The Jesus and Mary Chain | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Like the Velvet Underground, their most obvious influence, the chart success of the Jesus and Mary Chain was virtually nonexistent, but their artistic impact was incalculable; quite simply, the Scottish group made the world safe for white noise, orchestrating a sound dense in squalling feedback that served as an inspiration to everyone from My Bloody Valentine to Dinosaur Jr. Though the supporting players drifted in and out of focus, the heart of the Mary Chain remained vocalists and guitarists William and Jim Reid, Scottish-born brothers heavily influenced not only by underground legends like the Velvets and the Stooges but also by the sonic grandeur and pop savvy of Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. In the Jesus and Mary Chain, which the Reids formed outside of Glasgow in 1984 with bassist Douglas Hart and drummer Murray Dalglish (quickly replaced by Bobby Gillespie), these two polarized aesthetics converged; equal parts bubblegum and formless guitar distortion, their sound both celebrated pop conventions and thoroughly subverted them. In late 1984, the band issued its seminal debut single, "Upside Down," a remarkable blast of live-wire feedback anchored by a caveman-like drumbeat; the record made the JMC an overnight sensation in the U.K., as did their nascent live shows, 20-minute sets of confrontational noise (performed with the bandmembers backs to the audience) which frequently ended in rioting. The follow-up, "You Trip Me Up," further perfected the formula, and led to their 1985 debut LP Psychocandy, which gift-wrapped sweet, simple pop songs in ribbons of droning guitar fuzz. After a two-year layoff (during which time Gillespie exited to form Primal Scream and was replaced by John Moore), the Jesus and Mary Chain returned with Darklands, a dramatic shift in approach that stripped away the feedback to expose the skeletal guitar pop at the musics core. After a sprawling 1988 collection of singles, B-sides, and demos titled Barbed Wire Kisses, they emerged with Automatic, which introduced a more tightly coiled brand of feedback while jettisoning Moores live drums in favor of synthesized beats. After another long absence, the Mary Chain (minus Hart) resurfaced in 1992 with Honeys Dead, and earned greater U.S. visibility thanks to a spot on that summers Lollapalooza lineup; the first single, "Reverence," also won them renewed attention at home when Top of the Pops banned the song because of its opening lines, "I wanna die just like Jesus Christ" and "I wanna die just like JFK." With 1994s gentle, largely acoustic Stoned & Dethroned, they even reached the U.S. pop charts thanks to the lovely single "Sometimes Always," a duet with Mazzy Stars Hope Sandoval. Another collection of scattered sides, The Jesus and Mary Chain Hate Rock n Roll, followed a year later, highlighted by the single "I Hate Rock n Roll," a scabrous swipe that reclaimed the pure noise attack of their earliest work. Moving to Sub Pop, they returned with Munki in 1998. William Reid left the group during the subsequent tour, and in 1999, the Jesus and Mary Chain officially disbanded. Eight years later, the Reid brothers, joined by Mark Crozer, Phil King (Lush), and Loz Colbert (Ride), revived the band to perform at the Coachella and Meltdown festivals. The new recording "All Things Must Pass" appeared on the 2008 soundtrack for the television series Heroes. A four-disc box set, The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides and Rarities, was released the same year, trailed by expanded reissues of their 1985-1998 studio albums. Performances resumed in 2012, with Brian Young (Fountains of Wayne) in place of Colbert. The band later played several dates across Europe and the U.S. that involved the performance of Psychocandy in its entirety, a celebration of the albums 30th anniversary. A Glasgow gig was documented in box set form as Live at Barrowlands. The success of the touring must have eased the tensions between the brothers, because in 2015 they entered the studio to begin working on a new album. Comprising songs newly written and culled from the years after their breakup, Damage and Joy was produced by Youth and featured guest vocals by their sister Linda, Isobel Campbell, and Sky Ferreira. The album was released in early 2017 by their own Artificial Plastic label. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 24 Title: Psychocandy Released: 1985-02 Tracks: 15 Duration: 42:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Just Like Honey (03:02) 2 The Living End (02:17) 3 Taste the Floor (02:57) 4 The Hardest Walk (02:40) 5 Cut Dead (02:47) 6 In a Hole (03:02) 7 Taste of Cindy (01:41) 8 Some Candy Talking (03:18) 9 Never Understand (02:58) 10 Inside Me (03:10) 11 Sowing Seeds (02:51) 12 My Little Underground (02:31) 13 You Trip Me Up (02:26) 14 Something’s Wrong (04:02) 15 It’s So Hard (02:36) |
