kept the feel of the song, while scrapping everything else, eventually causing the band to write "Bob's Yer Uncle". Shaun Ryder would attempt to get out of recording vocals frequently, claiming he was not in the right mood. Osborne had to talk him into the idea, as he learned from working on "Step On", Ryder was "not somebody who is a super-confident vocalist. Doing vocals for Shaun [Ryder] is not an easy thing". Ryder would subsequently only do vocals when Osborne was in the control room, aside from the occasional visit from Whelan. Factory founder Tony Wilson visited the band, fearing they would have spent the entirety of recording partying instead of working. Upon hearing a version of "Bob's Yer Uncle", he exclaimed that the band's next release would be "one of the great British albums of the age". The band flew home on 25 August 1990; one-by-one, each member would further work on the songs at Eden Studios, where Rowetta did guest vocals. Recording concluded by September 1990; Oakenfold and Osborne mixed the final tracks with assistant engineer Dave Burnham. Composition and lyrics Musically, the sound of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches has been described as Madchester. With the title, Ryder said the band wanted a "mature, a rock classic title, but we thought fuck it, just give it something that everyone's expecting". Oakenfold and Osborne had more input in the music than other people would as the band trusted them. Oakenfold said Osborne had a bigger role in the overall sound of the album due to him being a multi-instrumentalist. The former focused on making loops, while the latter tackled song arrangements with synthesizers and keyboards. All of the songs' sound is buoyed by Paul Ryder' bass parts, which Osborne felt was important to the band's dynamic. Ryder had a laissez-faire attitude to his performances, even letting Osborne play bass on one track. Osborne felt guitarist Mark Day's parts anchored a lot of the songs, often setting the tone for them. They initially wanted "Tokoloshe Man" (1971), another Kongos cover, on the album, but were denied when they contributed it to Elektra's anniversary compilation in lieu of "Step On". Shaun Ryder wrote lyrics to the songs while in his apartment in Los Angeles, fuelled by opium. The album opens with "Kinky Afro", an ode to fatherhood and Ryder's father Derek. The song's music is partially influenced by Paul