''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 Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

band

the Specials The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...

: Terry Hall, Neville Staples and

Lynval Golding Lynval Golding (born 24 July 1951) is a Jamaican-born British musician. His family moved from Jamaica to Gloucester, before moving to Coventry when he was eighteen. He is currently living in Gig Harbor, Washington. He is best known as a rhythm ...

. It was released in 1982 by

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British independent record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ell ...

and was re-released in 1999 by

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

as ''Fame''. Several songs on the album feature

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

by the female pop trio

Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...

. 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. "It Aint What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" reached No. 4 and spent 7 weeks in the Top 40.

Critical reception

Shaad D'Souza of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' 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 #"Sanctuary" (with

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

"Best of Luck Mate" – 3:19 #" 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 #"The Telephone Always Rings" – 3:39 #"I Don't Believe It" – 3:26 #"Alone" (with Bananarama) – 3:00 2009 extended version CD bonus tracks #

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

Personnel

Credits adapted from 2009 "extended version" liner notes. The Fun Boy Three – all instruments and vocals * Terry Hall * Neville Staples *

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

Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Deirdre Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the British girl group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the List of Billboard Hot ...

Keren Woodward Keren Jane Woodward (born 2 April 1961) is an English singer/songwriter and, with Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey, a founding member of the girl group Bananarama. In 1986, the trio reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with their ve ...

Sara Dallin Sara Elizabeth Dallin (born 17 December 1961) is an English singer/songwriter and a founding member of the pop group Bananarama. The group has achieved 28 UK top-50 and 11 US top-100 singles, including a US number one with "Venus" (1986). Other ...

Additional musicians *

Dick Cuthell Dick Cuthell is a British musician and record producer. He plays flugelhorn, cornet, and trumpet, amongst a range of other brass instruments, including tenor horn and valve trombone. Cuthell is best known for his work with the SpecialsStrong, M ...

– 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

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1982 debut albums Fun Boy Three albums Chrysalis Records albums