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Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches

Happy Mondays

1990

Buy At Rough Trade
Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Album Summary

Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is the third studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 5 November 1990 by Factory Records. DJ Paul Oakenfold and collaborator Steve Osbourne were previously enlisted by the band to create remixes of some of their songs. The success of these led to the pair producing "Step On", a cover of the John Kongos song, for Happy Mondays. The band went on a tour of the United States, and by the end of which, had started recording their next album with Oakenfold and Osbourne at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California. They returned to the United Kingdom, where further recording took place at Eden Studios in London until September 1990. Described as a Madchester album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches saw a lot of input from Oakenfold and Osbourne, with the former making loops, while the latter handled song arrangements. The release of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches was aided by a distribution and licensing deal between Factory Records and major label London Recordings. "Kinky Afro" was released as the second single from the album on 8 October 1990; the album was promoted with an arena tour in the UK, with support from Donovan, to close out the year. Preceded by festival appearances in the UK and Brazil, "Loose Fit" was released as the album's third single in February 1991. Treks of mainland Europe and the US followed over the course of the next three months. After this, touring continued into August 1991 across a variety of festival performances and headlining shows. Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches received generally positive reviews from music critics, several of whom considered it the band's creative peak. It peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, as well as charting in Austria, New Zealand and Sweden. The album went on to sell 400,000 copies in the UK, where it was certified platinum. "Step On" reached the top five in the UK (where it would be certified gold), and appeared on several Billboard charts in the US. "Loose Fit" charted in the UK top 20; "Bob's Yer Uncle" peaked within the top 30 on two US charts. Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches appeared on album of the year and best of decade lists by Melody Maker, NME and Select.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.99

