You might recall that last Thursday I wrote a list of some of my favourite artists, that I thought I would discuss on this day of the week, as this blog progresses. The list was:
The Beatles
Def Leppard
Marillion
Dodgy
Mansun
Gene
ELO
Queen
Dire Straits
REM
U2
Genesis
I suppose, if I were to publish a starting 11 (plus one substitute) this would be the team of my fave bands in the entire world, like ever and stuff! I can then break them down into the following groups:
Early-doors (into music from mid-1980s onwards - a lot of influence from my father):
The Beatles
Def Leppard
ELO
Queen
Developed as the years progressed through my teens towards Uni:
Dire Straits
REM
U2
Genesis
Marillion
Dodgy
Uni days and onwards:
Mansun
Gene
If I were to actually give these as a top 12, I would go for the following (and this is tough, but you know us boys do like to classify things):
1. The Beatles
2. Marillion
3. Def Leppard
4. Dodgy
5. Gene
6. U2
7. Genesis
8. Dire Straits
9. REM
10. Queen
11. ELO
12. Mansun
Apart from #1 (The Beatles), which went on first, this chart was very much easier to build from the bottom up. And it only really became difficult from #8 - once I'd placed REM, Queen, ELO (Electric Light Orchestra, for those who didn't realise) and Mansun, the seven I was left with were a bit of fun to mull over.
The real fun began when I had the following four for places #2-5:
Def Leppard
Marillion
Dodgy
Gene
You could break these down into two groups - Def/Marillion being the more die-hard fan, and Dodgy/Gene being that pre-Uni/through-Uni phase of liking (no, loving) the underdog bands (I was never, ever, really a Blur or Oasis fan).
Funnily enough, it was at this moment that I realised I was missing a band - Radiohead. Did Radiohead mean less to me than Mansun? There is no doubt that I put the list together last Thursday relatively quickly. Who else was I missing? For the time being, Radiohead would have to go in at #13, and look for redemption at another time...
So, Gene was eventually put in at #5, and Dodgy (a tougher one this, as I have always adored this band, everything they stood for, their musical diversity - you'l hear more on this later on...) at #4. Leaving two giants, after my absolute love of The Beatles - Def Leppard (stop sniggering at the back) and Marillion (I mean it, kill the laughter).
Why do I like these two bands so much? Well, I'll go into more detail in a later week, but the first album I ever bought was Hysteria (Def Leppard) and Marillion have been one of those bands that I have followed consistently - I just love so many of their songs!
So, if we take the above chart, and work our way from the bottom (leaving Radiohead aside for the moment - we will bring them into discussion at another time, perhaps closer to where they should be in the league), we start today's discussion with MANSUN.
If you wanted to listen to them on spotify while reading this, I have put their back catalogue in the following collab playlist:
http://open.spotify.com/user/menoir16/playlist/71ZPy0U32W6JCScMfRLkvk
spotify:user:menoir16:playlist:71ZPy0U32W6JCScMfRLkvk
If I had to give three reasons why I love Mansun they would be:
* they're a highly experimental band - you can't define them
* their use of orchestration, as well as more traditional pop/alternative instrumentation
* their 1998 album, Six, I would have in my top 20 albums of all-time
They were also, I think, ahead of their time - if Mansun brought out their music now, I believe they would gain more success. This is a band that had more of a cult following than anything else.
I like any band that are willing to expand, experiment and grow within their music - I don't think Mansun felt constrained when it came to musical invention. However, in the end, it does seem like in-fighting, and bouts with their labels, did eventually bring them down. This to me shows emotion - without this, we wouldn't have the music from Mansun (and many other bands, before their subsequent break-ups) that we have.
Attack of the Grey Lantern was a more of a catchy-pop filled adventure than anything later, but it launched them. Wide Open Space is the one most people remember, reaching #15 in the UK Top 40 chart.
But is was with Six, released in 1998, that I feel Mansun showed their perfect 4 Aces hand:
The album flows from song-to-song effortlessly - it has to be listened to from start to finish without a break to get the very most of it. It has a slightly preachy side to it, but if you don't feel pressured by this, you can take in a band that was on top of it's game.
As I mentioned, in-fighting and spats with their label, led to their break-up in 2003. They had their time, showed their strengths as a band, and perhaps did as much as they could. Their early EPs are very collectable, if you have any. I know I do, and several are signed - we shall see if they're worth anything in years to come!
For a solid introduction to the band, check out their Greatest Hits - Legacy:
However, I would listen to the albums as they were released - you'll be taken on a fine journey.
See wikipedia for more information on the band - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansun
NEXT WEEK: The Electric Light Orchestra
As well as the ipod shuffle feature, I am also going to bring a new daily feature in - Menace2Music What have I been listening to today?
Today (apart from a lot of Mansun, reminiscing) I have been listening to Dead Man's Bones eponymous album (the actor Ryan Gosling's album with friend Zach Shield), and the new one by Echo and the Bunnymen (The Fountain).
Menace2Music iPod shuffle grab
Metarie - Brendan Benson - album: Lapalco
We definiely have an acoustic vein to the week, as heard again on this track, but it does get a little electricity behind it after a minute-or-so (track is 3:42). I don't know a huge amount about BB - I know his recent release (My Old, Familiar Friend) was very well reviewed in Q magazine. I'm going to give this a listen later today to see how good it is.
I really liked this song (Metarie) - the vocals tell a story (not that I listen to them that often), and BB has a warm, friendly voice. I'll give this whole album a little listen too (not sure where I picked this up, like, sometimes, so much of my music - could've been from a friend) and report back at a later point!
I'm also, every Sunday, going to feature a list of tracks that have stood out for me as the week has progressed - got the idea listening to an awesome live song (Swallowtail) by the The Brian Jonestown Massacre. So, this will be on Sunday - I just know you're looking forward to it! I'm compiling it by placing tracks, on my iPod, in a on-the-go playlist.
Right, hope you're all having a fab ol' day - back to the job interview prep!
Best wishes, Menace2Music
menace2music@googlemail.com
http://twitter.com/menace2music
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