I'm realizing there's something of a thread going on this week - bands that either got good notices out of the starting gate and didn't sustain it or bands that stood on the verge of packing it in just as the hits started rolling. In the case of the Wendys, a lot of it had to do with bad timing. Formed in the late 80's, The Wendys originally got started in Edinburgh (Scotland) before coming to the attention of Happy Mondays' Shaun Ryder, whose dad was instrumental in securing a label deal with the upstart, fledgling Factory Records - home of Happy Mondays, New Order, Joy Division, OMD among many other influential bands of the late 70's through early 90's UK scene.

Their debut release (Gobbledygook) was well received and sold moderately well. But they failed to capture the international appeal that their label mates did and they set out to record a second album and issue an ep (I instruct), from which tonight's track, The Sun's Going To Shine For Me Soon, comes. It was recorded live at the Powerhaus in London in June and was issued as a bonus track on the ep shortly after.

Sadly that was it. The hoped-for second album never materialized since Factory Records sank slowly in the sunset, filing for bankruptcy in 1992. The album, Sixfootwingspan was finally issued in 1999. But by then the momentum had gone.

The Wendys aren't that well known today, coming along at a time when the Madchester scene was overflowing with bands and competition was fierce. It didn't help they were signed to a label that would go under without notice, leaving them pretty much stranded and starting from Square One. But at least they've left some legacy and a few gems along the way.

Further evidence the business of music is a crapshoot.