Blue Monday is probably the best-known of all the songs ever released on Factory Records. Love Will Tear Us Apart might have a counter-claim on that statement and it could well be a photo-finish at the line. I reckon the Happy Mondays take on a John Kongos song from 1970 would be the other track on the 1-2-3 podium.
I’ve featured the song before, posting the album version. I’ve been doing a bit of Discogs shopping in recent weeks, picking up a few bits’n’bobs to complete some holes in the vinyl collection that will enable a few more posts to be worked up over the next few weeks. As ever, many of the sellers offer combined postage rates when you add a few more bits of desired rather than essential vinyl, which is why I came to pick up a copy of the 12″ version of FAC272, with its two very enjoyable extended mixes:-
mp3: Happy Mondays – Step On (Stuff It In Mix) (5:53)
mp3: Happy Mondays – Step On (One Louder Mix) (6:03)
It’s a song in which over-familiarity and too much radio exposure hasn’t spoiled it for me.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Everytime I hear Step On it takes me back to the Sound Factory, packed to the rafters with clubheads and scene makers all wigging out to Happy Mondays as they reigned over NYC for one blissful night.
I heard the original John Kongos version the other day on 6 Music.
It is way better than I remember it being…so much that right now I prefer it to the Mondays version..
Quality song , your on a roll , JC.
SC
Guess I wasn’t paying too much attention because I had no idea this was a cover until reading this post. Never heard of John Kong’s. The original’s kinda cool. The Mondays definitely took it to another level.
Both these mixes are really good reworkings of the song. One Louder is especially good. There’s something about Step On which is irrepressible. As you say over- familiarity hasn’t dulled its charms.
The run of Mondays vinyl from Delightful (Forty Five) to Step On is one of the highlights of my record purchases. I also didn’t realise Step On was effectively a cover version at the time, maybe Shaun and Co. were similarly in the dark.
This a a good tune but I suspect when most non Mondays fans think of the band it would be Hallelujah and the Madchester cover.
@Sid: The Mondays were not in the dark. It was commissioned by Elektra Records for inclusion on their “Rubáiyát” compilation. Ultimately, the band decided to keep it and “Tokoloshe Man” was chosen instead.
hello,
i don’t have much by the happy mondays. but step on was a nice entry point,
along with the fun mixes. it was a ‘happy’ (pun intended) but short lived
thrill for me.
later
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