Well, it’s safe to say the Mondays are back, and I don’t mean the depressing kind that makes you reluctant to get out of bed because the weekend is over. No, this is the genuine article, Happy Mondays have been touring recently, to much joy from the adoring (mainly middle aged) fans that have long awaited their return. But they also gave us another treat, this super deluxe set of Thrills ‘n’ Pills, which as we all know, there were many thrills (and lots of pills) taken when making the original. Let’s dive into the trip and see what we can pilfer the bag for in the reissue.

Disc 1 is pretty standard: a 2026 remaster of the original album. But you can really hear the freshness of the tracks on it, especially ‘God’s Cop’, Shaun Ryder’s swaggering, loudmouth vocals really stand out, and so does the guitar from Mark Day. That opening riff just cuts through you, endlessly funky mixed with that indie touch. And ‘Step On’, already the major stand out on the original, just sounds brand new. That piano riff will never be tiresome, and it sounds even more crisp now. a great remaster of the original masterpiece, and a good start to the deluxe set.

Disc 2 delves a bit further beyond the album and is compiled of some of the bands best non album singles and mixes of the singles. The original, much heavier and louder ‘Hallelujah’ is the first track, and it is brilliant. That bass line from Paul Ryder is slick, and Gaz Whelan’s drums are just thumping. Oh, and all these tracks get the remaster treatment too. We also have the club mixes of ‘Rave On’ and ‘Hallelujah’, both of which are just excellent work from Paul Oakenfold. And the last track on the disc is ‘W.F.L – Think About The Future Mix’, which is probably the one everyone is more familiar with. Ryder’s snarling vocals, the reverberating keyboard and bass combo, it is just pure groove. Certainly, a good second disc of content for the fans.

Disc 3 is certainly a treat. The band’s live set from Elland Road (originally titled as ‘at Leeds Utd’), which is electric, hyper and full of swagger. Ryder even taunts the stadium of his football rivals at the start of ‘Donovan’, “Are you Man U?”, never a shy fellow, Shaun. You can still hear the intensity in the set through tracks like ‘Loose Fit’ where the band just sound like they’re in a flow state at the end of the track, Day’s guitar riff taking a life of it’s own, Ryder and Rowetta complementing each other’s vocals in a smooth way. And ‘Step On’ gets an explosive intro with Ryder tweaking the lyrics slightly, “YOU’RE TWISTING MY MELON YA DICK”. And it gets an extended outro, where everyone just sounds in sync, the band are on their best playing ability (probably the E), Rowetta is not holding back in the vocal department either. It’s just this amazing fusion of great musicianship captured live. Certainly, a great disc to include in the set.

And disc 4, the final one, includes a few different mixes of the tracks on the album, along with two different mixes of Hallelujah (aren’t we spoiled for choice?). And Tokoloshe Man makes the final cut too, which is a brilliant, funky track. Some of the mixes on here are unique, take the Shadow Child edit of ‘Loose Fit’, it is basically an entirely different track, drum and bass heavy, but it would fit in well in a boiler room set. In fact, most of the mixes are dance floor fillers. The Paul Oakenfold mix of ‘Step On’ could have been blasted in a 90s warehouse rave and no one would bat an eyelid. It’s essentially the rave remix disc, which works well with the Mondays.

And with that, the Thrills ‘n’ Pills and Bellyaches Super Deluxe Set, and it is filled with gems for the fans, and mastered wonderfully. If you want a great collection of the Mondays’ finest work all in one place, look no further than here. But also remember, you don’t need the pills to have the thrills.

Happy Mondays: Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches (Super Deluxe Edition) – Released 21 August 2026 (London Records)