Happy Mondays - Bob's Yer Uncle 12" mix

I love this mix, probably my favourite mix of any Happy Mondays song if I'm honest! The original version of Bob's Yer Uncle can be found on the seminal Pill's N Thrills and Bellyaches as an album track. I was quite surprised to discover as well that this particular remix was actually carried out by The Grid (Who were Dave Ball from Soft Cell's second band). The Grid also did a remix of one of the Happy Mondays biggest hits, Loose Fit too. Anyway, the original version of Bob's Yer Uncle was one of my favorite Happy Mondays songs namely because it was very laidback and mellow but still maintained that certain groove that gave Happy Monday's their unique edge. It was one of the more relaxed tracks in their discography I think. The 12" mix just takes that relaxed quality and capitalizes on it even further but it's still slightly danceable. It omits the guitars that had a quite a prominent role in the original track and -for me at least- it makes Shaun Ryder's vocals more the center of things. I don't know about you (and I am terrible for making out lyrics for many artists) but in the original version I find his deeper pitch damn near impossible to make out sometimes. It also doesn't commit a cardinal sin of messing around with the deep and pretty much irresistible bass line which is the key in making the whole track work. You can find this on 12" on the Loose Fix vinyl in the UK, but if you want it on CD then you can find it on the Double Easy: US Singles compilation. It was this "12 that made me really want to get that compilation actually. It's not as difficult to get as it sounds either. Although it was only released in the US you can find that compilation on Amazon UK. I payed no more than £3 for my copy (a very good condition second hand one) from an excellent Amazon Marketplace seller called Zoverstocks. You can also find it on the 2007 special edition of Pills N Thrills and Bellyaches that came partnered with a DVD. For some reason though, that album (as well as the Bummed reissue done in the same vein) is an utter nightmare to track down at a decent price, even here in the UK. Hopefully in the future now that Happy Mondays in their original line-up are recording new material the record company will see fit to re-release those special editions. For now though, enjoy a great remix!