Amateur Night in the Big Top

Shaun Ryder Amateur Night in the Big Top
Studio album by Shaun Ryder
Released	2 September 2003 (2003-09-02)
Genre	Electronic rock, alternative dance
Language	English
Label	Offworld Sounds
Producer	Pete Carroll, Stephen Mallinder and Shane Norton

Amateur Night in the Big Top is the first official solo album by Shaun Ryder, of Happy Mondays and Black Grape. The album is subtitled "Clowns and Pet Sounds". It was released in September 2003 and co-produced by Pete Carroll, Shane Norton and Cabaret Voltaire's Stephen Mallinder. It was recorded in Perth, Australia and released on the Offworld Sounds record label run by Ryder's cousin Pete Carroll and Mallinder.

Carroll also founded littleBIGMAN records with Happy Mondays drummer Gaz Whelan and currently manages The Panics, Tim and Jean, Meg Mac and Georgia Fair.

Recording

The album was recorded following a Happy Mondays Big Day Out tour of Australia. Shaun Ryder stayed on in Australia moving into Pete Carroll's house where he heard tracks Carroll and Shane Norton were working on for Offworld Sounds.

"Our Pete just said, 'Tell us a story.' I've got that many, Pete reckoned I should record them once and for all" said Shaun Ryder. "I'm kind of a novelist in the way that 9/11 was a Great American Novel" the singer added.

Ryder was keen to work on some new material and over a period of early morning sessions in Carroll's garage studio Amateur night in the Big Top began to take shape. The album was never conceived as a commercially focused release-it's an honest hard edge punk record. There's an overall feel and concept; Ryder's lyrics are autobiographical, touching on his early days with Happy Mondays in "The Story" and "1987" while "Clowns" and "Long Legs" express his feelings about the music industry and the legal issues he was facing.

Sample lyrics

"Scooter Girl" - "man were not all born equal, you can get stuck with some fucked up people, where the normal is just pure fuckin evil, there's no difference from shit and treacle"

"Clowns" - "I don't want to be beaten to death by clowns, pound for pound, beaten by clowns, big floppy shoes on my head, beating me around until I'm dead..."

"Long Legs" - "Here's comes the pest getting shit off his chest... even a full time coke freak needs some rest....Confessions of the money I hear them all, confessions of the money made a big man small, and I announce to the whole fuckin world I'm not paying for nothing no more."

"Murder" "100 years I spent in here, don't smoke, don't think, don't do, no fruity, 90 years I spent in here flat nose and cauliflower ear..."

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
The Age

The NME said "It's genius. His talent is akin to Eminem. He's a great chronicler of down and dirty street life".

Uncut said "It's terrifying, exhilarating stuff, just like 9/11. Another wildly implausible Ryder comeback. Just when we needed one. Embrace his soul vision".

Ministry of Sound said "A remarkable album. The most vitriolic lyrics this side of Dylan's and Sex Pistols "EMI".

Track listing

1. "The Story" – 7:14
2. "Long Legs, Pts. 1, 2, 3" – 9:09
3. "Scooter Girl" – 6:52
4. "Clowns" – 8:37
5. "Murder" – 5:43
6. "Northern Soul Brother (Shapeshifter)" – 7:19
7. "Monster" – 7:14
8. "In 1987" – 7:54

Personnel

• Shaun Ryder – Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Bass
• Chad Hedley – Percussion
• Lucky Oceans – Pedal Steel, Accordion
• Pete Carroll – Executive Producer, Concept,
• Stephen Mallinder – Producer
• Shane Norton – Producer, Engineer
• Matt Carroll – Artwork
• Kiriakos Lucas - Guitar and Bouzouki