Mark Berry aka BEZ was born 57 years
ago, on 18 April 1964 in Salford, England.
He was/is the crazy dancing star and (now also a TV celebrity) of Madchester legends Happy Mondays, the 24-party people who
had their golden (dope) years in the 90s. They broke up and reunite
several times and are now performing for some time again for
sell-out crowds.
Press info: “A true rock n roll legend with a past saturated in debauchery and excess,
the former frontman of Happy Mondays and Black Grape shares jaw-dropping stories of outrageous demands, narcotic overload, and brushes with organised crime in this wickedly entertaining guide to living the hedonistic rock star life. As lead singer of Happy Mondays and Black Grape, Shaun Ryder was the Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of his generation.
A true rebel, who formed and led not one but two seminal bands, he’s had number
one albums, headlined Glastonbury, toured the world numerous times, taken every drug under the sun, been through rehab – and come out the other side as a national treasure.”
Of all classic crackers that celebrated a birthday this year, and were featured here, Turn The Volume picked STEP ON by HAPPY MONDAYS, released 30 years ago
this year, as the cracking cracker of all 2020 crackers.
Why? This is the dance floor killer I moved to in mysterious ways
for years now and will do so tonight (New Year’s Eve).
It was actually a reworked version of 1971 hit He’s Gonna Step On You Again by
South-Africa born, Greek singer and songwriter John Kongos (listen/watch below)
Shaun Ryder about the track: “It was fluke. We thought, this is the last thing we need! They sent over a tape with lots of songs from the back catalogue of Elektra. So we stuck the tape on and Step On was either first or second on the tape. We said, right – that’ll do!”
OFFICIAL VIDEO
TOP OF THE POPS performance
(great moment: 3-minute mark when Rowetta‘s voice fills the studio)
BBC Music: “In the two years since ‘Bummed’, the Happy Mondays had embraced
dance culture. Every movement needs its high-water mark, and their third album,
‘Pills’n’Thrills And Bellyaches’ was Madchester’s Tewkesbury. Although The Stone Roses
debut is more retrospectively adored, ‘Pills’n’Thrills And Bellyaches’ at the time felt like
nothing you’d ever heard before; except it was absolutely everything you’d heard before; exceptionally undemanding chord structures; grinding beats; shambolic monotony – but
the dance nuances of producers Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne and the influence of E
as well as Shaun Ryder’s witty dystopian lyrics made the album a very serious work indeed. Music is the dope!”
Turn Up The Volume: The mother-rave-record of all Madchester-rave-records. The E album for all 24-hour party people. The acid-house album for all dance floors globally, then and now. The twisting my melons LP. Music is the dope! Oh yeah, addictive stuff.”
Released: 8 October 1990 – 30 (!) years ago today Score: A massive hit in America, reaching No 1 on
the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart and #5 in
home country England