With the exception of
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches,
Happy Mondays had difficulty expanding their ideas into full albums, which makes the singles compilation
Loads all the more useful. It contains all of the band's hit singles -- "Step On," "Kinky Afro," "Hallelujah," "Lazyitis," "W.F.L.," "Tokoloshe Man," "Loose Fit," "Bob's Yer Uncle," "24 Hour Party People," "Mad Cyril" -- plus several important album tracks, making it an excellent distillation of the band's career; as an album, only
Pills 'n' Thrills provides better listening, and
Loads is arguably just as good as an introduction, especially for casual fans. The first 10,000 copies of
Loads included an extra disc,
Loads More, a compilation of remixes making their debut appearance on CD, including
Bernard Sumner's "Freaky Dancing,"
Mike Pickering's "Delightful,"
Martin Hannett's "Lazyitis," and
Vince Clarke's "W.F.L."; all of the remaining mixes are by
Paul Oakenfold. Since the remixes date from the height of
Happy Mondays' career, they provide useful insight on the band's talents as a dance group.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi