Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches

This was an ok album, nothing too crazy lol but decent

Veel remasters, goed voor easy listenings/road trips

Donovan is fire

I can hear the influence on later Britpop acts like Blur. Loved some tracks, especially the combination of danceable beats and quirky guitar riffs, but there's quite some filler on this too. Faves: God's Cop, Step On

Yeah this was alright. Hade some energy and some of the remixes were pretty cool. It grew on me as it went along. 3.5 but on the three side.

A fun dance album with some good beats and rhythms. Not my cup of tea, but not bad.

Every song sounds the same

good as background music but not to actively listen to

Pills 'n' Thrills And Rockin' Good Times

Never heard of them ... not bad! I will have to check out some more of their tunes.

=The Beatles Goes on too long

It was alright. I don't really like Britpop and this singer's style particularly much.

I had never heard of this band before and this was a fun album.

Enjoyable funky pop rock

I'm digging this, probably a 3.5/5 for me.

I can’t remember how I felt about their other record that I got on here. This one is okay, but not anything I’m likely to revisit.

Starker Start, lässt dann im Verlauf etwas nach.

Well, this does sound ahead of its time. That doesn't make it a masterpiece or anything close to it, but it still is a good record. I'm glad I listened to it before I died.

The music of my youth - thoroughly enjoyable. Anyone who doesn't enjoy "Step On" is clearly under the influence ... or maybe the other way round

It was okay. Shaun Ryder’s vocals had more range than some of the other Britpop singers on this list. Enjoyed “Step On” and it made seek out the original John Kongos song.

Alt rock album with strong dance influences. I liked how funky some of the songs are, with Dennis and Lois and Step On being the highlights for me. But the rest of the album didn't really click with me.

This was fine - nothing special in my books but still an alright listen. I don’t quite understand why it’s so critical I listen to this album before I die but it’s not been the most egregious entry on this list. Solid 2.5 stars for me.

It's hedonistic pop rock, it's fine general and great in small doses. I kind of like the remixed tracks better than the original versions.

Not sure why this is tolerable for me. I usually don't like this.

Well that is very Madchester. It was my first time listening to Happy Mondays and I enjoyed it. It is very much of its time and I can see why The Stone Roses were put beside them in the movement. It's a good album but can get tiring towards the end. 3/5

It’s not a totally average rock album but it’s pretty damn close. Lots of using some mixed synth as a crutch instead of having anything genuinely interesting or unique. Not bad, not inspired either though.

Muzak

Still maintain this is not as good as the britpop that followed but cool to hear the predecessor.

Second half of the album > first half of the album

Something about this guy's voice just annoys me. Like it made me unreasonably angry listening to this album - so weird. I would like this a lot more without the vocals, but as it is, it's pretty forgettable.

Kind of had low expectations because I did not care for Bummed which came up previously, but this was much better in my opinion. This album set a pretty good groove and kept it up right until the next thing I knew, the album was over. While the tracks seemed to be mostly indistinguishable for me, I would listen again.

Surprisingly modern sounding for being released in 1990. Pretty good vibes throughout.

This was decent. By the end I was ready to move on, but it might have been long due to CD era.

Sounds like the soundtrack to a niche 90s black comedy film about a retired detective turn divorced bisexual yoga instructor who starts every day by downing a wheatgrass shooter and cleaning their gun.

Kind of fun. Not iconic by a long shot. Almost gave it a four.

Happy Mondays. Love the band name. Music had a bit of a funk. Enjoyed the groove of the music, the weird song topics, and the overall listen. No real standout songs, I believe this album made the 1001 Must Hear List because of Bob’s Yer Uncle. Loose Fit is top cut. (2.8*s) Sounds good to me…

Fav tracks: Kinky Afro, Step on, Harmony

The music is pretty solid but the vocals drag it down a notch for me. Probably could be a solid B with better vocals. Yeah, the music was alright but overall it's pretty middling for me.

Always found them a bit overrated. Great in parts - Kinky Afro is amazing, Loose Fit is not far behind - but he really cannot sing whatsoever.

As a huge fan of Madchester and Brit Pop, I've been intimately familiar with these guys for 35 years. They still don't land as hard as I think they should.

It was probably a pretty fresh and new sound for its time and I appreciate that even if the songs get somewhere between annoying and repetitive

Never heard of these guys so had no clue what I was in for. Didn’t have high hopes going in, but I actually liked it overall. I listened to it twice, with the exception of the remix songs at the end which weren’t great, to get a better feel for the music. It’s hard to put your finger on the genre; Wikipedia labels it predominantly “Madchester”, defined as a blend of indie rock with elements of acid house, psychedelia, and 1960s pop. But it also has an 80’s synth vibe on some of the songs and a little funk on some tracks as well. I would check out some other stuff by them based on this album. Favorites: Kinky Afro, Gods cop, Loose fit, Dennis and Lois, and Step On (the non-remix versions).

Never heard of these guys. I liked it quite a bit, great grooves. Great energy throughout the album, feel like they would be loads of fun to see live. I will say I don't much care for the vocals. Not a bad voice, just doesnt fit the music for me. But good album.

