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Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches

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 for remixes. 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 substantial input from Oakenfold and Osbourne, with the former making loops, while the latter handled song arrangements.

Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
Studio album by
Released5 November 1990
Recorded
  • February 1990
  • July–September 1990
Studio
GenreMadchester, baggy, rock
Length43:49
LabelFactory
ProducerPaul Oakenfold, Steve Osborne
Happy Mondays chronology
Hallelujah
(1989)
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
(1990)
Yes Please!
(1992)
Singles from Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
  1. "Step On"
    Released: 26 March 1990
  2. "Kinky Afro"
    Released: 8 October 1990
  3. "Loose Fit"
    Released: 25 February 1991
  4. "Bob's Yer Uncle"
    Released: April 1991 (US only)

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. "Kinky Afro" had similar success, also reaching the top five in the UK (where it would be certified silver). "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.

Background edit

Happy Mondays released their second studio album Bummed, which was produced by Martin Hannett, in November 1988.[1] To promote it, the band supported James and Pixies on separate tours, as well as headlining treks of their own in the United Kingdom.[2] The album's lead single "Wrote for Luck" became the defining track of the acid house era.[3] Scott Plagenhoef of Stylus considered the album "the perfect summation of the 1988 British Summer of Love".[4] "Wrote for Luck" was remixed by DJ Paul Oakenfold, with assistance from Steve Osborne, and Vince Clarke of Erasure.[5] The remixes, under the name "W.F.L.", appeared in September 1989, peaking at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart.[2][6] Happy Mondays' second EP Madchester Rave On was released in November 1989, again produced by Hannett.[7] It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.[6]

Oakenfold and Osborne were enlisted again to create remixes, which were successful commercially and critically.[8] Around this time, the band appeared on Top of the Pops with the Stone Roses, which acted as a catalyst for the Madchester scene.[9] Relationships between band members became strained, while manager Nathan McGough spent more time partying than assisting them. Frontman Shaun Ryder was especially disconnected from the others, using heroin as a crutch.[10] In February 1990, Happy Mondays' label in the United States, Elektra Records, picked them to contribute a cover for a 40th anniversary compilation album.[11] Happy Mondays initially considered doing a Tom Waits track, until someone suggested John Kongos; they recorded Kongos' "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (1971) at Eden Studios in London.[12][13] At the suggestion of McGough, Oakenfold and Osborne produced the song, marking the first time either of them did so.[13]

Unbeknownst to Happy Mondays, Oakenfold and Osborne added vocals from session musician Rowetta, who had met McGough some weeks earlier at the Haçienda in Manchester.[14][15] As the band thought their cover would be wasted on the Elektra compilation, they gave the label a rendition of another Kongos song, "Tokoloshe Man" (1971).[16] In March 1990, they embarked on a tour of mainland Europe, leading into two headlining shows at the G-Mex centre in Manchester.[17] The band's version of Kongos' track, shortened to "Step On", was released as a single on 26 March 1990.[18] The song's music video was filmed while in Barcelona on the roof of a hotel, with directors The Bailey Brothers.[19] The band set up in a rehearsal room in Stretford to write material for their next album.[20] Following this, the band headlined Glastonbury Festival and played a one-off show in Ibiza in June 1990.[17] They embarked on a tour of the US in July 1990.[21]

Recording edit

As the US tour came to a close in Los Angeles, California, the band decided to record their next album in the city. Ryder considered it an important break away from being constantly recognised in the UK, which the rest of the band agreed with. Other recording locations had been floated and declined, such as in Amsterdam and Barbados. An extra US show was scheduled, but cancelled in order for the members to get into the right head space for recording.[22] Due to the success of "Step On", Oakenfold and Osborne had been earmarked to produce Happy Mondays' next release sometime prior.[23] Elektra and Factory Records, the band's UK label, booked the band to record at Capitol Studios. Upon entering it, the band had a week's time to record the seven new songs they had; they convinced both labels to extend recording by three weeks.[24] Oakenfold and Osborne sorted through the various demos the band had given the pair, picking the ones that would work well and those that would not.[25]

As the band would hang out with Mancunian and Liverpudlian people from acid house club nights in the area, the strained relationships were sedated.[24] They stayed at the Oakwood Apartments with their girlfriends and wives.[24][26] Recording started on 23 July 1990; the sessions would begin at midday and concluded by midnight, lasting for six days per week, with engineer Ray Blair and studio assistant Cameron.[18][27][28] Bassist Paul Ryder and drummer Gary Whelan would record their parts together, while the others would record theirs separately to avoid cabin fever.[29] The first track they recorded was "Kinky Afro", the bass and drums in which Osborne laboured over to get a certain baggy sound.[24] Whelan would often record drum loops and record new parts on top of them. A similar instance saw Whelan play over loops that Oakenfold made by scratching his records on "God's Cop".[30] Due to Bez's lacklustre skills as a percussionist, session musician Tony Castro was brought in by Blair to contribute to "Loose Fit" and "Bob's Yer Uncle".[31][32]

Spurred on by the laidback nature of the sessions, the band attempted a cover of "Everybody's Talkin'" (1966) by Fred Neil. With the guidance of Oakenfold, kept the feel of the song, while scrapping everything else, eventually causing the band to write "Bob's Yer Uncle".[33] Shaun Ryder would attempt to get out of recording vocals frequently, claiming he was not in the right mood. Osborne had to talk him into the idea, as he learned from working on "Step On", Ryder was "not somebody who is a super-confident vocalist. Doing vocals for Shaun [Ryder] is not an easy thing". Ryder would subsequently only do vocals when Osborne was in the control room, aside from the occasional visit from Whelan.[34] Factory founder Tony Wilson visited the band, fearing they would have spent the entirety of recording partying instead of working. Upon hearing a version of "Bob's Yer Uncle", he exclaimed that the band's next release would be "one of the great British albums of the age". The band flew home on 25 August 1990; one-by-one, each member would further work on the songs at Eden Studios, where Rowetta did guest vocals.[28][35] Recording concluded by September 1990; Oakenfold and Osborne mixed the final tracks with assistant engineer Dave Burnham.[28]

Composition and lyrics edit

Musically, the sound of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches has been described as Madchester.[36] With the title, Ryder said the band wanted a "mature, a rock classic title, but we thought fuck it, just give it something that everyone's expecting".[37] Oakenfold and Osborne had more input in the music than other people would as the band trusted them. Oakenfold said Osborne had a bigger role in the overall sound of the album due to him being a multi-instrumentalist.[38] The former focused on making loops, while the latter tackled song arrangements with synthesizers and keyboards.[30] All of the songs' sound is buoyed by Paul Ryder' bass parts, which Osborne felt was important to the band's dynamic. Ryder had a laissez-faire attitude to his performances, even letting Osborne play bass on one track.[30] Osborne felt guitarist Mark Day's parts anchored a lot of the songs, often setting the tone for them.[39] They initially wanted "Tokoloshe Man" (1971), another Kongos cover, on the album, but were denied when they contributed it to Elektra's anniversary compilation in lieu of "Step On".[40]

