Black Grape- Fat Neck (1996)

A tribute to Mondays/ Black Grape associate Karl Power, the bloke who lined up for team photos with Manchester United ,walked out to bat for England in an Ashes Test match, took Schumacher's place on a Grand Prix podium and knocked up in Wimbledon before a Henman match.
Johnny Marr features on guitar.
The single made it to number 10 in the UK charts.
1. Fat Neck
2. Yeah Yeah Brother (Outlaw Josie Wales Mix)
3. Pretty Vacant (live on TFI Friday, 22 Mar 96)

http://d01.megashares.com/dl/wbFPCNe/bgfn.rar

Black Grape- Stupid Stupid Stupid (1997)

Everybody should have a copy of Black Grape's debut album It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah , though I didn't play mine for some time due to strong assosciations with mania and alcoholism. This, their second and last album was somewhat overlooked. There's a couple of belters on here.

 http://d01.megashares.com/dl/wp0fKoX/Black Grape.part1.rar
http://d01.megashares.com/dl/o8UZcuN/Black Grape.part2.rar

Homage to M. Gainsbourg: Black Grape- A Big Day in the North (1995), Serge Gainsbourg- Initials B.B (1968)

Shaun William Ryder - Amateur Night In The Big Top (2003)

Shaun Ryder is a former newpaper columnist and reality TV hearthrob whose writing was once described by Anthony H Wilson as being 'on a par with WB Yeats'.
I loved the Happy Mondays in the late 80's and when I was aflame with hedonisim in the 90's Black Grape provided the soundtrack to the alcopop flavoured haze of mania.
I think it's fair to say that even though Shaun is a national treasure, a lot of people don't even know this record was ever released. More than have heard of Paul's record with Astrella Celeste tho...

 http://d01.megashares.com/dl/yJk8xBN/Shaun William Ryder Amateur Night At The Big Top.rar

Happy Mondays- Freaky Dancin' 12" (1986)

Another forgotten record from 'before they were famous'. Bernard Sumner from New Order producing (not a particularly succesful venture in my opinion- the funky bass gets buried in a rumbling muddy sound at times, and the clangy guitar only sporadically shines through, the overall effect is that there's a hell of a lot going on- this worked on later records like WFL).
I think this is the only place you can find The Egg- a cracking, funky track.
This is probably my best charity shop find for years.

Happy Mondays- Squirrel and G Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) (1987) + Desmond.

This, the Happy Mondays first LP is often overlooked. Some critics have described it as a false start. Shaun Ryder once said that the band were, at the time, modelling their sound on The Doors, making ‘music with gaps’, but he could have been having a laugh. The great John Cale produced. There is a tremendous energy and drive to the songs, and the bass is prominent and funky.
Initial copies of the album included the track Desmond, a re working of The Beatles’ Obla di, and legal action from the owners of that song’s copyright (namely Michael Jackson, proving what a cunt he was) forced the album’s withdrawal. Personally I’ve always thought of Desmond as one of the bands weaker tracks, and it was replaced by 24 Hour Party People- cheers Michael!

Shaun Ryder- vocals
Paul Ryder- bass
Mark Day- guitar
Gary Whelan- drums
Paul Davis- keyboards
Mark Berry- percussion

Here we have a CD rip:



And here is Desmond, ripped from the original vinyl album:

Happy Mondays- Peel Session 27th February 1989

This, I’m sure, could have been a recipe for disaster. The Mondays, however, came up with three storming numbers, Tart Tart from Squirrel and G Man… and Mad Cyril and Do it Better from Bummed.
On Mad Cyril they really take the Stones to the cleaners, at times it’s practically a cover of Sympathy For The Devil.
I don’t usually go in for hyperbole, but this is an indescribably good record from one of the greatest groups ever at the height of their powers.

Happy Mondays- Madchester Rave On EP (1989)

Part Mujahedin, part Mountain Rescue- Stuart Maconie
Sex and drugs and…
Dancing?
Yes, after ten years of Thatcher the working class youth of Britain abandoned themselves to the pursuit of pleasure, hi jacking the grooves that had driven Acid House.
With this as a soundtrack you could live with the hedonistic abandon of Mick Jagger in Performance in your one bedroom council flat…
After this no end of indie bands donned baggy trousers and adopted ‘dance rhythms’, but they were all pale imitations of these delightfully flawed geniuses.
To sum it all up: The Happy Mondays were as cool as fuck.

Happy Mondays- 45EP (1985)

Do I think the Mondays will go down in musical history? I couldn't give a fuck! -Shaun Ryder.
Is it really twenty one years since Bummed?
Salford’s finest had already been around for a while when the Madchester craze swept the country. They entered a Battle Of The Bands at The Hacienda nightclub. They came last but Tony Wilson signed them to Factory Records anyway.
Forty Five E.P. is their debut E.P. (it is often called the Delightful E.P. after its first track) released on Factory Records in 1985.
Notably, Vini Reilly (of The Durutti Column) was originally to produce the EP. After two hours in the studio, Reilly quit - he couldn't stand the band.
Shaun Ryder - vocals,
Paul Ryder - bass,
Mark Day- guitar
Paul Davis- keyboard
Gary Whelan-drums