Not a bad monday to listen this to, was a decently good rockish album to vibe to whilst going to work. nothing special but not all music needs to be to be a vibe

(65/100)

Kinky Afro - 3/5 God's Cop - 4/5 Donovan - 3/5 Grandbag's Funeral - 3/5 Loose Fit - 4/5 Dennis and Lois - 4/5 Bob's Yer Uncle - 2/5 Step On - 4/5 Holiday - 3/5 Harmony - 3/5 Average score: 3.3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ eh, it's okay. perhaps this is just lost on me as an American listener. was interesting learning about what "Madchester" was while listening, ya learn something new everyday

5.5/10

This is an album that has the full essence of “Madchester”, but in that sweet spot era before it was hijacked by the rest of the country and promoted by way of that shower of wankers, Oasis. “Baggy” still isn’t quite my bag. But Shaun Ryder knows what he’s doing. I think. He can skirt the fine line between vulgar and sensual in Bob’s Yer Uncle, not a pleasant listen per se but a respectable one, which is more than can be said for other such overly sexual songs of the time and place. And of course, he can write a hit in Step On. While I think Ryder can probably never top Black Grape’s Shake Well Before Opening, this album here deserves its place as a staple with that whole aforementioned crowd. Something to be proud of, rather than fucking What’s the Story and similar. I’ll always find a way to diss Oasis through these Mancunian albums. An apology to Happy Mondays then, who here have made a really rather good album, that I probably won’t revisit. It twists my melon, man.

This album has its moments, but by and large just passed me by without too much notice. I feel like this falls into a similar category as Blur for me in that (a) it has a distinctly UK tone to it, (b) it all sounds fine, but (c) I just can't fully sink my teeth into it. Don't get me wrong some of the instrumentation here was nice (particularly the interplay between bass and guitar), and plenty of the songs were solid. But ultimately, I've forgotten this one as quickly as it came. And with that about as 3 as they come.

Went back to see if we have had a Happy Mondays album before and we have. And my review of this is pretty much a carbon copy "Had some pretty cool funk and guitar aspects. Singer was a bit bland. But overall an enjoyable album in the high 3 range."

Had its moments but also had some parts that dragged. Not great but not horrible. Firm 3.

Not much to say here

Pas nul, juste long et chiant.

Enjoyed it, another fun one. Shaun Ryder seems like a laugh and you can hear it through this album. Step on is a great tune

Pretty cool album from a band I didnt know. Dot. Think it males the top 1,000 but pretty cool

Fine, nothing exciting. 5.0

This was a hard album to pin down. Just when you thought you settled into Brit-pop it pivoted to house music. It was wild and fun. Something about the compositions didn’t land for me, but I appreciate what it’s up to. I’m sure some raging parties went down listening to it.

Meh. I think I’ve figured out that it’s only ok when Prince sings about sex explicitly and no one else is allowed. I like the remixes in the Collecor’s Edition ok, but I’m fine if I don’t hear this again. New artist for me, by the way.

It was nice

Don't really know how to categorize this but there is some good songwriting moments on here as well as some fun instrumentation

From a good era of music. The music itself was good and nice to listen to but the vocals didn't grab me. Step on the highlight.

It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s not a style that speaks to me. I find the songs too long for my tastes.

I don't think The Happy Mondays should be represented twice on this list. But, this album was better than their first.

It's not as bad as I expected. Kinda like Oasis, but instead of just doing heroin and alcohol, they did ecstasy

There’s 2 well known songs on it. This doesn’t make it a good album

A mixed bag, some great sounds but some pretty monotonous filler.

Medium Tuesday. Expected more fun than I got, but a reasonably good listen.

When this album was released I was in my prime music ingestion period and I've never heard one song. 35 years later it sounds like the rest of the generic Brit-Pop that floods this list so I don't know if it was a lack of my discovering Happy Mondays or just this list being this list. 3/5

3+ Stars (9/15)

I really liked the music on this. I was going to go four stars on this, but some of the lyrics were... off-putting. I'm not a prude, but come on, don't be weird.

Got through half and sorta gave up was a decent album though from what I heard.

Some strangely recognizable tunes in this collection. A pretty unique sound. Not bad.

60/1001 :: Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 6 Fav Tracks: Kinky Afro Listen before you die: No This I like one of those albums that your friend puts on and you’re like “This is pretty cool, What is this?” then proceed to never listen again. Then one day you’re at a house party having a couple cocktails and they got some New Wave Spotify station. And right after a super dope Echo & the Bunnymen song comes on; Happy Monday’s Step On plays. You turn your friend and say “ohh I know these cats, my friend Rob loves them!”… And that’s it. That’s as far as it goes.

Okay.

Silly and funny. I'd have trouble placing this in time, but I think I would guess the 90s, which is barely correct.

Totally unfamiliar with this, but enjoyed this more than I was expecting I would.

5/10…madchester / 90s indie

This didn’t twist my melon, man

Most songs sounded the same, didn't really grip me

Upbeat, fun, dance-able. This was alright.

I really only know Happy Mondays from its cover of “Tokoloshe Man,” which was on Rubáiyát, the compilation marking Elektra’s 40th anniversary. That cover was absolutely outstanding—and featured an edge that’s largely missing from Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches. “Kinky Afro” is probably my favorite song here. Maybe a vibe with a little less rave and a little more punk would’ve hit the sweet spot?

