Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)

Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is the third studio album by the English alternative dance 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.

Background

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.

Oakenfold and Osborne were enlisted again to create remixes, which were successful commercially and critically. 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. At the suggestion of McGough, Oakenfold and Osborne produced the song, marking the first time either of them did so.