"Closed for Business" is a song by English rock band

Mansun Mansun were an English alternative rock band, formed in Chester in 1995. The band comprised vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, bassist Stove King, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Dominic Chad, and drummer Andie Rathbone. It was announc ...

. It was released as the lead song on ''Seven EP'' in 1997 and became their second top ten hit on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Overview

''Seven EP'' was released in the interim between the touring of the band's début album and the recording of their second album, ''

Six 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

''. The music on the EP reveals a transitional sound, in which the club-crossover

britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

style of their earliest work is left behind for a more organic sound, one closer to

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

. The EP sleeves are notable as they were adorned with two paintings by

Stuart Sutcliffe Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a Scottish painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist of the English rock band the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a paint ...

. ''Seven EP'' was released on Two CDs, and 7" Vinyl. CD Part One featured four new songs recorded during a session at Parr Street Studios. CD Part Two and the 7" featured live and acoustic versions of older material. "Everyone Must Win" was the first collaboration between the group and the

Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

front-man

Howard Devoto Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is a retired English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands. After M ...

. Magazine had been cited by Draper as a major influence particularly for their mix of synths and guitars.''Kleptomania'' (2004) CD liner notes Draper said of the writing of Everyone Must Win , "This was my first collaboration and I was really nervous as to what Howard would think of it. This song became a regular in our live set."''Kleptomania'' (2004) CD liner notes "K.I.Double.S.I.N.G." is the first Mansun song in which bassist

Stove King Steven William "Stove" King (born 8 January 1974 in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire) is an English musician, formerly the bassist for the rock band Mansun. King formed Mansun with Paul Draper, with whom he shared an interest in graphic design. His f ...

and drummer

Andie Rathbone Andrew "Andie" Rathbone (born 8 September 1969 in Chester) is an English drummer and former member of the rock band Mansun. Rathbone grew up in Blacon, Chester and played in various local bands including "The Wandering Quatrains" and "Jonti" a ...

receive writing credits. Draper explained in the liner notes to ''

Kleptomania Kleptomania is the inability to resist the urge to steal items, usually for reasons other than personal use or financial gain. First described in 1816, kleptomania is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder. Some of the main cha ...

'' that "The World's Still Open" was originally intended as the lead track but was relegated for being "too commercial".

Track listing

Personnel

;Mansun *

Dominic Chad Dominic Chad (born 5 June 1972 in Exeter, Devon, England) is an English musician, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, arranger and co-writer of the rock band Mansun. Biography Early days Born in Exeter, Devon, Chad grew up in Maidston ...

- Guitar, Backing Vocals, Harpsichord * Paul Draper - Vocals, Guitar, Strings Arrangement ("Closed For Business") *

- Drums *

Stove A stove or range is a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to generate heat inside or on top of the apparatus, to be used for general warming or cooking. It has evolved highly over time, with cast-iron and induction versions being develope ...

- Bass ;Production * Stephen Hussey - Strings Arrangement ("Closed For Business") * Mark 'Spike' Stent - Mixing and Strings Recording ("Closed For Business") * Nick Griffiths - Mixing ("K.I.Double.S.I.N.G.", "Dark Mavis (Acoustic)", " Stripper Vicar (Live)", " Egg Shaped Fred (Acoustic)") * Mike Hunter - Mixing ("Everyone Must Win", "The World's Still Open"), Engineering (all tracks) *

- Paintings (''Hamburg'', 1961/1962, courtesy of Pauline Sutcliffe, KDK Gallery, London W10)

Chart positions

References

{{authority control 1997 singles Mansun songs Songs written by Paul Draper (musician) 1997 songs Parlophone singles