Fine Young Cannibals – The Raw & The Cooked

The Raw & the Cooked is the second and final studio album by British rock band Fine Young Cannibals, released in 1989. The title of the album was lifted from the book of the same name (“Le Cru et le Cuit” in French) by French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. Four songs from the album first appeared in film soundtracks in the mid-1980s, three of which were soul tracks from the Tin Men film. The band had already recorded over half of the album by the time David Z came to produce the remainder. His work with the band, which resulted in dance-rock material, included studio experimentation.

The album is considered to be an eclectic, varied album, taking influences from numerous genres including Motown soul, rock, funk, British beat and pop. Released in 1988–89 on I.R.S. Records, The Raw & the Cooked was a major commercial success, selling over three million copies. Numerous singles were released from the album, including the two US number one singles “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing”. The album was also critically acclaimed and Jo-Ann Greene of AllMusic called the album a masterpiece and one of the 1980s’ most exciting albums. A remixed version of the album entitled The Raw & the Remix was released in 1990.