Frontman Shaun Ryder was addicted to heroin here in the UK, and In a desparate attempt to record a new album, Factory Records decided to send the Happy Mondays to Barbados away from class A’s to record their fourth album ‘Yes Please!’. But instead, Shaun Ryder took a rather large interest in crack cocaine, since it was so cheap and accessible on the island, unbeknownst to the band and the label before they set off.
Produced by Talking Head’s members Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, the band are reported as telling the pair that they didn’t want to be distracted by alcohol and drugs and wanted to be taken seriously as artists. Famous last words...
Less than a week into their stay, Bez had taken a dramatic crash in their rented Jeep on his way to buy bottles of rum punch. Three days later, Shaun had crashed his car into a wall whilst drugged up on his methadone-substitute and drunk off rum punch.
It’s alleged that Ryder was smoking 50 rocks of crack a day, all funded by Tony Wilson’s per diem. He even ended up flogging a sofa, his own clothes, and recording equipment to get money feed their binge. It's also reported that he was sending 20 hours a day in the bathroom, smoking, whilst the others were waiting to record.
Bez broke his arm another two times as well, in a boat accident, and the third when his girlfriend sat on his arm. This is a big issue for the Mondays, you can't perform with just one maraca!
After a band member was caught trying to take the sofas for profit, the band were pulled out of Barbados. After five weeks of recording, only one finished song, with little to no budget left they returned to the UK, where Shaun went into a rehabilitation detox centre for six weeks.
Some of the lyrics on the album detail his time in rehab, especially “Stinkin’ Thinkin”, the album’s lead single. But the critics reviews were very hit and miss, some deeming it as “pretty good” and others saying it was “uninspired and pedestrian”. Rowetta also helped to complete the album with her vocals, which were integral to both this album and Pills ‘n’ thrills and bellyaches.
Factory Records declared bankruptcy soon after the album. The album cost £380,000 compared to the £150,000 they were told to budget for, and ultimately, the Madchester era was coming to a close, making way for indie and alternative rock. Shaun luckily got sober in 2007, leaving the days of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll behind him.
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