# Deep Sea Skiving

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The Baltimore Sun | |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| Record Mirror | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Smash Hits | 4/10 |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 |
| Stylus Magazine | A |
| The Village Voice | B− |
Deep Sea Skiving is the debut studio album by the English pop group Bananarama, released on 7 March 1983 by London Records. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
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 it included several bonus tracks, consisting of B-sides, remixes and a 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." Despite this, Jolley & Swain would be brought back as producers for Bananarama's next two studio albums.

## Track listing

Standard edition
* "Shy Boy" – 3:16 (Steve Jolley, Tony Swain) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
* "Doctor Love" – 3:42 (Paul Weller) produced by Barry Blue
* "What a Shambles" – 3:34 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Terry Sharpe) produced by Barry Blue
* "Really Saying Something" – 2:45 (Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Edward Holland Jr.) produced by Dave Jordan
* "Cheers Then" – 3:31 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Terry Sharpe, John Martin) produced by Barry Blue
* "Aie a Mwana" – 3:36 (Jean Kluger, Daniel Vangarde, Joseph Avion) produced by Big John Martin and Little Paul Cook, remixed by John Luongo
* "Young at Heart" – 3:13 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Robert Hodgens) produced by Barry Blue; piano arranged by John Martin
* "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – 3:30 (Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
* "Hey Young London" – 3:55 (Barry Blue, Stan Shaw, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Barry Blue
* "Boy Trouble" – 3:14 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward) produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain
* "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.)
Japanese version
* "He's Got Tact" – 2:57 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
2007 CD re-issue bonus tracks
* "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" – 4:24 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Vaughn Cotillard)
* "Girl About Town" – 3:28 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
* "He's Got Tact" – 2:57 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
* "Tell Tale Signs" – 3:08 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward)
* "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
* "He's Got Tact" – 2:59
* "Girl About Town" – 3:13
* "Tell Tale Signs" – 3:15
* "No Feelings" – 2:33
* "Aie a Mwana" (Extended Version) – 5:45
* "Really Saying Something" (Extended Version) – 5:39
* "Shy Boy" (12" Mix) – 5:50
* "Cheers Then" (Extended Version) – 5:18
* "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" (12" Version) – 4:52
Disc 2
* "Aie a Mwana" (7" Version) – 3:48
* "Really Saying Something" (U.S. 7" Mix) – 3:46
* "Shy Boy" (U.S. 7" Mix) – 3:35
* "No Feelings" (Alternative Mix) 2:35
* "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" – 2:45
* "Boy Trouble" (Extended Version) – 4:20
* "Girl About Town" (Extended Version) – 5:31
* "Tell Tale Signs" (Extended Version) – 4:45
* "Aie a Mwana" (U.S. Extended Version) – 6:45
* "Really Saying Something" (U.S. Extended Version) – 7:54
* "Shy Boy" (U.S. Extended Version) – 7:20
* "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" (Extended Version) – 4:23
* "Aie a Mwana" (U.S. Dub) – 4:38
* "Shy Boy" (U.S. Dub) – 9:23
* "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) (Na Dub Hey) – 4:12
* "Aie a Mwana" (Dubwana) – 3:40
DVD
* "Really Saying Something" – Directed by Midge Ure & Chris Cross
* "Shy Boy" – Directed by Midge Ure & Chris Cross
* "Cheers Then" – Directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan
* "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – Directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan
* "Really Saying Something" – performance on Top of the Pops
* "Shy Boy" – performance on 6.55 Special
* "Boy Trouble" – performance on 6.55 Special
* "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" – performance on Saturday Superstore

## Personnel

Bananarama
* Sara Dallin – vocals
* Siobhan Fahey – vocals
* Keren Woodward – vocals
Technical
* John Mackswith, Squid Palmer – engineer
* Peter Barrett – design
* Bay Hippisley – photography

## Charts

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