Votes

10070
Genres
Rock
Indie
Electronica

Reviews

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Fri Mar 12 2021
5

Son, I'm 30 I only went with your mother 'cause she's dirty

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Fri May 13 2022
5

Rock music criticism, for all its supposed involvement with such a debauched, rebellious industry, is overwhelmingly conservative and starchy, and brooks no deviation from the established diktats, demanding that tame, stuffy acts receive all the plaudits while the genuinely challenging and alive must get sidelined. Surely nobody seriously thinks that three Beatles albums belong in the top ten albums of all time? Or that U2 are somehow one of the mightiest living flag-bearers for rock 'n' roll (a mate of mine once sent me a series of links where contemporary reviewers had deemed each of U2's last 5 albums as "a return to form")? And then we have the infuriating case of the Happy Mondays, the greatest, most inventive, most iconic British group of the late 80s and early 90s, yet somehow certain critics blithely dismiss them as grubby also-rans to the Stone Roses, which leads to the patent absurdity of the Stone Roses receiving all the praise for fusing indie and dance with Fools Gold, despite the Mondays having done so earlier, more radically and better (Fools Gold doesn't really go anywhere, and its melody is oddly unmemorable for such a supposed anthem; at the same time, the Mondays were dazzling with the Madchester Rave On E.P.). One obvious reason why the critics did this: they felt they had to credit someone with such an innovation, but dance music was a wee bit tricky for them to comprehend, and anyway who wants to credit the Mondays, those slovenly thugs? No no, let's award the Roses, at least they didn't progress that far outside our ken. (For clarity's sake, I do like the Stone Roses, and will even assert that Second Coming is nowhere near as bad as its reputation suggests; well done critics, you managed to mess up there as well). So yes, it is clear to anyone with at least one partially functioning ear and an actual spine that the Mondays were not only the better band, but the ones who defined the epoch and the ones who belong more in the great rock pantheon. Kids, with that in mind, how good do you think Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches is? With the fullness of time, everyone should be able to clock that PnTAB, along with much of the Mondays' back catalogue, set the agenda for much of the best British music of the 90s. Screamadelica's distillation of the E experience? The Mondays were first. Blur's sarky kitchen-sink vignettes? Grandbag's Funeral, take a bow. Jarvis Cocker's masturbation fantasies set to lyrics? Bob's Yer Uncle. Suede's flaneur sleaze? Who was ever sleazier than the Mondays? Oasis' magpie-like purloining of riffs of rock past? A technique itself purloined from the Mondays, the most brazen of thieves (literally: like their forefathers the Sex Pistols, they nicked all their instruments when starting out). The mainstreaming of dance music? Yes, other bands (significantly New Order) can claim more responsibility, but the superstar DJs of the 90s still owe quite a debt to the Mondays. It would make sense to call the Mondays the great codifiers of 90s British music, were they in any way interested in laws. Anyway, pointing out that PnTAB is influential is not the same as saying it's good, so I am fully tumescent with delight to preach to all you lost children that it's absurdly wonderful. Their previous album, the romantically titled Bummed, was also absurdly wonderful, but the two albums sound shockingly different from each other. Whereas Bummed is sordid and nebulous, PnTAB is sordid and sun-kissed, all acid house keyboards and crisp guitar melodies. PnTAB is also a textbook example of how to construct and order an album, without filler, with diversity of style yet unity of tone. How many other albums can make you dance like, well, Bez on one song, yet crack out the air guitar on the next, all the while making such a transition wholly organic? Along with this, the Mondays simply don't sound like any other band. The only bands to have come close are, as has been stated earlier, the bands who sought inspiration from these loony-tunes scallies. Your bog-standard insulated Radiohead fan will try to show disdain for the Mondays by saying they stole it all from Can and George Clinton, proving their foolishness by forgetting that the Mondays didn't care if they yoinked a melody or two, that the Mondays actually built skyscrapers on their thefts, and that the Mondays were so blisteringly original that even their pilfering couldn't detract from the fact that nothing on the planet resembled the Mondays at their peak, not even the multitude of bands that tried swiping a bit of the Mondays' shabby allure. Of course, I haven't mentioned the shiniest diamond on this jewel-bedecked album yet: Shaun Ryder's sheer magnficence as a lyricist. In my review of Meat is Murder, I spoke about the British songwriter's stance as the teller of uncomfortable truths. Shaun Ryder is an exemplar of that tradition, alongside Ray Davies, John Lydon and (quintessentially) Morrissey. Just take a look at the still-hilarious, still-biting opening couplet to album-opener Kinky Afro: Son, I'm 30 I only went with your mother 'cos she's dirty. The rest of the song, an inadequate father in utter self-pity pleading with his son to forgive him, but still too proud to apologise, with the son responding just as the father would have, understanding yet completely dismissive, remains one of the most astute character studies in all of rock (how many 90s indie songs repeat the trick of the singer explaining, "I get you, but fuck you anyway"?). Also note that, for all the hedonism the Mondays exhort, our Shaun's lyrics have not only thick strands of pessimism, but a worldly-wise stoicism. As the title says, pills 'n' thrills come with bellyaches. I have quoted one song. In fact, every song from the album can be quoted so, as demonstrations of Our Shaun's absolute lyrical expertise. Take Dennis and Lois: Honey, how's your breathing? If it stops for good, we'll be leaving. Or how about the chorus to God's Cop? God made it easy on me. That was intended to be a poke in the eye at the rabid, religiously zealous Chief Constable of Greater Manchester James Anderton, but it also serves as rather a nifty cocaine line (see what I did there?). Such pearlers cram, indeed constitute PnTAB. Shaun Ryder at his best is equal to Bob Dylan at his best, and Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is easily one of the five greatest British albums ever recorded. However, there remains the question: why did the Mondays blow it? As hagiographic as I have been, I must be honest and admit their flaws. The Mondays' embrace of pleasure led them to unremitting sexism (the year after PnTAB, they guest-edited an issue of Penthouse). After Shaun made an unwise comment made whilst high (he joked about "selling my arse for 50p", which some tabloids reported as a confession that he had been a rentboy), the Mondays made homophobic remarks when challenged by an admittedly hostile journalist. As a liberal type, these blemishes make me wince, but I hope I don't sound dismissive to say that their youthful prejudices do not diminish them in my eyes; they are my favourite band (duh), and they have meant so much to me that I will eulogise them, especially as their failings, their humanity, are part of the reason their artistry is so embraceable. My father was a homophobe, but that doesn't mean I stopped loving him. Love is not blind, but it is forgiving. To suggest some perspective, I believe it's easier to pardon the Mondays' regrettable epithets than, say, N.W.A.'s witless, self-parodic anthems to murdering prostitutes. Aside from that serious ugliness, I should talk about their record label: the barmy indie totem of Factory Records. Tony Wilson, the Yeats-and Debord-quoting newsreader who helmed Factory, declared that Factory's greatest achievement was shepherding two truly great bands, Joy Division/New Order and the Happy Mondays. He was right. He was also right about the (literal) price such shepherding cost. The collapse of Factory Records has become one of the monumental legends of music. Factory was losing money due to the crushing debts of their revolutionary white elephant club, the Haçienda, and the only option the label saw was to get the Mondays to record a fourth album. However, our Shaun had become addicted to heroin, and their manager got the bright idea to record the album in Barbados, an island free of heroin. There was no heroin on Barbados, but it was festooned with crack, the least creative drug of all. All the money Factory sent over, the Mondays spent on crack. They then sold the record equipment for crack, then they sold the studio furniture, then they sold their clothes. Eventually, when Factory got the master tapes from Barbados, they discovered Shaun hadn't recorded any vocals. They quickly bandied him to a studio in Surrey to finish the album, and the resultant album, Yes Please!, proved a substantially weakened follow-up and a commercially and (somewhat justified) critically catastrophic release. Factory went into administration and the Mondays split in internecine hatred, their legacy tarnished by their own druggy stupidity. Unfathomably, our Shaun and Bez managed a successful comeback with their next group Black Grape, producing one classic album in It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah!, and one duffer in Stupid Stupid Stupid. Black Grape broke up, and Shaun assembled a bastardised, pub-karaoke version of the Mondays in one of the tawdriest, most depressing reformations in music history, with our Shaun playing the pathetic jester for the sole intention of paying off tax bills based on name recognition alone (is every detail microscopically right? No matter, I'm printing the legend). Taking this all together, this is why critics have bestowed the baggy, pilled-up glories on the Stone Roses, glories that rightfully belong to the Happy Mondays. Just because you're the best doesn't mean you win. But why should I care? Why should the Mondays care? Despite everything, despite all the ignominy they proffered and invited, they already proved themselves one of the greatest bands of all time, with two of the greatest albums of all time, and some of the greatest songs of all time. Neither they nor I need to worry about some Pitchfork-scrutinising wanker declaring them too coarse and visceral for their milquetoast sensibilities. Nietzsche once wrote that the belly is the one reason man does not take himself for a god. The Happy Mondays assert that the belly is exactly why a man can be a god. Bez' father was a policeman.

