Song 16 – A song you used to love but now hate... – ‘Step On’ – Happy Mondays
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| Happy Mondays |
The Happy Mondays were part of the ‘Madchester’ scene that was the first scene I hooked onto as a teenager. Their second album ‘Bummed’ was a much sought after copied tape (being unobtainable in Doncaster’s record shops) and it’s still a fairly weird and wonderful free-wheeling helter-skelter ride of strange rhythms, riffing guitars and sing-song rhymes. It was an album that didn’t sound like much else, at least to my untutored teenaged tabs. ‘Wrote For Luck’ from ‘Bummed’ was the first track that crossed over, scraping the bottom reaches of the top 40 before the ‘Madchester’ EP gave the movement its name and the group their first appearance on Top of the Pops.
‘Step On’ was the first single from their third album ‘Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches’. I’ve the 12” of it kicking around somewhere. It’s much more of a full on dance record, the guitars relegated to a supporting role. It’s a big fun party record. So why do I hate it?
I suppose I heard it one too many times at one too many discos. It still gets wheeled out regularly at any Indie shindig you care to attend and I’m so tired of hearing it. I also have to be honest and say I’m a lot less in love with Mondays that I used to be. What seemed crazy antics from a bunch of lovable rogues (very much the NME portrayal of the early Mondays) now looks like a bunch of out of control chancers who’d be no fun to spend any time with. Take the music away from them and they’d be people you’d really want to avoid.
‘Bummed’ is still a fine record though and I’ll dance to ‘Wrote for Luck’ anytime you want to play it!
David Millington
16th April 2011
Nottingham
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