Fine Young Cannibals celebrate 40 years with FYC40

Fine Young Cannibals celebrate 40 years with the announcement of their new career-spanning compilation FYC40

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 No.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 21 November.

FYC40 is available 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.

For collectors, the Deluxe 4CD/DVD box set is a definitive treasure trove – featuring 1985’s self-titled debut, The Raw & 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.

The DJ Q remix of Ever Fallen In Love is out now. 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. Listen below:

1LP on crystal clear vinyl

Side A
Johnny Come Home
Blue
Suspicious Minds
Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded version]
Ever Fallen in Love
She Drives Me
Side B
Good Thing
Don’t Look Back 3:47 [7” Remix]
I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
I’m Not Satisfied
It’s OK (It’s Alright)
The Flame

2LP on heavyweight vinyl

Side A
Johnny Come Home
Blue
Suspicious Minds
Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded version]
Ever Fallen in Love
She Drives Me Crazy
Side B
Good Thing
Don’t Look Back 3:47 [7” Remix]
I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
I’m Not Satisfied
It’s OK (It’s Alright)
The Flame
Side C
Love for Sale [1990 Mix]
Wade in the Water
Motherless Child
Couldn’t Care More
Tell Me What
Social Security
Side D
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Cook II Soul 7” Mix]
She Drives Me Crazy [The Reflex Edit]
Blue [Version]
I’m Not Satisfied [Prince Paul 7” Mix]
Don’t Look Back [Luke Mornay Remix]
Johnny Come Home [Frankie Knuckles Remix]

2CD + Digital

Disc One
Johnny Come Home
Blue
Suspicious Minds
Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded version]
Ever Fallen in Love
She Drives Me Crazy
Good Thing
Don’t Look Back 3:47 [7” Remix]
I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
I’m Not Satisfied
It’s OK (It’s Alright)
The Flame
Love for Sale [1990 Mix]
Wade in the Water
Motherless Child
Couldn’t Care More
Tell Me What
Social Security
Disc Two
She Drives Me Crazy [Flight Facilities Remix]
Ever Fallen in Love [DJ Q Remix]
Johnny Come Home [Initial Talk Remix]
She Drives Me Crazy [The Reflex Revision]
Blue [Mark Kamins Remix]
Suspicious Minds [John Luongo Suspicious Mix]
She Drives Me Crazy [Louil Silas Jr. Extended Version / feat. Monie Love]
Good Thing [Julian Mendelsohn Extended Version]
Don’t Look Back [Thompson/Barbiero Extended Version]
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Cook II Soul Mix]
I’m Not Satisfied [Prince Paul 12” Mix]
Johnny Come Home [Frankie Knuckles Classic Club Feeling]

Deluxe 4CD/DVD

Disc One – Fine Young Cannibals + bonus tracks
Johnny Come Home
Couldn’t Care More
Don’t Ask Me to Choose
Funny How Love Is
Suspicious Minds
Blue
Move to Work
On a Promise
Time Isn’t Kind
Like a Stranger
Love for Sale
Wade in the Water
Motherless Child
Johnny Come Home [Anne Dudley Version]
Couldn’t Care More [Anne Dudley Version]
Move to Work [Anne Dudley Version]
Blue [Version]
Suspicious Minds [John Luongo U.S. 7” Mix]
Funny How Love Is [Re-recorded Version]
Johnny Come Home [Extended Mix]
Suspicious Minds [Extended Version]

Disc Two –  The Raw & the Cooked + bonus tracks
She Drives Me Crazy
Good Thing
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be
I’m Not Satisfied
Tell Me What
Don’t Look Back
It’s OK (It’s Alright)
Don’t Let It Get You Down
As Hard as It Is
Ever Fallen in Love
Social Security
You Never Know
Hold Me [Demo]
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Demo Version]
I’m Not Satisfied [Demo Version]
Tell Me What [Demo Version]
As Hard as It Is [Demo Version]
Race Track [Demo]
She Drives Me Crazy [Louil Silas Jr. U.S. 7” Mix]
Good Thing [10” Alternative Mix]
Ever Fallen in Love [Extended Version]

Disc Three – Remixes      
The Flame [Dave Way Mix]
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Matt Dike Remix]
She Drives Me Crazy [The Monie Love Remix]
Good Thing [Prince Paul Remix]
I’m Not Satisfied [Prince Paul Groovie Organ Mix]
It’s OK (It’s Alright) [Ploeg Club Mix]
Ever Fallen in Love [Arthur Baker Club Senseless]
Johnny Come Home [Mark Moore 12” Remix]
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Dancin’ Danny D Remix]
She Drives Me Crazy [The Justin Strauss Mix]
I’m Not Satisfied [Matt Dike 12”]
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Juan Atkins Remix]
Johnny Come Home [Mousse T Cocktail Mix]
Don’t Look Back [Luke Mornay Extended Remix]

Disc Four – Remixes        
She Drives Me Crazy [Flight Facilities Remix]
Ever Fallen in Love [DJ Q Remix]
Johnny Come Home [Initial Talk Remix]
She Drives Me Crazy [The Reflex Edit]
The Flame [Mario Più & Ricky Le Roy Experience Mix]
She Drives Me Crazy [Cerrone Remix]
Johnny Come Home [Mousse T Extended Mix]
She Drives Me Crazy [Dimitri from Paris Remix]
The Flame [Mario Scalambrin Heartbeat Mix]
Johnny Come Home [Derrick Carter Remix]
She Drives Me Crazy [Roger Sanchez Time & Space Mix]
The Flame [Gigi D’Agostino Mix]
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [Rollo & Sister Bliss Monster Mix]

Disc Five – DVD 
Promo videos
Johnny Come Home
Blue
Suspicious Minds
Funny How Love Is
Ever Fallen in Love
She Drives Me Crazy
Good Thing
Don’t Look Back
I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
I’m Not Satisfied
The Flame
Live at the Paramount – 21 October 1989
Johnny Come Home
Like a Stranger
Couldn’t Care More
Good Thing
Tell Me What
Time Isn’t Kind
I’m Not Satisfied
Funny How Love Is
Ever Fallen in Love
Don’t Look Back
Suspicious Minds
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be
It’s OK (It’s Alright)
My Girl
She Drives Me Crazy
FYC at the BBC
Couldn’t Care More [Live at the Haçienda – on Whistle Test]
Don’t Ask Me to Choose [Live at the Haçienda – on Whistle Test]
Johnny Come Home [on Top of the Pops]
Suspicious Minds [on Top of the Pops]
Funny How Love Is [on Wogan]
Ever Fallen in Love [on Top of the Pops]
She Drives Me Crazy [on Top of the Pops]
Good Thing [on Top of the Pops]
I’m Not the Man I Used to Be [on Top of the Pops]

FYC40 is available to pre-order/pre-save here 

Roland Gift and his band will play two special headline shows at the London Palladium (2 October) and Birmingham Symphony Hall (12 November). Find out more here

Featured image credit: London Records.

Subscribe to Classic Pop magazine here