Birmingham, 1984: The new wave ska postpunk group The Beat breaks up and two new bands emerge. General Public are a supergroup that also includes Mick Jones from The Clash and Horace Panter from the Specials. However, their pop-rock sound tastes too much like plastic. Andy Cox and David Steele from The Beat take a different approach: instead of looking for illustrious colleagues, they look for a singer who gives their idea of new pop real soul. You’ll find him with Roland Gift, previously co-vocalist and saxophonist in Hull two-tone and tongue-twister band Akrylykz.
They borrow their name from the 1960 Hollywood film “All The Fine Young Cannibals,” which is loosely based on the life of Chet Baker. The first LP is a success, the singles are ambitious hits: “Johnny Come Home” tells of arriving in the big city, “Blue” builds a bridge to sophisticated pop. The cover of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” fits the trend of making evergreens with an 80s sound fit for the dance floor.
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A year later, the band also achieved this with the pop-punk classic “Ever Fallen In Love” by the Buzzcocks. What made the Fine Young Cannibals special back then: With their second album THE RAW & THE COOKED and the singles “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing” they managed to maintain the quality in the late eighties. This new anthology is being released for the band’s 40th birthday: all the hits, plus alternative versions depending on the version, B-sides and remixes from more recent times. The Fine Young Cannibals in the UK garage, house or cocktail sound? You don’t have to have one, but it’s still fun.
This review appears in Musikexpress 2/2026.