The Raw & the Cooked cover

The Raw & the Cooked

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When Roland Gift played saxophone for a not-particularly-successful ska band in the early 1980s, he came to the attention of guitarist Andy Cox and bassist David Steele of the Beat. When that group imploded they invited him to join them to form Fine Young Cannibals — who promptly had a massive hit with “She Drives Me Crazy,” a pop song with perhaps the most recognizable snare drum sound in history. Gift’s weirdly powerful falsetto voice and Cox and Steele’s finely honed sense of groove powered songs like “I’m Not Satisfied” and “Good Thing” with a uniquely propulsive vibe.

Rick Anderson

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