Happy Mondays тоғызыншы онжылдықтың альбомы: Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches

Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is the third studio album by the English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 5 November 1990 by Factory Records. Disc jockey (DJ) Paul Oakenfold and collaborator Steve Osborne 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 Osborne 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 Osborne, with the former making loops while the latter handled song arrangements. The release of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches was aided by a distribution and licensing deal between Factory Records and major label London Recordings. "Kinky Afro" was released as the second single from the album on 8 October 1990; the album was promoted with an arena tour in the UK, with support from Donovan, to close out the year. Preceded by festival appearances in the UK and Brazil, "Loose Fit" was released as the album's third single in February 1991. Treks in 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.

Happy Mondays released their second studio album, Bummed, which was produced by Martin Hannett, in November 1988. To promote it, the band supported James and Pixies on separate tours as well as headlining treks of their own in the United Kingdom. The album's lead single, "Wrote for Luck", became the defining track of the acid house era. Scott Plagenhoef of Stylus considered the album "the perfect summation of the 1988 British Summer of Love". "Wrote for Luck" was remixed by DJ Paul Oakenfold, with assistance from Steve Osborne and Vince Clarke of Erasure. The remixes, under the name "W. F. L.", appeared in September 1989, peaking at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart. Happy Mondays' second extended play (EP), Madchester Rave On, was released in November 1989, again produced by Hannett. It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. Around this time, the band appeared on Top of the Pops with the Stone Roses, which acted as a catalyst for the Madchester scene. 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. In February 1990, Happy Mondays' label in the United States, Elektra Records, picked them to contribute a cover for a 40th anniversary compilation album. 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. Unbeknownst to Happy Mondays, Oakenfold and Osborne added vocals from session vocalist Rowetta, who had met McGough some weeks earlier at the Haçienda in Manchester. In March 1990, they embarked on a tour of mainland Europe, leading into two headlining shows at the GMEX Centre in Manchester. The band's version of Kongos' track, shortened to "Step On", was released as a single on 26 March 1990. The song's music video was filmed while in Barcelona on the roof of a hotel with directors the Bailey Brothers. The band set up in a rehearsal room in Stretford to write material for their next album. Following this, the band headlined Glastonbury Festival and played a one off show in Ibiza in June 1990.

