Mansun
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| Mansun | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Chester, England |
| Genre(s) | Britpop Neo prog |
| Years active | 1995 – 2003 |
| Label(s) | Parlophone |
| Website | http://www.mansun.co.uk/ |
| Members | |
| Paul Draper Dominic Chad Stove King Andie Rathbone |
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| Former members | |
| Carlton Hibbert Mark Swinnerton Julian Fenton |
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Mansun were an English rock band formed in Chester in 1995. The band comprised vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, bassist Stove King, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Dominic Chad, and with drummer Andie Rathbone. They were known for regularly changing their sound (and attire), often between each EP release—liberally mixing beatrock, prog, psychedelia, pop, and 80s noir influences—along with having a fearsome live act who drastically rearranged their songs for the stage. The band disbanded in May 2003.
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[edit] History
Mansun were formed in Chester, England in 1995 by Paul Draper & Stove King. The band's foundations were cemented with the addition of Dominic Chad, who was bartender at the Fat Cat pub in Chester city centre. The band claimed they formed the band to "get out of Chester".
The band were originally called "Manson", after the cult leader Charles Manson but were forced to change it due to copyright issues. The band gave several false accounts of this at the time, one being that they were named after The Verve b-side "A Man Called Sun" and that "Manson" was simply a spelling mistake which accidentally went through to production.
The band's self-financed debut release under the name Manson, and the follow up "Skin Up Pin Up" on EMI offshoot Regal, were followed upon their signing to Parlophone with a run of EPs.
The first EPs showcased a sound heavily influenced by the prog stylings of the 70s, with pop sensibilities. Songs such as Take It Easy Chicken seemed to owe a great deal to the band's desire to produce a good pop song rather than to stick to any particular genre of rock.
According to Mansun's Kleptomania liner notes, frontman Paul Draper states that "Take It Easy Chicken" was their first song, and that the band really did not know how to play their instruments (let alone play together as a band) when Steve Lamacq and John Peel started to play the song on BBC Radio 1.
The early EPs were followed by the critically acclaimed album Attack Of The Grey Lantern which appeared to contain a conceptual storyline - heavily debated by fans - whilst ending with a hidden track (An Open Letter To The Lyrical Trainspotter, previously featured on Three EP) proclaiming sarcastically 'The lyrics aren't supposed to mean that much'. This showed the band didn't take themselves too seriously.
The band's debut LP knocked fellow Parlophone act Blur's 1997 self-titled album from the top spot of the British album chart. Radiohead are quoted as saying, at that year's Q Awards, that the album was "a real musical achievement".
During the early years of their career, Mansun were noted for changing fashion styles as quickly as musical styles. Such styles ranged from punk fashion, New romantic, Baggy "Madchester" clothes, army fatigues, A Clockwork Orange style "droogs" and even women's clothing. When pressed as to why they did this, the band replied "Because no one dresses like David Bowie anymore". Their sartorial experiments usually brought huge derision from the music press, and wore off during their last few years as a band.
The second album Six was preceded by the single Legacy, driven by a memorable riff and lyrical references to the Marquis de Sade. The album was a suite of connected song segments, ranging from the musically intricate to the plain weird. The album included a guest monologue by cult icon Tom Baker. Several more singles followed, including part 1 of Being A Girl, Negative and a re-recording of the album's title track, Six produced by Arthur Baker.
Mansun's third studio album, Little Kix, recorded in Pink Floyd's old studio on a boat, Astoria, was plagued by the record company's desire to bring in an outside producer, and by internal schisms within the band.
The inevitable end came after a UK mini tour in April-May 2002, which was initially promoted under the pseudonym The Masons on Mansun fansites through the ever mysterious Dark Mavis. The band tested out potential tracks from their planned fourth album alongside a handful of old favourites. Due to a Mansun fan petition started on the now defunct Mansunite.com forum, the "sessions" for this unreleased album were released in 2004, along with the non-album singles and a selection of B-sides (chosen by Draper from a top 20 voted for by fans on the band's official website) and rarities, which summarised Mansun's career in a three-CD box set entitled Kleptomania.
