blue Dave Jordan Jolley & Swain Little Paul Cook Big John Martin Sara Dallin
Next Title:	Bananarama
Next Year:	1984

Deep Sea Skiving is the debut studio album by British vocal group Bananarama, released on 7 March 1983 by London Records. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).^[1]

The inner-sleeve of the vinyl release contained numerous photos of the group, several of them in childhood. These pictures were reproduced in the 2013 Deluxe Edition CD/DVD re-issue.

On 19 March 2007, Bananarama's first six studio albums (including Deep Sea Skiving) were re-issued by Rhino Records. All tracks on Deep Sea Skiving were remastered and it included several bonus tracks, consisting of B-sides, remixes and a cover of the Sex Pistols song "No Feelings".

Background and recording

Two of the album's tracks, "Really Saying Something" and "Aie a Mwana", were drawn from previously recorded singles. Bananarama recorded three tracks ("Shy Boy", "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)", and "Boy Trouble") with Jolley & Swain producing, but dismissed the duo in the middle of the album's recording and recruited Barry Blue to produce the rest of the album. Siobhan Fahey explained, "[Jolley & Swain] wanted us to do their songs, not ours. They wanted a 1980s version of the old girl groups, disembodied voices. They didn't see us as voices with ideas."^[2] Despite this, Jolley & Swain would be brought back as producers for Bananarama's next two studio albums.

Track listing

Standard edition

1. "Shy Boy" – 3:16 (Steve Jolley, Tony Swain) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
2. "Doctor Love" – 3:42 (Paul Weller) produced by Barry Blue
3. "What a Shambles" – 3:34 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Terry Sharpe) produced by Barry Blue
4. "Really Saying Something" – 2:45 (Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Edward Holland Jr.) produced by Dave Jordan
5. "Cheers Then" – 3:31 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Terry Sharpe, John Martin) produced by Barry Blue
6. "Aie a Mwana" – 3:36 (Jean Kluger, Daniel Vangarde, Joseph Avion) produced by Big John Martin and Little Paul Cook, remixed by John Luongo
7. "Young at Heart" – 3:13 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Robert Hodgens) produced by Barry Blue; piano arranged by John Martin
8. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – 3:30 (Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
9. "Hey Young London" – 3:55 (Barry Blue, Stan Shaw, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Barry Blue
10. "Boy Trouble" – 3:14 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
11. "Wish You Were Here" – 3:41 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Barry Blue

(Note : the original US LP omits "Aie a Mwana", and has a slightly altered running order.)

Japanese version

12. "He's Got Tact" – 2:57 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)

2007 CD re-issue bonus tracks

12. "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" – 4:24 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Vaughn Cotillard)
13. "Girl About Town" – 3:28 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
14. "He's Got Tact" – 2:57 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
15. "Tell Tale Signs" – 3:08 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
16. "No Feelings" – 2:33 (Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Johnny Rotten)

Notes

• The version of "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" used is the Extended Version.
• The version of "Girl About Town" used is a slightly longer version with an additional 4 bars just before the instrumental break (roughly 1:45 – 1:59) than the original vinyl 7" version (3:10).

2013 Deluxe Edition CD/DVD re-issue

Disc 1

12. "He's Got Tact" – 2:59
13. "Girl About Town" – 3:13
14. "Tell Tale Signs" – 3:15
15. "No Feelings" – 2:33
16. "Aie a Mwana" (Extended Version) – 5:45
17. "Really Saying Something" (Extended Version) – 5:39
18. "Shy Boy" (12" Mix) – 5:50
19. "Cheers Then" (Extended Version) – 5:18
20. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" (12" Version) – 4:52

Disc 2

1. "Aie a Mwana" (7" Version) – 3:48
2. "Really Saying Something" (U.S. 7" Mix) – 3:46
3. "Shy Boy" (U.S. 7" Mix) – 3:35
4. "No Feelings" (Alternative Mix) 2:35
5. "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" – 2:45
6. "Boy Trouble" (Extended Version) – 4:20
7. "Girl About Town" (Extended Version) – 5:31
8. "Tell Tale Signs" (Extended Version) – 4:45
9. "Aie a Mwana" (U.S. Extended Version) – 6:45
10. "Really Saying Something" (U.S. Extended Version) – 7:54
11. "Shy Boy" (U.S. Extended Version) – 7:20
12. "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" (Extended Version) – 4:23
13. "Aie a Mwana" (U.S. Dub) – 4:38
14. "Shy Boy" (U.S. Dub) – 9:23
15. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) (Na Dub Hey) – 4:12
16. "Aie a Mwana" (Dubwana) – 3:40

DVD

1. "Really Saying Something" – Directed by Midge Ure & Chris Cross
2. "Shy Boy" – Directed by Midge Ure & Chris Cross
3. "Cheers Then" – Directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan
4. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – Directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan
5. "Really Saying Something" – performance on Top of the Pops
6. "Shy Boy" – performance on 6.55 Special
7. "Boy Trouble" – performance on 6.55 Special
8. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – performance on Saturday Superstore

Personnel

Bananarama

• Sara Dallin – vocals
• Siobhan Fahey – vocals
• Keren Woodward – vocals

Technical

• John Mackswith, Squid Palmer – engineer
• Peter Barrett – design
• Bay Hippisley – photography

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[3]	85
UK Albums (OCC)^[4]	7

Notes and References

1. Web site: BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for 'Bananarama' (from bpi.co.uk). imgur.com. 2016-04-25.
2. Mehler. Mark . In Which Bananarama Asserts they Are 'Voices with Ideas'. Record. June 1983. 2 . 8. 6.
3. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. St Ives, N.S.W.. Australian Chart Book. 1993. 26. 0-646-11917-6.
4. Top Albums & Tapes – Week Ending April 2, 1983. Record Mirror. 2 April 1983. 0144-5804. ChartArchive. N.B. The Official Charts Company site lists an inaccurate peak for the album, due to the chart for the week it peaked being a duplication of the prior week's chart, when the album was at number 8.