Fine Young Cannibals (album) explained

Fine Young Cannibals
Type:	studio
Artist:	Fine Young Cannibals
Cover:	Fine Young Cannibals - Fine Young Cannibals.jpg
Caption:	European cover. The North American release features the design behind the band's name colored blue.
Released:	December 1985
Recorded:	1985
Studio:	Power Plant Studios and Sound Suite Studios, London
Genre:	Pop^[1] R&B
Length:	34:21
Label:	I.R.S., London
Producer:	Robin Millar, Mike Pela, Alvin Clark, Fine Young Cannibals
Next Title:	The Raw & the Cooked
Next Year:	1989

Fine Young Cannibals is the debut studio album released in 1985 by the band of the same name. The album features the UK #8 debut hit single "Johnny Come Home".

This success did not continue with the next single, "Blue", which languished at #41 in the UK. The version of "Blue" on the original U.S. and Canadian vinyl LP and cassette was re-mixed and edited in an attempt to boost its commercial appeal. The re-mix version features additional electronically processed percussion overdubs, giving it a sound more typical of 1980s synthpop hits. Currently available CDs feature the re-mix version of "Blue" in place of the original U.S. album version.

Critical reception

Sounds writer Carole Linfield gave it a four and a half out of five rating.^[2] Stewart Mason, in an AllMusic retrospective review, commented that the album "is a powerful and satisfying debut".^[3]

Track listing

Songs composed by Roland Gift and David Steele except where noted.

1. "Johnny Come Home" - 3:35
2. "Couldn't Care More" - 3:30
3. "Don't Ask Me to Choose" (Andy Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:05
4. "Funny How Love Is" (Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:28
5. "Suspicious Minds" (Mark James) - 3:56
6. "Blue" (Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:31
7. "Move to Work" - 3:26
8. "On a Promise" - 3:06
9. "Time Isn't Kind" (Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:12
10. "Like a Stranger" - 3:28

Additional tracks on 1986 edition

11. "Johnny Come Home" (Extended mix) - 5:43
12. "Suspicious Minds" (Suspicious mix) (Mark James) - 7:52

Personnel

Fine Young Cannibals

• Roland Gift – vocals
• Andy Cox – guitar, organ on "Time Isn't Kind"
• David Steele – bass, piano, keyboards

Additional musicians

• Martin Parry – drums
• Graeme Hamilton – trumpet, piano solo on "Time Isn't Kind"
• Gavyn Wright – violin
• Saxa – saxophone on "Funny How Love Is"
• Beverlei Brown, Gloria Brown, Maxine Brown – backing vocals on "Like a Stranger"
• Jimmy Somerville – backing vocals on "Suspicious Minds"
• Jenny Jones – drums, backing vocals on "Couldn't Care More"

Technical

• Alvin Clark – engineer
• Mike Pela, Robin Millar - mixing
• Anton Corbijn – front cover photography

Charts

Year-end charts

References

• Book: Spins. Rudy Langlais. Richard Gehr. April 1986. 39. Spin Magazine. 2010-09-11.

Notes and References

1. Book: Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Fine Young Cannibals. Bogdanov. Vladimir. Erlewine . Michael . Erlewine . Stephen Thomas . Unterberger . Richie . Woodstra . Chris. January 1, 1997. AllMusic Guide to Rock. Miller Freeman, Inc.. San Francisco. 335.
2. Linfield, Carole (1985) "Fine Young Cannibals 'Fine Young Cannibals'", Sounds, 14 December 1985, p. 28
3. Web site: Fine Young Cannibals - Fine Young Cannibals : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic . Stewart Mason . . 3 July 2012.
4. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 438.