Mansun collaborated twice with punk legend Howard Devoto (from Magazine & Buzzcocks), who co-wrote EP B-side tracks "Everyone Must Win" and "Railings". They have also covered "Shot By Both Sides" live. The band were remixed by Manchester-based dance outfit 808 State on "Skin Up Pin Up," a song featured on the soundtrack for the 1997 film Spawn.
The band produced a large back catalogue of recordings. Legacy - The Best Of Mansun, a greatest hits CD and DVD compilation, released on 18 September 2006 in the UK, brings the collection to a close. The CD from this package also provides access to download the previous unreleased "South Of The Painted Hall" demo, which was deemed to have been lost forever during the compilation of the Kleptomania set.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Title | Release Date |
UK Albums Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Attack of the Grey Lantern | 1997 | 1 |
| Six | 1998 | 6 |
| Little Kix | 2000 | 12 |
| Kleptomania (3 CD Box Set) | 2004 | 135 |
| Legacy: The Best Of Mansun (CD and DVD Compilation) | 2006 | 144 |
[edit] Singles
| Title | Release Date | Album | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK singles | US Modern Rock | ||||
| "Take It Easy Chicken" [A] | 1995 | Sep 25 | — [B] | - | - |
| "Skin Up Pin Up" / "Flourella" [C] | Nov 27 | 114 | - | ||
| "Egg Shaped Fred" (One EP) | 1996 | Mar 25 | Attack of the Grey Lantern | 37 | - |
| "Take It Easy Chicken" (Two EP) | Jun 3 | — [B] | 32 | - | |
| "Stripper Vicar" (Three EP) | Sep 9 | Attack of the Grey Lantern | 19 | - | |
| "Wide Open Space" (Four EP) | Nov 25 | 15 | 26 | ||
| "She Makes My Nose Bleed" (Five EP) | 1997 | Feb 3 | 9 | - | |
| "Taxlo$$" | Apr 28 | 15 | - | ||
| "Closed For Business" (Seven EP) | Oct 6 | — [B] | 10 | - | |
| "Legacy" (Eight EP) | 1998 | Jun 29 | Six | 7 | - |
| "Being A Girl (Part One)" (Nine EP) | Aug 24 | 13 | - | ||
| "Negative" (Ten EP) | Oct 26 | 27 | - | ||
| "Six" (Eleven EP) | 1999 | Feb 1 | 16 | - | |
| "I Can Only Disappoint U" | 2000 | Jul 31 | Little Kix | 8 | - |
| "Electric Man" (EP 13) | Nov 6 | 23 | - | ||
| "Fool" (Fourteen EP) | 2001 | Jan 29 | 28 | - | |
| "Slipping Away" [D] | 2004 | Sept 20 | Kleptomania | 55 | - |
- Notes
- A ^ The original pressings of "Take It Easy Chicken" were paid and produced by the group on their own label: Sci-Fi Hi-Fi Records.
- B ^ "Take It Easy Chicken" (Two Ep Version), "Flourella", "Skin Up Pin Up" & "Closed For Business" were subsequently collected on the second disc of the compilation Kleptomania.
- C ^ "Skin Up Pin Up" / "Flourella" was released on the EMI affiliate Regal Records. All subsequent singles were issued by Parlophone/EMI.
- D ^ "Slipping Away" was commercially released as a 7" Vinyl and Download Release Only, although some promo CDs were produced.
[edit] Miscellaneous releases
| Title | Release Date |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Special Mini Album | 1996 | Japan only release - contains material from 'Two' and 'Three' EP. |
| Spawn: The Soundtrack | 1997 | Includes exclusive version of "Skin Up Pin Up" credited as Mansun & 808 State |
| Desperate Icons | 1997 | Live Bootleg (Widely Circulated) |
| Xmas Fanclub 7" vinyl | 1998 | Live versions of "Everyone Must Win" and "Taxloss" recorded at Brixton Academy 23/10/98 |
| "South of the Painted Hall" | 2006 | Free Download available only to buyers of Legacy: The Best Of Mansun |
[edit] External links
- Mansun's official MySpace
- All about the Six artwork
- Stylus Magazine Career Overview
- Official Interviews and Reviews
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