Crust History - Madchester Mix

http://rcpt.yousendit.com/920007077/7afcd177ed54259454c76a6e8cb1285c

The Fall "The Classical" 1982

Phuture "Slam" 1986

New Order "All the Way" 1988

Public Enemy "Don't Believe the Hype" 1988

Stone Roses "Elephant Stone" 1988

Charlatans UK "Sproston Green" 1990

The Happy Mondays "Kinky Afro" 1990

808 State "Pacific 202" 1988

Inspiral Carpets "Caravan" 1991

Charlatans UK "The Only One I Know" 1990

Stone Roses "What the World is Waiting For" 1989

Northside "Take 5" 1991

Flowered Up "Doris...is a Little Bit Partial" 1991

The Farm "Groovy Train" 1991

Charlatans UK "Wierdo" 1992

Happy Mondays "Step On" 1990

Stone Roses "Love Spreads" 1994

This is a mix of rock and electronic music coming out of Manchester, England from mainly 1988 - 1992. The 'Madchester' tag described bands who mixed rock and roll with Chicago house and beats jacked straight from late 80's hip hop. You've seen '24 Hour Party People' - this is the last era that the film depicts. And maybe the least important and interesting.

I was a little depressed re-listening to some the singles and albums and hearing how boring and silly a lot of the minor and later bands sounded. I laughed out loud listening to the Farm, Northside, and Flowered Up. It sounded revolutionary at 14! Their were 10's more bands that were absolutely terrifying that i didn't include. I was conflicted on whether to use the Milltown Brothers or the The Farm. The Farm clutched it with the opening lines of their hit "Groovy Train":

'Saw you walking down our street.
Well you, looked quite neat!'

Sweet jesus. Also, does the Farm have their own street? Not anymore, I bet.

Largely, this music did not age very well - I tried to focus with on tracks that did. The Happy Mondays first 3 records, particularly the 3rd, held up well. Shaun Ryder, writes great, shit-head urban characters and the arrangements are loose, funky and smart. In "Kinky Afro" the drug dealer narrator addresses his son, telling him that he only banged the kids Mother "... cause she's filthy."

The Charlatans UK were concise and distilled the Stone Roses sound down to the most easily repeatable dynamics (and man were they repeated). Their debut has aged well and still sounds crisp and propulsive. I still like the Pete Towsend windmilling in "Sproston Green." Who wants to form a band and just cover their first singles? - I would.

If you haven't heard the Stone Roses self-titled album, please check it out. I used only non-album singles by the Stone Roses here as not to interfere with THE WHOLE FIRST ALBUM IN ORDER. This "Elephant Stone" is the one that Peter Hook from New Order produced, not the album version. John Squire's plays about a million different melodic phrases that keep changing and spiraling around, not unlike the subtle variety produced by cranking the reverb knob on an arpeggiated synth line in house music. And I ended with a later Roses track, "Love Spreads" because no band should be allowed to re-appropriate LZ unless the song's lyrics mix feminism with loose religious imagery….

Oh, the first few songs by The Fall, Phuture, New Order, and Public Enemy are intended to set the scene. These are a few touch points commonly mentioned (many band interviews mention Public Enemy) in articles about Manchester and U.K. music from the time. The looped break beat from "D.B.T.H." seems to have been ripped off about a million times (also, how heavy it lies in the mix), thus choosing such an obvious choice of a Public Enemy track. I was mostly trying to find stuff you guys have not heard (if that's possible), but needed the best example here. Also the New Order track from the brilliant "Technique", the tape I remember last buying just before The Stone Roses made its way to Strawberry's…

I will hopefully drop a proper mix later this week too.