45. Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches - The Happy Mondays 1990
Undoubtedly the essential album from the infamous Madchester scene of the late 80's/early 90's that centered around the Hacienda venue/club in Manchester. "The Mondays", as they were affectionately known, were a bunch of kids that were as fond of funk, hip hop and dance music as they were of 60's psychedelic rock. They were also very well known for their drug usage, which somewhat overshadows how good this album is. The British indie scene that had spawned Joy Division, then of course, New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and the like, had started to be permeated by the burgeoning Rave scene and the result was the like of The Happy Mondays, with their music that appealed to Dance music fans and Indie Rock fans in one big crossover that was brought together by two shared passions. Infectiously good music and hallucinogenic drugs. The Mondays were the perfect soundtrack to the "baggy" scene with their amalgamation of Hip Hop drum beats, bouncy bass lines and funky guitar lines that made scores of teens and twenty somethings all shuffle around on the dance floor in a "loved-up" drug induced trance. With vocalist Shaun Ryder's tales of debauchery and drug-life floating rather sinisterly over the top of the music, he comes off as an off key, shamen, from northern England. The production is executed perfectly by production team/Dance music innovators, Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, who became known together as, Perfecto. They produced and remixed countless albums and tracks from all manner of artists, usually with fantastic results. The band even had a member, called Bez, whose job it was to lead the dancing in the crowd. He just stood on stage, to the side of the band, with Maracas in hand, and danced. That's it, he is pretty much a household name, here in the UK, where his obviously drug addled lifestyle from the past, has left him a sandwich or two short of a picnic. He regularly brings hilarity to panel game shows and other television appearances. This album, perhaps, didn't have the most wholesome of influence on Britain's youth, but it was definitely felt and also gave birth to a new generation of Dance/Rock crossover artists. Half the tracks from this album can still fill dance floors to this day, which is pretty cool for a bunch of "scallies".