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Fri Apr 02 2021
3

I mean ... meh? There's legitimately nothing that stands out. As background music, it's utterly ignorable. Which means that there's also nothing BAD here. Nothing that snags the ear. It's just .. meh.

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Fri Apr 09 2021
5

The sound of an indie band incorporating early rave and it actually works.

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Fri Mar 19 2021
5

i don't know if its nature or nurture, is it good or is it because i'm a manc and its the law that you like the mondays? i'm going with it actually being good as i'm usually the type that if i'm told i have to like something i probably won't as it'll be bland and beige and i fucking love this album. stereotypes exist for a reason.

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Fri Oct 01 2021
2

Didn’t particularly dig this. Nothing wrong with it but just meh. Very doesn’t belong on this list.

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Wed Sep 27 2023
3

i thought i loved this album until i realised i didnt

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Sat Jun 05 2021
1

Woof. Not good. And I love the idea of a happy monday

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Sat May 22 2021
5

Really fun stuff I've never heard before

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Thu May 26 2022
5

For readers unaware of the Man known as Bez, Bex was a member of Happy Mondays. However, no discernible musical contribution, he. Bez’s sole function in the band was to stand on stage and shake his maracas. And that’s what this album is really - party music to shake your maracas, shake your hips, shake your ass. A fusion of dance music and indie which actually works and captures a time and a place. Try not to think to hard and just enjoy the ride.

