''The Fun Boy Three'' is the debut album by English new wave pop band

the Fun Boy Three Fun Boy Three were an English new wave pop Fun Boy Three Allmusic bio/ref> band, active from 1981 to 1983 and formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left the Specials. They released two albums and had seve ...

, 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 walki ...

band

the Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 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 (singer), Terr ...

: Terry Hall,

Neville Staples Neville Eugenton Staple (born 11 April 1955), sometimes credited as Neville Staples, is a Jamaican-born English singer, known for his work with the 2 Tone ska band the Specials, as well as with his own group, the Neville Staple Band. He also per ...

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 g ...

. It was released in 1982 by

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British 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 Ellis-Wright Ag ...

and was re-released in 1999 by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

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 use ...

by the female pop trio

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Thei ...

. Three singles were released from the album: "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)", " T'aint What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)", and a remix (with overdubbed horns) of "The Telephone Always Rings".

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)" ( Melvin "Sy" Oliver, James "Trummy" Young) (with Bananarama) – 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 *

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

Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the US number one hit single "Venus". She later ...

Keren Woodward Keren Jane Woodward (born 2 April 1961) is an English singer 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 version of "Ven ...

Sara Dallin Sara Elizabeth Dallin (born 17 December 1961) is an English singer 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 hits includ ...

;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, Ma ...

– the horn player *Sean Carasov – on the telephone ;Technical *Dave Jordan – producer *

The Fun Boy Three Fun Boy Three were an English new wave pop Fun Boy Three Allmusic bio/ref> band, active from 1981 to 1983 and formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left the Specials. They released two albums and had seve ...

– producers, arrangers *Allan Ballard – cameraman *John Teflon Sims – visual effects *Frank Elton – screen illustrations *Terry Day – cover colour effects

Charts

References

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