*In no particular order some of my favourite musical moments. No44 Fool by Mansun.
Formed in Chester in 1995, Mansun were a cracking band who probably deserve to be better known than they are.
Based around the partnership of principal songwriter Paul Draper and co-writer/arranger Dominic Chad, the band initially enjoyed a fairytale rise to fame.
Discovered by A&R scouts, who overheard them rehearsing, the quartet found themselves at the centre of a major label bidding war before they’d even played their first gig.
Opting for Parlophone, their first album Attack of the Grey Lantern knocked label mates Blur off the top of the UK chart.
Despite Draper being widely hailed as a genius and Chad named in the same breath as guitar heroes like Johnny Marr and Bernard Butler, Mansun always seemed to struggle for their own identity.
Constant image changes – everything from New Romantic to baggy to boilersuits – along with ill-advised stunts like chucking 25 grand in fivers onto bewildered commuters for the Taxloss video, made the band seem manufactured and even a tad desperate at times.
Inter-band squabbles and drunken hi-jinks that left them (gasp!) banned from every Happy Eater in Britain did little to help their cause.
And in retrospect, naming themselves after notorious cult leader Charles Manson may also not have been the brightest of wheezes.
Eventually after three more than decent albums and a slew of fantastic singles including Legacy, Wide Open Space and I Can Only Disappoint U, the band imploded during the making of their fourth long player.
Draper is still going strong as a solo artist while Chad has largely left music behind, becoming a support worker for people with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and brain injuries.
Perhaps the best of their many excellent singles, Fool sees the band at the peak of their powers, downbeat lyrics anchoring a towering tune and barnstorming arrangement that teeters perilously close to overblown progressive rock. Quite brilliant.
Check out the tyoically understated video below.
*Got a Great Musical Moment you’d like to share? Send me your suggestion via the contact form and if I like it, I’ll feature it and give you a mention. Looking forward to hearing from you.
