Psychocandy
Edited by Jim Irvin / Mojo
2000
2000
Studied rebellion from leather'n'Ray-Ban's-clad feedback Führers.
Lauded as "the new Sex Pistols" by the music press, the Jesus And Mary Chain's blink-and-you-miss-'em live shows quickly became antagonistic affairs. One infamous North London Polytechnic gig in 1985 ended in a riot. "We really believed we could seriously change the way people made music," frontman Jim Reid explained laconically.
It was a far cry from their first appearance supporting mild-mannered jangle-merchants The Loft at Alan McGee's London club The Living Room. With heads down and backs to an audience of 15 people, there was no trace of the self-conscious abrasiveness that would soon become their trademark. By the time of Creation Records' debut single, Upside Down, the JAMC were courting controversy and the A&R men were in a frenzy.
Psychocandy was like no other debut LP. Describing themselves as "Eighties beatniks with an image that is shoddy but stylish", the Mary Chain made an exhilarating, intoxicating Wall Of Sound. Beneath that chaotic Velvet Underground-style white noise hid dark but beautifully crafted melodies worthy of Phil Spector. Recorded at Southern Studios and produced by the group - they didn't trust outsiders - all egos were left at home. It didn't matter who played what: the Reid brothers were after the perfect sound. Much swapping of instruments took place to get the parts down. As Jim explained: "Guitars look good. That's all we really care about."
Drugs were in plentiful supply. "We only took acid and speed!" the band declared, which explained in part the deranged, manic edge to their sound. The 14 tracks (all written by Jim and William on acoustic guitar - "The noise came later," admitted William) include album opener Just Like Honey, three minutes of bleak romanticism that strikes up with the opening drumbeats from The Ronettes' Be My Baby, and the angry, acidic pop of Never Understand. The Living End and In A Hole are driller-killer drones and the yearning, reflective Something's Wrong clocks in as the longest track at four minutes.
Before the album's release, Bobby Gillespie had already returned to Primal Scream. "He only played drums to help us out of our mess when Murray Dalglish left," said Jim. Although Psychocandy was hardly designed to set the mainstream alight, by the following August the JAMC would reach Number 13 in the singles chart with their Some Candy Talking EP.
Lauded as "the new Sex Pistols" by the music press, the Jesus And Mary Chain's blink-and-you-miss-'em live shows quickly became antagonistic affairs. One infamous North London Polytechnic gig in 1985 ended in a riot. "We really believed we could seriously change the way people made music," frontman Jim Reid explained laconically.
It was a far cry from their first appearance supporting mild-mannered jangle-merchants The Loft at Alan McGee's London club The Living Room. With heads down and backs to an audience of 15 people, there was no trace of the self-conscious abrasiveness that would soon become their trademark. By the time of Creation Records' debut single, Upside Down, the JAMC were courting controversy and the A&R men were in a frenzy.
Psychocandy was like no other debut LP. Describing themselves as "Eighties beatniks with an image that is shoddy but stylish", the Mary Chain made an exhilarating, intoxicating Wall Of Sound. Beneath that chaotic Velvet Underground-style white noise hid dark but beautifully crafted melodies worthy of Phil Spector. Recorded at Southern Studios and produced by the group - they didn't trust outsiders - all egos were left at home. It didn't matter who played what: the Reid brothers were after the perfect sound. Much swapping of instruments took place to get the parts down. As Jim explained: "Guitars look good. That's all we really care about."
Drugs were in plentiful supply. "We only took acid and speed!" the band declared, which explained in part the deranged, manic edge to their sound. The 14 tracks (all written by Jim and William on acoustic guitar - "The noise came later," admitted William) include album opener Just Like Honey, three minutes of bleak romanticism that strikes up with the opening drumbeats from The Ronettes' Be My Baby, and the angry, acidic pop of Never Understand. The Living End and In A Hole are driller-killer drones and the yearning, reflective Something's Wrong clocks in as the longest track at four minutes.
Before the album's release, Bobby Gillespie had already returned to Primal Scream. "He only played drums to help us out of our mess when Murray Dalglish left," said Jim. Although Psychocandy was hardly designed to set the mainstream alight, by the following August the JAMC would reach Number 13 in the singles chart with their Some Candy Talking EP.