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Sat Aug 21 2021
4

I’m trying to distance myself from the kind of fellow Manc who’s still walking around with bowl cuts and bucket hats in 2021, but I cannot deny that I genuinely think this is a great album. No standout tracks for me, but the whole record hangs together as such a mood. It was such a great production decision to get Paul Oakenfold involved. It’s not technically as good as the likes of The Stone Roses, but it is a bit more fun.

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Sun Sep 17 2023
2

Yeah, this isn’t really it for me. Very bland aside from a few tunes. I get the appeal for some people, but I rather listen to something else! 4 out of 10

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Thu Apr 08 2021
5

Quality album this, really like it from start to finish

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Wed May 12 2021
5

With the recent creation of britpop in 1989, many new bands were emerging to pinpoint and define the sound of this very fresh new genre. Two of these bands were The Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays, however in my opinion the Happy Mondays 3rd album 'Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches' is much superior to any of the Stone Roses catalogue. This album perfectly balances between embracing the old, such as using classic guitar sounds and licks as well as bongos which are used to great effect, and pushing forward from the 80's into the 90's. The constant tempo and rhythmic change between songs gives you a constantly refreshing listen, and the beats are so damn addictive and you could listen to them for hours. This really is a benchmark album for music and usually flies under the radar for most people. GREAT!

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Wed Jan 19 2022
5

I loved every minute of this album! Fun funky and fresh. A new favorite from a group I'd never even heard of!

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Wed Jul 21 2021
4

At Hawkins elementary I ate lunch in the cafeteria. We all had assigned seats and once you sat down, you weren't allowed to move until the lunch bell rang 35 mins. later. Kids, myself included, would eat the Little Debbie's first and then make our way through the PB&J's only to leave the less desirable food untouched. Others bought lunch which was stuff like pizza or mac'n cheese with fries, and limp veggies. Like limp and discolored, rubbery carrots and lima beans-type veggies. What kid eats lima beans ... like ever? Eating took roughly 20 mins. to complete. The remaining time was often spent pulverizing the leftovers and adding some ketchup and milk to create some disgusting concoction and then daring each other to drink it until the bell rang. Michael Gunter was the only kid I remember who actually followed through on the dare. I'd never heard of The Happy Monday's until today and after hearing it, I would've thought this would've been placed a little further into the '90s based on their sound. There's a lot of layers within the music, people talking, bong-ripps, white people rap, makeshift instrumentation, sampled loops and other superfluous noise that, when combined makes me think of Michael Gunter and cafeteria-time at Hawkins elementary. The result of this mish-mash is a deep, full-bodied experience that's messy and convoluted but not as terrible as you'd think. It almost makes me wonder if Michael Gunter actually enjoyed drinking that sludge. After all, he was awarded with a legendary status for that. But then I remembered he earned that for spewing chewed-up ketchup, lima-bean disaster milk all over Paul Pyle who was lucky enough to be in direct line of fire from Michael's pie hole. Paul Pyle, for his part, had to stay seated until the bell rang, was forced wear his stinky sweater for the remainder of the day and earned the nickname 'puke pile' for the rest of fifth grade.

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Fri Feb 16 2024
4

This might be a weird take but it sounds like what U2 would be if they were more indie / electronic sounding. Not sure if that’s a compliment or a criticism. Had never heard it before, and I was pleasantly surprised, but also didn’t hear anything mindblowingly memorable to warrant a 5 rating.

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Sun Feb 25 2024
4

Rolling Stones vibes on a few tracks. I like the brightness in the percussion without the 90’s compressed vocals shoved down our ear holes. Cool album.

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Wed Mar 06 2024
4

INXS did it first and better. Sounded pretty good though.

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Fri Oct 06 2023
1

The last time we got a Brit-pop album I mentioned that I hoped that it was the last album of this wretched genre that I would have to listen to. Well, Surprise! ... those sneaky Brit authors have another one up their sleeve. Why can’t they spread their wings and offer up something different like the Bulgarian women choir or Tibetan throat singers instead of the same old boring Brit-pop? FML.

