10. Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches by Happy Mondays

By: Adam Bunch

				Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches by Happy Mondays

Pills 'n' Trills and Bellyaches is the sound of an euphoric, drug- and dance-fuelled climax—not just of the Mondays' career, but of the entire Madchester era. In the two years since the band had released Bummed, the scene had exploded. The Stone Roses' debut was being hailed as perhaps the greatest ever. A host of new Madchester acts—World of Twist, The Charlatans, The Mock Turtles—had delivered their debuts. Hell, the NME had even started joking that Manchester's water might be spiked with "mind-expanding chemicals".

And then, in 1991, the Mondays capped it all off with their greatest record. Produced by DJ Paul Okenfold along with Steve Osborne, it took their sound to richer, fuller and even more dance-friendly heights. And that allowed it to make a significant dent on the far side of the Atlantic—single "Kinky Afro" even rose to the top of the American Billboard charts—proving that the early rave culture the Mondays help define was now an international phenomenon and foreshadowing the run-away, worldwide success that Britpop was soon to enjoy.

Video: "Kinky Afro" by Happy Mondays