The Happy Mondays were a fun
dance band from the late 80's and early 90's. They were one of the leaders of the
Madchester scene, a style of music that mixed rock and rave culture. Unlike
The Stone Roses, who put simple pop to understated beats, the Mondays stole hooks and
melodies, much like hip-hop samples. Also unlike the Roses, the Mondays were
thugs, with lyrics about
hard drugs and
kinky sex. Lead singer
Shaun Ryder gained fame with their second album,
Bummed, but they hit their stride and peak with the 1990 masterpiece,
Pills, Thrills, and Bellyaches. After that, they moved to Barbados, and Ryder smoked around 50 crack rocks a day, stole the master tapes, and then released them. That album was
Yes Please!, which was dull, sluggish
dance-pop, and it didn't help that
Tina Weymouth and
Chris Frantz stripped away Ryder's thuggish edge, whereas
Paul Oakenfold merely stuck with funky collage on
Pills.... Ryder broke the band up, and surprisingly enough, reappeared fit and healthy in
Black Grape, another dance band.
Teiresias says re: Happy Mondays: Might be worth pointing out that Ryder held the Yes.,Please masters to ransom as he'd run out of cash, he demanded £20,000 for more crack, or he'd burn them .... it worked though
Wild stuff, kids!