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Sat Apr 24 2021
5

Sorpresa grata. La verdad me la pasé muy bien con este disco, tiene que su rock, que su eclecticismo, que sus beats, que sus texturas chidas, que sus vocales culeros que suenan edgy. Desde la flauitita de bobs yer uncle, la onda britpop de Gods Cop, hasta las vibras de The Doors en Grandsbag Funeral, un disco que no aburre. Mood: 0% skips.

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Fri Mar 19 2021
5

This album was ever-present for me in college (roommate's favorite) but I did not own it myself. I wasn't really into it at the time (I was more into classic rock) but appreciated it way more now. Would listen again.

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Thu Jun 17 2021
5

Great album. Really bridges the gap between new wave and Britpop. I will definitely be returning to this album

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Fri Jan 28 2022
5

I've never heard of this band before, but I'm glad I now have because every song on this album is a total banger.

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Thu Mar 03 2022
5

Very good, love the ambience of the first track, love the chaos of the second one, and the in-between chaos and calm of the last 2. Fantastic album.

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Fri May 20 2022
5

I got "Bummed" a couple of days ago and really liked it, so I went into this one thinking it would be on the same level of enjoyment; however, I was disappointed. The album cover is really cool, and I think fits the genre and style they were going for. The album feels like a mellowed down version of "Bummed," a more radio friendly version that takes a lot less risks. This album is still enjoyable, but I think this one is just not as good as "Bummed." The lyrics are a little more bland on this album, and the songs are more upbeat which, in my opinion, isn't an improvement over "Bummed"'s sound. I do have some praises over "Bummed" though. The flow of the album is much better. It is a much more coherent album, and it does this by taking less risks. The psychedelic tone still comes through on many tracks and (in most cases) done much better than on "Bummed." Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

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Fri May 20 2022
5

I really liked this album. The voice compliments the music very well, and either by itself would simply be doing this album a disfavor. The music is great in that the melodies draw you in and keep you there. Many songs have a sort of pop feeling to them or at the very least an upbeat tone. In addition, there are some funk-inspired songs, which is a plus for me personally. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience. Favorite track: God’s Cop

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Fri Jul 15 2022
5

Such a massive vibe. Reminds me of Spiritualized but more party

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Mon Sep 05 2022
5

Bloody love this album. Best opening line of any album

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Wed Sep 21 2022
5

I'd forgotten how much joy I get out of listening to Happy Mondays, something about them just makes me ummm Happy. Fave songs Kinky Afro, Loose Fit, Bob's Yer Uncle, Step On.

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Wed Jan 11 2023
5

A gobby smartarse yelling over Balearic fusion with a heavy dose of studio gloss. It shouldn't work, but it does. Loads of fun, catchy tunes and memorable lyrics. Favourite song: 'Dennis and Lois'.

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Thu Jan 19 2023
5

Liked this much, much more than the other HM album. Best pure 90s album I think on this list. It's northern, working class and full of upbeat hopefulness which defined the decade.

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Thu Feb 09 2023
5

Not the most outstanding album here but I had a good time.

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Wed Apr 12 2023
5

Brilliantly sunny tunes, so evocative of the early 90s. From the party classic Step On to the superbly cheeky Bob's Yer Uncle, it's a great ride, pun intended. You're twisting my melon man!

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Mon Apr 17 2023
5

It's an album so tied up with the British music movement of late 80s/90s, that I wonder what other nationalities make of it. Some guys stole some instruments, learned to bash out a tune and worked out that the guy they gave the mic to was a genius. Working class boys played in guitar bands and hoped to be famous and get out of the terrible lives they had. This gang of boys then took some ecstasy, went to the Hacienda and discovered rave. Then rather than throwing their guitars away and becoming a dance band they put it together. OK there were producers that helped, but this was the moment it all worked. They were too much of a shambles to be a stadium band, or to dry out or to keep it all together for a few more albums. But on this album, in that year, they created something absolutely unique and brilliant.

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Wed Jun 07 2023
5

This album is ridiculously listenable to - bearing in mind that it's not clear how much the band played on it, how much was due to production wizadry, and it is clear how Sean Ryder was 'vocalist' rather than singer. Along with the first Stone Roses album a memento of a quite uniquely British artform: baggy.

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Wed Aug 09 2023
5

Good fun. Not sure about the intentionally off singing, but I enjoyed it and like their musical output. I pushed it from 4 to 5 stars purely because it would be funny if this was our group's top rated album.

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Wed Aug 09 2023
5

Tried to put aside my preconceptions about this, buts it's still a five star album all day long.

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Wed Aug 09 2023
5

All the hits a great swooshy diy rave guitar bender. Could something like this happen again id like to think so.

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Thu Aug 17 2023
5

You talk so hip you’re twisting my melons man. Nonsense was never so cool You probably had to be there but if you were this is close to perfection. 30 odd years disappear in an instant

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Wed Dec 06 2023
5

Mega fedt! Klart noget der skal ind i min rotation. 3 banger tracks, og det har bare hjerte og spiller. Mega fedt cover også

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Sat Jan 06 2024
5

Heaps of fun, like a more intriguing version of the Stone Roses

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Sun Feb 04 2024
5

Your first impression of an album is almost always the cover. So when I saw this egregiously colorful, vomit inducingly bright hodgepodge of what seems like old school candy and food wrappers, I knew I was in for something. I actually love this cover. It’s like a Where’s Waldo page. I can’t stop looking at it. This is like that CD you randomly find in a music store, and buy because you like to cover, but forget you own and never listen to. And it gave me an idea of what it might sound like before I had even heard a second of music. This is a product of its time in the best possible way. Released late into the first year of the 90’s, it seems as if they waited as long as they could and soaked up as much of the beginning of the era and the end of the 80’s as possible. This is so 90’s it would make millennials cry. From its cover art to its mix of acoustic and electronic drums to its jangly guitar riffs that are pumped so full of effects it’s almost like a shoegaze record. This has a song called Loose Fit for god sake, which is entirely a play on the trendy fashion style of the time period. And it’s just so damn creative. I was not bored for one second. It’s an album that totally warrants and deserves a front to back listen with no breaks. It’s not too long and provides a unique flavor of the same vibe with every song. This makes me want to throw on some baggy pants and skate around my neighborhood, but I’m not capable of doing either of those things, so this works. The worst part about this is that the title is Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches and not Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches. Rating: 10/10!

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Sun Feb 25 2024
5

Crea un ambiente muy lindo en el cual estar, musicalmente tiene cosas interesantes. Por momentos me recordó a INXS.

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Wed Feb 28 2024
5

"I think that Shaun Ryder is on a par with W.B. Yeats as a poet." - Tony Wilson, founder of Factory records. He's not wrong and add to the mix the fact that Shaun's brother and rest of the Happy Mondays along with Paul Oakenfold were loved up geniuses.

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Mon Mar 11 2024
5

Funky, druggy and tawdry, with that combination how could I give it less than five stars?

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Fri Mar 12 2021
4

det här var gött. go bas som på nåt sätt genomsyrade alltihopa

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Fri Mar 19 2021
4

Never heard of them before. Pretty good album.

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Fri Apr 09 2021
4

This slaps. Didn’t get it before. Indie rave.

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Thu Feb 11 2021
4

Pretty chill vibe. I like it. Would listen more. Adding to my collection.

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Thu Feb 04 2021
4

I really liked this a lot. I wasn't sure what to expect - for some reason I had the Sundays in my head, so was thinking female singer, mellow, poppy sound. This was really catchy and rocked in places. Adding it to my liked albums.

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Wed Mar 24 2021
4

Really like this. Doesn’t feel overly “groundbreaking” but it may have been for the time. Good stuff.

