release date: Apr. 1987
format: digital (1990 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: John Cale
label: Factory Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Kuff Dam" - 2. "Tart Tart" - 4. "Russell" - 5. "Olive Oil" - 8. "Oasis" - 9. "24 Hr Party People"
Studio album debut by Happy Mondays with the full title: Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) is recorded by John Cale for Factory Records. The band is the same stable sextet who released the 1985 Forty Five EP. The track "Oasis" also appears on the ep but here it's in a re-arranged version with much more focus on bass, and apart from that it's an album with nine new compositions.
Where the band started out as a jangle pop-oriented and alt dance-band, they now mix more styles and the jangle pop element has been subdued. Instead, they now blend funk, surf rock ("Russell"), indie pop and neo-psychedelia, which ultimately makes it a rather complex mix of styles. It's not really an example of a coherent collection of songs, and it's somewhat difficult to find a common denominator but it's also clear that the songs appear quite originally crafted despite obvious loans from other artists. Several songs, however, contain elements from various styles that are sort of mashed together, which in many ways forecast what was to come. "Russell" may be surf rock-inspired but it also contains funk, skilfully crafted by Paul Ryder's repetitious bass-line, and then on top Shaun Ryder now contribute with his speak-singing style, and we have a true Happy Mondays tune. Ryder no longer sounds like a clone of Ian Curtis and Feargal Sharkey but quite clearly has found his own foundation. Both album title and the song titles already here reflect how Ryder comes up with his lyrics. The album title appears to be Ryder's invention from three different associations that he just put after another - 'Squirrel and G-man' being the nicknames for the parents to one of the members, 'Twenty Hour Party People' is someone's reference to Ryder and his mates, and 'Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)' should be another one's exclamation upon finding Ryder, Bez et al completely tripping on acid. And then the songs: "Kuff Dam" is Ryder's rephrasing of a porn title misspelled backwards, "Tart Tart" refers to a particult girl, although, as in nearly all cases, the song itself isn't about anyone or anything in particular. This also goes for "Olive Oil", which was the nickname for someone's girlfriend, who had asked Ryder if he would write a song about her - to which he alledgedly answered that he didn't write like that but he could name a song after her.
I have absolutely no idea whatsoever about what Cale thought of it - the band and song potential - but luckily he didn't spoil too much, although, it probably could have been a much better end result with a producer in touch with the current dance scene - say New Order's Bernard Sumner, who was mentioned but weren't available - instead of someone with a reputation. You can only ask yourself if it would have been another "Blue Monday"-moment had Sumner been hired...
The album was met by positive reviews but generally lacked to attract music buyers as it sold quite poorly.
In a music historical perspective, it's quite fascinating as a new step towards their more defining sound but as a stand-alone experience, this album is simply just not strong enough.
[ Shaun Ryder interview about the origines of the band, The Haçienda, the production of the album etc.]
