This disco song arrived on our desks, along with a press release declaring that the Manhatten Mob is back! Here’s what it said,The legendary Australian funk and disco band has finally emerged from hibernation in a bid to reclaim its legacy, starting with the song that led to the band’s downfall the first time around.
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The comeback single, “Damn Straight”, has a controversial history. In 1978, at the height of its popularity, The Manhattan Mob hit upon the idea of creating a pro-gay marriage disco anthem. The record company balked at the song’s subject matter, deeming it “too provocative”, and shelved the release indefinitely. A bitter dispute erupted between the band and the label, resulting in a stand-off.
The band went on strike, vowing never to record again for the label. The label, in turn, refused to release the band from its contract, denying The Manhattan Mob the opportunity of working with anyone else.As the stalemate wore on, the record company went to unprecedented lengths to shut the band out of the business, deleting The Manhattan Mob’s entire back catalogue and removing as many historical references as possible. The band, meanwhile, withdrew into self-imposed exile and disintegrated in a spiral of drugs and depression.
That is, until now.With the help of a 35-year copyright reversion clause that only came into effect in 2013, the band has regained control of the masters for “Damn Straight” and other unreleased gems. Ironically, the record company had erased the band from history so effectively that, when approached by The Manhattan Mob about the clause, none of the present staff at the label had even heard of the band. An extensive search through the legal archives revealed no records of the band ever being signed in the first place, so the label was forced to hand over the masters.
“It feels like a new beginning,” muses founding member Rex Manhattan. “I think the time is right, more than ever, to finally get Damn Straight out there. For some reason, same-sex marriage is still a controversial subject. But seriously folks. Life is too short to waste worrying about how much worse yours will suddenly become if gay people are allowed to get married.”
That is, until now.With the help of a 35-year copyright reversion clause that only came into effect in 2013, the band has regained control of the masters for “Damn Straight” and other unreleased gems. Ironically, the record company had erased the band from history so effectively that, when approached by The Manhattan Mob about the clause, none of the present staff at the label had even heard of the band. An extensive search through the legal archives revealed no records of the band ever being signed in the first place, so the label was forced to hand over the masters.
“It feels like a new beginning,” muses founding member Rex Manhattan. “I think the time is right, more than ever, to finally get Damn Straight out there. For some reason, same-sex marriage is still a controversial subject. But seriously folks. Life is too short to waste worrying about how much worse yours will suddenly become if gay people are allowed to get married.”
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Now, whether you believe any of that or not, doesn’t really matter, check out the catchy disco tune.