Shaun Ryder wrote lyrics to the songs while in his apartment in Los Angeles, fuelled by opium.[41] The album opens with "Kinky Afro", an ode to fatherhood and Ryder's father Derek.[42] The song's music is partially influenced by Paul Ryder listening to Hot Chocolate, namely their song "Brother Louie" (1973). Shaun Ryder took one of its lines for "Kinky Afro"; despite comparisons to "Lady Marmalade" (1974) by Labelle, Ryder claimed the song's vocal hook was taken from the film Die Hard (1988).[34][43] The song was initially called "Groovy Afro", but was changed after "Groovy Train" (1990) by the Farm was released sometime prior.[44] "God's Cop" is inspired by James Anderton, the chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police, who claimed God was speaking to him.[45] It opens with a slide guitar part, leading into a delta blues riff that is heard throughout the rest of the track; it is backed by a drum loop of "Me Myself and I" (1989) by De La Soul.[46][47][48] "Donovan", which musically retreads "Mad Cyril" from Bummed, was written after the band was listening to Donovan's back catalogue while touring the US.[18][46] It borrows a lyric from Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" (1966).[34]

"Loose Fit" is the result of jamming between Paul Ryder and Oakenfold; the song describes how one approaches life.[30][49] In addition to this, some of the lyrics talk about the Gulf War and its events being reported on TV.[34] "Grandbag's Funeral" is centered around a guitar riff, reminiscent of the one heard in "Diamond Dogs" (1974) by David Bowie.[50] "Dennis and Lois" is named after a couple the band befriended upon visiting New York City for the first time.[51] It includes a reference to The Profession of Violence by John Pearson, a book about the Kray twins.[52] The music was influenced by "Superstition" (1972) by Stevie Wonder.[34] "Bob's Yer Uncle" is about dirty talking during sex, the music of which was influenced by the theme song to Daktari, according to Ryder.[32][53] It includes a line from "Why Did You Do It" (1975) by Stretch, and samples a clarinet part from a Michael Nyman composition.[34][50] The track originally had extracts from The Exorcist (1973) and numerous pornographic films that were removed before the album was released.[50]

Kongos' "Step On" is a protest song that deals with white people's appropriation of land in Africa.[54] Happy Mondays' version opens with an Italo house piano, followed by a funk shuffle.[55] Shaun Ryder ad-libbed various lines, such as "Call the cops" and "You're twisting my melon man".[56] The former was a catchphrase of a Haçienda patron, while the latter was taken from a line of dialogue in Man on the Edge, a documentary about Steve McQueen.[57][58] Ryder had guessed some of the lyrics as he did not have a lyric sheet in front of him, which he re-recorded after learning what they were.[15] "Holiday" incorporates a portion of "Sweet Jane" (1973) by the Velvet Underground, as well as "A Lover's Holiday" (1980) by Change.[34][50] Ryder wrote the song about issues he faced when dealing with customs officers.[34] For "Harmony", Ryder attempted to get Whelan to sing the track, in the same manner that the Beatles would get their drummer Ringo Starr to sing a song.[34] The song describes being high on the rave drug ecstasy.[59] It lifts a lyric from "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" (1971) by the New Seekers.[34]

Release edit

McGough set about making Happy Mondays' next album a success; he was concerned with Factory's ad hoc licensing agreements, finding it difficult to obtain sales numbers from Rough Trade Records in Germany.[35] With an advance from Wilson, McGough set up a distribution and licensing deal with major label London Recordings, who would promote the album throughout the European continent.[35][60] BMG had turned down an offer to distribute the band due to their "interests outside of their musical output".[60] During this time, the UK press noted a decline in the popularity of the Madchester scene.[61] McGough wanted "Kinky Afro" as the next single, while Wilson aimed for "Loose Fit".[62] "Kinky Afro" was ultimately released as the second single from the album on 8 October 1990.[18] A radio mix and a live version of the same song was included as B-sides.[63] The music video for the song, directed by The Bailey Brothers, was filmed at Granada Studios. It sees the band being surrounded by dancing female models, one of which was Whelan's girlfriend.[64]

Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches was released on 5 November 1990.[65] The cover, done by Central Station Design, consists of American sweet wrappers, with the band's name and the album's title laid on top in cartoon lettering.[66] Matthew Robertson in his book Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album (2006) wrote that it blends ephemera from Los Angeles, where the album was recorded, and London, where it was mixed. Factory Records paid for Central Station Design to visit Los Angeles for a week, while the band were in the midst of recording there, in order to gather the materials that would end up on the final artwork. These pieces were used in the lettering, while pieces from London were used for the background.[67] When the album was issued in the US, later in the month,[68] the artwork was changed because of fears of being sued for copyright infringement.[67] A launch party was held at the London Zoo on the same day as its UK release.[66] The following week, on 12 November 1990, the band released the video album Call the Cops, which consisted of footage shot on their tour of the US.[18] The band promoted Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches with an arena tour in the United Kingdom in November and December 1990, with support from Donovan, who the band had met earlier in the year.[65][69][70] Happy Mondays started 1991 with appearances at the Great British Music Weekend festival in the UK, and Rock in Rio 2 in Brazil.[65] Both performances were lambasted by audience members; the latter was nearly abandoned due to rain, though the band continued playing despite being told they might get electrocuted.[71]

A new music video was filmed for "Step On" on 12 January 1991 in London, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino. It was intended to coincide with a re-release of the song in the US.[72] Originally planned for 18 February 1991,[73] "Loose Fit" was released as the album's third single on 25 February 1991.[74] Wilson decided on it, though the band wanted "God's Cop" as their next release.[75] "Bob's Yer Uncle" and a remix of "Kinky Afro" appeared as the B-sides to "Loose Fit".[76] Remixes of "Loose Fit" and "Bob's Yer Uncle", done by the Grid, were released on a 12" vinyl, being retitled "Loose Fix" and "Bob's Yer Tune", respectively.[77] The single, along with its music video, was delayed due to needing to remove lyrics about the Gulf War.[78] Robertson said the song has a "very dark and sinister subtext" to it, and as such, Central Station Design "set about capturing this idea by composing a murkier experience" for its front artwork. The back cover features burned fat to "simulate burnt, bubbling human flesh [which] was used to suggest the violence of warfare".[79] Following this, they went on a tour of mainland Europe, which lasted until March 1991.[65] It took into account the territories that London Recordings released the album in, in an effort to build a fan base in those counties.[80]

Upon arriving back in the UK, the band performed "Loose Fit" on Top of the Pops.[80] Later in March 1991, the band returned to the US, where they toured for two months.[81] A few of the shows were criticized by the press for their short length, often only playing for 50 minutes.[82] The New York City date of the tour, on 24 April 1991, saw the band support Jane's Addiction.[81] Around this date, "Bob's Yer Uncle" was released as the next single from the album, instead of the planned "Step On" reissue. McGough had wanted Elektra to release "God's Cop" or "Loose Fit" to capitalise on the band's US shows.[83] Senior management at Elektra caught wind of the band's short sets and them cancelling or not showing up to promotional meet and greet events, and decided to stop pushing the band in the US.[84] Around the same time, contemporaries the Charlatans had returned to the UK from their own US tour, marking the end of the Madchester scene trying to break the US.[85] Exhausted from the trek, Happy Mondays cancelled the last few shows in order to rest in Texas.[86] A series of headlining shows and festival performances took place between May and August 1991.[87]