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Sat Apr 24 2021
4

Ya no sé si se puede hablar de un género para todo el disco, o sea más bien hay una mezcla de varios y muchos géneros por separado, no sé, pero se antoja pasarla bien con esto de fondo, muy onda cine. Eso sí, como que ya suena a los noventa y hay de repente soniditos muy chidos, como la ¿flauta? o algo parecido en "Bob's Yer Uncle". Mis favoritas: "God's Cop", "Loose Fit" y "Step On". Siento que no sabía nada de Happy Mondays antes de esto. 8/10

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Sat Apr 10 2021
4

I had a lot of fun listening to this one, never heard it before. Likely won’t again lol

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Fri Jun 04 2021
4

Nie przypuszczalem, ze tak niszowy gatunek jak madchester bedzie sie az tyle razy przewijal na tej liscie, a jednak pojawia sie kolejny raz i nadal potrafi zaskoczyc swoja orginalnoscia i tripowoscia, bo jednak kultura drugowa glownie przemawia przez ten material, a themem mogloby byc ekstazowe popowanie, co wyroznia ta plyte jest zdecydowanie performens jaki na gitarce robi Mark Day, az dziwne ze nigdzie inadziej go nie mozna uslyszec po takiej plycie, ale jak na szalonego czestera nie samym skilowaniem na instrumentach tworzy on swoj klimat, album byl produkowany przez duet Osbourne Oakenfold, co dalo idealny bilans jakosci produkcji do didzejowego stylu samplowania, bo pojawia sie tutaj sample ktore wedlug mnie wychodza daleko poza co juz slyszalem czesterowego, jak na traku step on, ktory jest coverem Kongosowego singla o tytule he is gonna step on you again, wiec dosc egzotyczne kowery, wygiete do hedonistyczno narkotycznego stylu bycia czesterowego, przepalone wokale Rydera tez trzymia poziom, zarowno w bardziej konwencjonalnym spiewie jak i na przeciaglych transowych receytacajch, nawet jesli jest to gatunek tworozny z mysla o zabawie klubowej, to i tak dobrze sie tego slucha w celowym zaciszu, no jesli kontent liryczny nie za bardzo odbiega od swiatopogladu sluchacza, bo prawdopodobnie dla kogos bardziej prostego musi to brzmiec jak zawodzenie zula zbierajacego na nastepny pakiet dykty, na plejaka dodam wspomnianego step ona, otwierajacy kinky afro i holiday, chociaz ciezko bylo wybrac traki, bo cala plyta jest niesamowicie rowna i nie ma kawalkow zapychaczy, spotifajowa wersja po raz kolejny obrodzila w ekstra tejki, jak dotad najsolidniejszy madowyczester, klasa wyzej niz primal scream

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Fri Mar 19 2021
4

Professional Mancs doing funky Manc business professionally. Very good.

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Fri Mar 19 2021
4

MAD-chester. Has anyone used that before? Haven't listened to this for a long time. It was very enjoyable...especially juxtaposed with some of the shit we've had on here this week. Well done lads.

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Mon May 31 2021
4

Love all the extra stuff going on in the background. A real nice mix of samples, drums and keyboards. Sean Rider's delivery is perfect too.

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Tue May 18 2021
4

What a great, fun album. Really captures the birth of Britpop and the whole Manchester sound, as good as the Stone Roses did it. Fantastic!

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Tue Aug 10 2021
4

This is a really fun listen. There are some really good hooks on some of the songs (Kinky Afro, Loose Fit). There are many moments of "that sort of sounds like ________", and use of familiar samples from other artists' songs. This is an album that I would listen to 2-3 tracks at a time, but not listen to all the way through.

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Tue Aug 24 2021
4

Made for a great drive home track. Good vibe energy

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Mon Sep 20 2021
4

A creative blur between sensational dance music and indie, art rock guitar sounds. It may seem like an odd combination of genres, but to me it's almost the personification of the atmosphere of early 90's UK. I can visualize a shabby dance club with a small band in new wave outfits performing Step On, God's Cup and Loose Fit with a dance pit around them. And then the band switches it up, and gives you a punk rock show that isn't changing any of the tones they've been playing for the club. It may be super niche or an adjustment to really latch onto, but this was easy for me to enjoy and pick up. This record represents a distinctly different corner of what rock was doing during the 90's. Favorite Songs: Step On Least Favorite: Donovan

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Wed Sep 22 2021
4

This was great! I've never heard of this band or Madchester style music. I'll definitely want to check out more in the future. I can definitely see some influences the style has on bands like the Chemical Brothers.