As the US tour came to a close in Los Angeles, California, the band decided to record their next album in the city. Shaun 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. Due to the success of "Step On", Oakenfold and Osborne had been earmarked to produce Happy Mondays' next release sometime prior. 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. As the band would hang out with Mancunian and Liverpudlian people from acid house club nights in the area, the strained relationships were sedated. Recording started on 23 July 1990; the sessions would begin at midday and conclude by midnight, lasting for six days per week, with engineer Ray Blair and studio assistant Cameron. The first track they recorded was "Kinky Afro", with bass and drums that Osborne laboured over to get a certain baggy sound. 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". 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". 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, they kept the feel of the song while scrapping everything else, eventually causing the band to write "Bob's Yer Uncle". 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 Osbourne 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. 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 did further work on the songs at Eden Studios, where Rowetta did guest vocals. Recording concluded by September 1990; Oakenfold and Osborne mixed the final tracks with assistant engineer Dave Burnham. With the title, Shaun Ryder said the band wanted a "mature, a rock classic title, but we thought fuck it, just give it something that everyone's expecting". Oakenfold and Osborne had more input into 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 being a multi instrumentalist. The former focused on making loops, while the latter tackled song arrangements with synthesisers and keyboards. They initially wanted "Tokoloshe Man" (1971), another Kongos cover, on the album, but were denied it when they contributed it to Elektra's anniversary compilation in lieu of "Step On". Shaun Ryder wrote the lyrics to the songs while in his apartment in Los Angeles, fueled by opium. The album opens with "Kinky Afro", an ode to fatherhood and Ryder's father, Derek. 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, he claimed the song's vocal hook was taken from the film Die Hard (1988). The song was initially called "Groovy Afro", but was changed after "Groovy Train" (1990) by the Farm was released sometime prior. "God's Cop" is inspired by James Anderton, the chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police, who claimed God was speaking to him. 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. In addition to this, some of the lyrics talk about the Gulf War and its events being reported on TV. It includes a reference to The Profession of Violence by John Pearson, a book about the Kray twins. The music was influenced by "Superstition" (1972) by Stevie Wonder. It includes a line from "Why Did You Do It?" (1975) by Stretch and samples a clarinet part from a Michael Nyman composition. The track originally had extracts from The Exorcist (1973) and numerous pornographic films that were removed before the album was released. Happy Mondays' version opens with an Italo house piano, followed by a funk shuffle. Shaun Ryder ad libbed various lines, such as "Call the cops" and "You're twisting my melon man". 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. 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. "Holiday" incorporates a portion of "Sweet Jane" (1973) by the Velvet Underground, as well as "A Lover's Holiday" (1980) by Change. It lifts a lyric from "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" (1971) by the New Seekers. BMG had turned down an offer to distribute the band due to their "interests outside of their musical output". McGough wanted "Kinky Afro" as the next single, while Wilson aimed for "Loose Fit". "Kinky Afro" was ultimately released as the second single from the album on 8 October 1990. The music video for the song, directed by the Bailey Brothers, was filmed at Granada Studios. It shows the band being surrounded by dancing female models, one of whom was Whelan's girlfriend. Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches was released on 5 November 1990. the artwork was changed because of fears of being sued for copyright infringement. A launch party was held at the London Zoo on the same day as its UK release. 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. Happy Mondays started in 1991 with appearances at the Great British Music Weekend festival in the UK and Rock in Rio 2 in Brazil. 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. Originally planned for 18 February 1991, "Loose Fit" was released as the album's third single on 25 February 1991. Wilson decided on it, though the band wanted "God's Cop" as their next release. "Bob's Yer Uncle" and a remix of "Kinky Afro" appeared as the B sides to "Loose Fit". 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. The single, along with its music video, was delayed due to needing to remove lyrics about the Gulf War. 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". Following this, they went on a tour of mainland Europe, which lasted until March 1991. Later in March 1991, the band returned to the US, where they toured for two months. A few of the shows were criticized by the press for their short length, often only playing for 50 minutes. The New York City date of the tour, on 24 April 1991, saw the band support Jane's Addiction. 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. 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. Exhausted from the trek, Happy Mondays cancelled the last few shows in order to rest in Texas. A series of headlining shows and festival performances took place between May and August 1991.

Happy Mondays released their first live album in 1991, titled Live, which was recorded during a Leeds show earlier that year. It was previously released as an official bootleg under the name Baby Big Head, which drew comparisons to the Who's Live at Leeds (1970). 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. 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. In 2012, daily newspaper The Guardian gave readers a free copy of the album in each newspaper. It was included in Rhino Records' Original Album Series box set in 2013, which collected Happy Mondays' first four studio albums. The album was re pressed on vinyl in 2020. "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). "Loose Fit", "Bob's Yer Uncle", "Step On", and a remix of "Kinky Afro" were included on their second compilation album Loads (1995). "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). "Bob's Yer Uncle" and "Step On" appeared on their fourth compilation album, The Platinum Collection (2005). "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).

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." Select Andrew Harrison referred to it as "ludicrously, expansively, stupidly excellent", going on to praise Oakenfold's DJ pedigree, 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 does not warrant comparisons to the Rolling Stones. 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. 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". 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". Edward Sharp Paul of FasterLouder said the band's tracks "still lived or died depending on whether the tone deaf waster out front could think of something halfway coherent to mumble about."

Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches had 150,000 pre orders. It also charted at number 27 in New Zealand, In the US, it reached number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as number nine on Alternative Airplay, number 13 on Dance Club Songs, number 46 on Dance Singles Sales, It was certified gold by the BPI in May 2021. "Kinky Afro" charted at number five in the UK It peaked at number one in the US on Alternative Airplay. "Loose Fit" charted at number 17 in the UK and number 71 in the Netherlands. "Bob's Yer Uncle" peaked at number 23 in the US on Alternative Airplay and number 25 on Dance Club Songs. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2006). 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. 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." Author Richard Luck said in his book The Madchester Scene (2002) that while the album was "[n]either as coherent nor as polished" as the Stone Roses' eponymous debut studio album, 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". In 2015, the band performed the album in its entirety on a UK tour to celebrate its 25th anniversary. They repeated this feat in Australia in 2019. 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).