Reissues and related releases edit

Happy Mondays released their first live album in 1991, titled Live, which was recorded during a Leeds show earlier that year.[88] It was previously released as an official bootleg under the name Baby Big Head, which drew comparison to the Who's Live at Leeds (1970).[89] Wilson was fine with the band self-releasing the bootleg; the band's motivation for doing so in the first place stemmed from Factory owing the band around £100,000 in royalties.[90] Rhino Records reissued Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches as a two-disc set in 2007, with bonus tracks and a DVD of the band's music videos.[91] In 2012, daily newspaper The Guardian gave readers a free copy of the album in each newspaper.[92] It was included in Rhino Records' Original Album Series box set in 2013, which collected Happy Mondays' first four studio albums.[93] The album was re-pressed on vinyl in 2020.[94]

"Kinky Afro" and remixes of "Loose Fit", "Bob's Yer Uncle" and "Step On" appeared on Happy Mondays' first compilation album Double Easy – The U.S. Singles (1993).[95] "Loose Fit", "Bob's Yer Uncle", "Step On" and a remix of "Kinky Afro" were included on their second compilation album Loads (1995).[96] "Kinky Afro", "Loose Fit", "Bob's Yer Uncle", "Step On" and a remix of the latter appeared on the band's third compilation album Greatest Hits (1999).[97] "Bob's Yer Uncle" and "Step On" appeared on their fourth compilation album The Platinum Collection (2005)[98] "Kinky Afro", "God's Cop", "Loose Fit", "Dennis and Lois", "Bob's Yer Uncle" and "Step On" were included on the band's fifth compilation album Double Double Good: The Best of Happy Mondays (2012).[99]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [100]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[101]
Los Angeles Times     [102]
Mojo     [103]
NME9/10[47]
Q     [104]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [105]
Select5/5[46]
Sounds     [106]
Uncut     [107]

Several writers praised the writing of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches. Stuart Maconie of NME hailed it as "a tremendous record, and a gauntlet chucked at the feet of all the other would-be legends in town".[47] Los Angeles Times writer Jonathan Gold said any person with a "degree can tell you about pop’s post-modern condition, the simultaneous existence of all forms of music at once, but you rarely hear it expressed like this on a single record".[102] The staff at CMJ New Music Report praised the band for being "more forward-thinking, diverse and downright interesting [on this album] than most owuld have imagined from previous dour efforts".[108] Select's Andrew Harrison referred to it as "ludicrously, expansively, stupidly excellent", going on to praise Oakenfold's DJ pedigree,[46] which the CMJ New Music Report staff also did.[108]

Other reviewers were less receptive to the album. Simon Reynolds, writing in The New York Times, called it a "perplexing mishmash" that can alienate listeners outside of Manchester's rave scene, "because it's designed to confuse and repel outsiders".[109] In a less enthusiastic review, Bob Mack of Entertainment Weekly said that apart from "Step On" and "Donovan", the album shows that the band is less interesting than their Madchester contemporaries and do not warrant comparisons to the Rolling Stones.[101] Jornal do Brasil's Arthur Dapieve called it disappointing, stating that the titles of the songs match the monotony of their sound.[110] In a review for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau cited "Grandbag's Funeral" and "Kinky Afro" as highlights but stated that "their Voidoids is hotter than their 'dance music'".[111]

Retrospective reviews were highly positive. In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches a hedonistic album that was the peak of Happy Mondays' "career (and quite arguably the whole baggy/Madchester movement) ... a celebratory collage of sex, drugs, and dead-end jobs where there's no despair because only a sucker could think that this party would ever come to an end".[100] The staff at Q magazine called it their "artistic peak" and a "top-hole album",[104] while the staff at PopMatters saw the album as the band's "masterpiece", dubbing it the "Ulysses of modern rock music — the rock album that didn’t just question what rock music is, but ignored what rock music is".[112] BBC Music reviewer Daryl Easlea wrote that the album "all gets a bit much toward the end, but no matter, what a hoot it is on the way there".[48]

Commercial performance edit

Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches had 150,000 pre-orders.[37] It peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, selling 400,000 copies after spending 28 consecutive weeks on the chart.[66] It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in March 1991.[113] It also charted at number 27 in New Zealand,[114] number 30 in Austria,[115] number 41 in Sweden,[116] number 89 in the US,[117] and number 98 in Australia.[118]

"Step On" charted at number five in the UK,[6] and number 46 in the Netherlands.[119] In the US, it reached number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100,[120] as well as number nine on Alternative Airplay,[121] number 13 on Dance Club Songs,[122] number 46 on Dance Singles Sales,[123] It was certified gold by the BPI in May 2021.[124] "Kinky Afro" charted at number five in the UK,[6] number 34 in New Zealand.[125] It peaked at number one in the US on Alternative Airplay.[121] It was certified silver by the BPI in September 2022.[126] "Loose Fit" charted at number 17 in the UK and number 71 in the Netherlands.[6][127] "Bob's Yer Uncle" peaked at number 23 in the US on Alternative Airplay and number 25 on Dance Club Songs.[121][122]

Accolades and legacy edit

Oakenfold and Osborne were nominated for, but ultimately lost, the British Producer of the Year award at the 1991 Brits for their work on Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches.[128] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[129]

Dave Simpson of Uncut said the band's decision to work with Oakenfold and Osborne "inspired everything from U2's Achtung Baby and The Prodigy's 'Firestarter' to Blur's hooking up with William Orbit and Suede aligning themselves" with Osborne.[130] In a retrospective piece for DJ Mag, journalist Ben Cardew said tracks such as "Kinky Afro", "Loose Fit" and "God's Cop" erased the "genre distinctions between rock, funk, soul, and dance music, making it sound perfectly natural for a band raised in rainy Manchester to create sunshine funk music".[131] Author Richard Luck in his book The Madchester Scene (2002) said that while the album was "[n]either as coherent nor as polished" as the Stone Roses' self-titled debut, it stood as one of the most important albums from the time period "if only because of Ryder's songwriting and the heady mix of high times and low lives that infuses every track".[132] In 2015, the band performed the album in its entirety on a UK tour to celebrate its 25th anniversary.[133] They repeated this feat in Australia in 2019.[134] Dzidziuś I Diabeł covered "Loose Fit" for their album Impreza (1993), while Hawke included a remix of "Bob's Yer Uncle" on his album +++ (2009).[135][136]

Track listing edit

All lyrics by Shaun Ryder, all music by Happy Mondays, except where noted.[28]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Kinky Afro" 3:59
2."God's Cop" 4:58
3."Donovan" 4:04
4."Grandbag's Funeral" 3:20
5."Loose Fit" 5:07
6."Dennis and Lois" 4:24
7."Bob's Yer Uncle" 5:10
8."Step On" (John Kongos cover)5:17
9."Holiday" 3:28
10."Harmony" 4:01
Total length:43:49