| Psychocandy : Allmusic album Review : Arguably Psychocandy is an album with one trick and one trick alone -- Beach Boys melodies meet Velvet Underground feedback and beats, all cranked up to ten and beyond, along with plenty of echo. However, what a trick it is. Following up on the promise of the earliest singles, the Jesus and Mary Chain with Psychocandy arguably created a movement without meaning to, one that itself caused echoes in everything from bliss-out shoegaze to snotty Britpop and back again. The best tracks were without question those singles, anti-pop yet pure pop at the same time: "Just Like Honey," starting off like the Ronettes heard in a canyon and weirdly beautiful with its bells, "You Trip Me Up" and its slinking sense of cool, and most especially "Never Understand." Storming down like a rumble of bricks wrapped in cotton candy and getting more and more frenetic at the end, when theres nothing but howls and screaming noise, its one hell of a track. However, at least in terms of sheer sonic violence and mayhem, most of the other cuts were pretty hard to beat, as sprawling, amped-up messes like "The Living End" (which later inspired both a band and a movie title) and "In a Hole." "My Little Underground" is actually the secret gem on the album, with a great snarling guitar start, an almost easygoing melody and a great stuttering chorus -- not quite the Who but not quite anything else. What the Reids sing about -- entirely interchangeable combinations regarding girls, sex, drugs, speed, and boredom in more or less equal measure -- is nothing compared to the perfectly disaffected way those sentiments are delivered. Bobby Gillespies "hit the drums and then hit them again" style makes Moe Tucker seem like Neil Peart, but arguably in terms of sheer economy he doesnt need to do any more. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 24 Title: Some Candy Talking E.P. Released: 1986-07 Tracks: 4 Duration: 11:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Some Candy Talking (03:12) 2 Taste of Cindy (01:41) 3 Hit (03:22) 4 Psychocandy (02:48) |
 | Album: 3 of 24 Title: Darklands Released: 1987-08 Tracks: 40 Duration: 2:17:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Darklands (05:29) 2 Deep One Perfect Morning (02:43) 3 Happy When It Rains (03:36) 4 Down on Me (02:36) 5 Nine Million Rainy Days (04:29) 6 April Skies (04:00) 7 Fall (02:28) 8 Cherry Came Too (03:06) 9 On the Wall (05:05) 10 About You (02:31) 11 Some Candy Talking (03:18) 12 Taste of Cindy (acoustic) (02:01) 13 Psychocandy (02:54) 14 Hit (03:29) 15 Darklands (04:40) 16 Down on Me (02:29) 17 Deep One Perfect Morning (02:37) 18 Fall (03:11) 19 In the Rain (02:28) 20 Happy Place (02:24) 1 Kill Surf City (03:12) 2 Bo Diddley Is Jesus (03:17) 3 Who Do You Love (04:05) 4 Everything’s Alright When You’re Down (02:39) 5 Shake (02:01) 6 Happy When It Rains (demo) (03:46) 7 Happy Place (02:24) 8 F.Hole (01:07) 9 Rider (02:12) 10 On the Wall (Portastudio demo) (03:42) 11 Surfin’ USA (April outtake) (02:58) 12 Here It Comes Again (outtake) (02:32) 13 Walk and Crawl (02:24) 14 Some Candy Talking (NME version) (03:10) 15 Mushroom (03:19) 16 The Hardest Walk (soundtrack version) (03:12) 17 Don’t Ever Change (03:32) 18 Swing (02:25) 19 Darklands (with strings) (05:27) 20 Interview (Janice long) (14:36) |
| Darklands : Allmusic album Review : Feeling no doubt burdened by the various claims of being the new Sex Pistols, and likely fed up with accusations that the walls of feedback were their own trick, the Reid brothers underwent a bit of a rethink with Darklands. The end result must have fallen squarely between two camps -- hardly eligible for sunny commercial airplay, not quite as flailing as the earliest efforts -- but, from a distance, this is an appealing, enjoyable record. Songs were often longer while the album itself was shorter than Psychocandy, walls of sound were often stripped away in favor of calmer classic rock twang and groove, while William Reid took the lead vocal at points, showing he had a slightly sweeter, wistful tone in comparison to his brother. However, the changes on Darklands can be overstated -- the basic formula at the heart of the band (inspired plagiarism of melodies and lyrics alike, plenty of reverb, etc.) stayed pretty much the same, even if the mixes were cleaned up -- compare "Down on Me" to any Psychocandy cut for a good example of the difference. The use of drum machines in place of Bobby Gillespies rumble tended to enforce the newer focus, but at the albums best, such a seeming dichotomy didnt cause too much worry. "April Skies" made for a great single, while the soaring-in-spite-of-itself "Happy When It Rains" was another winner, one that Garbage more or less made its own some years later for its own similarly titled hit. Williams singing turns made for other highlights as well, notably "Nine Million Rainy Days," the overt misery of the title suiting the dark crawl of the song, and the lengthy lament "On the Wall." Darklands is no Psychocandy in the end -- nothing the band released later ever was -- but its still a good listen. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 24 Title: Happy When It Rains E.P. Released: 1987-08 Tracks: 4 Duration: 09:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Happy When It Rains (03:33) 2 Everythings Alright When Youre Down (02:37) 3 Happy Place (02:22) 4 F-Hole (01:05) |
 | Album: 5 of 24 Title: Darklands E.P. Released: 1987-10 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Darklands (05:29) 2 Rider (02:10) 3 Here It Comes Again (02:30) 4 On the Wall (Porta Studio demo) (03:39) |
 | Album: 6 of 24 Title: Barbed Wire Kisses (B-Sides And More) Released: 1988-04 Tracks: 16 Duration: 50:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Kill Surf City (03:13) 2 Head (03:52) 3 Rider (02:11) 4 Hit (03:29) 5 Don’t Ever Change (03:35) 6 Just Out of Reach (03:06) 7 Happy Place (02:23) 8 Psycho Candy (02:59) 9 Sidewalking (03:33) 10 Who Do You Love (04:04) 11 Surfin’ USA (02:58) 12 Everything’s Alright When You’re Down (02:39) 13 Upside Down (02:59) 14 Taste of Cindy (02:01) 15 Swing (02:28) 16 On the Wall (04:50) |
 | Album: 7 of 24 Title: Automatic Released: 1989-10-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Here Comes Alice (03:53) 2 Coast to Coast (04:13) 3 Blues From a Gun (04:44) 4 Between Planets (03:27) 5 UV Ray (04:07) 6 Her Way of Praying (03:46) 7 Head On (04:11) 8 Take It (04:34) 9 Halfway to Crazy (03:41) 10 Gimme Hell (03:20) 11 Drop (01:57) 12 Sunray (01:34) |