Good record

completely mid and forgettable

Never been huge on the Happy Mondays. This isn't bad by any stretch, infact there are some great individual parts and the singles are solid, but it's just not my bag. Half way through you forget you're listening to a rock band and it's like you're in a dance club, which obviously is the aim. If you like old school dance you'll probably love this.

Yep definitely pills involved

Got quite samey but it is a vibe..

Lowered my expectations and it turned out okay.

Pretty ok to decent album. Had some bops. Yet another British band that the list includes over many other deserving artists

Lots of fun, college memories at the dawn of Madchester.

72/1001. I saw the movie 24 hour party people and ecer since have tried to find a good, danceable, party song by the Happy Mondays, but never succeeded. Most of their stuff just floats around, which I guess is their thing. In the end it all feels mediocre.

Love it. This thing should let me give half points though. To bump up (this) or bump down (a lot).

nassahtava indie + dance albumi kelpaa

Got this on a Wednesday what the hell (2.5/5)

Fun, easy listening.

I've definitely heard worse, but on the flipside of that coin, I have absolutely heard better. If Oasis, U2, and The Stone Roses merged together to form a super band, only to be mediocre, that would be the Happy Mondays. The fact that I actually know one song on this record entitled "Step On," surprised the hell out of me. This album wouldn't necessary be a hard pass, but rather a relatively firm pass if I ever came across it in the future.

This is a pretty middle of the road late 80's/90's album. Nothing was too good or too bad. It was just average overall.

Some decent cuts and beats but got old after a bit

“step on” is way better than the other songs, like those were all practice. a lot of it isn't bad though, especially the last three. kinda ham handed with too much corn in some cringe choruses (“yippee yippee ay ye ye ye”; “do what you’re doing…”). it’s all right.

First impression: Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches is a terrible name for a band. Wait, that's the album's name. Ok. I find with this kind of music, from this era, I always have to contextualize it in an effort to enjoy it. It doesn't often happen at face value. Which is funny, because for so many other genre's from different time periods, I don't have to remind myself that it was a slice of life, or cutting edge for the time to give it a fair shake A few tracks in, this record from Happy Mondays is no different. DONOVAN is the first track that is doing anything for me. It's pretty dancy, and I like it's low-fi downtempo beat at the top of the track, with the cheesy little accordian. Guitar wails later on. I like it. BOB'S YER UNCLE gets the nod just for the little sax lick, if for nothing else STEP ON is a stand out. This is a low 3 for me. Don't get it completely yet but they are tryin shit. It's the 90's man!

Decent.

OK.

This was fun and interesting. It’s definitely on the better side of British indie. Cool and obscure sounds, but also groovy and vibey. I like the psych side of it and also the kind of pop vocals and harmonies.

Cool album with a nice and recognisable opening song, that very quickly makes you irritated and angry. Maybe Madchester wasn't that mad, in the end. Nice record in small doses.

one of the most one of the most one of the most one of the most one of the most one of the most one of the most one of the most ... öööh... ööh mitä.. heräsin just koomasta.. mitä tapahtui.. mikä tämä on.. happy mondays..jaha.. karvinen ei varmaan tykkää hähhähä.. where could my pipe be? gaaaarfieeeeeld... tähän meri nuoruus. kun alotin olin nuorempi kun sinä nyt.. koomassa kuulin kaiken. kuulin kaiken ja en unohtanut mitään. ja mitä sä puhuit.. valitus valitus ja valitit vaan!!! sasattana!! täältä tulee kostaja! kostan saatana sinun säälittävä paska elämä loppuu nyt! et enää puhu kenellekkään god scop

Eh, it was fine. I didn't dislike it :shrug:

Good album, though its chaotic energy does not give me the motivation to revisit it.

Funky

En sjanger jeg egentlig er ganske nysgjerrig på, men vokalen her ødelegger til tider litt

De är så jävla dryga i bandet men trots allt är det ett fullt godkänt album.

I thought i would like this more. Im usually a fan of british 90s psych. But this album does little to diffrentiate it from its contemporarys. 6/10 Favourite: Kinky Afro Least Favourite: Holiday

Wow, a not…that impressive 200th album. As a britpop fan I myself is trying to be impressed. So here's a joking prayer for the whole Madchester/Baggy scene: O rise, you great(er) Manchester boys, reveal your rave scenes and your parkas, your drugs and your drum machines, your pills and the nightclub trills, tell me your directions while you were getting high, zooming inside unknown pleasures, but still fall at the feet of the latecomers, cause they are the arching sky, the wind, the lighting, and the resurrection. 3/5

I was surprised by this one- I had never heard of the band before. They have a nice sound and a couple of hits.

Nice enough but don’t see how it’s possibly interesting enough to be on this list

High three on this one tbh it has bangers but most of it is sort of boring

Think it's just perfectly pleasant

This is a different spin on the new wave/electronic 80s stuff. I like it better than most of that stuff, but it’s still just okay.

This is a new-to-me band and album that I really enjoyed. Great instrumentals and vocals. Easy to move through it twice. High 3.

A hybrid rock/dance thing, sort of Clash-like. Probably an album that wouldn't appear in a list like this that wasn't British-centered. Kinky Afro sounded familiar, but it may be just because the "yipee yipee" part sounds just like the "gitchy gitchy" part of Lady Marmalade. Rip off or homage? Anyway, the singer has this tendency to elongate the last word of a phrase, and that can get annoying. Otherwise, it's a just OK album.

