You all know this, it is one of the seminal albums of the 80s and the catalyst for the whole ‘Madchester’ scene.
There is a lot to love about this album from its iconic cover to the sheer number of 24-carat, ocean-going, fur-lined bangers it includes.
‘I Wanna Be Adored’, She Bangs The Drum’, ‘Waterfall’, ‘Made Of Stone’, ‘I Am The Resurrection’. This is a repress of the record released in Britain, if you can get your hands on a US version it also includes ‘Elephant Stone’ and ‘Fools Gold’!
That is just the singles, then there are the likes of ‘Bye Bye Badman’, ‘(Songs For My) Sugar Spun Sister’ and ‘There Is The One’ which are also probably good enough to have been released too.
It is an almost perfect album (almost, ‘Don’t Stop’ gets on my wick, ‘Shoot You Down’ never hit the spot for me) which, considering it is their debut record, makes it even more impressive.
We went to see them in Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium a few years ago and, in a haze of overpriced beer and nostalgia, they were fabulous.
Reviewing some of the videos I took the next day revealed that Ian Brown couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket live but that didn’t spoil the gig, the songs were good enough to save Brown from himself.
If you haven’t heard this album then:
a) Where have you been for the last 34 years (Christ, I feel old)!
b) Go buy it/stream it/download it immediately!
It is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time by critics, you know what, they are right.
Tracks To Try: Any of the singles, in fact, try any track including ‘Don’t Stop’ - who knows, you might like ‘Waterfall’ played backwards with Brown spouting bobbins over it!!! 😉