Madchester - Manchester Indie Rock & Dance Music Scene

24 Hour Party People

An ingenious docudrama on the Manchester music scene of the 1980s and '90s. 24 Hour Party People traces the rise and fall of bands like Joy Division, New Order, and Happy Mondays--bands whose success in the U.S. was limited, but whose impact in Europe (and England in particular) was phenomenal.

Amazon Price: $13.49 (as of 12/08/2009)

Joy Division (The Miriam Collection)

Fans of the gloomy Manchester-based band from the late 1970s will have less to feel down about with the release of this rockumentary. JOY DIVISION follows the unlikely rise of these working class lads up to Ian Curtis's suicide which tore the band apart until it was reborn as New Order. Included here is rare footage of the group as well as their moody and starkly photographed videos capturing the essence of what made Joy Division so special and so tragic.

Amazon Price: $20.99 (as of 12/08/2009)

Control (The Miriam Collection)

In his elegiac debut, Anton Corbijn combines the music film with the social drama to stunning success. Based on Deborah Curtis's clear-eyed biography, Touching from a Distance, Control recounts the wrenching tale of a working-class lad, Ian Curtis, about to hit the highest highs only to be waylaid by the lowest lows.

Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 12/08/2009)

24 Hour Party People

This outstanding compilation album compiled by Pete Tong and Tony Wilson is the soundtrack to the 2002 British film 24 Hour People. Featuring a cross section of music used within the film, plus key artists from the Factory records period, pivotal tracks from the era (Manchester 1976) and three 2002 recordings from New Order, Moby with New Order (also featuring John Frusciante and Billy Corgan) and a Jon Carter remix of the classic 24 Hour People.

Amazon Price: $29.98 (as of 12/08/2009)

Bez's Madchester Anthems: Sorted Tunes from Back in the Day

2006 compilation of tracks from the '90s 'Madchester' heyday, handpicked by Happy Mondays' maraca-shakin' Bez himself! Includes tracks popular in the clubs and raves a few years prior to the Britpop scene.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/08/2009)

The Complete Stone Roses

The mightiest of late-'80s Manchester ensembles had the world at its feet before entering the long, dark tunnel of litigation. This tidy compilation begins with a few archival indie singles then strides into the glorious but fleeting period that produced gems like "I Wanna Be Adored," "Waterfall," and "Fools Gold."

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/08/2009)

Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album

by: Matthew Robertson

A creative juggernaut of the post-punk era, Factory Records was the catalyst behind the U.K. music explosion of the late '70s through the '90s with groups like Joy Division (soon to be the subject of an Anton Corbijn movie), New Order, and Happy Mondays leading the New Wave.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/08/2009)

Altered State, Updated Edition: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House (A Five Star Title)

by: Matthew Collin, John Godfrey

Although it probably over-emphasizes the London scene, this book provides a well-written introduction to the history of house music as well as to 20th-century dance music in general. Citing the Stonewall Riots as a cultural turning point, Matthew Collin shows how the emerging gay rights movements created innovative clubs that demanded a newer, more vibrant music.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/08/2009)

Manchester, England

by: Dave Haslam

A music history like no other, Manchester England comes complete with a recommended soundtrack for each chapter evoking aural memories as Haslam unleashes an assembled cast of artists, musicians, hooligans, writers, workers, students, entrepreneurs and poets playing out a unique history of a unique city.

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The Madchester Scene (Pocket Essentials (Trafalgar))

by: Richard Luck

Just ten short years ago, Manchester hosted the most exciting British music movement since the Two-Tone explosion of the '80s. The home of legendary acts such as New Order and The Smiths, the early '90s saw Manchester give birth to great groups like The Happy Mondays, James and The Stone Roses. Blending the attitudes of The Fall and The Buzzcocks with cutting edge sampling techniques and the occasional chemical, these bands created the superb 'Madchester' sound.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/08/2009)

24 Hour Party People: What the Sleeve Notes Never Tell You

by: Tony Wilson

Tony Wilson's 24 Hour Party People: What the Sleeve Notes Never Tell You is a curious book. It's a novelisation, by Wilson, of Frank Cottrell Bryce's screenplay of a film ostensibly about Wilson's years at the heart of Manchester's music scene--a kind of post-post-modern reversal of the trend to convert books into films.

Amazon Price: $17.95 (as of 12/08/2009)