SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HAPPY MONDAYS – PILLS ‘N’ THRILLS AND BELLYACHES (SUPER DELUXE EDITION)

HAPPY MONDAYS
PILLS ‘N’ THRILLS AND BELLYACHES (SUPER DELUXE EDITION)
LONDON RECORDS

This behemoth of a release from Happy Mondays is a perfect end-of-summer party release, with their seminal third album getting the treatment 36 years (yes, really) after it originally filled stereos and dancefloors.

There’s a ton of good stuff here; the remasters, supposedly from the ‘original Factory Record tapes’ are fun, and have lost none of their zest, but it’s the inclusion of the Madchester Rave On and Hallelujah EPs that really help the package pop. These are brightly-coloured, loud portraits of the band at their all-too-short zenith, and they’re great listens, particularly as you can follow the development from indie rascals to club floor-fillers in real time.

My personal favourite part, though, is the inclusion of the legendary Elland Road 1991 gig on one of the discs – a raucous carnival of noise that’s been a long-traded bootleg, now finally offered in official form. The bouncy party of the music plus the band’s wisecracks in-between songs really capture the fun, and it’s nice to revisit it.

In an era of several remakes that feel like cash-ins, this balances nostalgia and freshness nicely. It’s well worth your time.

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