| Fine Young Cannibals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() European cover. The North American release features the design behind the band's name tinted blue.  | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Studio | Power Plant Studios and Sound Suite Studios, London | |||
| Genre | New wave, soul | |||
| Length | 34:21 | |||
| Label | I.R.S., London | |||
| Producer | Robin Millar, Mike Pela, Alvin Clark, Fine Young Cannibals | |||
| Fine Young Cannibals chronology | ||||
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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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] | 
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] | 
| Sounds | |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( | 
Sounds writer Carole Linfield gave it a four and a half out of five rating.[4] Stewart Mason, in an AllMusic retrospective review, commented that the album "is a powerful and satisfying debut".[1]
Track listing
Songs composed by Roland Gift and David Steele except where noted.
- "Johnny Come Home" - 3:35
 - "Couldn't Care More" - 3:30
 - "Don't Ask Me to Choose" (Andy Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:05
 - "Funny How Love Is" (Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:28
 - "Suspicious Minds" (Mark James) - 3:56
 - "Blue" (Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:31
 - "Move to Work" - 3:26
 - "On a Promise" - 3:06
 - "Time Isn't Kind" (Cox, Gift, Steele) - 3:12
 - "Like a Stranger" - 3:28
 
- Additional tracks on 1986 edition
 
- "Johnny Come Home" (Extended mix) - 5:43
 - "Suspicious Minds" (Suspicious mix) (Mark James) - 7:52
 
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Johnny Come Home" | 3:37 | |
| 2. | "Couldn't Care More" | 3:31 | |
| 3. | "Don't Ask Me to Choose" | Andy Cox, David Steele, Roland Gift | 3:12 | 
| 4. | "Funny How Love Is" | Andy Cox, David Steele, Roland Gift | 3:28 | 
| 5. | "Suspicious Minds" | Mark James | 3:59 | 
| 6. | "Blue" | Andy Cox, David Steele, Roland Gift | 3:31 | 
| 7. | "Move to Work" | 3:28 | |
| 8. | "On a Promise" | 3:08 | |
| 9. | "Time Isn't Kind" | Andy Cox, David Steele, Roland Gift | 3:25 | 
| 10. | "Like a Stranger" | 3:28 | |
| 11. | "Wade in the Water" (B-Side to "Blue") | Traditional; arranged by Andy Cox, David Steele, Roland Gift | 2:57 | 
| 12. | "Love for Sale" (B-Side to "Johnny Come Home") | Cole Porter | 2:51 | 
| 13. | "Motherless Child" (B-Side to "Funny How Love Is") | Traditional; arranged by Andy Cox, David Steele, Roland Gift/Joe the Squid | 2:37 | 
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Johnny Come Home" (Mark Moore 12" remix) | 4:49 | |
| 2. | "Johnny Come Home" (Extended mix. Also included on the 1998 edition) | 5:40 | |
| 3. | "Johnny Come Home" (That Other mix) | 5:09 | |
| 4. | "Johnny Takes a Trip" (B-Side to "Johnny Come Home", also found on The Raw & the Remix) | 5:02 | |
| 5. | "Suspicious Minds" (Extended mix) | Mark James | 4:39 | 
| 6. | "Suspicious Minds" (Suspicious mix. Also included on the 1998 edition) | Mark James | 7:55 | 
| 7. | "Suspicious Minds" (US remix) | Mark James | 5:24 | 
| 8. | "Suspicious Minds" (Caught in a Dub) | Mark James | 7:43 | 
| 9. | "Suspicious Minds" (Shakedown mix) | Mark James | 3:48 | 
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
| Chart (1986) | Peak position  | 
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 15 | 
References
- 1 2 Stewart Mason. "Fine Young Cannibals - Fine Young Cannibals : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
 - ↑ Robert Christgau. "CG: Fine Young Cannibals". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
 - ↑ Mark Coleman (24 April 1986). "Fine Young Cannibals: Fine Young Cannibals : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
 - 1 2 Linfield, Carole (1985) "Fine Young Cannibals 'Fine Young Cannibals'", Sounds, 14 December 1985, p. 28
 - ↑ Hull, Tom (26 April 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
 - ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 438. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
 
- Rudy Langlais; Richard Gehr (April 1986). Spins. Spin Magazine. p. 39. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
 
