Deep Sea Skiving

Deep Sea Skiving is the debut studio album by the English pop group Bananarama, released on 7 March 1983 by London Records.

Deep Sea Skiving
Studio album by Bananarama
Released	7 March 1983 (1983-03-07)
Recorded	August 1981 – May 1982
Studio	Red Bus (Marylebone) Utopia (Primrose Hill)
Genre	New wave[1] synth-pop[2] post-punk[3]
Length	37:57
Label	London
Producer	Barry Blue Paul Cook Jolley & Swain Dave Jordan John Martin
Bananarama chronology
Deep Sea Skiving (1983) Bananarama (1984)
Singles from Deep Sea Skiving
"Aie a Mwana" Released: 28 September 1981 "Really Saying Something" Released: 29 March 1982 "Shy Boy" Released: 21 June 1982 "Cheers Then" Released: 22 November 1982 "He's Got Tact" Released: 1982 (Japan only) "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" Released: 14 February 1983

The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart^[4] and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).^[5]

Background and recording

Two tracks on Deep Sea Skiving, "Really Saying Something" and "Aie a Mwana", were drawn from previously recorded singles. After hearing the Imagination song "Body Talk" (1981) and being impressed by its "slinky" sound, Bananarama sought to work with the song's producers, Jolley & Swain.^[6] On their first meeting with the group at Red Bus Studios in Marylebone, Jolley & Swain presented Bananarama with a song in the vein of Motown girl groups called "Big Red Motorbike", which after being rewritten at the behest of the group, who disliked its lyrics, would become "Shy Boy".^[6] Bananarama recorded two more tracks, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and "Boy Trouble", with Jolley & Swain producing,^[7] and recorded the rest of the album at Utopia Studios in Primrose Hill with producer Barry Blue.^[6] Siobhan Fahey attributed the change in producers to the group's desire to record more of their own compositions, explaining, "[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."^[8] Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward nonetheless acknowledged Jolley & Swain's role in helping the group hone their songwriting and arrangement skills,^[6][3] and the duo would be brought back as producers for Bananarama's next two studio albums, Bananarama (1984) and True Confessions (1986).

Writing about Deep Sea Skiving in 1983, Los Angeles Times critic Terry Atkinson said that Bananarama "mix the old Motown/Spector 'girl group' approach with the modern African rhythms and new-wave effervescence that were popularized, in part, by the female-led Bow Wow Wow."^[1] Stereogum's Robbie Daw later wrote that the album "stood out as a synth-pop and 1960s girl group hybrid",^[2] while Classic Pop's Mark Lindores described its sound as "falling somewhere between the Slits and the Supremes" and noted that Bananarama "blended the notion of the classic girl groups of the 60s and the DIY ethos of the punk scene that spawned them".^[9]

Release

The album's front cover depicts Bananarama swimming with fish underwater, wearing black tunics they had sewn themselves.^[6] The inner sleeve of the vinyl release contains numerous photos of the group, several of them in childhood.

As part of a reissue series covering Bananarama's first six studio albums, Deep Sea Skiving was re-released on CD on 19 March 2007 by Rhino Records with several bonus tracks.^[10] The six albums were reissued again by Edsel Records on 28 October 2013, each as a double-CD set with an accompanying DVD.^[11] The London label reissued the albums on CD on 20 July 2018, and on coloured vinyl and cassette on 30 November 2018.^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
The Baltimore Sun	[14]
Classic Pop	[15]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[16]
Record Mirror	[17]
Rolling Stone	[18]
Smash Hits	4/10[19]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[20]
Stylus Magazine	A[21]
The Village Voice	B−[22]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Chris Connelly praised Deep Sea Skiving as sounding "like a great party" even without overt "conviction" or "soul", and commented, "Bananarama aren't the type to sing 'Come See About Me': they're hot stuff, they know it, and if you don't, that's your problem."^[18] Observing "a lot of promise here", Record Mirror's Jim Reid highlighted Bananarama's "charm and vivacity" and complimented their self-penned songs, while suggesting that their craft would improve over time through "extensive live work and a more considered stab at songwriting".^[17] Beverley Hillier of Smash Hits, however, said that "their identity is totally overshadowed by that of the different producers and songwriters ... while their vocals are dull and monotonous."^[19]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Stewart Mason deemed Deep Sea Skiving "Bananarama's finest album by far, and an underappreciated pop gem of its era", writing that the group "were unashamedly poppy, but they had enough artistic credibility to create a debut album that, barring a couple of small missteps, actually works as an album instead of a collection of singles with some filler."^[13] Record Collector's Rob Hughes described it as an album of "mischievous post-punk pop" which "scrambled preconceived ideas of what an all-girl band could be: post-punks with a pop vision and strong DIY aesthetic."^[3]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Shy Boy"	Steve Jolley Tony Swain	Jolley Swain	3:16
2.	"Doctor Love"	Paul Weller	Barry Blue	3:42
3.	"What a Shambles"	Sara Dallin Siobhan Fahey Keren Woodward Terry Sharpe	Blue	3:34
4.	"Really Saying Something"	Norman Whitfield Edward Holland Jr. William "Mickey" Stevenson	Dave Jordan	2:45
5.	"Cheers Then"	Dallin Fahey Woodward Sharpe John Martin	Blue	3:31
6.	"Aie a Mwana"	Jean Kluger Daniel Vangarde	Martin Paul Cook	3:36
7.	"Young at Heart"	Dallin Fahey Woodward Robert Hodgens	Blue	3:13
8.	"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"	Gary DeCarlo Dale Frashuer Paul Leka	Jolley Swain	3:30
9.	"Hey Young London"	Blue Stan Shaw Dallin Fahey Woodward	Blue	3:55
10.	"Boy Trouble"	Dallin Fahey Woodward	Jolley Swain	3:14
11.	"Wish You Were Here"	Dallin Fahey Woodward	Blue	3:41
Total length:				37:57

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
4.	"He's Got Tact"	Dallin Fahey Woodward	2:57
Total length:			40:54

Notes

• The original US LP edition omits "Aie a Mwana" and has a slightly altered running order.
• The original Japanese LP edition positions "He's Got Tact" between "What a Shambles" and "Really Saying Something".

2007 CD reissue bonus tracks

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

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 four bars just before the instrumental break (roughly 1:45–1:59), than the original vinyl 7" version (3:10).

2013 deluxe edition CD/DVD reissue – Disc one bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
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

2013 deluxe edition CD/DVD reissue – Disc two

No.	Title	Length
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

2013 deluxe edition CD/DVD reissue – DVD

1. "Really Saying Something" – music video (directed by Midge Ure and Chris Cross)
2. "Shy Boy" – music video (directed by Midge Ure and Chris Cross)
3. "Cheers Then" – music video (directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan)
4. "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – music video (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

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[7]

Bananarama

• Sara Dallin – vocals
• Siobhan Fahey – vocals
• Keren Woodward – vocals

Production

• Barry Blue – production
• Paul Cook (credited as "Little Paul Cook") – production
• Steve Jolley – production
• Dave Jordan – production
• John Luongo – remixing ("Aie a Mwana")
• John Mackswith – engineering
• John Martin (credited as "Big John Martin") – production, piano arrangement ("Young at Heart")
• Squid Palmer – engineering (assistance)
• Tony Swain – production

Design

• Peter Barrett – design
• Bay Hippisley – photography

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[23]	85
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[24]	48
UK Albums (OCC)[4]	7
US Billboard 200[25]	63

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[5]	Silver	60,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.