Chrysalis Records present…FUN BOY THREE THE COMPLETE FUN BOY THREE

69-TRACK 5CD + DVD COLLECTION, FEATURING ALL THE GROUP’S OFFICIAL RECORDINGS, LIVE MATERIAL AND PEVIOUSLY UNRELEASED OUTTTAKES, HOUSED IN AN A5 MEDIA BOOK WITH LINERNOTES BY JOHN EARLS, WITH GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

RELEASE DATE: 4 AUGUST

The same day Chrysalis will also released special coloured vinyl editions of Fun Boy Three’s two studio albums

Compiled prior to the sad passing of Terry Hall last December, and approved by all three members, The Complete Fun Boy Three is the first ever collection of Fun Boy Three’s exceptional two years as one of the most exciting and leftfield pop groups of the early 1980s.

Fun Boy Three formed in the summer of 1981 when Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and Neville Staples broke away from The Specials after their prophetic and groundbreaking number one single, ‘Ghost Town’. The band quickly hit the UK top 40 with their debut single, ‘The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum). This was followed in early 1982 by two UK Top 5 singles with the all-female pop vocal group Bananarama; ‘’TAin’t What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It)’, a pop-new wave cover of a 1930’s jazz song, and ‘Really Saying Something’, a Motown tune originally recorded by the Marvalettes.

In March ’82 Fun Boy Three released their 11-track, self-titled debut album, which featured Banamarama on a further two tracks; ‘Sanctuary’ and ‘Alone’. A Top 10 chart success, the album included a remix with overdubbed horns of the Top 20 single ‘The Telephone Always Rings’.

A run of several more outstanding and original singles followed, including a cover of the much-recorded George Gershwin jazz standard ‘Summertime’, the self-penned ‘The More I See (The Less I Believe)’ and ‘The Tunnel Of Love’, and a Terry Hall co-write with Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s, ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’.

The latter three singles appeared on the group’s second and final album, Waiting. Dominated by more original material than their debut and produced by Talking Heads’ David Byrne, Waiting was far less minimal sounding, featuring a full band as well as brass and strings.

The album was praised for its cutting wry lyrics, political and social commentary, and harmonies and melodic twists and arrangements, and Byrne’s artful production. It reached number 7 in the UK album chart. Following a US tour the band disbanded in 1983.

The Complete Fun Boy Three includes 69 audio tracks which brings together all the official recordings: two albums, singles, b-sides, remixes, live material and previously unreleased outtakes, including a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘If Dogs Run Free’ with Dsvid Byrne on vocals. The 27 track DVD includes all the group’s promo videos, Top of The Pops performances and a live concert from 1983.

It is packaged in a DVD-sized hardback book, with newly written sleeves notes by John Earls (Classic Pop/Record Collector), contributions from the band and archival photographs.

On the same day Chrysalis will also release remastered coloured vinyl editons of Fun Boy Three on red vinyl and Waiting on blue vinyl.

BUY LINK: https://linktr.ee/funboythree

 

TRACKLISTING:

THE COMPLETE FUN BOY THREE

CD1 | THE FUN BOY THREE [Album]

01 / Sanctuary

02 / Way On Down

03 / The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)

04 / Life In General (Lewe In Algemeen)

05 / Faith, Hope And Charity

06 / Funrama 2

07 / Best of Luck Mate

08 / T’Aint What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It)

09 / The Telephone Always Rings

10 / I Don’t Believe

11 / Alone

 

CD2 | WAITING [Album]

01 / Murder She Said

02 / The More I See (The Less I Believe)

03 / Going Home

04 / We’re Having All The Fun

05 / The Farmyard Connection

06 / The Tunnel of Love

07 / Our Lips Are Sealed

08 / The Pressure of Life (Takes Weight Off The Body)

09 / Things We Do

10 / Well Fancy That!

 

CD3 | SINGLES, B-SIDES & OUTTAKES

01 T’Aint What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It) [Single Version]

02 The Funrama Theme [B-side Version]

03 Really Saying Something [Single Version]

04 The Telephone Always Rings [Single Version]

05 The Alibi (The Station’s Full of Pipes)

06 Summertime

07 Summer of ‘82

08 The Alibi (The Station’s Full of Pipes) [NME Version]

09 ?

10 The Lunacy Legacy

11 Our Lips Are Sealed [Single Version]

12 Our Lips Are Sealed [Urdu Version]

Demos & Outtakes

13 Tell Me Why [Demo] *

14 96 Tears [Outtake] *

15 Tunnel of Love [Monitor Mix] *

16 Our Lips Are Sealed [Monitor Mix] *

17 The Things We Do [Monitor Mix] *

18 If Dogs Run Free [Demo with David Byrne] *

19 The Pressure of Life [US Single Version] *

 

CD4 | VERSIONS

01 Tell Me Why [Dub Mix] *

02 T’Aint What You Do…/ Just Do It [Extended Version]

03 The Funrama Theme [Extended Version]

04 Really Saying Something [Extended Version]

05 The Telephone Always Rings [Extended Version]

06 The Alibi (The Station’s Full of Pipes) [Extended Version]

07 Summertime [Extended Version]

08 The More I See (The Less I Believe) [Parts 1 & 2 (?)]

09 Our Lips Are Sealed [Special Remix Version]

10 The Pressure of Life [US 12” Remix] *

BBC Session

11 The Pressure of Life [Kid Jensen Session 16/1/83]

12 The Tunnel of Love [Kid Jensen Session 16/1/83]

13 Going Home [Kid Jensen Session 16/1/83]

14 Well Fancy That! [Kid Jensen Session 16/1/83]

 

CD5 | Live in Hitchin 1983

01 The More I Believe (The Less I Believe) [Live]

02 The Pressure of Life [Live]

03 The Farm Yard Connection [Live] *

04 Going Home [Live]

05 Things We Do [Live]

06 Well Fancy That [Live] *

07 Summertime [Live]

08 The Alibi [Live]

09 Our Lips Are Sealed [Live]

10 The Tunnel of Love [Live]

11 We’re Having All The Fun [Live]

12 Gangsters [Live]

13 T’Aint What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It) [Live]

14 The Telephone Always Rings [Live] *

15 The Tunnel of Love (Reprise) [Live] *

 

DVD | PROMO VIDEOS & AT THE BBC

Promo Videos

01 The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum

02 T’Aint What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It) [Single Version]

03 Really Saying Something

04 The Telephone Always Rings [Single Version]

05 Summertime

06 The More I Believe (The Less I Believe)

07 The Tunnel of Love

08 Our Lips Are Sealed

Top of The Pops

09 The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum (Top of The Pops)

10 T’Aint What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It) (Top of The Pops)

11 The Telephone Always Rings (Top of The Pops)

12 Summertime (Top of The Pops)

13 The Tunnel of Love (Top of The Pops)

14 Our Lips Are Sealed (Top of The Pops)

BBC Something Else 1982

15 The Telephone Always Rings

16 The Alibi

Old Grey Whistle Test In Concert: Live at the Regal Theatre, Hitchin 6th April 1983

17 Intro/Murder She Said/ Interview

18 The More I Believe (The Less I Believe) [Live]

19 The Pressure of Life [Live]

20 Going Home [Live]

21 Things We Do [Live]

22 Summertime [Live]

23 The Alibi [Live]

24 Our Lips Are Sealed [Live]

25 The Tunnel of Love [Live]

26 We’re Having All The Fun [Live]

27 Gangsters [Live]

28 T’Aint What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It) [Live]

 

* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED