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When the Happy Mondays stumbled into the 1990s with Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches, they weren't just carrying the weight of Manchester's chemical-soaked expectations – they were dragging the entire baggy scene behind them like a particularly troublesome comedown. This was the album that would either cement their status as the greatest rock 'n' roll shambles since The Stones' mid-70s excess, or watch them disappear in a haze of their own making. Thankfully, with Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne at the production helm, they managed both simultaneously.

The origins of this magnificent mess trace back to the band's relocation to Los Angeles, where they'd been shipped off to record away from the distractions of Manchester's increasingly notorious Haçienda scene. The irony, of course, was that LA in 1990 offered plenty of its own pharmaceutical diversions, and the Mondays – never ones to turn down a party – embraced their new environment with characteristic enthusiasm. Stories from the sessions read like a Hunter S. Thompson fever dream: Shaun Ryder allegedly spending the label's money on everything except music, the band discovering the joys of American excess, and somehow, against all odds, creating their masterpiece.

Musically, Pills 'N' Thrills finds the Mondays at their most focused, which admittedly is a relative term. The album represents the perfect collision between their shambling indie roots and the acid house revolution that was rewiring British youth culture. Oakenfold's production wizardry transforms their typically loose grooves into something approaching dancefloor dynamite, while never losing the essential scruffiness that made them so endearing. It's baggy, certainly, but baggy with a budget and a vision that extends beyond the next pill.

The album's crown jewel remains "Step On," their inspired reworking of John Kongos' "He's Gonna Step On You Again." What should have been a lazy cover version instead becomes a statement of intent, with Ryder's stream-of-consciousness vocals floating over a hypnotic groove that sounds like The Stone Roses if they'd discovered funk. It's the sound of Manchester meeting Ibiza in a sweaty basement at 4am, and it remains one of the era's defining anthems.

"Kinky Afro" serves as the album's calling card, a swaggering piece of nonsense that somehow makes perfect sense. Ryder's lyrics – part autobiography, part fiction, entirely compelling – ride over a groove that's equal parts hip-hop swagger and indie shamble. The track's success lies in its refusal to take itself seriously while being utterly serious about having a good time. It's the Happy Mondays in microcosm: professionally unprofessional.

The deep cuts reveal the album's true genius. "Loose Fit" showcases their ability to turn minimalism into hypnosis, while "Holiday" demonstrates that beneath all the chaos lay genuine songwriting chops. "Harmony" finds them at their most experimental, with Ryder's vocals treated as just another instrument in the mix, creating something that sounds like a transmission from another planet entirely.

The album's production deserves particular praise for managing to capture the band's live energy while adding layers of sophistication they'd never achieved before. The rhythm section of Paul Ryder and Gary Whelan locks into grooves that feel both loose and tight, while Mark Day's guitar work provides the perfect complement to the electronic elements. It's a sound that influenced everyone from Primal Scream to Kasabian, yet remains uniquely theirs.

Nearly three decades later, Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches stands as both a high-water mark for the Madchester scene and a blueprint for how guitar bands could embrace dance culture without losing their identity. The album's legacy extends far beyond its immediate influence on Britpop – it demonstrated that British bands could be simultaneously local and global, traditional and futuristic, chaotic and controlled.

The Happy Mondays would never again achieve this perfect balance of inspiration and execution. Subsequent albums found them either too clean or too messy, never quite recapturing the magic formula that made Pills 'N' Thrills so special. Perhaps that's fitting for a band that always seemed to exist in the moment, creating something beautiful from the chaos of their lives. This album remains their monument to hedonism with purpose, a reminder that sometimes the best art comes from the most unlikely circumstances.