Product Description

Raves were the backdrop to life in late '80s Britain and the most prominently featured band on the soundtrack were the Happy Mondays. They crashed onto the scene (six years into their career) with their first album, SQUIRREL AND G-MAN TWENTY FOUR HOUR PARTY PEOPLE PLASTIC FACE CAN'T SMILE (WHITE OUT)-a title which speaks for itself really.
BUMMED, the follow-up, produced by the Manchester-based producer Martin Hannett, was a further step in the direction of total Madchester domination. Strangely, however, the Happy Mondays weren'tabout the feel-good, ecstasy-fueled good times that most associated with the scene at the time. They were the seedy underbelly of the scene--the thugs, if you will. They stole musical ideas from everyone (note: "Lazy Itis" owes a debt to "Ticket to Ride") and singer Shaun Rider alienated everyone by issuing careless, homophobic statements to the press. But for awhile the Mondays were on top. Listen to BUMMED to findout why.

Track Listing

1. Country Song
2. Moving In With
3. Mad Cyril
4. Fat Lady Wrestlers
5. Performance
6. Brain Dead
7. Wrote For Luck
8. Bring A Friend
9. Do It Better
10. Lazyitis

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7549 in Music
• Released on: 2000-01-04
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Another Factory Milestone
The Mondays' second LP is memorable as it sees the return of Martin Hannett to the Factory fold on production duties. Hannett had previously produced the two Joy Division albums with devestating effects. He conjures up mixed results here, while The Mondays may have progressed significantly since their debut the sound here is strangely claustrophobic and murky.

As for the songs Country Song, Moving in With and Lazyitis are great efforts while Mad Cyril, Performance, Wrote For Luck and Do It Better are classics. The remaining three Fat Lady Wrestlers, Brain Dead and Bring A Friend are a bit run of the mill but by no means bad. This album swaggers and is so care free it could have only come out on Factory Records.

EXCELLENT IN PLACES
This is a great album if not quite up to the masterpiece of Pills n'thrills. Moving In With, Lazyitis and Wrote For Luck are classics -in factWrote For Luck for me is far superior here in its originalguitar-bass-drums form than the dancey remix made later on by Oakenfold etal.
It amazes me that Shaun Ryder can get away with inserting a chorusof "turkey lurkey, goosey loosey" etc etc and get away with it withoutsounding forced and this is part of the Happy Mondays feel.
A scuzzy sleazy gem of an album from the best Madchester band.

The other good Mondays album...
Taking their name from New Order's 'Blue Monday' (actually poking fun at that song), the Happy Mondays literally invented Madchester before the Roses, Oasis or anyone else appeared on the scene. Reading about the Monday's little adventures on holiday or on tour is always a delight - a rock and roll band that actually railed against normal rock music.

This album is packed with huge drums, reverb soaked guitars and funky basslines that are guaranteed to light up the day. If that wasn't enough, Shaun ("the Poet") Ryder's lyrics are hilarious, delivered in a kind of sneer not seen since Johnny Rotten hung up his safety pins.

And how can you beat songs like 'Performance', 'Brain Dead' and (especially) 'Wrote for Luck'? Well...you could go and release something like 'Pills 'n Thrills 'n Bellyaches' I suppose...thats how great the Mondays were. If you want three classic albums, pick up this, 'Pills 'n Thrills' and Black Grape's 'It's Great When You're Straight, Yeah!' - proof that Ryder & co should be viewed as the saviors of music that they rightfully were.

...Well, maybe not Bez...