People often forget that Mansun's excellent debut 'Attack Of The Grey Lantern' was a number one album. A run of fantastic hit songs followed, along with some incredible B sides. With frontman Paul Draper feeling trapped by the industry and the band's friendship disintegrating, second LP 'Six' was far from commercial and baffled critics, yet it still entered the Top 10 and still spawned four hit singles. The album was recorded as it was written, with Draper sometimes arriving in the studio with sections of music rather than completed songs. Threaded together in the most genius way, 'Six' stands as a truly maverick album. But for the third album, their label EMI tried to turn them into a normal band, their relationships fell apart, and within a few years Mansun ended in a blaze of alcohol-fuelled warfare during the recording of their unfinished fourth album. After this and a number of other very nasty experiences, Draper walked out of the industry and has only resurfaced again recently with a new project The Anchoress, a "revenge pop" collaboration with the hugely talented Catherine A.D. From their restrained third album 'Little Kix', here is Mansun's magnificent 2000 single 'I Can Only Disappoint You'. One of the many things I love about this song is the arrangement, which uses a superb electric harp sound for the main riff, allowing the guitars to do other things. I believe that if the industry didn't tear them apart, Mansun could have been the band to take guitar music to the next level, and Draper would rightly be regarded as one of the brightest musical minds of his time. To many who remember their music, they are up there with the very best of them. A convention for fans takes places this August in the band's hometown of Chester, and more info on that can be found HERE. You can find out more about The Anchoress HERE, and read an exclusive interview that RW/FF was lucky enough to do with Draper himself HERE.
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