Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The 80s was a time of obvious change, a period which the everyday that had been hanging in the air without recognition suddenly shifted, the momentum quickened, the hangovers of previous generation became polarised and the passion of anger was relit, reawakened from the early days of Punk and instead utilised with force and beauty a different kind of music scene, one that made pop be more than just bubblegum and teenage dreams, and actually not just make a point, but hammer it home with aggression and a vibe of consistency.
From bands such as Bronski Beat, Liverpool’s The Christians, and solo artist Billy Bragg, what was highlighted was almost a return to conscious, a drive to prove that all was not well in the country despite the sense of gloss provided by the New Romantic scene and the caress of audio literature from the new wave of British Heavy Metal and the modern wave of video driven rock courtesy of television music.
Then there was the Fine Young Cannibals to whom the voice of Roland Gift was a perfect antidote to the challenge of polish, a natural defining and stirring expression that was as comfortable covering Elvis with elegant results as he was gracing the differences between Ska, Jazz and Soul and who was able to capture the sincerity of social issues with enthusiasm and feeling.
Despite only releasing two albums, this fusion could only have come out of The Beat, a group that emphasised the complexity of damage suffered by the city of Birmingham as the industrial heartland buckled under the weight of deprivation and damnation, and as the presence of Andy Cox and David Steele alongside Sparkhill born Gift, and as the group celebrates four decades since the exploded into the hearts of the 80s music lovers, so FYC40 is the epitome of the group’s landmark songs and time at the top.
To be highly regarded in what could be considered a short period of time before splitting, the threesome produced singles that were surely to be seen as unique, a wide encompassing understanding of music from across a plethora of genres but which meant just one thing, a voice for the Midlands and a reminder that good music is timeless.
It’s all about first impressions, and the threesome delivered that with aplomb, with groove, and a genuineness that came to defy the excess of the age. Across several discs, the two albums, remixes, and through two powerful live performances taken from a set at the Paramount, and at the B.B.C., that sound is immense and framed with courage, it has that sense of beat that the listener grabs hold of and refuses to go, and as tracks such as Johnny Come Home, Don’t Ask Me To Choose, Suspicious Minds, the glorious Blue, She Drives Me Crazy, I’m Not The Man I Used To Be, Don’t Let It Get You Down, and the superbly arranged version of Pete Shelley’s of Ever Fallen In Love and which graced the U.K. Top Ten all have the effect of a beating heart in full flow, filled with adoration and sublime dedication.
A boxset that steps back to a time of revolution and which refuses to budge on its opinions and stance, it bites down hard on the subject matter at hand, it soars with exuberance and immerses itself in the modern day with ease. A classic sense of memory that changed the way many thought of the 80s, that it was more than suits and money, and is as real, and honest, as anything around.
Ian D. Hall