Fun Boy Three

Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding left the Specials to form the Fun Boy Three in the early '80s. Their odd lineup didn't hurt this debut -- FB3 is a clever, Caribbean drum-heavy paean to submerged emotions and English ennui that plays like a less-violent version of Public Image Limited's Flowers of Romance. "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)" was a wry commentary on the rise of neoconservative leaders and was a hit on the fledgling American alternative radio scene. The other hit, a cover of the swing era's "It Ain't What You Do...," introduced Bananarama to the public.