Discogs
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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 Grape's debut, It's Great When You're 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. Ryder's lyrics have always been freewheelingly impenetrable, but now he's 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," It's Great is filled with music that goes in unconventional directions without ever sounding forced. Not only is It's Great When You're Straight a triumphant return for Ryder and his sidekick Bez, it's the first album they have ever recorded that justifies all of the hype.
Tracklist
| 1 | Reverend Black Grape | 5:13 |
| 2 | In The Name Of The Father | 4:21 |
| 3 | Tramazi Party | 4:45 |
| 4 | Kelly's Heroes | 4:22 |
| 5 | Yeah Yeah Brother | 4:10 |
| 6 | A Big Day In The North | 4:10 |
| 7 | Shake Well Before Opening | 5:40 |
| 8 | Submarine | 3:50 |
| 9 | Shake Your Money | 4:13 |
| 10 | Little Bob | 5:34 |
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