Happy Mondays - Bummed (CD 2005)

Happy Mondays are probably the band who best reflect Factory Records- shambolic, brilliant, unique and short-lived. The best reflection of the 'image' of Factory are New Order (in a Peter Saville sleeve)- shiny, modern, ironic, aloof, genre-blending, poppy and alternative. This Cd is the middle of what is the golden period of the Mondays- 24 Hour Party People... came before, Pills And Thrills came after. All three are worth having. Bummed has some cracking tracks- Do It Better and Wrote For Luck my faves, but the songs here benefit from being listened to on this album rather than on a best of compilation. There are some country-ish, slower numbers, some white-out guitar funk and some classic Shaun Ryder lyrics. Moving In With, Mad Cyril, Brain Dead, Fat Lady Wrestlers..all great.