Black Grape | ||
| Allmusic Biography : After Happy Mondays disbanded in 1992, most observers would have guessed that the groups leader, vocalist Shaun Ryder, would succumb to the myriad of drug addictions that hastened the breakup of the group. Instead of dying, Ryder recouped his strengths and came back with a new band, Black Grape, in the summer of 1995. Black Grape were embraced by both the British public and press, making Ryder one of the more unexpected comebacks in rock & roll history. Ryder formed Black Grape in 1993, recruiting ex-Happy Monday Bez (dancing, percussion), rappers Kermit (born Paul Leveridge) and Jed from the Ruthless Rap Assassins, and ex-Paris Angels guitarist Wags. Black Grape began recording demos only weeks after the implosion of Happy Mondays. Over the course of recording and writing Its Great When Youre Straight...Yeah, Ryder recruited a number of musicians, most notably producer and bassist Danny Saber, keyboardist/producer Stephen Lironi, and former Bluebells and Smiths guitarist Gary Gannon. Black Grapes debut album was recorded over a period of seven weeks in late 1994 and early 1995; after it was completed, the band signed with Radioactive Records. The groups first single, "Reverend Black Grape," entered the Top Ten upon its release. The groups debut album, Its Great When Youre Straight...Yeah, was released in August of 1995. The album entered the U.K. charts at number one. "In the Name of the Father" and "Kellys Heroes" followed "Reverend Black Grape" into the Top 20 later in 1995. Toward the end of the year, Kermit suffered a severe case of septicemia, a form of blood poisoning caused by bad water he drank while in Mexico; although he came close to death -- bits of his heart and liver were flaking off -- he had recovered by the spring of 1996. Black Grape were prepared to head to America early in 1996 when the group was denied entry into the country due to its members prior drug convictions. After a couple of months, the passports were cleared and the band was admitted into the U.S. Due to his illness, Kermit had to miss the tour, and his spot was filled by Psycho, who became a permanent member of the band after the completion of the tour. Before Black Grape launched their U.S. tour in spring of 1996, Bez left the band due to financial disagreements with the record company. In May 1996, Black Grape returned with the single "Fat Neck," which entered the U.K. charts in the Top Ten; the song featured former Smiths member Johnny Marr on guitar. A month after the release of "Fat Neck," the group released its football anthem "Englands Irie," which was recorded with Joe Strummer. Like "Fat Neck" before it, "Englands Irie" became a Top Ten hit. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid followed in 1997. Black Grape fell apart during the supporting tour for Stupid, Stupid, Stupid in 1998, with Ryder first firing Kermit, then letting the rest of the band go. Ryder returned to a re-formed Happy Mondays in 1999 and then spent the rest of the 2000s ping-ponging between solo projects and Mondays reunions. He, Kermit, and Danny Saber performed as Black Grape for a one-off concert in April 2010 but the group didnt really reunite until 2015, when they launched a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Its Great When Youre Straight...Yeah; the album also received a deluxe reissue that year. Slowly, Black Grape became an active concern, with the band releasing the single "We Are England" in 2016, and then returning in August of 2017 with the full-length Pop Voodoo, which was preceded by the single "Everything You Know Is Wrong." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 3 Title: It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah Released: 1995-08-03 Tracks: 10 Duration: 46:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Reverend Black Grape (05:13) 2 In the Name of the Father (04:21) 3 Tramazi Parti (04:45) 4 Kelly’s Heroes (04:22) 5 Yeah Yeah Brother (04:10) 6 A Big Day in the North (04:10) 7 Shake Well Before Opening (05:40) 8 Submarine (03:50) 9 Shake Your Money (04:13) 10 Little Bob (05:34) |
| It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah : Allmusic album Review : When Happy Mondays fell apart in 1992, most observers assumed that Shaun Ryder would never recover from his numerous drug addictions. No one could have ever predicted that he would return to the top of the charts three years later, relatively fit and healthy, with a new band that fulfilled all of the promises of his old group. Black Grape is what Happy Mondays always were, only better. Leaving behind the stiff musicianship that plagued even the best Mondays records, Black Grapes debut, Its Great When Youre Straight...Yeah, is a surreal, funky, profane, and perversely joyous album, overflowing with casual eclecticism and giddy humor. Working with a band that is looser and grittier than the Mondays, Ryder