Gourt Home::Gourt :: Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays is an alternative rock band formed in Manchester, England in 1985.
Overview
The band was fronted by Shaun Ryder, whom formed the band with his brother Paul Ryder, who played bass, and their friend Bez, who danced and played percussion, plus guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan. They have stated that the band name is a take on the title of New Order's timeless classic, "Blue Monday."
History
Manchester pop impresario Tony Wilson discovered the Mondays at a battle of the bands contest held at his Haçienda nightclub. The story goes that Wilson signed them to his label, Factory Records, even though they came in last. Their first album, Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out), debuted in 1987. A number of other albums followed, most of which were released in the United States on the Elektra Records label. By the late 1980s, the Happy Mondays were an important part of the Madchester music scene and personified rave culture. Shaun Ryder fought against a serious drugs problem which typified the scene and the era.
Musically, the band fused indie pop guitars with a rhythmic style that owed much to house music, techno and northern soul. Much of their music was remixed by popular DJs, emphasizing the dance influences even further. In terms of style and dress, they crossed hippy fashion and ideals with 1970s glamour. Sartorially and musically, the band helped to encourage the psychedelic revival associated with acid house. One of their most popular songs was "Lazyitis (One Armed Boxer)", featuring a surreal duet between Ryder and country music legend Karl Denver.
The Mondays disbanded in 1992, and Shaun Ryder and Bez formed Black Grape. Seven years passed, but in 1999 Happy Mondays reformed, minus Paul Davis and Mark Day. However, the reunion with a world tour and the release of a new single, "The Boys are Back in Town," was to be short-lived. The single sunk in the charts, reaching only number 30 in the UK singles chart, and with mixed reaction to the live shows, Shaun Ryder called it a day in 2000.
The band is featured in the 2002 movie 24 Hour Party People, with Danny Cunningham as Shaun Ryder. Paul Ryder had a cameo role as a gangster. However, 2004 saw another reformation, with Bez, Gary Whelan and Shaun Ryder (following an unsuccessful solo career). They released a live DVD that year, and rumours abounded that the band was recording a new album. The Mondays played a variety of festival dates in 2005 (including Glastonbury), capping it off with a concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena in their hometown.
A new single "Playground Superstar", from the soundtrack for the football film Goal! was released. The band were set to return to the studio to record their first new album in thirteen years. Shaun Ryder stated: "A playground superstar is sort of a ghetto kid. Usually young pirate DJs, you know? And they get the main slots in the playground. I was sort of that thing mixed in with all sorts of bollocks... There isn't really a reason why we should put it on the album now." However, none of this came to fruition.
In June 2006 the Mondays performed another one-off gig in Liverpool, although Paul Ryder was not present.
Quotations
"I grew up in New York in the Seventies, and I've seen a lot of people who live life on the edge, but I've never before seen a group of people who had no idea where the edge is." - Tina Weymouth on the Happy Mondays *
"Amazingly enough I could remember the songs, surprised me considering it took me six months to remember my name." - Shaun in an interview during the reunion in 2000 *
"Just a group of lads who liked making music, and smoking lots of ganja, that's all. Something to do." - Shaun in an interview in America in 1990.
Discography
Albums
- Forty Five E.P. (1985)
- Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) (1987)
- Bummed (1988)
- Madchester Rave On E.P. (1989) #19 UK
- Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990) #4 UK, #89 US
- Live (1991) #21 UK
- Baby Big Head Bootleg Album (1991)
- Yes Please! (1992) #14 UK
- Loads (1994)
- Greatest Hits (1992) #11 UK
- Step On (Recorded Live In Barcelona Dec. 2004) (2005)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
| UK Singles Chart | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Dance | |||
| 1989 | Lazyitis/One Armed Boxer | #85 | - | - | - | Bummed |
| 1989 | WFL (Wrote For Luck) | #68 | - | - | - | Bummed |
| 1990 | Step On | #5 | #57 | #9 | #13 | Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches |
| 1990 | The Peel Sessions | #79 | - | - | - | ?? |
| 1990 | Lazyitis - One Armed Boxer | #46 | - | - | - | WFL (Wrote for Luck) * |
| 1990 | Kinky Afro | #5 | - | #1 (1 week) | - | Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches |
| 1991 | Loose Fit | #17 | - | - | - | Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches |
| 1991 | Judge Fudge | #24 | - | - | - | Judge Fudge * |
| 1991 | Bob's Yer Uncle | - | - | #23 | #25 | Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches |
| 1992 | Stinkin Thinkin | #31 | - | #21 | #1 | Yes Please! |
| 1992 | Sunshine And Love | #62 | - | - | #5 | Yes Please! |
| 1999 | The Boys Are Back in Town Mix | #24 | - | - | - | Greatest Hits |
| 2005 | Playground Superstar | #51 | - | - | - | GOAL! |
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links
- Unofficial fan site of the band
- All Music Guide reference
- Biography from Prideofmanchester.com
- Singer Rowetta's web site
- Comprehensive timeline of the band
- Playground Superstar promo
Rock music groups | Alternative musical groups | House music groups | English musical groups | Music from Manchester, England | 1980s music groups | 1990s music groups | Peel Sessions artists
"Happy Mondays"