''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 Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

hits. Currently available CDs feature the re-mix version of "Blue" in place of the original U.S. album version. The album's cover art came in two variations. The original U.S and Canadian releases on I.R.S. Records had a blue-tinted cover; most other versions, such as the U.K. release on London Records, have artwork tinted in red.

Critical reception

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' writer Carole Linfield gave it a four and a half out of five rating.Linfield, Carole (1985) "Fine Young Cannibals 'Fine Young Cannibals'", ''

'', 14 December 1985, p. 28 Stewart Mason, in an

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

retrospective review, commented that the album "is a powerful and satisfying debut".

Track listing

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

Johnny Come Home "Johnny Come Home" is a song by British band Fine Young Cannibals, released as the first single from their debut album, ''Fine Young Cannibals'' (1985). It is similar to the style of many other of the band's hits, a mixture of rock and ska with ...

" - 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 "Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was cut by Elvis Presley with producer Chips Moman, becoming a No. 1 song in 1969, and one of the most ...

" ( 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

Personnel

;Fine Young Cannibals *

Roland Gift Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

– vocals *

Andy Cox Andrew Cox (born 25 January 1956) is a British guitarist, who along with Dave Wakeling, formed ska band the Beat in 1978. The Beat achieved eight Top 40 singles and three hit albums in the UK before announcing their break up in 1983. Some of t ...

– 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 Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He is best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions (including Elton John, Simply Red, Bush, Mecano, Oasis, ...

– violin * Saxa – saxophone on "Funny How Love Is" *Beverlei Brown, Gloria Brown, Maxine Brown – backing vocals on "Like a Stranger" *

Jimmy Somerville James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He sang in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a solo career. He is known in particular for his powerful and soul ...

– backing vocals on "Suspicious Minds" *Jenny Jones – drums, backing vocals on "Couldn't Care More" ;Technical *Alvin Clark – engineer *Mike Pela,

Robin Millar Robin John Christian Millar, CBE (born 18 December 1951) is an English record producer, musician and businessman, known variously as 'The Original Smooth Operator', 'The man behind Sade', and 'Golden Ears' Boy George. He was born in London to ...

- mixing *

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...

– front cover photography

Charts

Year-end charts

References

* 1985 debut albums Fine Young Cannibals albums I.R.S. Records albums Albums produced by Robin Millar {{1980s-rock-album-stub