Another I think they suffers from not being heard at the time with context. Big tracks are great

Not terrible. I’d give it 3 stars.

Feel like a traitor to my fellow countrymen but this is not that fantastic. However, I can't believe anyone thinks Oasis are groundbreaking when HM exist. This just sounds like better Oasis to me.

3/5

I liked the first track, but the album lost its shine after that. Still not bad, though. Favorite: Kinky Afro

Was a fun nostalgic listen, but didn’t grab me or make me want to revisit regularly. 3.5 if half stars were available!

3.0/5.0: Good

middle of the road album. not good, not bad

Give them one more chance.

Not really my thing but can appreciate it

It was a fine album. Good for the background ya know. I did like the bass player.

110/1089 - Singer is out of tune and the songs are repetitive dance songs. Surprisingly didn't hate it though, and I understand why it's on the list (kind of a proto-Screamadelica sound).

Nothing stand-out, but it is a solid representation of that pre-grunge early 90's sound.

I was never into the happy mondays. The songs aren't bad, but don't catch me

Om livet var en dressmanreklam

Shaun Ryder's distinctive 'can't really be arsed' singing voice is equal parts fun and distinctive and also a little grating after an hour. I've never really understood why a simple piano motif repeated over and over and over and over constitutes a danceable tune but they seem to make it work. I respect it for the part it played in British music of the 90s and there's some baggy stuff it inspired that I can get behind. I'm fine with having heard this a couple of times and moving on.

New band to me, and nothing I really have to say about this album. Totally middle of the road, easily listenable but easily ignorable. 3/5

This one's on the better side of Manchester. Nice listening, Loose Fit was a standout for me.

A bit choppy and inconsistent but okay overall. Didn't blow me away but had enough sway and rhythm to earn a passing grade.

Fun background music

Helt ålreit

Pretty fun, not 100% on all of it but decent

Very dancy, but wasn’t in love with the vocal performance. Probably not something I’ll return to.

The Good: Mondays can be happy! The Bad: If we take pills… The Ugly: That same Monday without the pills… Yeah… not my thing. And too long to boot. Why? I guess the love for all that is British, from Manchester, or Liverpool, is all that matters at times? Any why does the “next Beatles” always need to try so hard in reinventing music? Why can’t they just make nice music in a way that hasn’t been done before? Will go down the middle… but should give this 2*

eh its fine. Upbeat 90's British alt rock. Put me in a good mood actually. Makes you feel like moving.

3 maybe 4

Ganz okay. Macht nüd falsch, stecht aber nüd gross use.

I liked it but it felt one dimensional

Relentless and not really for me. (27 known/57 new)

Belle surprise car j'étais clairement passé à côté de ce groupe. Encore des anglais. Chant à la Perry Farrell. Plans de gratte bien envoyés. Ca fait un album très satisfaisant.

It seems a bit conventional to me; it's as if their music inspired other artists... or they were inspired by others. But ultimately, the album is average... There aren't any major hits, and it's easy to forget. I had a good time listening to it, but I'm pretty sure I won't listen to it again.

This sure is…fine.

Seltsam. Seltsam. Seltsam. Wie schafft man es, dass etwas wie eine Mischung aus Britpop und Eurodance klingt? 2 1/2 aber ich runde auf, weil das schon was anderes ist.

There’s definitely some enjoyable rhythm and groove here, but the vocals are buried in the mix and hard to make out. While the album has a consistent vibe, none of the songs really stand out above the rest. It’s a decent listen, but nothing that truly grabs me.

respectable funky vibes. deserves a few more listens to hear all the layers!

Very enjoyable sounds. Would’ve given higher score if the singing was more interesting

Sounded well, but generic

I'm struggling to form a cohesive opinion on this one. It's kind of generally dancey and upbeat, but it's not something I'm particularly vibing with. It's ok.

3-4

Congrats to the person who wrote a seven page essay in the reviews about this album. I wish I listened to whatever you heard, but this was alright at best. Nothing memorable, but nothing offensive. Great to put on in the background at a party.

Okiedokie

Quite listenable! However, if in the top 1001 albums, it would rank near the bottom.

Happy Mondays milked their talent for all the drugs they could get. Bez did even better, got the drugs without much more than the ability to dance on stage. And eventually the drugs would kill their career. No ragrats! Their talent was finding a groove and adding their baggy dust to it. And when it worked it was great. Kinky Afro is one of the greatest album openers. "Son, I'm thirty, I only went with your mother cos she's dirty". Step On us just lazy though, and I couldn't ever work out why it was the hit song, worst thing on the album.

good

Ja, das fangt ja cool aa. Leider flachts aber schnäll ab.

kinky afro isch seeeehr cool, i had to crucify somebody today isch huuere e hardi line. find tönt noch guetem alt-rock. gods coo bitz nervig haha aber no cool au? sochli bratty ha au a donovan etz ehner freud erstunlicherwiis. so sehr bri'ish aber au sochli hässig aber au mellow? finds no cool. grandbag?? ihm doud? wat nou? loose fit no cool. s isch irgendwie ähnlich wie stereo mc's gester afoch mit coole text kei rappe (was nöd schlecht wär) und bessere instrumentals. aber halt au so british früeni 90er. loose fit echt coole bass. dennis and lois tönt huere noch disco mit de bongos. findi seeehr geil gad passiert uhuere viel aber s passt alles zeme. OYEAH FLANGER. bobert min onkler. so e lustigi redewendig echt. england wa mached ihr. mega horny song begeisteret mich etz weniger step on hani recht cool gfunde so sehr tanzbar aber au 90er alternative. holiday isch gad recht a mir verbi. harmony isch cute aber macht etz nüt mega bewegends. git glaub es 3, paar cooli sache aber etz au nüt wo mi mega begeisteret. paar seehr cooli songs woni mer scho chönt vorstelle dasses iflussrich gsi sind.

Although I know we get a lot of the Madchester albums in this collection, I'm still a bit surprised to see that we get two Happy Mondays albums, since they weren't all that mind-blowing even back in the day (Madchester pioneers notwithstanding), and I would definitely have preferred to have gotten a James album in place of one of the Happy Mondays albums. But here we are. I don't think I've heard most of the tracks on this album before aside from the radio hits "Kinky afro" and "Step on", whose videos (new to me) don't really add much to the experience, sadly, except to reinforce that the 90s baggy look wasn't very attractive on the band members. (But to their credit I feel like their impressive John Kongos cover "Step On" is possibly one of the better covers in this collection.) I think my favorites on the album are probably "God's cop", "Grandbag's funeral", and "Bob's yer uncle", as they seemed a bit more distinctive from the usual Happy Mondays sound (and pretty wild that "Bob's" was originally a reworked cover of "Everybody's Talkin'" by Fred Neil...). A solid album overall, and more entertaining than I expected. In some ways the album reminded me of something that Pulp could have made, but without the intensity and scalding lyrics and music; sort of a Pulp-light/free album.

I like the funky slant: percussion and keyboards are really nice, esp on Step On, but the lyrics throughout are pretty weak. Definitely a fresh sounds in places but overall not compelling. 3+ stars

I didn't hate it.

The song "bob's yer uncle" is the sexy track? I know that "Bob's yer uncle" is a way of saying "problem solved" in merry old. In the American south Uncle + Sexy time = very much a problem. Good thing I have such a refined cultural palette so that I can catch these idiosyncrasies. I also know that fanny is NOT slang for ass in England. I bet that's going to come in handy as I continue to listen to this. Sorry if I'm rambling but if you also just listed to this I bet you're used to the feeling.

Not very interesting. Not an album I truly needed to hear before I died.

Enjoyable listen. Some tracks stand out more than others but would be happy to relisten to from time to time.

Pretty fun. One of better EDM albums come through. 3.5 goin down.

Definitely more enjoyable than Bummed, but did we really need two Happy Mondays albums here to begin with

Eh. Not my jam, but some people like it.

This is a classic of Madchester, the scene and style where bands like The Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and The Stone Roses blended rock with rave dance music and a lot of drugs to create this cool, chill psychedelic type of music. This album is a classic and great example of the genre. Dance beats, female liquid vocals, jammy guitar, and a vocalists that shows you Liam Gallagher’s origins. Thing is I just don’t like it. The entire genre really. It’s too laid back I just don’t care. Giving it three stars because it belongs on the list, I just don’t like this music.

There have been so many British rock albums on this and I feel like so many of them just sound the same. This is one those. Kind of fun and reminds me of Tears for Fears or REM but there’s just no real separation.

Some pretty good tunes on here. Remind me of the Soup Dragons

Kinky Afro 3.8 God's Cop 4 Donovan 3.5 Grandbag's Funeral 3.2 Loose Fit 3.1 Dennis and Lois 3.3 Bob's Yer Uncle 3.4 Step On 3 Holiday 3.4 Harmony 3.3 Score: 3.4

I'm really not interested in any pills, thrills, and bellyaches. Nevertheless, I liked this better than the other Happy Mondays albums I've heard. These songs have some sharp hooks for sure!

Never listened to a Happy Mondays album before and it surprised me with it's fusion of indie Brit-pop rock and dance grooves that made for an interesting listen. It did drag on a bit too long, but it was varied enough with some solid songs and made for a slightly happier Monday than I was expecting.

I bought the 'Wrote For Luck' remix 7" and played it to death, loved that heavy bass, then I bought 'Step On' which still sounds fresh. Suddenly they were huge and on Top Of The Pops. 'Kinky Afro' was ok so I bought the album but was disappointed. Listening now I feel just the same about it. All was not lost! They were great at Glastonbury, their remix album was good, and the Black Grape debut album was miles better than this.

как обычно абсолютно воспоминания об альбоме обнулились к понедельнику, пришлось переслушивать. хорни шептание но не мерзкое как у некоторых

Ok

I like this similar to yeah yeah yeahs. yeah.

6.5/10 - it was pretty funny sometimes and sort of entertaining but I wouldn’t go back to it

didn't get around to this yesterday but listening now. Had to skip the God makes it easy track. The sound is pretty cool, I can see some wordly influences like caribbean maybe? The sound is growing on me. The bass line in loose fit is cool. Has a cool ambient sound. 3 stars.

Album 682 of 1001 Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches (1990) Rating : 3 / 5 I expected to dislike this but was pleasantly surprised. Didn't detect any hits Bit overall it was a nice listen. I'll add this one to my saved album list.

Its got a nice rhythm going, but I don't like the vocalist

Transplanting the most Manc band imaginable to southern California results in the Mondays trashing the mansion, fighting each other, and accidentally making their best album.

This was fun

Honestly, nothing really stood out about it. It was enjoyable but forgettable. 2.5

“Yor twistin’ mah MELON-man!”

Strangely, I just watched the "24 Hour Party People" movie starring Steve Coogan a couple of weeks ago. I had it saved to a 'watch later' list and didn't remember why. The focus is a music-centric somewhat fictionalized biopic of the main dude in Manchester-based Factory Records who's biggest bands were Joy Division / New Order, and later Happy Mondays. If you like this stuff and don't know that movie, check it out. It's weird and cool. One thing it gives you is some insight into how the Mondays were in the right place at the right time for this "dance music meets rock band" scene in Manchester in the late '80s. [Yet another '90s album from the makers of this list. It must be when the authors came of age, there's no other way to explain it. They're probably British too. I'll probably go find out in 100 albums or so.] I can only take so much of this relentlessly samey drum groove, not being at a dance party in 1990. The production is fantastic.... thick, buttery, varied, with a vocalist who obviously isn't particularly gifted at singing handled very well both in the recording and in the mix. This record could have sounded 100x more annoying than I it does, as I expected it to actually, not being more than passingly familiar with this band. As a pure record, though, it comes across as... well, quite samey. I'm one of those people who loved the Stone Roses first album, know all the songs inside and out. I could give a rat's ass about "Fool's Gold" and "One Love", which is where they really got dance-y like the Mondays. I liked the b-side to Fools Gold better, 'What the World is Waiting For'. But I digress. The Stone Roses first album had 10 songs that were distinct from each other, there was no mistaking one song from the other (we won't get into Waterfall/Don't Stop), but this Mondays album blurs together... as a record, that's not good... at a dance party, though, it's great... the beat is relentless and there's ENOUGH variety in THAT context. I'm glad I heard this Happy Mondays record, I'll be a skosh less dismissive of them going forward.

I'm not really into house and such, but this is enjoyable if not standout.

Not my album but not bad either

Planning on growing a Kinky Afro now.

Didn't really get to make a lasting impact. The sound was funky but lacked edge. The singer sometimes has that valium vocals going on. It was ok.

Inheritor of the Jagger Swagger — certainly the singer holds his notes a little too long as he pushes them out trying to birth his own cool. The dance album Mick aways wanted to make — just take the 6 and turn it upside down to 9 to make your decades dip and flip to another era. Both of the sentences prior start with an implied question and end with a statement, but is it possible to switch the order for this sentence? A bit of nonsensical, mildly clever fun to stretch the content further seems appropriate for these Happy Mondays who take an idea into the 5 minute mark for the club more often than they take out the trash.

More good than bad, but not the vibe right now, I guess.

Not entirely my genre but I liked it, before turning it for sleeping

Never heard of this band before. I like the energy. Enjoyed the first song very much but unfortunately the rest didn’t live up to my expectations after that one.

Enjoyable album 3/5

Not bad, not sure I'm a fan, but was worth the listen.

Late 80s brit pop party vibes. Did not enjoy but not a bad album.

My era, but I never listened to this sort of thing back in the day. It’s OK, but none of this hits the heights like The Stone Roses album from the previous year. When I listened to that as part of this it blew me away, whereas this is just OK. I knew a surprising amount of tracks from it and it obviously has some decent moments, but I don’t know if it’s one I’ll come back to again.

some classic Manchester rock/pop. although this album was released over 30 years ago still got a great sound to it and several of the tracks (Kinky afro, Loose Fit, Bobs Yer Uncle) would fit on any playlist of contemporary British rock. Give it a listen.

Tell him to go suck a lemon

Didn't go in with high expectations, it was already tho. Not great, but, just like, you know... Whatever

Nothing crazy, pretty middle of the road in terms of sound. Nothing explored here, just a typical rock album but I’m not mad at it

I never really got the whole Madchester thing. A lot of it sounds more suitable for cocktail party background music than ‘mad fer it!!!!’ raves. I guess you had to be there. Admittedly this album has more going for it than I was expecting, though I did start to lose interest after a while. Also, the technical prowess of the lead vocalist is rarely a dealbreaker for me, but 45 minutes of Shaun Ryder’s dulcet tones makes a compelling case for me to reconsider that stance… 2.5 / 3

These guys are fun - grillers and chillers in here.

fine enough. can’t really form an opinion ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Fun little album. Pretty dancy in the 90's kind of way. 6/10

very much of its time, still listenable with plenty of great tracks. 3.5

An interesting listen! A bridge between the 80s and 90s, some funky tunes. Better than I thought it'd be, but not an all-timer.

Better than I was expecting, I've been fairly dismissive of the happy Mondays in the past but its much more interesting than I thought. Think id heard step on too many times before and drawn my conclusions from that. The guitar is really good, quite angular and choppy in places. I do find the singing quite drony, sort of like primal scream. Puts me off a bit. Might listen again, 3.5 but closer to a 3.

Step On is decent. The rest of the album isn't half bad either - a lot more ambitious than I thought it would be. Despite being from Manchester, I don't know a lot about the Madchester scene. I don't mind Shaun Ryder's vocals either.

Wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this, know the hits but nothing else really. Even so, it didn't surprise me at all..... Kinky afro and step on are by far the best tracks. There was quite a bit I thought wasn't great, couple of slightly better ones around the middle of the album, then it dipped again. Shaun Ryder can't sing, bet they had fun though 2.5

Favorite Track: Kinky Afro

#423. I didn't hate it, but I surely didn't care enough to like it. It really leaves no impression. 3/5: mid

Muy bueno

Okay, kinda cool.

Very Meh

Happy Mondays' cultural profile and influence is way bigger and more powerful than their actual back catalogue. A handful of stomping great singles. Quite a lot of dreck. Still an interesting listen.

I've never really got these to be honest. Another one of those 'had to be there' bands by the sounds of it. Love Shaun & Bez on Gogglebox though. 2.5*, rounding up as the album actually ends pretty strongly with the last 3 tracks.

A pretty good album, I liked Step On the most.

I do like Loose Fit and the rest sounds ok as basic Rave music I like where it sounds rougher but not something I would go back to much.

I was looking forward to this one as I’d never heard it. I was disappointed.

Not bad, doesn't twist your melon too much.

Hmmm ... listening to the album is ok, but somehow nothing at the end. The music flows by and by.

The most okay album ever. I’ve listened to it, I haven’t hated it, I’ll likely never listen to it again. A simple cycle.

Well this was a lot better than I remember it - and I get the rave culture vibes it presents. Still find it hard to love, but finally I've come to terms it's actually a more than decent record.

Never heard of Happy Mondays before, but I enjoyed this one a decent amount. It was a really unique sound, and I liked the kinda psychedelic tones I was hearing. Favorites were Loose Fit and Step On.

I don’t think this album really hits its stride until the second half. The fusions of dance music and rock sometimes work and sometimes don’t really. Favorite songs were Kinky Afro, Dennis And Lois, Step On, and Holiday.

Me and baggy are like the two people in a friend group that know eachother very well but don’t get along. Especially in context of the happy Mondays, like step on is really good and you can make an argument for kinky Afro and gods cop.

Just what we needed here at the end, as if we forgot where this list originated. Not a bad album but no reason to be on this list.

Pretty unremarkable British rock album. A couple good tracks but "just fine" is really not worth including on this list, man. Though shoutout to "Bob's Yer Uncle" for just being a great track name. Also Wikipedia says this is part of a genre called "Madchester," which is a psych-dance movement from Manchester. How full of yourself do you have to be to claim your city's music is its own genre (especially when it's just reviving existing things)? Favorite tracks: Grandbag's Funeral, Loose Fit, Bob's Yer Uncle. Album art: Love how colorful it is, though makes it pretty hard to read. Can see they leaned all the way into this madcap, psych aesthetic. 3/5

This is the second Happy Mondays album I’ve gotten in the last three weeks, and it feels excessive. I did enjoy this one slightly more than the last one, though.

probably one of the best alt dance records i've heard this is album does get kind of tiring by the end tho ngl

Hasn’t aged well. Not much to enjoy beyond the big singles.

It's fine. I thought from the opening two tracks I was really gonna like it. Not like crazy love, but dig it well enough. I did recognize "Kinky Afro" once it got to the "Yippy Yippy ya ya yay I had to crucify somebody today" I was like, oh that song. After "God's Cop" it was pleasant enough to listen to maybe in the background but really not much to hang on to. (6.8) ★★★

Like some of fhe songs, but mostly it is too dance oriented for me. 3 stars

Fine, kind of grates after a while.

The vocalist sounded a bit like Bob Dylan to me. I know that sounds weird, but the vocal lilt just reminded me of it. I did feel the songs went on a bit too long, like "Dennis & Lois". It got tiresome. Although "Bob's Your Uncle" is a bit... randy, I liked the instrumentation, the woodwind breaks were really cool to hear. The wide range of influences were good to hear, and I get that the band sounds a bit fun, but the songs were a bit repetitive and went on a good minute too long. I was all "get on with it!" Top songs: "Bob's Your Uncle," "Loose Fit," "Kinky Afro"

Very good, though I'm not a huge fan. Mid to high 3s

It’s definitely of a time and place, but outside that particular setting it just doesn’t have much appeal other than some nostalgia.

This was okay. Hadn't really listened to them before. It might grow on me.

Manchester bonkers funk rock with that Ryder vocal. It still find it disorienting.

First listen. Ok.

It started off good with the opener but besides a very few tracks it didn't get much better. I liked the vibe the album was going for but the punches didn't land like I thought they would. Overall, it's ight. Top 3 Fav: Kinky Afro, God's Cop, and Holiday Top 3 Worst: no bad songs 2.75-3.25/5

Doesn’t do anything for me, but it’s not awful.

Some of the songs were cool, but the music often noticeably felt like it was using a drum machine, which was distracting and not pleasant.

Very much of its time, sounds incredibly dated over 34 years later - which not everything from that time does. Fun and daft, and sounds like it took about the same length of time to write as it takes to listen to; every track sounds like a first draft, even the cover version.

3/5

Got two Happy Monday albums in a row and hope the second was the last one. It's not bad, but I don't know what they are doing on this list.

Ok I guess, Step on has memories but a bit lame really

Good but not my style

Better when the vocals are off though...

A happy Monday? In this economy?

pretty good, fun sound, a little on the longer side.

The music isn't bad, but the lyrics are repetitive quite often and overall not super interesting.

2.5

Lately I've got a lot of mixed genres albums on the list. This one is also a mix, but in a different way. You can hear different decades. 60's, 70's, 80's and I'm pretty sure I've heard some future in there too. Since it came out in 1990, I think it's a great album for the beginning of the 90's. 3.5/5.

Some enjoyable stuff but largely forgettable

I can’t explain why, but I love this band, reprobates that they apparently were ! There are some great tracks, some just alright, but overall it’s a high 3*

It's fine :D

The only way to make Manchester bearable is to be on copious amounts of drugs, and I think the Happy Mondays encapsulate that. The music is alright too.

Unhinged British pop that blends the old and the new. Definitely worth a listen.

The album starts off really strong and promising, then unfortunately makes a weird and unappealing turn in it's middle tracks. It ends on a higher note, but overall nothing incredibly remarkable. The most popular songs are really good, and the rest of the album ranges from forgettable to bad. Top tracks: Kinky Afro, Step On, Holiday

A fun album. Reminded me of Duran Duran with a sprinkle of Talking Heads. Enjoyable!

This is an example of where the structural bones of an album are greater than the musical artistry therein. Being one of the first rock bands to get a world-class DJ to produce your album at the absolute acme of the Madchester movement would do it. The “stupid fun” of this disc is evident and you can forgive it lots for not being super polished.

Se questo album fosse al colloquio per un posto nella mia playlist gli direi che gli farò sapere per poi non richiamare mai più

Wel fine

Good vibes like Beatles? Favourite track: Loose Fit.

I didn't know what I was expecting, but it was okay but weird. The fife on Bob's Yer Uncle, the sampling on Kinky Afro, the rock guitar of grandbag's funeral. I don't know if it was a cohesive album, so it was confusing overall. But individually most of the songs were okay. Wavering here between a 2 and 3

What even is this? It sounds early 80s but is early 90s? Nah, I’m out.

Lemppari: Bob’s yer uncle Vähiten lemppari: Kinky afro

Upon reviewing the lyrics for the song Donovan on this album, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should not make it my theme song. The album is decent overall. It’s good, and understandable why it was such a big deal back in the day, but now it sounds a little dated. Although maybe it sounds dated due to so many other bands mimicking their vibe and stealing their thunder. It does have some fine four star moments sprinkled about.

Dance rock. It's ok. I like the weird horny one. bob's yer uncle?

This almost sounds like early U2 at some points, and then some late 90s alternative as well.

Boring, uninterresting and mediocre are probably the best things you can say about this.

Some good grooves. Can't say they are overloaded with musical talent. Their main riff is that piano sound thingy

Thoughts before listening: Madchester scene band that I know very little about. I've been surprised by how much all these once buzzed about Brit alt rock bands just don't do all that much for me, so I'm not too optimistic about this. Review: This is actually pretty fun. I'm hearing a bit of a punk attitude with psychedelic guitars and dancey beats. I think this all works well and quite frankly these guys probably could have been a big deal in the American jamband festival scene of the 00s. 3-stars

Interesting

I was surprised at how much this has to offer. It’s a good album!

Fun but probably not my favourite album of all time sorry.

Never heard of them before but kinky afro was a dope song. Cool sound

But same same with the sound. No outstanding songs or any prompt to want to relisten which is a shame as I love some 90s rock 5/10

Music of the era. Not what I was searching for today.

Bit of baggy Madchester fights off the midweek blues.

I didn't really like first four songs on this album, but it picks up for me with Loose Fit. I ended up liking the whole rest of the album. Not a love, but won't mind doing a second listen at some point.

This is a fun album, high in nostalgia and keen to get you moving. I definitely enjoyed getting to know this one, but can't see myself returning too often.

Mids

This album took a real downturn after the first couple songs. Generous 3

I liked about half of this album!!

When an album starts with Kinky afro you know you are in for a good one. An indie / rave combo is always going to work! Loose fit and step on are the sounds of my youth!! Favourite song: Kinky Afro and Step on Least favourite: Donovan Album artwork: Iconic britpop cover.

really nice driving soundtrack but wouldnt listen to it elsewise

This is as good as Happy Mondays get. Jangly and a little unhinged, it does make you want to dance like Bez. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Step On Date listened: 23/05/24

This album is off to a nice start; I had high hopes on hearing the first two or three tracks. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. After the initial high, the album succumbs to 90s standard fare - a shame, really. 2.5/5

While the Happy Mondays were an integral part of the Baggy scene at it's inception, their debut album Bummed didn't really impress me much. Swimming a little deeper into their catalogue with what is arguably their centerpiece album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is a radical drug-fueled blend of rock and dance music. It features highs and lows that feels like the motions of a night out on the Baggy scene. I'll concede and say that this album captures my imagination a bit better than Bummed did, but doesn't quite impress me as much as Stone Roses did. All things considered, this is a fun listen from front to back.

Meh