1995 Singles - Accoutrements/ Oh Happy Day/ Martin Keown EP.

Accoutrements Sep '95
1. Accoutrements
2. Accoutrements (Wyclef Jean Remix)
3. MMMPlop

The bands first foray into out and out pop is a jaunty number about the trappings of the rock star lifestyle. The x-rated lyrics and controversial video brought the song attention but the track itself is a Pan classic and a fan favourite.

Sample Lyric: "Get down on your knees, baby/get down on your knees, girl/ open your mouth wide/ so I can get inside/ until the silk flood starts to swirl."


Oh Happy Day Oct '95
1. Oh Happy Day
2. River Deep, Mountain High
3. He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)

Released only 3 weeks after Accoutrements, this collection of covers sold poorly and raised concern over the well-being of Jakob Muck. The previously joyous Oh Happy Day is here a discordant atonal dirge dripping with hateful sarcasm. This weirdness is accentuated by the recurring sounds of doors closing and the outro which consists of snatches of Hitler's Nuremberg Address interwoven with the sound of lamb slaughter. Scott Walker's production does nothing to help. A later, cleaner Muck described the sound as "heroin fucking crack behind a bin on the Reeperbahn at 4:17 on a February morning." It would be churlish to disagree.


The Martin Keown EP Dec '95
1. Box Prowler
2. Keown Keown Keown
3. He's Gunner Fuck You Up

After his hospitalisation in October and subsequent stint in rehab, Muck was encouraged by friend Michael Stipe to write about his ordeal in uncompromising terms as a means of showcasing the terrible depths of drug addiction for the public at large. Muck refused and instead wrote 27 songs about Martin Keown. He planned to release the songs as a double album but was stopped by his record company, who sensed such a move would be career suicide. To placate the burnt-out singer they quietly released a Norway only 3 track EP as a limited edition 1,000 copy collectors item. The original EP now changes hands for as much as £700. The EP has been re-evaluated over the years and is now considered to be quite a cogent appraisal of the abilities of the Arsenal defender. The 23 other songs planned for the double album have been extensively boot-legged, most commonly as "Keownly You", but never officially released.

Synopsis
The group released a number of esoteric stand alone singles in 1995 during what was a strained period for inter-band relations. The critical mauling that greeted Onslaught upon release in late 1994 devastated Muck, whose already bizarre behaviour became more and more absurd. The nadir came at the following year's Glastonbury when Muck sung while cowering behind the drums in a burka. Pianist Reg McMurphy was fired in early 1995 after an argument over a cheese-board in Copenhagen, ending his 15 year friendship with Muck. McMurphy took drummer David Elvish and bassist Nwonkwo Achumba with him and formed Trans-Dimensional Appendage who would come to eclipse The Pan with their 12M selling debut Yeah, Come On, Yeah. The singles released in 1995 by The Pan are a fascinating glimpse into the drug-besotted mind of Muck and could be considered as solo records.