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However, one band that I've liked, but never really obsessed about, are the Happy Mondays. Personally, I've always been wary of Shaun Ryder, and Tony Wilson's portrayal of him as the 'greatest poet since Yeats' (although Bez on the other hand, has been something of a personal hero since his stint on The Sunday Show), and much like the mid-90's Blur/Oasis divide (of which I was in the latter camp), when it came to a choice between the Roses and the Mondays, I always went for Ian Brown and friends. However, age and hindsight are wonderful things, and once investigating their later work in the form of Bummed and Pills 'N' Thrills 'N' Bellyaches, I came across their debut release Squirrel And G-Man... after hearing the shamelessly dionysian '24 Hour Party People' in the film of the same name. What surprised me straight away is the fact that John Cale (!) produced the album - what must the meeting of the aformentioned Shaun William Ryder and the former Velvet Underground avant-garde been like? Another surprise comes in the form of Ryder's voice - it's hardly Pavarotti on the later albums, but here we've got Salford karaoke at it's worst. Harsh, gobby and in need of his throat clearing, Ryder doesn't as much sing, as threaten vocally. The music though, is definitely something to behold - the band forming dance rhythms around Paul Ryder's bass which funky as it is relentless. The signs of the Monday's later work are all there but the feel here is detached from that of the poppier 'Step On' and 'Kinky Afro' - and here we have sparser sounds, reflective of band favourites New Order in their earlier work, rather than the atmospheric sense that 'Loose Fit' and 'Hallelujah' try to impose, a sound more Post-Punk than Indie-Dance. For an album that is regularly overlooked, Squirrel And G-Man... certainly has its strong points, a credible album in it's own right and shows the Happy Mondays as worthy musicians, rather than the chancers in the right place at the right time that most people's opinions seem to show. Anyone who listens to a track such as 'Tart Tart' and not find its rolling rhythm and beat compelling are not in their right minds. Give it a listen, you'll be impressed. Amir Arezoo, April 2005 Heard this, want more? Try: New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies Happy Mondays - Bummed The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace
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