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Fri Nov 05 2021
4

Madferrit. How a bunch of junkies can knock out a British classic should be seen as the quality of British drugs and our drug addicts. The music's as baggy as their jaws were gurning. Best Tracks: Kinky Afro; God's Cop; Step On

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Mon Nov 22 2021
4

Fun album. Sounded a bit more modern than '90.

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Thu Dec 02 2021
4

Such a strong sound it conjures up an era. A bit before my time, the rock/rave scene had vanished from Manchester by the time I got there. The songs have a tendency to blend together and drag on a bit during the weaker parts. But it has such a strong vibe that kinda distracts from how boring the album actually is. 4/5 - Would give it 3 but my inner Manc is pushing it up to 4.

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Mon Feb 21 2022
4

I was thinking that this album was all around solid but lancking any stand-out tracks. Then Step On came on and I upgraded this to a 4 star.

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Fri Mar 25 2022
4

I’m sure it was fun at the time but all seems a bit messy and shouty now. A bit more going on musically than I was expecting though.

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Mon May 02 2022
4

It’s a nice album from the early 90’s. It really sums up that era from England

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Fri Jun 03 2022
4

This one is always good company, listened on the way down to the coast. Nothing much to say, just good memories and dancing.

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Tue Jul 26 2022
4

Scuzzy, funky and vibrant. A genre-defining work that's also a delight to listen to. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Step On, Loose Fit, Dennis and Lois, God's Cop, Kinky Afro, Bob's Yer Uncle, Harmony, Holiday, Donovan, Grandbag's Funeral

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Thu Aug 04 2022
4

Pretty eclectic, pretty weird, very interesting, very listenable. I enjoyed it a lot! I really liked that they didn't seem to worry about adding unconventional things into the productions, and it seemed to bounce around different emotions and vibes and feels without ever making me as the listener feel like something was off. It is all tastefully done. Will have to listen to this album more than once to pick up on more things though.

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Thu Aug 04 2022
4

Live reactions from late Tuesday night after work: For an album with such an eclectic mix of influences, these first few tracks aren’t as fun as I would have thought. It’s almost there but not quite raising my pulse. Ok I just got to “Dennis and Lois,” which is really scratching the itch for me. It sounds like U2’s “Mysterious Ways” with a little extra disco influence. Really digging it. (Fwiw, U2 released that song a year later so maybe it’s fair to say they were influenced by this album?) Maybe it’s this double IPA I’m drinking but the second half of this album is hitting way better than the first. The flute on “Bob’s Yer Uncle” is so fun. And that female backing vocal having an orgasm on the track? Haha I love it. Yeah I’m officially into this. “Step On” is a banger. And the last two tracks are really fun too. I’ll need to go back and listen to the first half of this again because I’m thoroughly charmed right now. Listening again on Wednesday morning and I’m really enjoying it. Their style took me a minute to connect to. His hoarse, shouted vocals are cracking me up. It’s a fun choice for a dance-y record. This one’s gonna go into high rotation for me for the next few weeks.

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Thu Aug 04 2022
4

Sounded to me like a mashup of a bunch of different artists and styles. All kinda fun at least

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Wed Aug 24 2022
4

Never used to get the Happy Mondays hype. But, having actually listened to an actual album of theirs I realise that it was one of my many strongly held opinions based on nothing much! Great tunes for a day in the park drinking cider.

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Wed Aug 31 2022
4

Breezy, loud and fun, just what a Madchester record is supposed to be. A sign of what was to come in the decade ahead.

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Wed Sep 07 2022
4

Good flow, but songs are diverse enough it keeps you interested. Love the lyrics.

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