Personnel edit

Personnel per booklet.[28]

Charts and certifications edit

See also edit

References edit

Citations

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bummed – Happy Mondays". AllMusic. from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b Spence 2015, pp. 313–315
  3. ^ Spence 2015, p. 125
  4. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (1 September 2003). . Stylus. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  5. ^ Spence 2015, pp. 162–163
  6. ^ a b c d e "Happy Mondays | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  7. ^ Spence 2015, pp. 179, 315
  8. ^ Spence 2015, p. 183
  9. ^ Middles 1997, pp. 82, 100
  10. ^ Spence 2015, p. 194
  11. ^ Middles 1997, pp. 103–104
  12. ^ Middles 1997, p. 104
  13. ^ a b Spence 2015, p. 198
  14. ^ Spence 2015, p. 199
  15. ^ a b Ryder 2012, p. 205
  16. ^ Ryder 2012, pp. 205–206
  17. ^ a b Spence 2015, p. 316
  18. ^ a b c d e Harrison 1991, p. 52
  19. ^ Spence 2015, p. 201
  20. ^ Spence 2015, p. 205
  21. ^ Spence 2015, pp. 217, 219
  22. ^ Spence 2015, p. 221
  23. ^ Spence 2015, p. 216
  24. ^ a b c d Spence 2015, p. 226
  25. ^ Doyle, Tom (April 2020). "Classic Tracks: Happy Mondays 'Step On' (page 2)". Sound on Sound. from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  26. ^ Warburton; Ryder 2011, p. 29
  27. ^ Verrico 1998, p. 120
  28. ^ a b c d e Happy Mondays (1990). Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (booklet). Factory Records. FACD 320.
  29. ^ Spence 2015, pp. 226–227
  30. ^ a b c d Spence 2015, p. 227
  31. ^ Spence 2015, p. 229
  32. ^ a b Verrico 1998, p. 129
  33. ^ Spence 2015, p. 228
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Spence 2015, p. 231
  35. ^ a b c Spence 2015, p. 232
  36. ^ Brod, Doug; Krugman, Michael. "Happy Mondays". Trouser Press. from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  37. ^ a b Spence 2015, p. 238
  38. ^ Verrico 1998, p. 123
  39. ^ Spence 2015, pp. 227–228
  40. ^ Harrison 1991, p. 54
  41. ^ Spence 2015, p. 230
  42. ^ Warburton; Ryder 2011, p. 30
  43. ^ Harrison 1991, p. 55
  44. ^ Verrico 1998, p. 127
  45. ^ Ryder 2019, p. 45
  46. ^ a b c d Harrison 1990, pp. 92–93
  47. ^ a b c Maconie 1990, p. 36
  48. ^ a b Easlea, Daryl (2007). "Review of Happy Mondays - Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches". BBC Music. from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  49. ^ Ryder 2019, p. 48
  50. ^ a b c d Verrico 1998, p. 128
  51. ^ Ryder 2019, p. 50
  52. ^ Spence 2015, pp. 231–232
  53. ^ Ryder 2019, p. 53
  54. ^ Spence 2015, p. 197
  55. ^ Lewis, John (23 August 2019). "Happy Mondays on 'Step On': 'It was dead easy!'". Uncut. from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  56. ^ Spence 2015, p. 199
  57. ^ Ryder 2019, pp. 39–40
  58. ^ Ryder 2012, p. 203
  59. ^ Ryder 2019, p. 57
  60. ^ a b Verrico 1998, p. 130
  61. ^ Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 51
  62. ^ Middles 1997, pp. 125–126
  63. ^ Happy Mondays (1990). "Kinky Afro" (sleeve). Factory Records. FACD 302.
  64. ^ Spence 2015, p. 235
  65. ^ a b c d Spence 2015, p. 317
  66. ^ a b c Spence 2015, p. 239
  67. ^ a b Robertson 2006, p. 189
  68. ^ Marks ed. 1990a, p. 64
  69. ^ Verrico 1998, p. 132
  70. ^ Ryder 2012, p. 220
  71. ^ Spence 2015, pp. 246, 248
  72. ^ Spence 2015, p. 245
  73. ^ Redmond ed. 1991, p. vi
  74. ^ Mann ed. 1991, p. 3
  75. ^ Spence 2015, p. 249
  76. ^ Happy Mondays (1991). "Loose Fit" (sleeve). Factory Records. FACD 312.
  77. ^ Happy Mondays (1991). "Loose Fix" (sleeve). Factory Records. FAC 312r.
  78. ^ Verrico 1998, p. 136
  79. ^ Robertson 2006, p. 196
  80. ^ a b Spence 2015, p. 250
  81. ^ a b Spence 2015, p. 318
  82. ^ Spence 2015, p. 252
  83. ^ Spence 2015, p. 253
  84. ^ Spence 2015, p. 255
  85. ^ Wills; Sheehan 1999, p. 60
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Sources

External links edit

  • Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (collector's edition) at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
  • Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches at Discogs (list of releases)

