Song Review: Roland Gift – “Everybody Knows It’s Christmas”

In November 2025, former Fine Young Cannibals vocalist Roland Gift released a new version of his song, “Everybody Knows It’s Christmas.”

http://aeschtunes.com/2025/11/28/song-review-roland-gift-everybody-knows-its-christmas/

#Music, #MusicReview, #RolandGift, #2020s, #2020sMusic, #Christmas, #ChristmasMusic, #HolidayMusic, #AeschTunes

Fine Young Cannibals, The Raw & The Cooked, 1988 on IRS Records / MCA

This was the second Fine Young Cannibals album following their self-titled debut. Roland Gift on vocals with the rhythm section of Andy Cox and David Steele (formerly of The Beat aka The English Beat).

Many of the songs on the LP had already appeared on film soundtracks including three from the Barry Levinson film Tin Men. Most well known would be “She Drives Me Crazy” which was a number 1 hit in the US.

My copy—via A1 Records in NYC—is a Columbia House Record Club pressing from Carrollton GA. (Note the CRC in the bottom right corner of the back sleeve).

#1980s #1988 #A1Records #AndyCox #CarrolltonGA #ColumbiaHouseRecordClub #DavidSteele #FineYoungCannibals #IRSRecords #MCA #NYC #RolandGift #TheBeat #TheEnglishBeat #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Well Belinda Carlisle was as awesome as expected last night. She might not have quite the reach for the high notes that she used to, but her voice still has that gorgeous vibrato and it's a pleasure to hear her singing.

Dancing across the stage barefoot and in a flowy black dress she obviously enjoyed belting out all her solo hits, plus Our Lips Are Sealed from the Go-Gos days (a song she dedicated to its writer, the late great Terry Hall). It didn't take long before the audience (mostly people of, ahem, a certain age) were up on our feet singing and dancing along.

And as a special bonus the unbilled support act was Roland Gift, whose voice is similarly still there and gave us 25 minutes of glorious FYC hits.

10/10 would concert again.

#BelindaCarlisle #RolandGift #80sMusic #GigReview

Fine Young Cannibals - I'm Not The Man I Used To Be (1989)

#45vinyl #fyc #fineyoungcannibals #imnotthemaniusedtobe #poprock #synthpop #1989 #1980s #80smusic #rolandgift #7inch #gxml

Wordpress - https://genxmusiclover.wordpress.com/2025/05/27/fine-young-cannibals-im-not-the-man-i-used-to-be/
Blogspot - https://genxmusiclover.blogspot.com/2025/05/fine-young-cannibals-im-not-man-i-used.html

Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy (1988)

#45vinyl #fineyoungcannibals #shedrivesmecrazy #1988 #1980s #80smusic #dancerock #funk #soul #pop #poprock #rolandgift #7inch #gxml

Wordpress - https://genxmusiclover.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/fine-young-cannibals-she-drives-me-crazy/
Blogspot - https://genxmusiclover.blogspot.com/2025/05/fine-young-cannibals-she-drives-me-crazy.html

🎧 Mood.

Elvis came to #RolandGift in a dream and told him to record this song, and it would be the best version ever.

He did. It is.

"Suspicious Minds"
#FineYoungCannibals (1985)

#EddieFM #Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13iMsGNUHFo&ab_channel=LondonRecords