Sunday, August 19, 2007

Mansun Discography Part One: One EP - Egg Shaped Fred



Okay! So as the Neil discog is taking so darn long I thought i'd start another one. Mansun are one of my most fondly remembered bands of the late 90s. They were often funny, often intelligent, often fantastically complex musically, often really exciting and most of the time the press didn't give a shit. Maybe that was understandable after hearing the first few singles, which were sort of lightweight in comparison to later stuff, but they really had no excuse once the band had proved themselves. 1998's Six was one of the most excitingly over ambitious albums of the late 90s, and still doesn't really get it's due. Mansun were also a fantastically productive band and that made them a GREAT singles band. Every single release gave us at least 3 or 4 new songs, in fact the band were so determined not to waste releases that they called every one an EP. Now some of this stuff was released on the band's post-split Kleptomania collection, but a lot of it wasn't, so basically I thought i'd post their old EPs in order. I'll try to keep the biographical stuff short (you can get that from Wikipedia!, and that should allow me to get these posts done quicker.

The band started out with the self-released Take It Easy Chicken 7" and then the Skin Up Pin Up / Flourella single on Regal. Now as these songs were re-released later on i'll skip over them for now, and get started on the band's first Parlophone EP, Egg Shaped Fred. Even from the start the band were really over-productive, knocking out four songs for the tape/7" and those four plus a bonus track for the CD. The single came out in March 1996 and scraped into the top 40 to reach number 37 on the uk charts. The title track is probably one of my least favourite Mansun singles... it's still a lot of fun but maybe suffers a bit from post-Stone Roses Brit Pop riffage and so relies a little too much on the vocals to carry the melody. However the chorus is catchy and stupid enough to stick in your head, it's overall nice and fuzzy and well filled out instrumentally, and the middle eight is supergood. Ski Jump Nose was always better live, but here it still rocks puretty hard. Again maybe a little too pedestrian riffage wise, but the melodies are always strong enough to pull it through. And that post chorus 'Yeeeah ahaaa ooooh!' is luverly. That 'nick nack paddywack' coda though....stinks. Lemonade Secret Drinker is nice, if a little too Bsidey, but then this was still early says for the band. Thief is better, quick and snappy and really of just as high a quality as the singles. There's certainly no wimping out production wise, its really nicely layered and you can tell that some patience was really taken over it. Overall? Not their best EP by far but a decent start for a grrrreat band. As a bonus, here's a few youtube links for you:

  • Egg Shaped Fred - Music Video
  • Egg Shaped Fred - Live Performance
  • Egg Shaped Fred - Live in Tunbridge Wells
  • Egg Shaped Fred - Live in Tunbridge Wells
  • Ski Jump Nose - Live in Tunbridge Wells
  • Ski Jump Nose - Live at the Astoria

    And then, as promised, here's the EP. For those who want another quick Mansun kick, it's worth noting that Paul Draper himself has put a lot of really rare old clips up on youtube, and there's some fantastique stuff there to watch. Enjoy!

    Mansun - 01 Egg Shaped Fred
    Mansun - 02 Ski Jump Nose
    Mansun - 03 Lemonade Secret Drinker
    Mansun - 04 Thief
    Mansun - 05 Secret Instrumental
  • 8 Comments:

    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Hell yeah! Looking forward to the next posts. I've started listening to Mansun just lately, what a great band. AFAIK Paul Draper is working on his solo debut, wonder what that will be like.

    5:15 pm, August 19, 2007  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Oh sweet Jesus. First the Manics discog, now this.

    I was actually about to embark on some OMG WE LIKE THE SAME BANDS LOLZ type gushing, then remembered that Mansun and the Manics do actually seem to share a fanbase. Maybe it was the eyeliner.

    Looking forward to reading these posts.!

    8:10 pm, August 19, 2007  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    hun yellow
    coloring pages
    halloween coloring pages
    sbc yellow pages
    greys anatomy
    gre prep test
    idoc
    tenuate dospan
    tenuate online
    buy tenuate
    tenuate diet pill
    diethylpropion tenuate
    jonz spot sun

    10:20 am, August 22, 2007  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    finasteride
    essential of psychology
    online psychology degree
    psychology of winning
    psychology degree
    ranitidine
    finasteride
    sheena easton
    amber easton
    essential of psychology
    bare essential
    essential oil
    3 acid fatty omega
    acid reflux
    rehab
    drug rehab
    alcohol rehab
    drug rehab program
    drug rehab center
    drug alcohol rehab
    drug and alcohol rehab
    alcohol and drug rehab
    rehab center
    drug abuse rehab
    vocational rehab
    rehab clinic
    aromatherapy essential oils
    acid rain
    pure essential oils
    finasteride
    essential of psychology
    online psychology degree
    psychology of winning
    psychology degree
    citi credit monitoring
    cic credit monitoring
    dsl connection
    dsl modem
    dsl service
    dsl provider
    dsl router

    3:23 am, September 01, 2007  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    EP 2 is up on myspace now!

    9:34 pm, October 18, 2007  
    Blogger George Bush said...

    It is too pathetic to be addicted to alcohol and drugs. This website provides lot of treatment resources and information.

    -----------------------------
    Kevin Williams

    Suffering from an addiction. This website has a lot of great resources and treatment centers.

    http://www.treatmentcenters.org

    1:45 pm, June 05, 2008  
    Blogger Unknown said...

    hai,
    i am first time to visit this site.
    i think the discography of mansun is so nice.
    i didn't know about them.
    i must get some interesting info
    from the article.
    the author will give the about about it is simply super.
    i want to know about it.
    you must explain about the egg shaped fred.
    ==========================
    tom2000
    Problem With Drugs or Alcohol? This Drug Rehab has Helped Thousands of Individuals to Recover.

    Drug Rehab

    1:20 pm, June 06, 2008  
    Blogger Unknown said...

    From this site i came to know about the songs composed by Mansun.
    One if my friend said thet he is a good coryographer. I wish him a good future after the re-release of his songs.

    -----------------------------

    jimmy
    Alcohol abuse affects millions. This site has a lot of useful information.
    Alcohol Abuse

    6:18 am, June 09, 2008  

    Post a Comment

    << Home