Madchester: Encyclopedia II - Madchester - Baggy

Madchester - Baggy

In May, the Happy Mondays released the single "Lazyitis" and the Inspiral Carpets put out their first single with new singer Tom Hingley, "Joe". Like the Stone Roses, the Inspiral Carpets were producing sixties - inspired indie music. All three of the main players in the emerging scene took a dance influence, particularly from 70s funk, with disco basslines and wah-wah guitar being added to their indie jingle-jangle. The Inspiral Carpets added the distintive sound of the Hammond organ, a style which would also be adopted by later Madchester bands, such as The Charlatans.

This sound, which was to become known as "baggy", generally includes a combination of funk, psychedelia, guitar rock and house music. In the Manchester context, the music can be seen as mainly influnced by the indie music that had dominated the city's music scene during the 80s, but also absorbing the various influences coming through the Haçienda.

Alongside the music, a way of dressing emerged that gave baggy its name. Baggy jeans (often flared) alongside brightly coloured casual tops and general sixties style became the standard uniform of Manchester youth - frequently topped off with a fishing hat in the style sported by the Stone Roses drummer Reni. The fashion, like the music, was somewhere between rave and retro.

The majority of bands on the Madchester scene would produce music that could be described as "baggy", including James, The Charlatans, Northside and The Mock Turtles. However, in the early 1990s the sound spread across the country, with bands such as The Farm, Flowered Up, Candy Flip and (early on) Blur treading where mancunians had gone before.

Baggy wasn't restricted to Manchester, but it should be remembered that Manchester wasn't restricted to baggy either. The return of 808 State with the seminal "Pacific" single later in 1989 reminds us of the role electronic music played, but the Madchester scene also gave a home to hip-hop artists Ruthless Rap Assassins and MC Tunes.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Baggy", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki