Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches was the third album by British band Happy Mondays. It was released in 1990 and was produced by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne at Eden Studios in London. *Natokowsky note: Featuring the genius guitar work of Mark Day which is seldom mentioned who is up there with Johnny Marr and Graham Coxon in my book. Very pleased to post this as this is my fav album of all time. Sounds as fresh now as the day I bought it on cassette!
A swirling, neo-psychedelic kaleidoscope of hallucinogenic drugs, trippy beats, borrowed hooks, and veiled threats, Pills ‘n’ Thrills & Bellyaches is Happy Mondays’ masterpiece and the peak of the entire Madchester craze. Where the Stone Roses were pop classicists, Happy Mondays pushed pop into the ecstasy age. The Mondays’ cut-and-paste rhythms and melodies are clearly influenced by hip-hop and electronic dance music, and their songs have the same sort of twisted internal logic, subverting conventional pop song structures while reinterpreting oldies, occasionally stealing entire songs and claiming them as their own (John Kongos’ “He’s Gonna Step on You Again” is transformed into “Step On,” LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” provides the basis for “Kinky Afro”). Most of the musical collage is the creation of producers Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, but the vision of Pills ‘n’ Thrills & Bellyaches belongs to Shaun Ryder, who reveals himself as a surreally gifted lyricist. Lifting melodies at will, Ryder paints a bizarre vision of modern urban life, fueled by sex, drugs, violence, and dead-end jobs — and instead of lamenting the state of affairs, he celebrates them in his hoarse, arrhythmic, tuneless holler. His thuggishly surreal sense of humor and appropriation of hooks became enormously influential on British rock & roll in the ’90s, particularly on Oasis’ sense of style. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine
: “Shaun Ryder’s greatest achievement (along with his second band, Black Grape’s It’s Great When You’re Straight) and one of the cornerstones of early 90’s psychedelic music in Manchester. It is kind of surprise to notice how Pills ‘n Thrills and Bellyaches reminds Primal Scream’s Screamadelica, but Happy Mondays were year ahead of them, yet still Primal Scream got most of the respect and Happy Mondays were left behind. That is the impression I have, ‘cos almost everyone knows Screamadelica, but not many knows this album/band so well.
:: “Can any album beat this? From the absolutely superb Kinky Afro, right through to the sample mad Harmony, this album is a must for all indie fans, guitarists and anyone who appreciates good music. Its mad melodies will be etched into your memory for weeks to come. Step On, Loose fit, Kinky Afro and Holiday are the stand-out tracks for me, but this goes down as a classic album”
Kinky Afro
Gods Cop 4:00
Donovan 8:50
Grandbags Funeral 13:04
Loose Fit 16:21
Dennis And Lois 21:19
Bob’sYer Uncle 25:37
Step On 30:53
Holiday 36:11
Harmony 39:39
lyrics:
http://www.releaselyrics.com/6a90/happy-mondays-pills-%27n%27-thrills-and-bellyaches/
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