I'll come clean right away - this isn't a proper single. I just googled singles by The Monochrome Set and hit upon this promotional affair, which had two of my favourites. They formed in 1978 from the ruins of The B-Sides, and Wikipedia describes them better than I could - "The band is notable for its witty lyrics, the laconic delivery of lead singer Bid, and the idiosyncratically retrogressive playing style of original lead guitarist Lester Square." Morrissey picked up on them in the ludicrous Mackie letters in 1980 ("Did I tell you that I'm presently having a sexual relationship with the Monochrome Set? Yummy!"). Anyway, these songs are fairly accessible, but for some reason TMS never made it past 81 on the singles chart. The Ruling Class is a two-and-a-half-minute song, full of lovely words - "My young fag's an MP's son, and he warms my toilet seat" - and a catchy five-note jingle in the chorus. Espresso is very catchy, light indie, and equally cheerful and amusing. The Ruling Class is on Eligible Bachelors, and Espresso is on Strange Boutique (no. 62 in albums chart). Because of this new thing called 'Youtube', you can hear the last two of their three Peel sessions here and here.
1984, PDI
1984, PDI
