In 1985, Fine Young Cannibals made an unforgettable first impression with their debut single ‘Johnny Come Home’ and their self-titled album, showcasing a fully-formed act with a sharp, soulful sound and potent songs. But it was 1989’s ‘The Raw & The Cooked’ that propelled them onto the global stage, becoming their defining masterpiece.
Powered by hits like ‘She Drives Me Crazy’, ‘Good Thing’ (both US Billboard #1s) and their inspired take on the Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen In Love’, the album encapsulated 30 years of music in 35 minutes and sold over five million copies worldwide, topping charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and earned the band two BRIT Awards, an Ivor Novello, four MTV Music Video nominations and three Grammy nominations. After their tidal wave of success, they closed in 1996 with the elegiac final single ‘The Flame’.
Fine Young Cannibals’ rise was almost as unlikely as it was spectacular. When UK outfit The Beat split unceremoniously at their peak, bassist David Steele and guitarist Andy Cox forged a creative alliance and pushed past waning industry enthusiasm for the fading 2 Tone scene. Teaming up with former Ska band Akrylykz frontman Roland Gift, a singer with matinee-idol looks and a voice steeped in Otis Redding-esque soul, they forged a sound that would make them one the most internationally successful acts of their generation.
Forty years on and the enduring influence of the band and their sound continues to resonate, with their songs making prominent appearances in film (‘Johnny Come Home’ in the Andrew Haigh’s award winning film ‘All of Us Strangers’) and TV (‘She Drives Me Crazy’ in Season 4 of the acclaimed series The Bear), as well as ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ becoming the musical centerpiece for the Chanel 2025 Handbag campaign starring Dua Lipa and Jennie from BLACKPINK.
London Records celebrates this legacy with ‘FYC40’, a definitive anthology out November 21. From the bedsit-soul grit of ‘Johnny Come Home’ to the taut, piledriver angst of ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ and the late-Elvis ache of ‘Suspicious Minds’, ‘FYC40’ offers a kaleidoscope of soul and R&B-influenced music filtered through a very distinct British lens.
‘FYC40’ is available to pre-order now in multiple formats. Single vinyl and CD editions present a 12-track album or the core hits, while an expanded double vinyl offers 24 tracks, including six exclusive remixes. The double-CD set features the expanded album plus a second disc packed with brand-new and rare remixes from the London Records vault.
The expanded formats of ‘FYC40’ go beyond the hits, unearthing rare and unreleased gems, including era-defining remixes by a who’s who of dance and hip hop culture including Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B, De La Soul’s Prince Paul, Norman Cook, Arthur Baker, Roger Sanchez, Mousse T and Faithless, alongside brand-new remixes from the likes of Flight Facilities, The Reflex, DJ Q and previously unheard promotional remixes from the likes of Frankie Knuckles and Juan Atkins.
The DJ Q remix of ‘Ever Fallen in Love’ is out today. A household name in the UK garage and bassline scene,DJ Q re-imagines FYC’s iconic Buzzcocks cover with driving low-end energy, sharp two-step percussion and floor-filling momentum, bridging the song’s classic pop history with contemporary club culture.
For collectors, the Deluxe 4CD/DVD box set is a definitive treasure trove — featuring 1985’s self-titled debut, ‘The Raw and The Cooked’ (each expanded with rarities), two further discs of new, rare and unreleased remixes, and a DVD compiling all the band’s promo videos alongside the full 1989 ‘Live At The Paramount’ concert (restored audio and visuals) and BBC classic performances from Top Of The Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test, and Wogan.
Roland Gift and his band will play two special headline shows at the London Palladium (October 2nd) and Birmingham Symphony Hall (November 12th).
Tracklistings
1LP on crystal clear vinyl
A1. Johnny Come Home
A2. Blue
A3. Suspicious Minds
A4. Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded version]
A5. Ever Fallen in Love
A6. She Drives Me Crazy
B1. Good Thing
B2. Don’t Look Back 3:47 [7” Remix]
B3. I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
B4. I’m Not Satisfied
B5. It’s OK (It’s Alright)
B6. The Flame
2LP on heavyweight vinyl
A1. Johnny Come Home
A2. Blue
A3. Suspicious Minds
A4. Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded version]
A5. Ever Fallen in Love
A6. She Drives Me Crazy
B1. Good Thing
B2. Don’t Look Back 3:47 [7” Remix]
B3. I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
B4. I’m Not Satisfied
B5. It’s OK (It’s Alright)
B6. The Flame
C1. Love for Sale [1990 Mix]
C2. Wade in the Water
C3. Motherless Child
C4. Couldn’t Care More
C5. Tell Me What
C6. Social Security
D1. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Cook II Soul 7” Mix]
D2. She Drives Me Crazy [The Reflex Edit]
D3. Blue [Version]
