Fun Boy Three – Waiting

These Fun Boy 3 albums are soooo under rated. They still sound fresh today and those lads made some strange and groovy music. Of course there’s Terry’s cutting social commentary and close to the bone honesty here in the lyrics. Sometimes shocking as well.
But this is all wrapped up in hummable pop hooks and choruses which is like being hit with a velvet boxing glove.
Love it, a classic.

Just listening to this for the first time in ages and it strikes me that: it’s an absolute classic of course; David Byrne’s production was excellent; and the mastering and pressing on my UK (mint, charity shop in mid 2000s find) copy from 1983 were excellent. It’s on sale for virtually nothing so get one if you’re vaguely interested!

To start off we have Fun Boy Three’s Waiting. Produced by David Byrne of the Talking Heads, and released under Chrysalis in 1983 this was Fun Boy Three’s second and final album. The album kicks off with an instrumental, a cover of the theme of Murder She Said. The More Is See (The Less I Believe) sees Terry step up to the mic and give a commentary on the bombings in Northern Ireland. The next stand out track is We’re Having All the Fun, in which all three of three share details of their private lives, in a humorous fashion. The Farm Yard Connection speaks of the real-life struggles that many face, in order to ‘make a living’. Tunnel of Love is a tango that tells of a broken-down relationship. With Terry’s signature monotone lyrical style and a catchy beat this song stomps all over young couple’s romantic fantasies. Our Lips are Sealed is a song that Terry co-wrote along with the Go-Go’s, who originally released it on their album ‘Beauty and the Beat’ in 1981. I much prefer FB3’s recording as I believe Terry’s vocals help to embody the sombre content within the lyrics. Their recording managed to hit 7th in the UK Singles Charts, whereas the Go-Go’s only rose to 47th. Their finale, Well Fancy That, is Terry’s detailed story of his sexual abuse by a teacher ‘on a school trip to ’. Terry had not even told his mum or friends about this experience yet was willing to tell the world. This is one of my personal favourites, I ire Terry Hall and his dedication to writing music, despite suffering from anxiety and stress-induced eczema. Both Lynval and Neville had both worked with Terry in The Specials and would continue to work with him on and off until even now. The tough subject matter within the lyrics, paired with the catchy melodies allowed FB3 to create a great second album. Sadly, it went widely unnoticed as at the time as critics were more worried about artists such as John Lennon who was singing about his mother obsession. So FB3 disbanded in 1983, after their tour of the US, with Terry forming Colourfield with ex of the Swinging Cats.

Just bought CHR 1417 from a record fair and all correct apart from B side label which reads NANX4 - Bananarama - na na hey on Decca records - thankfully it is the FB3 B side but has anyone else seen this anomoly