pills, thrills, bellyaches, third, studio, album, english, rock, band, happy, mondays, released, november, 1990, factory, records, paul, oakenfold, collaborator, steve, osbourne, were, previously, enlisted, band, remixes, success, these, pair, producing, step,. 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 for remixes 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 substantial input from Oakenfold and Osbourne with the former making loops while the latter handled song arrangements Pills n Thrills and BellyachesStudio album by Happy MondaysReleased5 November 1990RecordedFebruary 1990July September 1990StudioCapitol Los Angeles Eden LondonGenreMadchester baggy rockLength43 49LabelFactoryProducerPaul Oakenfold Steve OsborneHappy Mondays chronologyHallelujah 1989 Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches 1990 Yes Please 1992 Singles from Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches Step On Released 26 March 1990 Kinky Afro Released 8 October 1990 Loose Fit Released 25 February 1991 Bob s Yer Uncle Released April 1991 US only 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 Kinky Afro had similar success also reaching the top five in the UK where it would be certified silver 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 Contents 1 Background 2 Recording 3 Composition and lyrics 4 Release 4 1 Reissues and related releases 5 Critical reception 6 Commercial performance 7 Accolades and legacy 8 Track listing 9 Personnel 10 Charts and certifications 11 See also 12 References 13 External linksBackground editHappy Mondays released their second studio album Bummed which was produced by Martin Hannett in November 1988 1 To promote it the band supported James and Pixies on separate tours as well as headlining treks of their own in the United Kingdom 2 The album s lead single Wrote for Luck became the defining track of the acid house era 3 Scott Plagenhoef of Stylus considered the album the perfect summation of the 1988 British Summer of Love 4 Wrote for Luck was remixed by DJ Paul Oakenfold with assistance from Steve Osborne and Vince Clarke of Erasure 5 The remixes under the name W F L appeared in September 1989 peaking at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart 2 6 Happy Mondays second EP Madchester Rave On was released in November 1989 again produced by Hannett 7 It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart 6 Oakenfold and Osborne were enlisted again to create remixes which were successful commercially and critically 8 Around this time the band appeared on Top of the Pops with the Stone Roses which acted as a catalyst for the Madchester scene 9 Relationships between band members became strained while manager Nathan McGough spent more time partying than assisting them Frontman Shaun Ryder was especially disconnected from the others using heroin as a crutch 10 In February 1990 Happy Mondays label in the United States Elektra Records picked them to contribute a cover for a 40th anniversary compilation album 11 Happy Mondays initially considered doing a Tom Waits track until someone suggested John Kongos they recorded Kongos He s Gonna Step on You Again 1971 at Eden Studios in London 12 13 At the suggestion of McGough Oakenfold and Osborne produced the song marking the first time either of them did so 13 Unbeknownst to Happy Mondays Oakenfold and Osborne added vocals from session musician Rowetta who had met McGough some weeks earlier at the Hacienda in Manchester 14 15 As the band thought their cover would be wasted on the Elektra compilation they gave the label a rendition of another Kongos song Tokoloshe Man 1971 16 In March 1990 they embarked on a tour of mainland Europe leading into two headlining shows at the G Mex centre in Manchester 17 The band s version of Kongos track shortened to Step On was released as a single on 26 March 1990 18 The song s music video was filmed while in Barcelona on the roof of a hotel with directors The Bailey Brothers 19 The band set up in a rehearsal room in Stretford to write material for their next album 20 Following this the band headlined Glastonbury Festival and played a one off show in Ibiza in June 1990 17 They embarked on a tour of the US in July 1990 21 Recording editAs the US tour came to a close in Los Angeles California the band decided to record their next album in the city Ryder considered it an important break away from being constantly recognised in the UK which the rest of the band agreed with Other recording locations had been floated and declined such as in Amsterdam and Barbados An extra US show was scheduled but cancelled in order for the members to get into the right head space for recording 22 Due to the success of Step On Oakenfold and Osborne had been earmarked to produce Happy Mondays next release sometime prior 23 Elektra and Factory Records the band s UK label booked the band to record at Capitol Studios Upon entering it the band had a week s time to record the seven new songs they had they convinced both labels to extend recording by three weeks 24 Oakenfold and Osborne sorted through the various demos the band had given the pair picking the ones that would work well and those that would not 25 As the band would hang out with Mancunian and Liverpudlian people from acid house club nights in the area the strained relationships were sedated 24 They stayed at the Oakwood Apartments with their girlfriends and wives 24 26 Recording started on 23 July 1990 the sessions would begin at midday and concluded by midnight lasting for six days per week with engineer Ray Blair and studio assistant Cameron 18 27 28 Bassist Paul Ryder and drummer Gary Whelan would record their parts together while the others would record theirs separately to avoid cabin fever 29 The first track they recorded was Kinky Afro the bass and drums in which Osborne laboured over to get a certain baggy sound 24 Whelan would often record drum loops and record new parts on top of them A similar instance saw Whelan play over loops that Oakenfold made by scratching his records on God s Cop 30 Due to Bez s lacklustre skills as a percussionist session musician Tony Castro was brought in by Blair to contribute to Loose Fit and Bob s Yer Uncle 31 32 Spurred on by the laidback nature of the sessions the band attempted a cover of Everybody s Talkin 1966 by Fred Neil With the guidance of Oakenfold kept the feel of the song while scrapping everything else eventually causing the band to write Bob s Yer Uncle 33 Shaun Ryder would attempt to get out of recording vocals frequently claiming he was not in the right mood Osborne had to talk him into the idea as he learned from working on Step On Ryder was not somebody who is a super confident vocalist Doing vocals for Shaun Ryder is not an easy thing Ryder would subsequently only do vocals when Osborne was in the control room aside from the occasional visit from Whelan 34 Factory founder Tony Wilson visited the band fearing they would have spent the entirety of recording partying instead of working Upon hearing a version of Bob s Yer Uncle he exclaimed that the band s next release would be one of the great British albums of the age The band flew home on 25 August 1990 one by one each member would further work on the songs at Eden Studios where Rowetta did guest vocals 28 35 Recording concluded by September 1990 Oakenfold and Osborne mixed the final tracks with assistant engineer Dave Burnham 28 Composition and lyrics editMusically the sound of Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches has been described as Madchester 36 With the title Ryder said the band wanted a mature a rock classic title but we thought fuck it just give it something that everyone s expecting 37 Oakenfold and Osborne had more input in the music than other people would as the band trusted them Oakenfold said Osborne had a bigger role in the overall sound of the album due to him being a multi instrumentalist 38 The former focused on making loops while the latter tackled song arrangements with synthesizers and keyboards 30 All of the songs sound is buoyed by Paul Ryder bass parts which Osborne felt was important to the band s dynamic Ryder had a laissez faire attitude to his performances even letting Osborne play bass on one track 30 Osborne felt guitarist Mark Day s parts anchored a lot of the songs often setting the tone for