FUN BOY THREE - WAITING @ 40

 

Marking it’s 40th anniversary this month is the second and final album from Fun Boy Three, Waiting, which was released in February of 1983. Produced by Talking Heads main man, David Byrne, The album upped the ante in terms of production values and song writing sophistication while sharpening the group’s ability to make pointed sociopolitical commentary within the context of accessible pop music.

The first FB3 album, which is still my personal favorite, was nonetheless something of a rushed affair and the group didn’t have the luxury of fully developing their ideas. Despite this, they still created an album loaded with innovative and challenging music, all the while keeping the proceedings “fun” and playful and tuneful enough to make a mark on the singles charts. But their second album gave them a chance to catch their breath and indulge in a more evolved and advanced state of song-craft. Whereas their debut focused on tribal African inspired percussion, the focus for this album seemed to move back to the UK and delve into an almost “music hall” retro feel reminiscent of 1930s pop music. The instrumentation on the album was also expanded to include a broader palette of sounds, from strings to horns to keyboards. The sparseness of the debut was replaced by a more layered sound, though never so dense as to lose the cleanliness of the mix. Lyrically, songs like The More I See drive home the disillusionment hiding behind the happy melodies, though on the other hand, Our Lips Are Sealed brings things back to something less confrontational, becoming a major hit for the group. In an interview with Terry Hall, he commented on how, when he first met David Byrne, the two literally just stared at each other in silence for ages, sizing each other up, but once the ice was broken, the collaboration turned out to be perfect for the album.

With the recent, untimely passing of Terry Hall, the beauty of this album has become far more poignant. I must confess that it took me a long, long time to finally appreciate this record. I LOVED the experimentation and spontaneity of the debut, so when this was released, if felt too “conventional” for me and too mainstream. As I’ve reevaluated it in recent years, I’ve come to appreciate its more subtle qualities. It conceals its teeth behind its sealed lips, but it’ll take a bite out of you when you least expect it.