[Closed] Happy Mondays

Genius, obviously.

I listened to [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04pd0rr ]Shaun on 6 Music[/url] back in January. I could listen to him all day.

Genius in thier day, baws now though.. however they marched their own tune to their own beat.. so....

Genius

Of their time, agreed. But revisiting has been great.

Genius

One redeeming feature is they really didn’t give much of a shite about anything other than making music they enjoyed, can’t really slag anyone off for that can you..

So..

Genius.

^ and enjoying the excesses that brought.:)

Saw them live countless times back in't day. Chaos or genius, you didn't know what you were going to get.

Black Grape in Blackpool was one of those "I was there" moment though. Utter bedlam!

Aye I saw Black Grape in Glasgow years ago, it was properly mental. Could have gone either way.

Depending on what night you get them on, genius or absolutely unlistenable! Seen them live loads of times and it's about 50/50. Their Saturday night headlining set at Glastonbury was utterly and completely shambolic. They were more out of it than anyone else there! And in 1990 that was some bloody boast! 😀

Shaun was the greatest songwriter of his generation

[i]Son, I'm thirty. I only went with your mother cos she's dirty![/i]

Is the best opening line ever written

Hallelujah EP would still make my shortlist of all time best things ever recorded, ever, by anyone! Utter genius!

Genius for a a few years upto about 1990 drug addled mess into long period of bawls and sort of reemerging a few years ago.

A saw them in 2000, it was genuinely sad to see Rowetta trying to hold it together whilst Shaun slurred and staggered around.

"bless my cotton socks i'm in the news"

this is best opening line ever

Nah,

"With the money from her accident she bought herself a mobile home" will never be beaten.

Genius for me, as above have seen them many times and they are a bit hit and miss, Match of the Day at Elland Road they were awesome, looking forward to seeing them this winter. Also, second here for the opening line of Kinky Afro being the best opening line ever.

In honour of Can (true groundbreaking genius) I declare the Happy Mondays 'inspired'.

In true Brit fashion, they took a rare foreign delicacy and then reproduced it for mass consumption in a dirty, lumpen, knocked-up, half-arsed fashion. Glorious. Like balti and chips spilled down a bouncing builder's bum-crack and set on fire.

Halleluhwah for that.

.

Shaun Ryder is one of the greatest lyricist's englands ever been blessed with. Chaotic, but genius.

[i]Of their time[/i]

Like ALL music! but doesn't stop people reminiscing about any old shite.
Mondays were awesome. Even Uncle Disfunctional.

Of their time

Like ALL music! but doesn't stop people reminiscing about any old shite.

Generally true. Yet I love that (occasionally) some music surfaces that is more 'timeless'. Almost to the point where you wouldn't be able to place it except when looking back decades ahead and yet still only be able to guess within a number of decades, rather than a single decade. Can's 'Tago Mago' LP is a case in point. I would challenge anyone unfamiliar with Can to listen cold to 'Halleluhwah' and guess that it was recorded in 1972. It's so unlike contemporary popular music of the same time.

A few others come to mind, I would date them '20th-21st Centuries'

Philip Glass
Popol Vuh
Steve Reich

Harry_the_Spider - Member
Nah,

"With the money from her accident she bought herself a mobile home" will never be beaten.

Shaun is a brilliant lyricist and hugely entertaining. Usually just calls it in these days though - saw him doing Dare with Gorrilaz earlier this year (ok, it's not like he has to do much on it) but he really couldn't be arsed.

that is not even my favourite lyric from Bragg or that album

Never saw them live, for those that did - do you feel the records really captured them at their best (or better)?

It was the Oakenfold or Weatherall remixes that I really loved - but always had the feeling they mostly hadn't been produced quite right as a band. That they might have been better doing longer jam-style stuff (like Can).

Never saw them live, for those that did - do you feel the records really captured them at their best (or better)?

The recording of 24 Hour Party People is probably the closest to what they're like live. Just the right side of shambolic, in a really, really brilliant way. Obviously when you're sailing that close to the line, it doesn't take much for you to cross it

I love the remixed stuff, but the Mondays were never ever even close to being that polished live. Nor would you want them to be

Bummed is an amazing album despite some very dubious lyrics. For me it's the best album by far of the Madchester period. Martin Hannet was a fantastic producer and like his Joy Division albums it still sounds fresh today.

Their gig at Leeds Uni refectory in December 1989 is in my top 5 of all time.

Wouldn't bother seeing them now.

[i]Can
Philip Glass
Popol Vuh
Steve Reich[/i]

Not really operating in the same areas of music as the Mondays or whatever else I'm referring to though, obviously.

Oh great a Mondays thread! Probably my favourite band. It's a shame that a lot of people only know them for melon twisting and calling cops. I think they got worse as they went on but I still love all of their stuff.

Genius lyrics. Absolutely stupendous basslines - Paul Ryder is a bass GOD. Super-infectious dance inducing grooves.

...and the best thing, they never even appeared to try or give the slightest t*ss about what anyone thought.

Best lyrics:
[i]
'You're rendering that scaffolding dangerous'[/i]

and

[i]'No comedians'[/i]

and

[i]'You see that Jesus is a c**t and never helped you with a thing that you do, or you done'[/i]

I still hope that one day they will get together again in a darkened room with a four track and come out with something new.

One of those pieces of Mondays bonkersness I had the pleasure of witnessing

Greatness...

The way Shaun's and Karl Denver's voices go together but shouldn't.. still amazing. Still brilliant. Timeless 😆
Wa wa wa wa wa wa wa all the way home...

genious

Paul Ryder turned up at my old works once selling books on reception.

This gave me the idea to start a rumour that our CNC Milling Machine was being services by the former lead singer of Terrorvision. Which in turn led to people going onto the factory floor to stare at some poor guy whilst he tinkered with a PLC panel.

Videos eh? I'll have this one

Bassline from heaven....

Genius.
Saw them last year they were excellent. Audience were a car crash at the end though. Great night.

Ah, a load of blokes in their mid 40's reliving their youth - genius for me. Always great once in a while listening to the relevant music of my formative years in the 80's. Which is why I glaze over when people start banging on about the likes of Queen 🙂 Thought the Monday's period would never end, which of course it did, quickly.

I'm in my late 40s.

Carry on.

Saw them at Kendal calling this year. They were properly entertaining.

Never saw them BITD, but have done a couple of times recently, unbelievably tight, and great fun.

had the fortune or seeing them a few times and most of the time they were fantastic. the one time they were truly awful was when I think they reformed just for Shaun to pay a big tax bill. If I recall correctly only half the original band were in the line up and he needed the help of both male and female backing singers.

At the risk of throwing a spanner in the works I saw Black Grape just as many times as the Mondays and thought they were equally good if not better!

Genius buuuut also shit

The combination is the appeal

Ryder can do lyrics though, no doubt about that

And as for making a career on shaking maracas...... well we all would if we could

I went to one Black Grape gig and Bez didn't come out for the first few songs, when he did eventually appear the crowd went (even more) crazy. Couldn't explain it but he actually did make a difference?

I love them and they were 'Madchester' a term Shaun said they all hated. Shauns book is a really entertaining read and hes had some life. They are musically brilliant and Shauns lyrics are brilliantly childish. Strange to think of the millions the Stone Roses in the last few years to how hand to mouth Shaun and the Mondays have been. If you can find it try and watch the Happy Mondays documentary in Panama , Its kind of toungue in cheek but also shows wwhat talented musicians they are.