Group blends Motown sound with ska on first LP
In 1985, the Fine Young Cannibals emerged with a sound that blended soul and ska, the result of which was a charming self-titled debut album.
The trio of Andy Cox (guitar), bassist Dave Steele and vocalist Roland Gift had a unique chemistry that few have been able to match in intervening decades.
Cox and Steele, veterans of the English Beat, were left in the cold when bandmates Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger left to form General Public. The two remaining band members hit the MTV airwaves in search for a new frontman. Although they never found a new lead singer for the group, they would join forces with Gift to form a new enterprise in Fine Young Cannibals.
The trio would go on to achieve critical and commercial success in 1989 with their second album, “The Raw and the Cooked,” an LP that contained six hit singles including No. 1 singles “Good Thing” and “She Drives Me Crazy.”
It was the band’s 1985 debut, though, that set the tone for the follow-up. While it’s not as polished, it shows definite promise, packing in melancholy tunes such as “Johnny Come Home,” “Blue” and “That Isn’t Kind” alongside more upbeat material such as “On a Promise” and a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.”
“Suspicious Minds,” “Johnny Come Home” and “Blue” were released as singles, with the cover peaking at No. 8 in the U.K. Its video would gain airplay on MTV later while the group’s sophomore effort was making its climb up the pop charts.
They would vanish into obscurity and break up after that second LP, but Fine Young Cannibals would leave fans with a memorable soundtrack detailing their time together. The band would get a well-deserved shout-out in 2008, too, from Canadian art-rock supergroup Wolf Parade, who named an excellent track from its second record after its namesake. The meandering song contains music – and a few specific bars – obviously influenced by its ‘80s forebearers.
Cox and Steele brought the ska elements that combined well with Gift’s soulful vocal delivery, the combination of which provided a unique sound. Gift’s voice somewhat resembled that of Motown legend Al Green, though the former’s was not quite as powerful.
While most of the material on “Fine Young Cannibals” isn’t quite as well-known as the later party anthems and maybe are not as accessible to mainstream audiences, it has a charm and represents quality vocals and musicianship. And while many of the tunes are more somber in tone, the album has enough upbeat work to keep it from becoming depressing, and that makes it a rare gem that packs something for just about everyone.