them 39 They initially wanted Tokoloshe Man 1971 another Kongos cover on the album but were denied when they contributed it to Elektra s anniversary compilation in lieu of Step On 40 Shaun Ryder wrote lyrics to the songs while in his apartment in Los Angeles fuelled by opium 41 The album opens with Kinky Afro an ode to fatherhood and Ryder s father Derek 42 The song s music is partially influenced by Paul Ryder listening to Hot Chocolate namely their song Brother Louie 1973 Shaun Ryder took one of its lines for Kinky Afro despite comparisons to Lady Marmalade 1974 by Labelle Ryder claimed the song s vocal hook was taken from the film Die Hard 1988 34 43 The song was initially called Groovy Afro but was changed after Groovy Train 1990 by the Farm was released sometime prior 44 God s Cop is inspired by James Anderton the chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police who claimed God was speaking to him 45 It opens with a slide guitar part leading into a delta blues riff that is heard throughout the rest of the track it is backed by a drum loop of Me Myself and I 1989 by De La Soul 46 47 48 Donovan which musically retreads Mad Cyril from Bummed was written after the band was listening to Donovan s back catalogue while touring the US 18 46 It borrows a lyric from Donovan s Sunshine Superman 1966 34 Loose Fit is the result of jamming between Paul Ryder and Oakenfold the song describes how one approaches life 30 49 In addition to this some of the lyrics talk about the Gulf War and its events being reported on TV 34 Grandbag s Funeral is centered around a guitar riff reminiscent of the one heard in Diamond Dogs 1974 by David Bowie 50 Dennis and Lois is named after a couple the band befriended upon visiting New York City for the first time 51 It includes a reference to The Profession of Violence by John Pearson a book about the Kray twins 52 The music was influenced by Superstition 1972 by Stevie Wonder 34 Bob s Yer Uncle is about dirty talking during sex the music of which was influenced by the theme song to Daktari according to Ryder 32 53 It includes a line from Why Did You Do It 1975 by Stretch and samples a clarinet part from a Michael Nyman composition 34 50 The track originally had extracts from The Exorcist 1973 and numerous pornographic films that were removed before the album was released 50 Kongos Step On is a protest song that deals with white people s appropriation of land in Africa 54 Happy Mondays version opens with an Italo house piano followed by a funk shuffle 55 Shaun Ryder ad libbed various lines such as Call the cops and You re twisting my melon man 56 The former was a catchphrase of a Hacienda patron while the latter was taken from a line of dialogue in Man on the Edge a documentary about Steve McQueen 57 58 Ryder had guessed some of the lyrics as he did not have a lyric sheet in front of him which he re recorded after learning what they were 15 Holiday incorporates a portion of Sweet Jane 1973 by the Velvet Underground as well as A Lover s Holiday 1980 by Change 34 50 Ryder wrote the song about issues he faced when dealing with customs officers 34 For Harmony Ryder attempted to get Whelan to sing the track in the same manner that the Beatles would get their drummer Ringo Starr to sing a song 34 The song describes being high on the rave drug ecstasy 59 It lifts a lyric from I d Like to Teach the World to Sing In Perfect Harmony 1971 by the New Seekers 34 Release editMcGough set about making Happy Mondays next album a success he was concerned with Factory s ad hoc licensing agreements finding it difficult to obtain sales numbers from Rough Trade Records in Germany 35 With an advance from Wilson McGough set up a distribution and licensing deal with major label London Recordings who would promote the album throughout the European continent 35 60 BMG had turned down an offer to distribute the band due to their interests outside of their musical output 60 During this time the UK press noted a decline in the popularity of the Madchester scene 61 McGough wanted Kinky Afro as the next single while Wilson aimed for Loose Fit 62 Kinky Afro was ultimately released as the second single from the album on 8 October 1990 18 A radio mix and a live version of the same song was included as B sides 63 The music video for the song directed by The Bailey Brothers was filmed at Granada Studios It sees the band being surrounded by dancing female models one of which was Whelan s girlfriend 64 Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches was released on 5 November 1990 65 The cover done by Central Station Design consists of American sweet wrappers with the band s name and the album s title laid on top in cartoon lettering 66 Matthew Robertson in his book Factory Records The Complete Graphic Album 2006 wrote that it blends ephemera from Los Angeles where the album was recorded and London where it was mixed Factory Records paid for Central Station Design to visit Los Angeles for a week while the band were in the midst of recording there in order to gather the materials that would end up on the final artwork These pieces were used in the lettering while pieces from London were used for the background 67 When the album was issued in the US later in the month 68 the artwork was changed because of fears of being sued for copyright infringement 67 A launch party was held at the London Zoo on the same day as its UK release 66 The following week on 12 November 1990 the band released the video album Call the Cops which consisted of footage shot on their tour of the US 18 The band promoted Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches with an arena tour in the United Kingdom in November and December 1990 with support from Donovan who the band had met earlier in the year 65 69 70 Happy Mondays started 1991 with appearances at the Great British Music Weekend festival in the UK and Rock in Rio 2 in Brazil 65 Both performances were lambasted by audience members the latter was nearly abandoned due to rain though the band continued playing despite being told they might get electrocuted 71 A new music video was filmed for Step On on 12 January 1991 in London directed by Jean Baptiste Mondino It was intended to coincide with a re release of the song in the US 72 Originally planned for 18 February 1991 73 Loose Fit was released as the album s third single on 25 February 1991 74 Wilson decided on it though the band wanted God s Cop as their next release 75 Bob s Yer Uncle and a remix of Kinky Afro appeared as the B sides to Loose Fit 76 Remixes of Loose Fit and Bob s Yer Uncle done by the Grid were released on a 12 vinyl being retitled Loose Fix and Bob s Yer Tune respectively 77 The single along with its music video was delayed due to needing to remove lyrics about the Gulf War 78 Robertson said the song has a very dark and sinister subtext to it and as such Central Station Design set about capturing this idea by composing a murkier experience for its front artwork The back cover features burned fat to simulate burnt bubbling human flesh which was used to suggest the violence of warfare 79 Following this they went on a tour of mainland Europe which lasted until March 1991 65 It took into account the territories that London Recordings released the album in in an effort to build a fan base in those counties 80 Upon arriving back in the UK the band performed Loose Fit on Top of the Pops 80 Later in March 1991 the band returned to the US where they toured for two months 81 A few of the shows were criticized by the press for their short length often only playing for 50 minutes 82 The New York City date of the tour on 24 April 1991 saw the band support Jane s Addiction 81 Around this date Bob s Yer Uncle was released as the next single from the album instead of the planned Step On reissue McGough had wanted Elektra to release God s Cop or Loose Fit to capitalise on the band s US shows 83 Senior management at Elektra caught wind of the band s short sets and them cancelling or not showing up to promotional meet and greet events and decided to stop pushing the band in the US 84 Around the same time contemporaries the Charlatans had returned to the UK from their own US tour marking the end of the Madchester scene trying to break the US 85 Exhausted from the trek Happy Mondays cancelled the last few shows in order to rest in Texas 