HAPPY MONDAYS — Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches (lp 5x12")

Happy Mondays – Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches (LP is a five-LP boxset released by London Recordings, catalogue LMS1725740, in a 12-inch vinyl format that revisits the 1990 Madchester classic. The set arrives as a deluxe box with a 60-page hardback book, printed labels and inners, a slipcase, an A2 tour poster and a Madchester-themed slipmat. Remastered from the original Factory Records master tapes, it gathers the original album, the “Hallelujah + Madchester Rave On, Baby Big Head” bootleg, a selection of classic and new remixes, and a substantial live suite recorded at Elland Road in 1991.) Within London Recordings’ 2026 output this release shares the release day with the label’s own reissue of the Happy Mondays’ original LP (catalogue LMS1725739). Earlier in the same year the label issued The Durutti Column’s “Renascent” LPs (catalogues LMS1725759 and LMS1725760) and Bronski Beat’s “Truthdare Doubledare” LP (LMS1725750), situating the Happy Mondays box among a series of re-examined 80s-early-90s British indie and dance acts. Side A opens with “Kinky Afro”, a track that still captures the ecstatic blend of indie rock swagger and rave-era groove that defined the original era. “God’s Cop” follows, maintaining the kinetic pulse while adding a cheeky lyrical edge. “Donovan” and “Grandbag’s Funeral” round out the first side, offering a mix of jangly guitar-driven hooks and darker, funk-inflected rhythms that keep the momentum flowing into “Loose Fit”. Side B continues the narrative with “Dennis And Lois” and “Bob’s Yer Uncle”, both delivering the band’s signature swagger, before the iconic “Step On” re-asserts its dancefloor authority. “Holiday” and “Harmony” close the side, balancing bright melodic sensibility with a laid-back groove. Side C shifts focus to the “Hallelujah” suite, beginning with the title track and moving through “Holy Ghost”, “Clap Your Hands” and “Rave On”. These cuts showcase the band’s capacity to blend gospel-tinged vocal chants with a driving, dance-floor-ready backbeat. Side D expands the “Hallelujah” material with a MacColl mix, a club mix, and a “Rave On” club mix, while the “W.F.L. (Think About The Future Mix)” offers a more experimental take, emphasizing texture over straight-ahead rhythm. Sides E through H present a comprehensive live document from Elland Road, 1991. The set captures the raw energy of the band’s performance, delivering live versions of “Hallelujah”, “Donovan”, “Kinky Afro”, “Clap Your Hands”, “Loose Fit”, “Holiday”, “Rave On”, “E”, “Tokoloshe Man”, “Dennis And Lois”, “God’s Cop”, “Step On” and “Bob’s Yer Uncle”. The sequencing mirrors a typical set-list, allowing the listener to experience the ebb and flow of a full concert, from the opening anthems to the closing dance-floor eruptions. Side I gathers contemporary reinterpretations. “Step On (Stuff It In Mix)” updates the classic with a modern club sensibility, while the “Kinky Groovy Afro Remix (12”)” re-imagines the original’s funk groove for current dancefloors. “Loose Fit (Perfecto 12\" Mix)” and “Tokoloshe Man” continue the remix narrative, highlighting how the source material adapts to current production aesthetics. Side J concludes the box with a series of edits and remixes by current electronic artists: Daniel Avery’s edit of “Hallelujah” injects a hypnotic, techno-leaning atmosphere; Shadow Child’s edit of “Loose Fit” adds a crisp, contemporary house sheen; Anna Prior’s edit of “God’s Cop” sharpens the track’s rhythmic drive; Paul Oakenfold’s edit of “Step On” re-frames the classic with a polished, progressive-house touch; and Ewan Pearson’s remix of “Hallelujah” offers a sleek, club-ready reinterpretation. The release sits at a crossroads of the Happy Mondays’ catalogue: it follows the 2025 “The Factory Singles” 2×12″ set (LMS1725595/LMS1725594) and the 2022 “Uncle Dysfunktional (2020 Mix)” 2×12″ (LMS5521624), while preceding the 2026 “Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches LP” (LMS1725739) that presents the original album in a more compact format. This boxset therefore acts as both a deep archival document and a contemporary reinterpretation, reinforcing the band’s enduring relevance to both indie-rock historians and modern dance-floor curators. For DJs, the collection offers a versatile toolkit. The original album tracks provide classic Madchester energy for nostalgic sets, while the club mixes and modern edits give fresh entry points for current techno, house and indie-dance programming. The live recordings serve as atmospheric interludes or as a way to inject raw, crowd-charged moments into a set. Collectors will appreciate the comprehensive nature of the box, the inclusion of rare live material, and the contextual essays in the hardback book. The product is presented as a five-LP boxset, complete with printed sleeves, a slipcase, an A2 poster and a slipmat, offering a tactile experience that reflects the era’s physicality while delivering remastered sound quality. Happy Mondays – Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches (LP, London Recordings, catalogue LMS1725740, 5×12-inch Vinyl, 30 tracks) presents the 1990 album in full, supplemented by the “Hallelujah + Madchester Rave On, Baby Big Head” bootleg, extensive remix material, and a live Elland Road performance, all housed in a deluxe box with extensive printed documentation. Tracklist: A1. Happy Mondays – Kinky Afro A2. Happy Mondays – God's Cop A3. Happy Mondays – Donovan A4. Happy Mondays – Grandbag's Funeral A5. Happy Mondays – Loose Fit B1. Happy Mondays – Dennis And Lois B2. Happy Mondays – Bob's Yer Uncle B3. Happy Mondays – Step On B4. Happy Mondays – Holiday B5. Happy Mondays – Harmony C1. Happy Mondays – Hallelujah C2. Happy Mondays – Holy Ghost C3. Happy Mondays – Clap Your Hands C4. Happy Mondays – Rave On D1. Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (MacColl Mix) D2. Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (Club Mix) D3. Happy Mondays – Rave On (Club Mix) D4. Happy Mondays – W.F.L. (Think About The Future Mix) E1. Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (Live at Elland Road, 1991) E2. Happy Mondays – Donovan (Live at Elland Road, 1991) E3. Happy Mondays – Kinky Afro (Live at Elland Road, 1991) F1. Happy Mondays – Clap Your Hands (Live at Elland Road, 1991) F2. Happy Mondays – Loose Fit (Live at Elland Road, 1991) F3. Happy Mondays – Holiday (Live at Elland Road, 1991) F5. Happy Mondays – Rave On (Live at Elland Road, 1991) G1. Happy Mondays – E (Live at Elland Road, 1991) G2. Happy Mondays – Tokoloshe Man (Live at Elland Road, 1991) G3. Happy Mondays – Dennis And Lois (Live at Elland Road, 1991) H1. Happy Mondays – God's Cop (Live at Elland Road, 1991) H2. Happy Mondays – Step On (Live at Elland Road, 1991) H3. Happy Mondays – Bobs Yer Uncle (Live at Elland Road, 1991) I1. Happy Mondays – Step On (Stuff It In Mix) I2. Happy Mondays – Kinky Groovy Afro Remix (12") I3. Happy Mondays – Loose Fit (Perfecto 12" Mix) I4. Happy Mondays – Tokoloshe Man J1. Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (Daniel Avery Edit) J2. Happy Mondays – Loose Fit (Shadow Child Edit) J3. Happy Mondays – Gods Cop (Anna Prior Edit) J4. Happy Mondays – Step On (Paul Oakenfold Edit) J5. Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (Ewan Pearson Remix)