Track Listing 1. Kinky Afro 2. God's Cop 3. Donovan 4. Grandbag's Funeral 5. Loose Fit 6. Dennis and Lois 7. Bob's Yer Uncle 8. Step On 9. Holiday 10. Harmony
| Details | | Producer: | Paul Oakenfold, Steve Osborne | | Distributor: | Alternative Dis. Alliance | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Happy Mondays: Shaun Ryder (vocals); Mark Day (guitar); Paul Davis (keyboards, programming); Paul Ryder (bass); Gary Whelan (drums); Bez. Additional personnel: Rowetta (vocals); Tony Castro (percussion); Simon Machan (programming). From the opening bars of this near-masterpiece, the Madchester generation was defined, celebrated, and perhaps laid to rest. Combining the best elements of their earlier releases--stolen riffs, howling in a whisper, being generally rude and obnoxious yet somehow entirely endearing, the Happy Mondays created the ultimate sex, drugs, and rock & roll package. With the acoustic strumming of the LaBelle rip-off "Kinky Afro," PILLS 'N' THRILLS' scene is set. In "God's Cop," Ryder pontificates about the ease of drug procurement, from his position as a rock star with a mobile phone. From here all hell breaks loose. There's the song for Donovan Leitch (complete with Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel's most famous lyric inserted for good measure), and "Bob's Your Uncle," the track for the ladies, where a foursome is conducted on Ecstasy. Right, Shaun. The highlight of PILLS'N'THRILLS (and perhaps of Happy Mondays' career in general) is the hit "Step On." Much more than an album for people who like some music with their drugs, PILLS'N'THRILLS is one of the coolest records ever made.
Editorial Reviews ...the most significant group to emerge from Britain's working-class 'rave culture'... New York Times (12/02/1990)
5 Stars - Indispensable - After success of RAVE ON EP, Mondays arrive at artistic peak. Top-hole album... Q (07/01/1996)
Included in Q Magazine's 90 Best Albums Of The 1990s. Q (12/01/1999)
Ranked #31 in Q's 100 Greatest British Albums - ...This was the sound of Manchester's finest out on the town....acid blues disco... Q (06/01/2000)
5 Stars - Indispensable - After success of RAVE ON EP, Mondays arrive at artistic peak. Top-hole album... Q (07/01/1996)
4 stars out of 5 -- [The album] provided funkier, more chart-friendly highs... Uncut
Q Included in Q's list of the Fifty Best Albums Of 1990.
'Step On' and Kinky Afro' were rave-worthy anthems with rhythms as fat as they were exultant. Spin
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