| Automatic : Allmusic album Review : The Jesus and Mary Chains third studio album was a mixed bag, a touch rougher and more aggressive-sounding than Darklands, but still not the equivalent of Psychocandy for sheer kicks. Part of the problem was the actual studio setup; while soon-to-be superstar producer/engineer Alan Moulder did a great job on the sound, finding a way to mix thick guitar rumbles without sounding uncommercial, the fact was that the band was really just the brothers at this point. Like on Darklands, all drumming was courtesy of machines, and here the approach often felt monotonous; Bobby Gillespies approach, for better or worse, really was distinct and individual, fitting with the style of the band beautifully. Meanwhile, much of the bass was also created via keyboards, another unusual switch. When Automatic was on, though, it was on, especially courtesy of another blazingly brilliant single. If "Sidewalking" was a T. Rex homage, "Head On" paid tribute to rocks eternal image of supercharged cool; one can almost smell the black leather as Jim Reid delivers the ultimate "Break on Through" lyric: "Makes you wanna feel/Makes you wanna try/Makes you wanna blow the stars from the sky." The music sure didnt hurt either; even the synth bass sounded perfectly right. Other songs, like the brawling "Blues From a Gun" and the aggro-sneer of "Her Way of Praying," suggest a new energy on the part of all involved, though likely enough they came across better live in the end with the Reids then-touring band of the time. Meanwhile, there are definitely some sharp individual moments: the sudden massive feedback clang during the instrumental break on "Coast to Coast," the "Sweet Jane"-inspired melody on the nicely moving "Halfway to Crazy," and the hint of strings on the brief "Drop." | ||
 | Album: 8 of 24 Title: Rollercoaster E.P. Released: 1990-08 Tracks: 4 Duration: 15:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Rollercoaster (03:53) 2 Silverblade (02:57) 3 Lowlife (03:28) 4 Tower of Song (04:48) |
 | Album: 9 of 24 Title: The Peel Sessions Released: 1991 Tracks: 6 Duration: 16:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Inside Me (03:00) 2 The Living End (02:14) 3 Just Like Honey (02:48) 4 Fall (03:11) 5 Happy Place (02:21) 6 In The Rain (About You) (02:29) |
 | Album: 10 of 24 Title: Honey’s Dead Released: 1992 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Reverence (03:40) 2 Teenage Lust (03:05) 3 Far Gone and Out (02:49) 4 Almost Gold (03:17) 5 Sugar Ray (04:37) 6 Tumbledown (04:10) 7 Catchfire (04:47) 8 Good for My Soul (03:01) 9 Rollercoaster (03:43) 10 I Can’t Get Enough (02:57) 11 Sundown (04:58) 12 Frequency (01:18) |
| Honey’s Dead : Allmusic album Review : Again working with Alan Moulder but now also using a live drummer on most tracks -- namely Monti from Curve, one of the Mary Chains many descendants -- the Reids came back strong with Honeys Dead, on balance a more consistent and satisfying record than Automatic. Theres a sense of greater creativity with the arrangements, while the balance between blasting static rampage and precise, almost clinical delivery is the finest yet, making the album as a whole the best straight-through listen since Psychocandy. Montis drumming finally replaces Bobby Gillespies properly; hes a much more talented musician than the Primal Scream overlord, using the warped funk hits familiar from Curves work to the Mary Chains advantage. Even the drum machine-driven cuts work better than before, especially the brilliant, coruscating opener, "Reverence." Burning with some of the best nails-on-chalkboard feedback the band had yet recorded, combined with a whipsmart sharp breakbeat, all it took was the finishing touch of Jim Reids sneering lines like "I wanna die like Jesus Christ" to make it another stone-cold classic single from the band. Other winners include "Sugar Ray," with beats and melody so immediate and addictive the track was actually used for a beer commercial, of all things, and the steady slap and crunch of "Good for My Soul." If theres a danger in Honeys Dead, its that the near bottomless pit of reworked melodies and lyrics had almost reached its end -- even the final track, "Frequency," combines both "Reverence" itself with the Modern Lovers "Roadrunner" -- which made the stylistic shift on Stoned & Dethroned a logical follow-up. William and Jim Reid split all the vocals almost evenly, the former especially shining on the nearly gentle "Almost Gold," the closest the record comes to a sweet ballad. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 24 Title: The Sound of Speed Released: 1992 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:10:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Snakedriver (03:42) 2 Reverence (radio mix) (05:39) 3 Heat (03:00) 4 Teenage Lust (acoustic version) (02:25) 5 Why’d You Want Me (03:14) 6 Don’t Come Down (02:39) 7 Guitarman (03:43) 8 Something I Can’t Have (03:02) 9 Sometimes (02:53) 10 Write Record Release Blues (02:58) 11 Shimmer (02:46) 12 Penetration (02:48) 13 My Girl (03:05) 14 Tower of Song (04:48) 15 Little Red Rooster (03:25) 16 Break Me Down (02:29) 17 Lowlife (03:27) 18 Deviant Slice (03:01) 19 Reverberation (03:46) 20 Sidewalking (extended version) (07:52) |
| The Sound of Speed : Allmusic album Review : The Sound of Speed is second in the trilogy of Jesus and Mary Chain "odds and sods" releases. This one isnt quite as essential as Barbed Wire Kisses (the first), but it definitely holds less cash-cow negativity and greater value over The Jesus and Mary Chain Hate Rock n Roll (the third). The period covered here is 1989-1993, collecting most of the B-sides from Automatic and Honeys Dead. Its not quite complete, missing at least four B-sides ("Subway," "In the Black," "Terminal Beach," "Im Glad I Never") and a small number of remixes. "Snakedriver" provides the best reason for picking this up, a classic Jesus and Mary Chain song in the sleazy, bluesy, "Beach Boys on lots of smack" mold. "Write Record Release Blues" skewers the Man while poking fun at themselves; one major demand: "Leave me in peaceful abject misery." The radio mix of "Reverence" doesnt sound any friendlier than the original, adding two minutes to the wailing beast and turning it into the dance remix of Big Blacks "Kerosene" that it really is. Desperate, immature malevolence doesnt get any better. Speaking of reverence, this offers another clutch of covers, including Leonard Cohens "Tower of Song" (pleasantly dirgeful), the Temptations "My Girl" (pointless), Willie Dixons "Little Red Rooster" (maxed vocal distortion), the 13th Floor Elevators "Reverberation" (jug-free), and Jerry Reeds "Guitarman" (doesnt quite work). Other highlights in this decent package include the nasty "Lowlife" and an eight-minute version of "Sidewalking" that should please those who like the sludgy battering of the regular version. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 24 Title: Sound of Speed E.P. Released: 1993 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Snakedriver (03:42) 2 Something I Can’t Have (03:02) 3 Write Record Release Blues (02:57) 4 Little Red Rooster (03:25) |
 | Album: 13 of 24 Title: Stoned & Dethroned Released: 1994-08-15 Tracks: 17 Duration: 48:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dirty Water (03:08) 2 Bullet Lovers (03:39) 3 Sometimes Always (02:32) 4 Come On (02:13) 5 Between Us (02:59) 6 Hole (02:15) 7 Never Saw It Coming (03:32) 8 She (03:08) 9 Wish I Could (02:42) 10 Save Me (02:42) 11 Till It Shines (03:17) 12 God Help Me (02:47) 13 Girlfriend (03:16) 14 Everybody I Know (02:13) 15 You’ve Been a Friend (03:37) 16 These Days (02:31) 17 Feeling Lucky (02:18) |
| Stoned & Dethroned : Allmusic album Review : Having made a name for itself through its career for punishing noise combined with candy-coated hooks, the Jesus and Mary Chain took a sideways step on Stoned & Dethroned that actually worked rather handsomely. The Reids turned the emphasis toward much calmer, acoustic folk/country-tinged songs and, for the first time since Psychocandy, recorded with an actual full band, with Monti from Curve once again doing the drum honors and touring bassist Ben Lurie handling the same duties in studio. The appearance of Hope Sandoval on lead single "Sometimes Always" makes perfect sense, as Mazzy Stars electric/acoustic psych flow is, if not the inspiration for Stoned & Dethroned, a close enough cousin. "Sometimes Always" does indeed make for a lovely little duet, not quite a Lee & Nancy combination for a new generation, but a fine romp anyway, while on the other guest number Shane Macgowan from the Pogues takes a nicely mournful lead turn on "God Help Me." As for the album in general, the songs are much more than simply a toned-down Mary Chain -- its almost as if the group were making its bid to finally demonstrate that it really was comprised of actual musicians, honest to goodness. What feedback there is appears as smoky atmosphere rather than skull-crushing scream, and oddly enough the end results almost suggest early-70s Rolling Stones more than anything else, tinged as always with pure pop hooks and melodies. Williams singing actually comes more to the fore than before, his warmer, less sneering vocals suiting the burned-out feeling of the album very nicely. A few songs could easily be full-on monsters -- the brief "Come On" and the almost uplifting "Girlfriend" in particular -- but, by and large, the drama is implicit rather than explicit. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 24 Title: Hate Rock ’n’ Roll Released: 1995-05 Tracks: 13 Duration: 37:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Hate Rock ’n’ Roll (03:43) 2 Snakedriver (03:42) 3 Something I Can’t Have (03:02) 4 Bleed Me (03:37) 5 33⅓ (03:18) 6 Lost Star (02:04) 7 Penetration (02:48) 8 New York City (01:58) 9 Taking It Away (02:11) 10 I’m in With the Out Crowd (02:36) 11 Little Stars (03:32) 12 Teenage Lust (Desdemoana mix) (03:36) 13 The Perfect Crime (01:34) |
| Hate Rock ’n’ Roll : Allmusic album Review : In a rather strange move, the second Jesus and Mary Chain B-side collection, The Sound of Speed, wasnt released in America; instead a reshuffled, heavily trimmed, and then expanded version surfaced, Hate Rock n Roll. Most of the tracks are in fact new, which more than slightly begs the question why Sound of Speed just wasnt released as is -- then again, who expects sanity from most record companies? Of the new cuts, the brilliantly pissed-off title track is the winner, arguably the last great song from the band, an anti-love song to the industry and the culture, taking bloody aim at the likes of the BBC, MTV, and "all those people with nothing to show." William Reid delivers it with just the right bile, while the feedback pileups are among the fiercest the band had yet created, combined with a murderously low instrumental break and, but of course, a perfectly hummable melody. The remaining newer tracks are a mixed bag, many from the Stoned & Dethroned days and appropriately quiet (like the hilarious country piss take "New York City") or else combining that with the more typical volume. A fair amount of the best tracks from Sound of Speed dont appear, which is what makes the collection so frustrating -- at only 37 minutes long, it could have been twice as long and still fit all on one disc. Some of the best from the earlier compilation do surface at least -- the sly Ronettes-quoting stomp and squall of "Snakedriver," the downright exultant "Something I Cant Have" -- but its chump change considering what isnt available. Considering that a fairly unneeded mix of "Teenage Lust" did make the cut, the whole exercise seems like a pretty poor attempt on the behalf of American Recordings to satisfy the fans without actually figuring out what the fans wanted. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 24 Title: Munki Released: 1998-06-01 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:09:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Love Rock ’n’ Roll (02:37) 2 Birthday (03:57) 3 Stardust Remedy (02:26) 4 Fizzy (03:39) 5 Moe Tucker (03:19) 6 Perfume (04:39) 7 Virtually Unreal (03:38) 8 Degenerate (05:29) 1 Crackin’ Up (04:41) 2 Commercial (07:02) 3 Supertramp (03:37) 4 Never Understood (04:14) 5 I Can’t Find the Time for Times (04:17) 6 Man on the Moon (03:41) 7 Black (05:18) 8 Dream Lover (03:05) 9 I Hate Rock ’n’ Roll (03:43) |
| Munki : Allmusic album Review : As befits an album bookended by tracks titled "I Love RocknRoll" and "I Hate RocknRoll," the Jesus and Mary Chains Sub Pop label debut, Munki, is schizophrenic and impassioned, a record that both summarizes the bands career to date and cleans the slate for their future. Virtually each of the 17 tracks here echoes a prior moment in the Chains existence, moving at breakneck pace from the volcanic noise of their earliest material to the bleak grace of Darklands, through to the sleek, supercharged pop of Automatic -- even Mazzy Stars Hope Sandoval makes a cameo, as she did on Stoned & Dethroned. In a sense, its an ideal primer to the Reid brothers mercurial world, flirting with both brilliance and mediocrity; even after well over a decade, the Jesus and Mary Chain continue to thrill, irritate, and confound -- theyre a true love/hate obsession. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 24 Title: The Complete John Peel Sessions Released: 2000 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:00:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 In a Hole (02:42) 2 You Trip Me Up (02:07) 3 Never Understand (03:08) 4 Taste the Floor (03:07) 5 The Living End (02:14) 6 Inside Me (03:00) 7 Just Like Honey (02:48) 8 Some Candy Talking (03:12) 9 Psycho Candy (02:00) 10 You Trip Me Up (02:41) 11 Cut Dead (02:46) 12 Fall (03:11) 13 In the Rain (02:27) 14 Happy Place (02:21) 15 Sidewalking (04:22) 16 Coast to Coast (03:19) 17 Take It (03:06) 18 My Girl (03:05) 19 Far Gone and Out (03:03) 20 Silverblade (03:11) 21 Here Comes Alice (02:47) |
| The Complete John Peel Sessions : Allmusic album Review : The Complete John Peel Sessions collects the six BBC sessions knocked out by the Reid brothers between 1984 and 1989. As with most BBC-related compilations, the end result is a necessity for diehards. Since this covers rather choice material through Automatic -- including a preview of "Far Gone and Out" from 1992s Honeys Dead -- its not a bad introduction. Since a best-of hadnt seen the light of day at the time of this discs issue, this is the closest you get to a summary (unless you count the bands trio of singles and rarities packages, which are closer to hit-and-miss or completist fodder). Most significant is a four-song session from 1984 that preceded the release of Upside Down. They arrived at the BBC with their whistling teapots and wood chippers in tow, previewing four songs from Psychocandy. These versions are almost as atomic as the album versions, not quite as willfully abrasive but still powerful. An all-acoustic session from 1985 yields two songs apiece from Psychocandy and a couple singles tracks; "Some Candy Talking" favorably contains a healthy dose of echo. From a pre-Darklands visit, a caustic "Fall" uses less strum, supplanting heavier programmed rhythms. "Happy Place" masterfully tops the B-side version, sounding more like a precursor to My Bloody Valentines Isnt Anything than anything else they recorded. Two sessions from late 1988 and early 1989 feature versions comparable to the originals, although it remains a mystery why they decided to cover the Temptations "My Girl," sucking all of its life and approaching self-parody. Despite this small blemish, the collection makes for a fine feast. It functions as a decent way to get into the band, as well as a great way to get refamiliarized. Just dont forget to eat. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 24 Title: 21 Singles Released: 2002-05-27 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:13:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Upside Down (02:59) 2 Never Understand (02:58) 3 You Trip Me Up (02:26) 4 Just Like Honey (03:02) 5 Some Candy Talking (03:18) 6 April Skies (03:11) 7 Happy When It Rains (03:05) 8 Darklands (05:29) 9 Sidewalking (03:33) 10 Blues From a Gun (04:44) 11 Head On (04:11) 12 Rollercoaster (03:52) 13 Reverence (03:40) 14 Far Gone and Out (02:52) 15 Almost Gold (03:20) 16 Snakedriver (03:42) 17 Sometimes Always (02:32) 18 Come On (03:17) 19 I Hate Rock ’n’ Roll (03:43) 20 Cracking Up (04:43) 21 I Love Rock ’n’ Roll (02:37) |