86 A series of headlining shows and festival performances took place between May and August 1991 87 Reissues and related releases edit Happy Mondays released their first live album in 1991 titled Live which was recorded during a Leeds show earlier that year 88 It was previously released as an official bootleg under the name Baby Big Head which drew comparison to the Who s Live at Leeds 1970 89 Wilson was fine with the band self releasing the bootleg the band s motivation for doing so in the first place stemmed from Factory owing the band around 100 000 in royalties 90 Rhino Records reissued Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches as a two disc set in 2007 with bonus tracks and a DVD of the band s music videos 91 In 2012 daily newspaper The Guardian gave readers a free copy of the album in each newspaper 92 It was included in Rhino Records Original Album Series box set in 2013 which collected Happy Mondays first four studio albums 93 The album was re pressed on vinyl in 2020 94 Kinky Afro and remixes of Loose Fit Bob s Yer Uncle and Step On appeared on Happy Mondays first compilation album Double Easy The U S Singles 1993 95 Loose Fit Bob s Yer Uncle Step On and a remix of Kinky Afro were included on their second compilation album Loads 1995 96 Kinky Afro Loose Fit Bob s Yer Uncle Step On and a remix of the latter appeared on the band s third compilation album Greatest Hits 1999 97 Bob s Yer Uncle and Step On appeared on their fourth compilation album The Platinum Collection 2005 98 Kinky Afro God s Cop Loose Fit Dennis and Lois Bob s Yer Uncle and Step On were included on the band s fifth compilation album Double Double Good The Best of Happy Mondays 2012 99 Critical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 100 Entertainment WeeklyC 101 Los Angeles Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 102 Mojo nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 103 NME9 10 47 Q nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 104 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 105 Select5 5 46 Sounds nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 106 Uncut nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 107 Several writers praised the writing of Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches Stuart Maconie of NME hailed it as a tremendous record and a gauntlet chucked at the feet of all the other would be legends in town 47 Los Angeles Times writer Jonathan Gold said any person with a degree can tell you about pop s post modern condition the simultaneous existence of all forms of music at once but you rarely hear it expressed like this on a single record 102 The staff at CMJ New Music Report praised the band for being more forward thinking diverse and downright interesting on this album than most owuld have imagined from previous dour efforts 108 Select s Andrew Harrison referred to it as ludicrously expansively stupidly excellent going on to praise Oakenfold s DJ pedigree 46 which the CMJ New Music Report staff also did 108 Other reviewers were less receptive to the album Simon Reynolds writing in The New York Times called it a perplexing mishmash that can alienate listeners outside of Manchester s rave scene because it s designed to confuse and repel outsiders 109 In a less enthusiastic review Bob Mack of Entertainment Weekly said that apart from Step On and Donovan the album shows that the band is less interesting than their Madchester contemporaries and do not warrant comparisons to the Rolling Stones 101 Jornal do Brasil s Arthur Dapieve called it disappointing stating that the titles of the songs match the monotony of their sound 110 In a review for The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau cited Grandbag s Funeral and Kinky Afro as highlights but stated that their Voidoids is hotter than their dance music 111 Retrospective reviews were highly positive In a review for AllMusic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches a hedonistic album that was the peak of Happy Mondays career and quite arguably the whole baggy Madchester movement a celebratory collage of sex drugs and dead end jobs where there s no despair because only a sucker could think that this party would ever come to an end 100 The staff at Q magazine called it their artistic peak and a top hole album 104 while the staff at PopMatters saw the album as the band s masterpiece dubbing it the Ulysses of modern rock music the rock album that didn t just question what rock music is but ignored what rock music is 112 BBC Music reviewer Daryl Easlea wrote that the album all gets a bit much toward the end but no matter what a hoot it is on the way there 48 Commercial performance editPills n Thrills and Bellyaches had 150 000 pre orders 37 It peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart selling 400 000 copies after spending 28 consecutive weeks on the chart 66 It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry BPI in March 1991 113 It also charted at number 27 in New Zealand 114 number 30 in Austria 115 number 41 in Sweden 116 number 89 in the US 117 and number 98 in Australia 118 Step On charted at number five in the UK 6 and number 46 in the Netherlands 119 In the US it reached number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 120 as well as number nine on Alternative Airplay 121 number 13 on Dance Club Songs 122 number 46 on Dance Singles Sales 123 It was certified gold by the BPI in May 2021 124 Kinky Afro charted at number five in the UK 6 number 34 in New Zealand 125 It peaked at number one in the US on Alternative Airplay 121 It was certified silver by the BPI in September 2022 126 Loose Fit charted at number 17 in the UK and number 71 in the Netherlands 6 127 Bob s Yer Uncle peaked at number 23 in the US on Alternative Airplay and number 25 on Dance Club Songs 121 122 Accolades and legacy editOakenfold and Osborne were nominated for but ultimately lost the British Producer of the Year award at the 1991 Brits for their work on Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches 128 The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 129 Dave Simpson of Uncut said the band s decision to work with Oakenfold and Osborne inspired everything from U2 s Achtung Baby and The Prodigy s Firestarter to Blur s hooking up with William Orbit and Suede aligning themselves with Osborne 130 In a retrospective piece for DJ Mag journalist Ben Cardew said tracks such as Kinky Afro Loose Fit and God s Cop erased the genre distinctions between rock funk soul and dance music making it sound perfectly natural for a band raised in rainy Manchester to create sunshine funk music 131 Author Richard Luck in his book The Madchester Scene 2002 said that while the album was n either as coherent nor as polished as the Stone Roses self titled debut it stood as one of the most important albums from the time period if only because of Ryder s songwriting and the heady mix of high times and low lives that infuses every track 132 In 2015 the band performed the album in its entirety on a UK tour to celebrate its 25th anniversary 133 They repeated this feat in Australia in 2019 134 Dzidzius I Diabel covered Loose Fit for their album Impreza 1993 while Hawke included a remix of Bob s Yer Uncle on his album 2009 135 136 Track listing editAll lyrics by Shaun Ryder all music by Happy Mondays except where noted 28 No TitleWriter s Length1 Kinky Afro 3 592 God s Cop 4 583 Donovan 4 044 Grandbag s Funeral 3 205 Loose Fit 5 076 Dennis and Lois 4 247 Bob s Yer Uncle 5 108 Step On John Kongos cover KongosChristos Demetriou5 179 Holiday 3 2810 Harmony 4 01Total length 43 49Personnel editPersonnel per booklet 28 Happy Mondays Shaun Ryder vocals Paul Ryder bass guitar Mark Day lead guitar rhythm guitar Paul Davis keyboards programming Gary Whelan drums Bez dancerAdditional musicians Rowetta guest vocals Tony Castro percussion Simon Machan original programming Production and design Ray Blair recording engineer Cameron studio assistant Dave Burnham assistant mix engineer Paul Oakenfold producer arranger mixing Steve Osborne producer arranger mixing Central Station Design artCharts and certifications editChart performance for Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches Chart 1990 1991 PeakpositionAustralian Albums ARIA Charts 118 98Austrian Albums O3 Austria 115 30New