Lynval Golding, guitar, backing vocals, songwriter
During our time in the Specials, while we were working on the album More Specials, we experienced a constant cycle of band members leaving and rejoining. The album turned out to be amazing, but we all needed some time apart. After our performance of Ghost Town on Top of the Pops, three of us went to visit Jerry Dammers, the songwriter and keyboard player, at his home. We informed him that we were leaving the band. Jerry, who was in bed at the time, tried to stop us and said we weren’t allowed to leave. We explained that this was exactly why we were leaving and then left the house.
We’d already written The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum), which I always thought was a potential follow-up to Ghost Town. Instead, it became our first single as Fun Boy Three. Terry Hall, our singer, came up with the name, which was deliberately ironic.
Reworded: We were all roommates in Notting Hill, London. We would watch football, I would play my guitar, and we would have long conversations. I would often give Terry space to smoke a cigarette and work on his lyrics. The songs of the Specials were influenced by the political climate under Margaret Thatcher, with Terry writing about topics such as nuclear war and then-president Ronald Reagan. The underlying message was that the world was being led by unstable individuals. It is disheartening to see that four decades later, this still holds true.
We desired a livelier noise and constructed the tune from scratch, forming the beat with conga drums. Terry composed the tune on a keyboard – his musical abilities were impressive. During that period, electronic Linn drums and similar instruments were becoming popular, but the conga rhythm had more of an Afrobeat influence. In the recording studio, Terry would occasionally record a temporary vocal, but he would later return at early hours of the morning to lay down his final vocals. He was a multifaceted individual. I often ponder if his traumatic childhood experiences sparked his creative talents.
Prior to the previous Christmas, while Terry was nearing the end of his life, I was in Jamaica and had a dream about him. I saw his face as he was at 17 years old, when he first joined the Specials. In my dream, I gazed at him and remarked, “You look good, man.” He didn’t respond, but smiled and then disappeared. We had already planned to release a box set before his passing. My hope is that it will serve as a means for people to honor and celebrate the incredible talent and artistry of Terry. Moving forward, everything I do will be in remembrance of him.
Neville Staple, backing vocals, percussion
In the Specials, things were going smoothly until they weren’t. There were disputes over finances and taxes, and we wanted to contribute our own ideas, but felt unable to do so. We didn’t consider the possible consequences of leaving a highly successful band that had just achieved a No 1 single; we simply wanted to avoid conflicts. Our choice to depart was validated when the new group was embraced.
Fun Boy Three was a unique experience for me. Others often commented, “You guys look unhappy.” Hence, the name was a clever nod to that. Our first song as a group was called “Lunatics.” Prior to joining the Specials, I had played percussion in other bands such as Ray King and Lieutenant Pigeon, making it easy for me to adapt to a different sound from ska. We all joined in on percussion. Our producer, Dave Jordan, had a great rapport with us from our time in the Specials and understood our vision for a new sound. The first album featured the addition of the Bananarama girls, thanks to Terry’s discovery and invitation to sing with us. It was a collaboration beyond just male musicians.
During that period, there was widespread conflict and police were conducting frequent stop and searches. It seemed as though everyone was under surveillance, which inspired the lyrics “They’re watching every move we make / We’re all included on their list.” The line “I see a clinic full of cynics” was interpreted by some as a commentary on parliament, while the rest of the lyrics addressed other pressing issues of the time such as Reagan’s policies and global starvation. The fear of nuclear war was so intense that people were building bunkers in their backyards.
Revised: I believe releasing a highly political song as the initial single was a courageous move, but it wasn’t about worrying if we would still be successful. It was simply what we wanted to do. While Fun Boy Three may not receive as much recognition as the Specials, whenever my band performs at festivals, young fans sing along to both the Specials’ and Fun Boy Three’s songs. Our bond was like that of a family when we were together, so losing Terry was a major shock. Whenever I perform Fun Boy Three songs, I make sure to dedicate them to him.
Source: theguardian.com
