Fun Boy Three (album) explained

The Fun Boy Three
Type:	studio
Artist:	The Fun Boy Three
Cover:	Fun Boy Three album.jpg
Border:	yes
Released:	March 1982
Studio:	The Bridge, London
Genre:	New wave pop
Length:	32:53
Label:	Chrysalis
Producer:	Dave Jordan The Fun Boy Three
Next Title:	Waiting
Next Year:	1983

The Fun Boy Three is the debut album by English new wave pop band the Fun Boy Three, a band consisting of three ex-members of the UK ska band the Specials: Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding. It was released in 1982 by Chrysalis Records and was re-released in 1999 by EMI as Fame. Several songs on the album feature backing vocals by the female pop trio Bananarama. Three singles were released from the album: "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)", "It Aint What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)", and a remix (with overdubbed horns) of "The Telephone Always Rings".

"The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)" reached No. 20 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1981 and spent 12 weeks in the Top 100.^[1] "It Aint What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" reached No. 4 and spent 7 weeks in the Top 40.^[2]

Critical reception

Shaad D'Souza of Pitchfork described the album as having a "mysterious electro-pop sound haunted by the racist violence entrenched in British history" and commented that it "still sounds as mischievous and enigmatic as it likely did upon release. Its status as a relatively forgotten cultural artifact only adds to its mystique: This album of Gregorian-style chants and absurdist one-liners made for an entirely unexpected entrant to the UK Top 10".

Track listing

All songs by Lynval Golding, Terry Hall and Neville Staples, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Sanctuary" (with Bananarama) – 1:21
2. "Way on Down" – 2:54
3. "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)" – 3:14
4. "Life in General (Lewe in Algemeen)" – 3:19
5. "Faith, Hope and Charity" – 2:48
6. "Funrama 2" (with Bananarama) – 3:08

Side two

7. "Best of Luck Mate" – 3:19
8. "T'aint What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" (with Bananarama; written by Melvin "Sy" Oliver and James "Trummy" Young) – 2:53
9. "The Telephone Always Rings" – 3:39
10. "I Don't Believe It" – 3:26
11. "Alone" (with Bananarama) – 3:00

2009 extended version CD bonus tracks

12. "Just Do It" (with Bananarama) – 2:59
13. "The Funrama Theme" (extended version) – 6:03
14. "Summertime" (extended version) – 6:26
15. "Summer of '82" – 4:01
16. "The Telephone Always Rings" (extended version) – 5:34
17. "The Alibi (The Station's Full of Pipes)" – 2:49

Personnel

Credits adapted from 2009 "extended version" liner notes.^[3]

The Fun Boy Three– all instruments and vocals

• Terry Hall
• Neville Staples
• Lynval Golding

Bananarama– featured vocals (tracks 1, 6, 8, 11)

• Siobhan Fahey
• Keren Woodward
• Sara Dallin

Additional musicians

• Dick Cuthell – the horn player
• Sean Carasov – on the telephone

Technical

• Dave Jordan – producer
• The Fun Boy Three – producers, arrangers
• Allan Ballard – cameraman
• John Teflon Sims – visual effects
• Frank Elton – screen illustrations
• Terry Day – cover colour effects

Charts

Chart (1982)!scope="col"

Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[4]	84
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)^[5]	10
New Zealand (RIANZ)^[6]	17
UK Albums (Official Charts Company)^[7] ^[8]	7

Notes and References

1. https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/fun-boy-three-the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum/
2. Web site: IT AINT WHAT YOU DO IT'S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT . 2 April 2024 . Official Charts.
3. . The Fun Boy Three (Extended Version) . 2009 . CD liner notes . . CRPOP27 . London.
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. 119.
5. Web site: charts.org.nz - Discografie Fun Boy Three. Hung Medien. 25 December 2021.
6. Web site: charts.nz - Discography Fun Boy Three. Hung Medien. 25 December 2021.
7. Web site: Fun Boy Three - Full Official Chart History. Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. 25 December 2021.
8. Book: Roberts, David. 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 216.