| 21 Singles : Allmusic album Review : 21 Singles is a perfect, understated title for a compilation that nonchalantly illustrates just why the Jesus and Mary Chain are revered by post-punk partisans and are considered so influential. Sure, Psychocandy is the masterwork -- ground zero for noise pop and shoegazing, a record that helped shift the course of indie rock in the second half of the 80s -- but to reduce their career to just that one record isnt fair, since the albums that followed found the Mary Chain exploring interesting ground, whether it was swirls of feedback and noise or dark, haunting soundscapes. Although albums like Darklands and Honeys Dead were consistent works in their own right, the group was often best heard through its singles -- and, collected together on this stellar collection, they form a strong canon. Again, Psychocandy remains their masterpiece, but for a summation of their entire career this is first-rate, giving all their best on one collection that is essential for any post-punk or alt-rock library. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 24 Title: Live in Concert Released: 2003-05-25 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:12:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Catch a Fire (04:37) 2 Blues From a Gun (04:20) 3 Head On (04:02) 4 Reverence (04:55) 5 Far Gone and Out (02:48) 6 Halfway to Crazy (03:09) 7 Sidewalking (08:04) 8 Reverence (05:19) 9 Snakedriver (03:49) 10 Come On (02:48) 11 Happy When It Rains (03:22) 12 Teenage Lust (03:39) 13 The Perfect Crime (01:38) 14 Everybody I Know (02:10) 15 Girlfriend (03:13) 16 Hole (02:05) 17 Head On (04:14) 18 Sugar Ray (04:38) 19 I Hate Rock n Roll (03:43) |
 | Album: 19 of 24 Title: The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities Released: 2008-09-30 Tracks: 81 Duration: 3:57:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Up Too High (03:44) 2 Upside Down (02:59) 3 Vegetable Man (03:35) 4 Suck (02:08) 5 Ambition (03:29) 6 Just Out of Reach (02:08) 7 Boyfriends Dead (01:43) 8 Head (03:52) 9 Just Like Honey (demo Oct. 84) (02:59) 10 Cracked (03:47) 11 Taste of Cindy (acoustic version) (02:00) 12 The Hardest Walk (03:12) 13 Never Understand (alternate) (03:26) 14 My Little Underground (demo) (02:33) 15 The Living End (demo) (02:17) 16 Some Candy Talking (03:18) 17 Psychocandy (02:54) 18 Hit (03:29) 19 Cut Dead (acoustic) (02:47) 20 You Trip Me Up (acoustic) (02:42) 21 Walk and Crawl (02:24) 1 Kill Surf City (03:11) 2 Bo Diddley Is Jesus (03:18) 3 Who Do You Love (04:05) 4 Everythings Alright When Youre Down (02:39) 5 Shake (02:01) 6 Happy When It Rains (demo) (03:47) 7 Happy Place (02:23) 8 F.Hole (01:09) 9 Rider (02:12) 10 On the Wall (Porta Studio demo) (03:42) 11 Surfin’ USA (April outtake) (02:58) 12 Here It Comes Again (02:33) 13 Dont Ever Change (03:33) 14 Swing (02:26) 15 Sidewalking (03:35) 16 Surfin’ USA (Summer mix) (03:30) 17 Shimmer (02:47) 18 Penetration (02:48) 19 Break Me Down (02:31) 20 Subway (02:06) 21 My Girl (03:05) 1 In the Black (02:55) 2 Terminal Beach (02:25) 3 Deviant Slice (03:01) 4 Im Glad I Never (01:31) 5 Drop (acoustic remix) (01:54) 6 Rollercoaster (03:52) 7 Silverblade (02:58) 8 Lowlife (03:28) 9 Tower of Song (04:48) 10 Heat (03:00) 11 Guitarman (03:43) 12 Why’d You Want Me (03:14) 13 Sometimes (02:52) 14 Teenage Lust (acoustic version) (02:25) 15 Reverberation (Doubt) (03:47) 16 Dont Come Down (02:41) 17 Snakedriver (03:42) 18 Something I Can’t Have (03:02) 19 Write Record Release Blues (02:57) 20 Little Red Rooster (03:25) 1 The Perfect Crime (01:34) 2 Little Stars (03:33) 3 Drop (Re-Recorded) (01:53) 4 (Im in With) The Out Crowd (02:37) 5 New York City (01:58) 6 Taking It Away (02:11) 7 Ghost of a Smile (02:55) 8 Alphabet Street (02:17) 9 Coast to Coast (alternate - William Vox) (03:23) 10 Dirty Water (demo - William Vox) (03:15) 11 Till I Found You (02:05) 12 Bleed Me (03:37) 13 33 1/3 (03:19) 14 Lost Star (02:04) 15 Hide Myself (03:30) 16 Rocket (03:02) 17 Easy Life, Easy Love (04:08) 18 40,000k (02:51) 19 Nineteen666 (03:31) |
| The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities : Allmusic album Review : The Jesus and Mary Chains 2008 Rhino four-disc box set The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities, collects all of the influential Scottish noise-pop bands various B-side singles, cover songs, and sundry demos in one terrific package. Fans of JAMC who already own the bands albums should be pleased to see that none of the original album tracks are included here. For those who dont own them, Rhinos 2006 bonus disc reissues of Psychocandy, Darklands, Automatic, Honeys Dead, and Stoned & Dethroned is the place to start. However, in many ways The Power of Negative Thinking is a more honest portrait of JAMC than even the studio albums reveal. Often mischaracterized as gloomy, goth rock misanthropes -- only partly true -- JAMC were in truth huge fans of 60s sunshine pop, surf rock, and even hip-hop and aspired to a kind of D.I.Y. Phil Spector Wall of Sound aesthetic that found them substituting Spectors strings and horns with walls of feedbacking guitar. These are rough demos meant to capture the Reid brothers raw creative vision of rock music that -- as guitarist Jim Reid says in the liner notes -- had, "the pop sensibilities of the Shangri-Las, but with the production values of the Birthday Party." In that sense, we get JAMC from their dreamy lo-fi punk roots with the 1983 drum machine-driven demo for "Up Too High" and 1984s sludgy feedback-laden "Upside Down," to their time as 90s alt rock icons on such pristinely polished efforts like shimmering 1992 ballad "Why Do You Want Me?" and the catchy folk-rock of 1994s "Something I Cant Have." We even get one of the few non-Reid entries in bassist Ben Luries pop nugget "Rocket." Also enlightening are such giddy cover songs as JAMCs version of Bo Diddleys "Who Do You Love," Princes "Alphabet Street," and the Temptations "My Girl" which purportedly JAMC were so drunk during the recording of they could barely hold their instruments. Its also true that the Reid brothers were big fans of Bob Dylan and that many of these songs were written on acoustic guitar. Not surprisingly, here we get blissfully melodic acoustic versions of "Just Like Honey" and "Taste of Cindy," which actually come fairly close to fulfilling JAMCs Spector-ish aspirations. Ultimately, The Power of Negative Thinking isnt the whole JAMC story, but its the whole story behind the scenes and A-side singles, and sometimes the B-sides. Even better. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 24 Title: Original Album Series Released: 2009 Tracks: 66 Duration: 3:33:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Just Like Honey (03:02) 2 The Living End (02:17) 3 Taste the Floor (02:57) 4 The Hardest Walk (02:40) 5 Cut Dead (02:47) 6 In a Hole (03:02) 7 Taste of Cindy (01:41) 8 Some Candy Talking (03:18) 9 Never Understand (02:58) 10 Inside Me (03:10) 11 Sowing Seeds (02:51) 12 My Little Underground (02:31) 13 You Trip Me Up (02:26) 14 Something’s Wrong (04:02) 15 It’s So Hard (02:36) 1 Darklands (05:29) 2 Deep One Perfect Morning (02:43) 3 Happy When It Rains (03:36) 4 Down on Me (02:36) 5 Nine Million Rainy Days (04:29) 6 April Skies (04:00) 7 Fall (02:28) 8 Cherry Came Too (03:06) 9 On the Wall (05:05) 10 About You (02:31) 1 Here Comes Alice (03:53) 2 Coast to Coast (04:13) 3 Blues From a Gun (04:44) 4 Between Planets (03:27) 5 UV Ray (04:07) 6 Her Way of Praying (03:46) 7 Head On (04:11) 8 Take It (04:34) 9 Halfway to Crazy (03:41) 10 Gimme Hell (03:20) 11 Drop (01:57) 12 Sunray (01:34) 1 Reverence (03:40) 2 Teenage Lust (03:05) 3 Far Gone and Out (02:49) 4 Almost Gold (03:17) 5 Sugar Ray (04:37) 6 Tumbledown (04:10) 7 Catchfire (04:47) 8 Good for My Soul (03:01) 9 Rollercoaster (03:43) 10 I Can’t Get Enough (02:57) 11 Sundown (04:58) 12 Frequency (01:18) 1 Dirty Water (03:08) 2 Bullet Lovers (03:39) 3 Sometimes Always (02:32) 4 Come On (02:13) 5 Between Us (02:59) 6 Hole (02:15) 7 Never Saw It Coming (03:32) 8 She (03:08) 9 Wish I Could (02:42) 10 Save Me (02:42) 11 Till It Shines (03:17) 12 God Help Me (02:47) 13 Girlfriend (03:16) 14 Everybody I Know (02:13) 15 You’ve Been a Friend (03:37) 16 These Days (02:31) 17 Feeling Lucky (02:18) |
| Original Album Series : Allmusic album Review : Original Album Series offers the Jesus and Mary Chains five albums -- 1985’s Psychocandy through 1994’s Stoned and Dethroned -- all recorded for Blanco y Negro in the U.K., for a price just north of one full-price CD. The packaging is basic and functional, with each album in a somewhat sturdy paper sleeve (akin to the Creation label’s late-‘80s/early-‘90s CD EPs) that replicates the artwork. This is a more affordable option for those who are uninterested in the expanded 2006 Rhino and 2011 Edsel reissues, but there are no B-sides or non-album tracks here -- just the albums straight up with the original mastering. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 24 Title: Upside Down: The Best Of Released: 2010-09-27 Tracks: 44 Duration: 2:28:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Just Like Honey (03:02) 2 April Skies (04:00) 3 Blues From a Gun (04:44) 4 Far Gone and Out (02:49) 5 Some Candy Talking (03:18) 6 Come On (03:17) 7 Head On (04:11) 8 I Love Rock ’n’ Roll (02:37) 9 All Things Must Pass (04:27) 10 Reverence (03:40) 11 Sidewalking (03:33) 12 Cracking Up (04:43) 13 Upside Down (02:59) 14 Never Understand (02:58) 15 The Hardest Walk (03:12) 16 Happy When It Rains (03:36) 17 The Perfect Crime (01:34) 18 Sometimes Always (02:32) 19 Almost Gold (03:17) 20 Darklands (05:20) 21 45 RPM (01:50) 22 Head (03:52) 1 Halfway to Crazy (03:41) 2 You Trip Me Up (02:22) 3 Rollercoaster (03:44) 4 Birthday (03:57) 5 Happy Place (02:20) 6 Something I Can’t Have (03:02) 7 I Hate Rock ’n’ Roll (03:43) 8 Tower of Song (04:48) 9 Vegetable Man (03:31) 10 In a Hole (03:02) 11 Kill Surf City (03:08) 12 33⅓ (03:18) 13 Cherry Came To (03:04) 14 Between Planets (03:27) 15 Mo Tucker (03:17) 16 Little Stars (03:32) 17 God Help Me (02:47) 18 New York City (01:56) 19 Nine Million Rainy Days (04:25) 20 Drop (01:54) 21 Black (04:36) 22 Psychocandy (02:55) |
 | Album: 22 of 24 Title: The Vinyl Collection Released: 2013-12-16 Tracks: 145 Duration: 8:05:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Just Like Honey (03:02) 2 The Living End (02:17) 3 Taste the Floor (02:57) 4 The Hardest Walk (02:40) 5 Cut Dead (02:47) 6 In a Hole (03:02) 7 Taste of Cindy (01:41) 8 Never Understand (02:58) 9 Inside Me (03:10) 10 Sowing Seeds (02:51) 11 My Little Underground (02:31) 12 You Trip Me Up (02:26) 13 Something’s Wrong (04:02) 14 It’s So Hard (02:36) 1 Darklands (05:29) 2 Deep One Perfect Morning (02:43) 3 Happy When It Rains (03:36) 4 Down on Me (02:36) 5 Nine Million Rainy Days (04:29) 6 April Skies (04:00) 7 Fall (02:28) 8 Cherry Came Too (03:06) 9 On the Wall (05:05) 10 About You (02:31) 1 Here Comes Alice (03:53) 2 Coast to Coast (04:13) 3 Blues From a Gun (04:44) 4 Between Planets (03:27) 5 UV Ray (04:07) 6 Her Way of Praying (03:46) 7 Head On (04:11) 8 Take It (04:34) 9 Halfway to Crazy (03:41) 10 Gimme Hell (03:20) 1 Reverence (03:40) 2 Teenage Lust (03:05) 3 Far Gone and Out (02:49) 4 Almost Gold (03:17) 5 Sugar Ray (04:37) 6 Tumbledown (04:10) 7 Catchfire (04:47) 8 Good for My Soul (03:01) 9 Rollercoaster (03:43) 10 I Can’t Get Enough (02:57) 11 Sundown (04:58) 12 Frequency (01:18) 1 Dirty Water (03:08) 2 Bullet Lovers (03:39) 3 Sometimes Always (02:32) 4 Come On (02:13) 5 Between Us (02:59) 6 Hole (02:15) 7 Never Saw It Coming (03:32) 8 She (03:08) 9 Wish I Could (02:42) 10 Save Me (02:42) 11 Till It Shines (03:17) 12 God Help Me (02:47) 13 Girlfriend (03:16) 14 Everybody I Know (02:13) 15 You’ve Been a Friend (03:37) 16 These Days (02:31) 17 Feeling Lucky (02:18) 1 I Love Rock ’n’ Roll (02:37) 2 Birthday (03:57) 3 Stardust Remedy (02:26) 4 Fizzy (03:39) 5 Moe Tucker (03:19) 6 Perfume (04:39) 7 Virtually Unreal (03:38) 8 Degenerate (05:29) 9 Crackin’ Up (04:41) 10 Commercial (07:02) 11 Supertramp (03:37) 12 Never Understood (04:14) 13 I Can’t Find the Time for Times (04:17) 14 Man on the Moon (03:41) 15 Black (05:18) 16 Dream Lover (03:05) 17 I Hate Rock ’n’ Roll (03:43) 1 In a Hole (02:42) 2 You Trip Me Up (02:07) 3 Never Understand (03:08) 4 Taste the Floor (03:07) 5 The Living End (02:14) 6 Inside Me (03:00) 7 Just Like Honey (02:48) 8 Some Candy Talking (03:12) 9 Psycho Candy (02:00) 10 You Trip Me Up (02:41) 11 Cut Dead (02:46) 12 Darklands (04:38) 13 Deep One Perfect Morning (02:34) 1 Fall (03:11) 2 In The Rain (About You) (02:29) 3 Happy Place (02:21) 4 Sidewalking (04:22) 5 Coast to Coast (03:19) 6 Take It (03:06) 7 My Girl (03:05) 8 Far Gone and Out (03:03) 9 Silverblade (03:11) 10 Here Comes Alice (02:47) 11 Come On (BBC radio session) (02:11) 12 God Help Me (William vocal) (BBC radio session) (02:43) 13 Everybody I Know (BBC radio session) (02:21) 14 The Perfect Crime (BBC radio session) (01:35) 15 Reverence (BBC radio session) (04:40) 16 I Love Rock ’n’ Roll (BBC radio session) (02:45) 17 Degenerate (BBC radio session) (05:30) 18 Mo Tucker (BBC radio session) (03:06) 1 Catch a Fire (04:37) 2 Blues From a Gun (04:20) 3 Head On (04:02) 4 Reverence (04:55) 5 Far Gone and Out (02:48) 6 Halfway to Crazy (03:09) 7 Frequency (live) (01:12) 8 Sidewalking (08:04) 1 Reverence (05:19) 2 Snakedriver (03:49) 3 Come On (02:48) 4 Happy When It Rains (03:22) 5 Teenage Lust (03:39) 6 The Perfect Crime (01:38) 7 Everybody I Know (02:10) 8 Girlfriend (03:13) 9 Hole (02:05) 10 Head On (04:14) 11 Sugar Ray (04:38) 12 I Hate Rock n Roll (03:43) 1 Upside Down (03:00) 2 Just Like Honey (demo Oct. 84) (02:59) 3 Kill Surf City (03:11) 4 Vegetable Man (03:35) 5 Everythings Alright When Youre Down (02:39) 6 Up Too High (Demo 1983) (03:44) 7 Walk and Crawl (02:24) 8 Who Do You Love (04:05) 9 Terminal Beach (02:25) 10 Something I Can’t Have (03:02) 11 Sidewalking (03:35) 12 Taste of Cindy (acoustic version) (02:00) 13 Happy Place (02:23) 14 Head (03:52) |
 | Album: 23 of 24 Title: Barrowlands Live Released: 2015-08-07 Tracks: 14 Duration: 42:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Just Like Honey (03:26) 2 The Living End (02:20) 3 Taste the Floor (03:34) 4 The Hardest Walk (02:42) 5 Cut Dead (02:53) 6 In a Hole (03:04) 7 Taste of Cindy (01:43) 8 Never Understand (03:09) 9 Inside Me (03:48) 10 Sowing Seeds (02:54) 11 My Little Underground (02:32) 12 You Trip Me Up (02:38) 13 Something’s Wrong (03:08) 14 It’s So Hard (04:55) |
 | Album: 24 of 24 Title: Damage and Joy Released: 2017-03-24 Tracks: 14 Duration: 53:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Amputation (03:24) 2 War on Peace (04:34) 3 All Things Pass (04:34) 4 Always Sad (02:52) 5 Song for a Secret (03:21) 6 The Two of Us (04:12) 7 Los Feliz (Blues and Greens) (04:54) 8 Mood Rider (04:04) 9 Presidici (Et Chapaquiditch) (03:36) 10 Get On Home (03:31) 11 Facing Up to the Facts (03:05) 12 Simian Split (04:14) 13 Black and Blues (03:23) 14 Can’t Stop the Rock (03:21) |
| Damage and Joy : Allmusic album Review : In the nearly 20 years since they last released a record as the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Reid brothers stayed busy with new bands and solo careers. They reconvened the band occasionally for live shows and tours, but the recording studio wasnt a place the notoriously disaffected siblings felt comfortable visiting together. That changed in 2015 when the pair reached a level of détente sufficient to start working together and in 2017 they released their seventh album, Damage and Joy. Along with writing new songs, Jim and William rounded up some of their favorite songs done solo or with other bands over the years, then redid them in cohesive fashion. They also took back two songs they gave their sister Linda for her band Sister Vanilla and laid down a new version of "All Things Must Pass," a song they recorded in 2008 for the soundtrack to Heroes. Working with producer Youth, the brothers called on drummer Brian Young and a bevy of backing vocalists (Isobel Campbell, Sky Ferreira, sister Linda) to help craft a record that revisits just about every sound the JAMC did post-Psychocandy. It would have been a mistake to try to recapture that once-in-a-lifetime event, so instead they touch on the drum-machine blues-punk of Automatic on "All Things Pass," the stripped-down pop of Darklands on "The Two of Us," and quite a bit of the weathered and torn acoustic balladry that dominated Stoned & Dethroned. Both "Always Sad" and "Song for a Secret" quote almost directly from that albums big hit, "Sometimes Always"; the former even lifts the guitar solo note for note. The rest of the album sounds like a dead ringer for 1992s Honeys Dead, which was heralded as their return to the noise and nastiness that made them a sensation. Quite a few songs could have been on that album or served as B-sides; a couple could have even been singles (especially the romping bit of dead Kennedy nostalgia "Presidici [Et Chapaquiditch]"). Anyone expecting anything new from them will have to be content with the big ballad "Los Feliz (Blues and Greens)," which adds strings to the arrangement while borrowing from Tom Pettys "Free Fallin." Otherwise its business as usual, from the time-honored melodies to the questionably rebellious lyrics, wrapped in grungy guitars and topped by Jims suitably snarling vocals. As far as nostalgia trips go, its a solid effort. Both brothers sound engaged in a way they didnt on their pre-breakup album, Munki; the guest vocalists add some nice texture; and almost every song sounds comfortingly familiar. Theres nothing here that might jolt anyone out of thinking the album came out in the mid-90s, nothing that will thrill or shock as it spins to a predictable close. It might make their fans happy, but for a band that claims to be dangerous and rebellious, it goes a long way toward reinforcing the fact that the JAMC are no longer either of those things. | ||