Fan’s of Marc’s Top 200 and Awesome Song of the Week know that every so often Marc or I slip one in that might not have synths, or isn’t exactly New Wave, or might be a year on either side the the 80s proper… this is one of those weeks!
The Housemartins formed in Hull, England in 1983. More a power pop outfit than anything else, they were unique in that they used humor and snappy upbeat melodies in parallel with sometimes depressing, sometimes religious lyrics and on occasion, angry socialist politics. Some very odd combos indeed! They released their first album in 1986 and were only around for about three years after that, releasing a total of two LPs and a fistful of EPs. But they were very successful - they had seven singles make the UK Top 40. Many of the Housemartins' songs are irresistible tunes, and their videos filled with the band clowning around as well as claymation. Afterwards, lead singer Paul Heaton formed The Beautiful South with a more downbeat sound but similar lyrical content- they went on for the next 20 years but none of their music came close to the great Housemartins. Their bassist had a more interesting path - Norman Cook formed Beats International and then went on to become world famous as music producer & top international DJ Fatboy Slim!
Let’s go back to 1986 for the first hit the Housemartins made - It’s Happy Hour !
-WAS
Bonus: Former Housemartin Norman Cook’s Best Song as Fatboy Slim - The Rockafella Skank (1998)… and what a wacky video !
-WAS
Bonus: Former Housemartin Norman Cook’s Best Song as Fatboy Slim - The Rockafella Skank (1998)… and what a wacky video !
Love "Happy Hour"! Great pick, Was. That song's on my personal playlist.
ReplyDeleteTHanks MD! Their best song for sure - but their 2nd album "The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death" was overall even better than their first !
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