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View all productsHAPPY MONDAYS - BUMMED - VINYL LP - Wah Wah Records
Bummed is the second studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released in November 1988 on Factory Records. During 1987 and early 1988, the band discovered house music and the rave drug ecstasy, and gained a new manager. They underwent two demo sessions, a self-produced one at Out of the Blue in Ancoats, and a Martin Hannett-produced one at Strawberry Studios in Stockport. Hannett was subsequently enlisted to produced the band's next album. Sessions were held at The Slaughterhouse in Driffield over three weeks. The period was noted for heavy drug use from the band and Hannett, with their manager eventually calling it the first ecstasy-fuelled album. Hannett moved recording to Strawberry, where with the aid of other musicians, added extra instrumentation. Bummed is a Madchester and psychedelic funk release that was influenced by the 1970 film Performance.
Happy Mondays toured the United Kingdom supporting James in late 1987, which coincided with the release of the lead single from Bummed, "Wrote for Luck", on 31 October 1988. Happy Mondays played a series of headlining shows to close out the year; stints of mainland Europe and the UK followed in the first half of 1989. "Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer", an alternative version of closing track "Lazy Itis", was released as the second single from the album on 6 May 1989. Following this, the band embarked on a North American tour supporting labelmates Pixies. At the suggestion of their manager, remixes of "Wrote for Luck" – retitled "W.F.L." – were made by Paul Oakenfold and Vince Clarke of Erasure. These versions were released together as part of a reissued "W.F.L." single in September 1989.