I remember going to a few indie discos in London (usually pressganged by mates after a few pints) where the only concessions to dance culture were usually fools gold and blue monday. I don’t know if that was due to a militant rockist mindset at certain venues but it felt like the ‘barriers’ didn’t really come down till later (may well have been a different story North), thanks to the Chems and then Trash-era Erol Alkan
Fkn sh1t couple of months btw, Keith from Optimo, Ricky Hatton, D’Angelo and now Mani ![]()
Serendipity, as I was reading your post, i’m at home in my kitchen listening to an old cassette tape of a mix Mani did on the Breezeblock, and on comes Know How.
In the interview posted above, Mani confesses that the Fools Gold bassline is lifted, in part, from Young MC
Almost certain this one is a coincidence but the bass riff that crops up now and then in this obscure 60s US garage track is quite similar too - came across it a few years back and never seen anyone else make a connection.
Recorded two weeks before he died
Part of my teenage DNA ![]()
Identity hoodies/Wrangler 25” flares from Afflecks😀 /buying records in Eastern Bloc.
It’s the generational ones like him going that sting the most
Jesus. It’s so not fair. he was someone who had ridiculous impact musically for a whole generation, and then seemed to be universally liked by pretty much everyone who knew him. That’s as close as you get to winning the game of life. But a bit longer would have been good.
Yeah Hacienda staple wasn’t it?
Often wondered whether this influenced the outro on I am the Resurrection once it gets going
Its very much still like that. People in the states dig themselves into furrows and don’t really go anywhere outside of their comfort zones. The radio definitely plays a role - the lack thereof here, and the quality that you guys have.
A sad loss, Mani had a big impact on my friends, after they booked him to DJ at their night (Hydroponic) in Belfast. This lead to a 27 year friendship. He was very generous over the years and that also impacted on myself. My mates are gutted.
Love how you cropped Noel out ![]()
He started out as a Mod so maybe he knew it/heard it along the way, I used to listen to his old radio show way back in the mists of time and he’d always play some 60s stuff like this on it.
Tune btw.
that and good ol’ racism. there’s a whole lot of white rockists here in the states that still insist that modern black music is either machine music or simply talking over “stolen” music. they fail to see the artistry and proficiency needed to play jazz, and they resent the messaging or slice-of-life storytelling in american protest music.
it’s always funny to me to see those same white rockists talk about their influences, it’s always “oh i listened to everything, led zeppelin, the ramones, the strokes, even stuff like frank zappa”.
anyways - my stone roses story is about the same - i was 16 when i first heard them, off of the “elephant stone” single that was recommended to me (as a big ol’ new order fan, because peter hook produced it). my high school girlfriend and i sang ourselves breathless while listening to the first album driving around in her little renault le car. i bought her the singles cd boxset and then nearly had a cry when i found it in a second-hand shop - she’d sold it to make rent. i closed the club down with “i am the resurrection” scads of times.
i always said that’d i’d go abroad to see them if they ever reunited and played again - and then they did, and i didn’t. dumb.
Yeah I did that
The first Roses album hit so hard and burned so bright all through that long summer of ‘89 after finishing school.
One of those albums where I can still absolutely remember the exact moment I first heard it. One of those weekends where my parents were away, so it was all round to mine. Dave brought it round and it was on repeat most of the night.
However never underestimate the power of the Second Coming. Massively over anticipated and under accepted at the time. Rolling Stone said “tuneless retro psychedelic grooves bloated to six-plus minutes in length.” but is there a problem with psychedelic grooves? and what the fuck do Rolling Stone know anyway?
I think the reception was an indicator of the times and people just wanting more of what they did before.
I would love to hear Beyond the Wizards sleeve get hold of the Second Coming and see what they could do with it.
Yeah, big fan of The Second Coming. I never understood the criticism towards it. I always thought a lot of it was sour grapes from the press for disappearing in 1990, and continuing on their stratospheric trajectory. Ten Story Love Song and Tightrope are as good as anything they did.
To reference Mani’s last interview agsin, he said songs like One Love and Something’s Burning should really have formed the second album if they’d carried on, as that’s where they were musically at the time. Would loved to have heard that version
People were wanting a record as flawless as the first one weren’t they?
I always felt like they made their Revolver with the first record and jumped straight to a White Album/ patchwork approach on the second.
True what you say though that the expectation was definitely for a groove based second album esp around the time of One Love coming out. Something’s Burning should have been the A side there imo.
As you suggest Something’s Burning was the real marker for what that second lp could’ve been with the vibraphones and such- shame really
The Second Coming chat reminded me about this, it’s mainly worth it for how deluded their ex manager is which makes it kinda funny. It’s focussed on where it all went wrong with their contracts and management over the years.

