Deep Sea Skiving

Deep Sea Skiving is the debut studio album by British vocal group Bananarama, released in 1983. The album peaked at no.7 on the UK album chart[7] and was certified Silver by the BPI.[8]

Deep Sea Skiving
Studio album by Bananarama
Released	7 March 1983
Recorded	1981–1982
Genre	Pop, new wave
Length	37:59 40:16 (Japanese version)
Label	London
Producer	Barry Blue Dave Jordan Tony Swain, Steve Jolley Little Paul Cook Big John Martin Sara Dallin
Bananarama chronology
Deep Sea Skiving (1983) Bananarama (1984)
Singles from Deep Sea Skiving
"Aie a Mwana" Released: 28 September 1981 "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" Released: 29 March 1982 "Shy Boy" Released: 21 June 1982 "Cheers Then" Released: 22 November 1982 "He's Got Tact (Japan only)" Released: 1982 "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" Released: 14 February 1983

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B-[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[4]
Dave Thompson	10/10[5]
The Village Voice	B−[6]

The inner-sleeve of the vinyl release contained numerous photos of the group, several of them in childhood. These pictures were reproduced in the 2013 Deluxe Edition CD/DVD re-issue.

On 19 March 2007, Bananarama's first six studio albums (including Deep Sea Skiving) were re-issued by Rhino Records. All tracks on Deep Sea Skiving were remastered and included several bonus tracks, consisting of B-sides, remixes and cover of the Sex Pistols song "No Feelings".

Background and recording

Two of the album's tracks, "Really Saying Something" and "Aie a Mwana", were drawn from previously recorded singles. Bananarama recorded three tracks ("Shy Boy", "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)", and "Boy Trouble") with Jolley & Swain producing, but dismissed the duo in the middle of the album's recording and recruited Barry Blue to produce the rest of the album. Siobhan Fahey explained, "[Jolley & Swain] wanted us to do their songs, not ours. They wanted a 1980s version of the old girl groups, disembodied voices. They didn't see us as voices with ideas."[9] Despite this, Jolly & Swain would be brought back as producers for Bananarama's next two albums.

Track listing

Standard edition

1. "Shy Boy" – 3:16 (Steve Jolley, Tony Swain) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
2. "Doctor Love" – 3:42 (Paul Weller) produced by Barry Blue
3. "What a Shambles" – 3:34 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Terry Sharpe) produced by Barry Blue
4. "Really Saying Something" – 2:45 (Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Edward Holland, Jr) produced by Dave Jordan
5. "Cheers Then" – 3:31 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Terry Sharpe, John Martin) produced by Barry Blue
6. "Aie a Mwana" – 3:36 (Jean Kluger, Daniel Vangarde, Joseph Avion) produced by Big John Martin and Little Paul Cook, remixed by John Luongo
7. "Young at Heart" – 3:13 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Robert Hodgens) produced by Barry Blue; piano arranged by John Martin
8. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – 3:30 (Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
9. "Hey Young London" – 3:55 (Barry Blue, Stan Shaw, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Barry Blue
10. "Boy Trouble" – 3:14 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
11. "Wish You Were Here" – 3:41 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Barry Blue

(Note : the original US LP omits "Aie a Mwana", and has a slightly altered running order.)

Japan Version

12. "He's Got Tact" – 2:57 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)

Bonus tracks from the 2007 CD re-issue

12. "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" – 4:24 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Vaughn Cotillard)
13. "Girl About Town" – 3:28 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
14. "He's Got Tact" – 2:57 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
15. "Tell Tale Signs" – 3:08 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
16. "No Feelings" – 2:33 (Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Johnny Rotten)

Notes

• The version of "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" used is the Extended Version.
• The version of "Girl About Town" used is a slightly longer version with an additional 4 bars just before the instrumental break (roughly 1:45 – 1:59) than the original vinyl 7" Version (3.10).

2013 Deluxe Edition CD/DVD re-issue

Disc 1

12. "He's Got Tact" – 2:59
13. "Girl About Town" – 3:13
14. "Tell Tale Signs" – 3:15
15. "No Feelings" – 2:33
16. "Aie a Mwana" (Extended Version) – 5:45
17. "Really Saying Something" (Extended Version) – 5:39
18. "Shy Boy" (12" Mix) – 5:50
19. "Cheers Then" (Extended Version) – 5:18
20. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" (12" Version) – 4:52

Disc 2

1. "Aie a Mwana" (7" Version) – 3:48
2. "Really Saying Something" (U.S. 7" Mix) – 3:46
3. "Shy Boy" (U.S. 7" Mix) – 3:35
4. "No Feelings" (Alternative Mix) 2:35
5. "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" – 2:45
6. "Boy Trouble" (Extended Version) – 4:20
7. "Girl About Town" (Extended Version) – 5:31
8. "Tell Tale Signs" (Extended Version) – 4:45
9. "Aie a Mwana" (U.S. Extended Version) – 6:45
10. "Really Saying Something" (U.S. Extended Version) – 7:54
11. "Shy Boy" (U.S. Extended Version) – 7:20
12. "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" (Extended Version) – 4:23
13. "Aie a Mwana" (U.S. Dub) – 4:38
14. "Shy Boy" (U.S. Dub) – 9:23
15. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) (Na Dub Hey) – 4:12
16. "Aie a Mwana" (Dubwana) – 3:40

DVD

1. "Really Saying Something" – Directed by Midge Ure & Chris Cross
2. "Shy Boy" – Directed by Midge Ure & Chris Cross
3. "Cheers Then" – Directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan
4. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – Directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan
5. "Really Saying Something" – performance on Top of the Pops
6. "Shy Boy" – performance on 6.55 Special
7. "Boy Trouble" – performance on 6.55 Special
8. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – performance on Saturday Superstore

Personnel

Bananarama

• Sara Dallin – vocals, fretless bass on "Shy Boy" and bass on some other tracks
• Siobhan Fahey – vocals, guitar, keyboards & Synclavier
• Keren Woodward – vocals and bass

Technical

• John Mackswith, Squid Palmer - engineer
• Peter Barrett - design
• Bay Hippisley - photography

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10]	85
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11]	48
UK Albums (OCC)[7]	7
US Billboard 200[12]	63

References

1. Mason, Stewart. "Deep Sea Skiving – Bananarama". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
2. Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Bananarama". Retrieved 12 September 2020.
3. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Bananarama". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 41–42. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
4. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
5. "Rocklist.net...Steve Parker...Dave Thompson Lists..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
6. Christgau, Robert (31 May 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
7. "Top Albums & Tapes – Week Ending April 2, 1983". Record Mirror. 2 April 1983. ISSN 0144-5804 – via ChartArchive. N.B. The Official Charts Company site lists an inaccurate peak for the album, due to the chart for the week it peaked being a duplication of the prior week's chart, when the album was at number 8.
8. "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for 'Bananarama' (from bpi.co.uk)". imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
9. Mehler, Mark (June 1983). "In Which Bananarama Asserts they Are 'Voices with Ideas'". Record. 2 (8): 6.
10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 26. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6272a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
12. "Bananarama Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2020.