sounds reinvigorated, creating bizarre rhymes that tie together junk culture, drug lingo, literary references, and utter nonsense. Ryders lyrics have always been freewheelingly impenetrable, but now hes working with Kermit, a rapper that is the equal of his skills. Even better, the music has deep grooves and catchy pop hooks that come straight out of left field. From the blaring harmonica of the triumphant "Reverend Black Grape" and the trippy sitars of "In the Name of the Father" to the seedy, rolling "Shake Your Money" and the stinging guitars of "Tramazi Parti," Its Great is filled with music that goes in unconventional directions without ever sounding forced. Not only is Its Great When Youre Straight a triumphant return for Ryder and his sidekick Bez, its the first album they have ever recorded that justifies all of the hype. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 3 Title: Stupid Stupid Stupid Released: 1997-10-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Get Higher (05:00) 2 Squeaky (05:16) 3 Marbles (04:24) 4 Dadi Waz a Badi (04:01) 5 Rubberband (04:36) 6 Spotlight (03:51) 7 Tell Me Something (03:46) 8 Money Back Guaranteed (05:17) 9 Lonely (04:02) 10 Words (04:43) 11 Fat Neck (05:21) |
| Stupid Stupid Stupid : Allmusic album Review : Arriving out of nowhere, Black Grapes debut, Its Great When Youre Straight... Yeah, was a complete surprise, a post-acid house party record that delivered on all of the Happy Mondays promise. It was a kinetic, exciting record that disregarded boundaries between rap, house, rock, soul, and pop -- it was the culmination of what Shaun Ryder began with Pills N Thrills N Bellyaches. Its Great was greeted warmly by critics and fans, which meant that the groups second album, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, was eagerly anticipated. Perhaps nothing could live up to the expectations of hardcore fans, but Stupid, Stupid, Stupid fails to deliver in a variety of ways. Essentially, it plays like Its Great, part two, only without its predecessors infectious beats, mammoth hooks, and surreal humor. Theres a heavier soul influence this time around ("Lonely" is a straight cover of Frederick Knights 1972 hit "Ive Been Lonely for So Long"), but it doesnt sit well with Ryders thuggish rasp, and thats one of the problems about the album -- the vocals and the music dont match. Apart from the dynamite opening trilogy of "Get Higher," "Squeaky," and "Marbles," Ryder and Kermit dont sound integrated with the music; they sound as if theyre rapping over pre-existing backing tracks, which arent as funky or inventive as those from Its Great. Perhaps Stupid, Stupid, Stupid would sound intoxicating if youre intoxicated, but such stimulation shouldnt be necessary -- the music should be intoxicating enough on its own. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 3 Title: Pop Voodoo Released: 2017-08-04 Tracks: 12 Duration: 50:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Everything You Know Is Wrong - Intro (04:30) 2 Nine Lives (04:22) 3 Set the Grass on Fire (03:18) 4 Whiskey, Wine and Ham (03:45) 5 Money Burns (05:22) 6 String Theory (03:16) 7 Pop Voodoo (04:25) 8 I Wanna Be Like You (04:04) 9 Sugar Money (04:31) 10 Shame (04:29) 11 Losing Sleep (03:35) 12 Young and Dumb (04:53) |
| Pop Voodoo : Allmusic album Review : Shaun Ryder originally planned to spend the mid-2010s recording a new album with a reunited Happy Mondays but there were so many cooks in that kitchen he decided itd be easier to finish off a new Black Grape record. Working with his sidekick Kermit and producer Youth, Ryder reverts to his old loves: 70s soul and disco, big beats and psychedelics, word games and singsong melodies. Ryder never abandoned these signatures but Pop Voodoo puts them in sharp relief, partially because Youth keeps the emphasis on the vibe, not the words. All through Pop Voodoo, Ryder drops lines that are alternately provocative and embarrassing, but it takes considerable effort to pick out "My girl, she loves her money/Not as much as she loves her mummy" -- and that line serves as a chorus on "Sugar Money!" By burying Ryder in the mix, using his voice as just another aural element, Youth performs a service to Pop Voodoo as a whole, because it keeps the focus firmly on brightly dense rhythms designed for late nights at the club. Not that Pop Voodoo would be heard in many dance clubs in 2017. Black Grape never make any attempt to navigate the neon-blasted aftermath of EDM, choosing to assert their middle age by re-appropriating their favorite sleazy sounds from the past. Thats why Pop Voodoo, unlike the bands stilted 1997 farewell Stupid, Stupid, Stupid or the 2007 Happy Mondays album Uncle Dysfunktional, actually works. Its nothing more than a couple of old friends sitting around and cracking jokes to each other. If you happen to share their sensibility, its a fun way to spend 50 minutes. | ||