Zealand Albums RMNZ 114 27Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 116 41UK Albums OCC 137 4US Billboard 200 117 89 Certifications for Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches Region Certification Certified units salesUnited Kingdom BPI 138 Platinum 300 000 Summaries Shipments figures based on certification alone See also editSome FriendlyReferences editCitations Erlewine Stephen Thomas Bummed Happy Mondays AllMusic Archived from the original on 12 February 2014 Retrieved 9 February 2014 a b Spence 2015 pp 313 315 Spence 2015 p 125 Plagenhoef Scott 1 September 2003 Happy Mondays Bummed On Second Thought Stylus Archived from the original on 5 February 2010 Retrieved 5 October 2021 Spence 2015 pp 162 163 a b c d e Happy Mondays full Official Chart History Official Charts Company Archived from the original on 1 May 2021 Retrieved 6 October 2021 Spence 2015 pp 179 315 Spence 2015 p 183 Middles 1997 pp 82 100 Spence 2015 p 194 Middles 1997 pp 103 104 Middles 1997 p 104 a b Spence 2015 p 198 Spence 2015 p 199 a b Ryder 2012 p 205 Ryder 2012 pp 205 206 a b Spence 2015 p 316 a b c d e Harrison 1991 p 52 Spence 2015 p 201 Spence 2015 p 205 Spence 2015 pp 217 219 Spence 2015 p 221 Spence 2015 p 216 a b c d Spence 2015 p 226 Doyle Tom April 2020 Classic Tracks Happy Mondays Step On page 2 Sound on Sound Archived from the original on 29 September 2021 Retrieved 9 October 2021 Warburton Ryder 2011 p 29 Verrico 1998 p 120 a b c d e Happy Mondays 1990 Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches booklet Factory Records FACD 320 Spence 2015 pp 226 227 a b c d Spence 2015 p 227 Spence 2015 p 229 a b Verrico 1998 p 129 Spence 2015 p 228 a b c d e f g h i j Spence 2015 p 231 a b c Spence 2015 p 232 Brod Doug Krugman Michael Happy Mondays Trouser Press Archived from the original on 3 December 2020 Retrieved 9 October 2021 a b Spence 2015 p 238 Verrico 1998 p 123 Spence 2015 pp 227 228 Harrison 1991 p 54 Spence 2015 p 230 Warburton Ryder 2011 p 30 Harrison 1991 p 55 Verrico 1998 p 127 Ryder 2019 p 45 a b c d Harrison 1990 pp 92 93 a b c Maconie 1990 p 36 a b Easlea Daryl 2007 Review of Happy Mondays Pills N Thrills And Bellyaches BBC Music Archived from the original on 16 March 2021 Retrieved 9 October 2021 Ryder 2019 p 48 a b c d Verrico 1998 p 128 Ryder 2019 p 50 Spence 2015 pp 231 232 Ryder 2019 p 53 Spence 2015 p 197 Lewis John 23 August 2019 Happy Mondays on Step On It was dead easy Uncut Archived from the original on 9 October 2021 Retrieved 9 October 2021 Spence 2015 p 199 Ryder 2019 pp 39 40 Ryder 2012 p 203 Ryder 2019 p 57 a b Verrico 1998 p 130 Wills Sheehan 1999 p 51 Middles 1997 pp 125 126 Happy Mondays 1990 Kinky Afro sleeve Factory Records FACD 302 Spence 2015 p 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Gavin 2011 Australia s Music Charts 1988 2010 PDF ed Mt Martha Victoria Australia Moonlight Publishing p 124 Happy Mondays Step On dutchcharts nl Archived from the original on 3 July 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2021 Happy Mondays Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Archived from the original on 10 October 2021 Retrieved 10 October 2021 a b c Happy Mondays Chart History Alternative Airplay Billboard Archived from the original on 10 October 2021 Retrieved 10 October 2021 a b Happy Mondays Chart History Dance Club Songs Billboard Archived from the original on 10 October 2021 Retrieved 10 October 2021 Happy Mondays Chart History Dance Singles Sales Billboard Archived from the original on 10 October 2021 Retrieved 10 October 2021 Happy Mondays Step On British Phonographic Industry Archived from the original on 10 October 2021 Retrieved 10 October 2021 Happy Mondays Kinky Afro charts org nz Archived from the original on 21 May 2017 Retrieved 10 October 2021 Happy Mondays Kinky Afro British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 4 October 2022 Happy Mondays Loose Fit dutchcharts nl Archived from the original on 10 September 2016 Retrieved 10 October 2021 Spence 2015 p 246 Shade 2006 p 644 Luck 2002 pp 57 58 Cardew Ben 27 September 2022 How Happy Mondays Pills N Thrills And Bellyaches became the pinnacle of the Madchester sound DJ Mag Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Luck 2002 p 60 Renshaw David 14 April 2015 Happy Mondays announce Pills N Thrills And Bellyaches tour NME Archived from the original on 9 October 2021 Retrieved 9 October 2021 Happy Mondays To Play Pills n Thrills amp Bellyaches Album In Full On 2019 Aussie Tour The Music 22 October 2018 Archived from the original on 30 September 2021 Retrieved 9 October 2021 Dzidzius I Diabel 1993 Impreza sleeve Sonic Records SON 37 Hawke 2009 sleeve Eighth Dimension Records 8TH 026 D Happy Mondays Artist Official Charts UK Albums Chart Retrieved 10 October 2021 British album certifications Happy Mondays Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches British Phonographic Industry Selectalbumsin the Format field SelectPlatinumin the Certification field TypePills n Thrills and Bellyaches in the Search BPI Awards field and then press Enter Sources Anon July 1996 Happy Mondays Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches Q No 118 London ISSN 0955 4955 Dapieve Arthur 10 April 1991 The always boring Mondays Jornal do Brasil in Portuguese OCLC 1754340 Archived from the original on 27 September 2021 Retrieved 10 October 2021 Gold Jonathan 6 January 1991 Happy Mondays Pills N Thrills And Bellyaches Elektra Los Angeles Times Calendar section ISSN 0458 3035 Archived from the original on 29 April 2021 Retrieved 31 October 2015 Harrison Andrew December 1990 Non Stop Ecstatic Belly Dancing Select No 6 London ISSN 0959 8367 Harrison Andrew January 1991 Happy Mondays amp Donovan Twin Freaks Select No 7 London ISSN 0959 8367 Harrison Ian March 2020 Happy Mondays Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches Mojo No 316 London ISSN 1351 0193 Luck Richard 2002 The Madchester Scene Harpenden Hertfordshire The Pocket Essentials ISBN 1 903047 80 3 Mack Bob 14 December 1990 Pills N Thrills and Bellyaches Entertainment Weekly No 44 New York ISSN 1049 0434 Archived from the original on 26 September 2015 Retrieved 5 January 2014 Maconie Stuart 3 November 1990 Aspirin Pop Stars NME London ISSN 0028 6362 Archived from the original on 2 March 2000 Retrieved 30 October 2015 Mann Bill ed 16 February 1991 First Reports PDF Sounds ISSN 0144 5774 Marks Craig ed 9 November 1990 Upcoming Releases PDF CMJ New Music Report 24 211 ISSN 0890 0795 Marks Craig ed 7 December 1990b On the Cover Jackpot PDF CMJ New Music Report 24 215 ISSN 0890 0795 Middles Mick 1997 Shaun Ryder Happy Mondays Black Grape amp Other Traumas London Independent Music Press ISBN 1 897783 11 6 Pearlman Nina 2004 Happy Mondays In Brackett Nathan Hoard Christian eds The New Rolling Stone Album Guide 4th ed New York Simon amp Schuster ISBN 0 7432 0169 8 Retrieved 18 December 2019 Redmond Steve ed 16 February 1991a New Release Singles PDF Music Week ISSN 0265 1548 Robertson Matthew 2006 Factory Records The Complete Graphic Album paperback ed London Thames amp Hudson ISBN 978 0 500 28636 4 Ryder Shaun 2012 Twisting My Melon The Autobiography London Corgi Books ISBN 978 0 552 16547 1 Ryder Shaun 2019 Wrote for Luck Selected Lyrics London Faber amp Faber ISBN 978 0 571 33093 5 Shade Chris 2006 Happy Mondays Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches In Dimery Robert ed 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die New York Universe Publishing ISBN 978 0 7893 1371 3 Spence Simon 2015 2014 Happy Mondays Excess All Areas A Biography paperback ed London Aurum Press ISBN 978 1 78131 499 9 Verrico Lisa 1998 High Life N Low Down Dirty The Thrills and Spills of Shaun Ryder London Ebury Press ISBN 0 09 185419 9 Warburton John Ryder Shaun 2011 Hallelujah The Extraordinary Story of Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays London Virgin Books ISBN 978 0 7535 0781 0 Wills Dominic Sheehan Tom 1999 The Charlatans The Authorised History London Virgin Books ISBN 0 7535 0194 5 External links editPills n Thrills and Bellyaches collector s edition at YouTube streamed copy where licensed Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pills 27n 27 Thrills and Bellyaches amp oldid 1181213973, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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