A GUY CALLED GERALD
'Voodoo Ray' (1988)

Responsible for: Soundtracking the Haçienda and becoming the UK's best acid hit

"VOODOO RAY WAS a brand new voice for music in the UK," says the Stone Roses' Ian Brown. We couldn't have said it better ouselves. With its haunting female chanting and squelchy synths, 'Voodoo Ray' was the one tune that the phrase "acid house" was surely invented for. Dark, pulsing and naggingly familiar after just one listen, it was a global Top 20 hit in 1989 (hitting number 12 in the UK charts). At the time he made it though, Gerald was a struggling musician and signed away his royalties for a flat fee, making no money out of it. "For me personally, it's a curse," he said recently. The record was adopted as the Hacienda anthem - the seminal Manchester club that gave birth to Madchester and bands like The Happy Mondays. Most acid nights didn't finish without at least one play of the track, proving that whatever the acid pioneers in the USA could do, the UK could do even better.

Interestingly: Gerald also co-wrote 808 State's biggest hit 'Pacific State', but it took a court battle to prove it.

[Author: Mixmag]