D4. I’m Not Satisfied [Prince Paul 7” Mix]
D5. Don’t Look Back [Luke Mornay Remix]
D6. Johnny Come Home [Frankie Knuckles Remix]
2CD and Digital
Disc One
1. Johnny Come Home
2. Blue
3. Suspicious Minds
4. Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded version]
5. Ever Fallen in Love
6. She Drives Me Crazy
7. Good Thing
8. Don’t Look Back 3:47 [7” Remix]
9. I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
10. I’m Not Satisfied
11. It’s OK (It’s Alright)
12. The Flame
13. Love for Sale [1990 Mix]
14. Wade in the Water
15. Motherless Child
16. Couldn’t Care More
17. Tell Me What
18. Social Security
Disc Two
1. She Drives Me Crazy [Flight Facilities Remix]
2. Ever Fallen in Love [DJ Q Remix]
3. Johnny Come Home [Initial Talk Remix]
4. She Drives Me Crazy [The Reflex Revision]
5. Blue [Mark Kamins Remix]
6. Suspicious Minds [John Luongo Suspicious Mix]
7. She Drives Me Crazy [Louil Silas Jr. Extended Version/feat. Monie Love]
8. Good Thing [Julian Mendelsohn Extended Version]
9. Don’t Look Back [Thompson/Barbiero Extended Version]
10. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Cook II Soul Mix]
11. I’m Not Satisfied [Prince Paul 12” Mix]
12. Johnny Come Home [Frankie Knuckles Classic Club Feeling]
Deluxe 4CD/DVD
Disc One – Fine Young Cannibals + bonus tracks
1. Johnny Come Home
2. Couldn’t Care More
3. Don’t Ask Me to Choose
4. Funny How Love Is
5. Suspicious Minds
6. Blue
7. Move to Work
8. On a Promise
9. Time Isn’t Kind
10. Like a Stranger
11. Love for Sale
12. Wade in the Water
13. Motherless Child
14. Johnny Come Home [Anne Dudley Version]
15. Couldn’t Care More [Anne Dudley Version]
16. Move to Work [Anne Dudley Version]
17. Blue [Version]
18. Suspicious Minds [John Luongo U.S. 7” Mix]
19. Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded Version]
20. Johnny Come Home [Extended Mix]
21. Suspicious Minds [Extended Version]
Disc Two – The Raw & the Cooked + bonus tracks
1. She Drives Me Crazy
2. Good Thing
3. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be
4. I’m Not Satisfied
5. Tell Me What
6. Don’t Look Back
7.It’s OK (It’s Alright)
8. Don’t Let It Get You Down
9. As Hard as It Is
10. Ever Fallen in Love
11. Social Security
12. You Never Know
13. Hold Me [Demo]
14. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Demo Version]
15. I’m Not Satisfied [Demo Version]
16. Tell Me What [Demo Version]
17. As Hard as It Is [Demo Version]
18. Race Track [Demo]
19. She Drives Me Crazy [Louil Silas Jr. U.S. 7” Mix]
20. Good Thing [10” Alternative Mix]
21. Ever Fallen in Love [Extended Version]
Disc Three – Remixes
1. The Flame [Dave Way Mix]
2. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Matt Dike Remix]
3. She Drives Me Crazy [The Monie Love Remix]
4. Good Thing [Prince Paul Remix]
5. I’m Not Satisfied [Prince Paul Groovie Organ Mix]
6. It’s OK (It’s Alright) [Ploeg Club Mix]
7. Ever Fallen in Love [Arthur Baker Club Senseless]
8. Johnny Come Home [Mark Moore 12” Remix]
9. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Dancin’ Danny D Remix]
10. She Drives Me Crazy [The Justin Strauss Mix]
11. I’m Not Satisfied [Matt Dike 12”]
12. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Juan Atkins Remix]
13. Johnny Come Home [Mousse T Cocktail Mix]
14. Don’t Look Back [Luke Mornay Extended Remix]
Disc Four – Remixes
1. She Drives Me Crazy [Flight Facilities Remix]
2. Ever Fallen in Love [DJ Q Remix]
3. Johnny Come Home [Initial Talk Remix]
4. She Drives Me Crazy [The Reflex Edit]
5. The Flame [Mario Più & Ricky Le Roy Experience Mix]
6. She Drives Me Crazy [Cerrone Remix]
7. Johnny Come Home [Mousse T Extended Mix]
8. She Drives Me Crazy [Dimitri from Paris Remix]
9. The Flame [Mario Scalambrin Heartbeat Mix]
10. Johnny Come Home [Derrick Carter Remix]
11. She Drives Me Crazy [Roger Sanchez Time & Space Mix]
12. The Flame [Gigi D’Agostino Mix]
13. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Rollo & Sister Bliss Monster Mix]
Disc Five – DVD
Promo videos
1. Johnny Come Home
2. Blue
3. Suspicious Minds
4. Funny How Love Is
5. Ever Fallen in Love
6. She Drives Me Crazy
7. Good Thing
8. Don’t Look Back
9. I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
10. I’m Not Satisfied
11. The Flame
Live at the Paramount – 21 October 1989
12. Johnny Come Home
13. Like a Stranger
14. Couldn’t Care More
15. Good Thing
16. Tell Me What
17. Time Isn’t Kind
18. I’m Not Satisfied
19. Funny How Love Is
20. Ever Fallen in Love
21. Don’t Look Back
22. Suspicious Minds
23. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be
24. It’s OK (It’s Alright)
25. My Girl
26. She Drives Me Crazy
FYC at the BBC
27. Couldn’t Care More [Live at the Haçienda – on Whistle Test]
28. Don’t Ask Me to Choose [Live at the Haçienda – on Whistle Test]
29. Johnny Come Home [on Top of the Pops]
30. Suspicious Minds [on Top of the Pops]
31. Funny How Love Is [on Wogan]
32. Ever Fallen in Love [on Top of the Pops]
33. She Drives Me Crazy [on Top of the Pops]
34. Good Thing [on Top of the Pops]
35. I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [on Top of the Pops]
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