Why does Jesus and Mary Chain's 'Psychocandy' sound like crap?

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Is it just me? The mix is horrible. The volume is low. I can barely listen to the thing. Please somebody remaster this.

― Debito (Debito), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:16 (twenty-one years ago)

you're kidding right?

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Is my CD defective?

― Debito (Debito), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

why does this Jandek record sound like crap? hasn't he heard of a tuner?

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

crikey you wouldn't know My Bloody Valentine even HAD a bassplayer

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I think of it as a crude, primitive prototype for the glory that is My Bloody Valentine.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:20 (twenty-one years ago)

and don't get me started on "Nebraska". did they not have studios in 1982?

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I hate those mid-'80s CDs that have that trebily, weak, wispy, mid-range only, quiet, crap sound.

― Debito (Debito), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Debito, it was recorded and released by an upstart indie label (Creation) with no capital.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"it was recorded and released by an upstart indie label (Creation) with no capital."

Yeah, it's a shame. But MBV doesn't sound quite so bad.

― Debito (Debito), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

psychocandy was bankrolled by WEA (via blanco y negro)

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

a million dollars will do that

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I was under the impression Creation sold the album to WEA.

Debito, MBV sounded horrible up until they signed to Creation and recorded Isn't Anything, which was only made possible by the earnings from Psychocandy. Psychocandy = 1985. Isn't Anything = 1988. There's no comparison.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 27 November 2003 03:28 (twenty-one years ago)

the worst mix in a record i love has to be "3 feet high and rising" it sounds like crap.

― jed (jed_e_3), Thursday, 27 November 2003 04:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I had a college roommate who refused to believe Psychocandy was supposed to sound like that. He was sure it was a result of incompetence.

― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 27 November 2003 06:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Try turning down your distortion knob.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 27 November 2003 06:55 (twenty-one years ago)

And drag those drums out of the bathtub while you're at it. Silly boys.

― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 27 November 2003 07:06 (twenty-one years ago)

you really want Bobby Gillespie's drumming to be louder?

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 07:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Well he never said he could actually play.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 27 November 2003 07:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, he needed one hand to hold the cigarette.

― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 27 November 2003 07:14 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread is madness. Psychocandy is utterly exhilarating sonically, on vinyl or CD.

MBV sounded horrible up until they signed to Creation and recorded Isn't Anything...

This is untrue considering that the Strawberry Wine, You Made Me Realise, and Feed Me With Your Kiss EPs all arrived before 'Isn't Anything'. Not to mention the 'Ecstacy' mini-LP which is excellent as well. Some people even like the stuff before it, but that Dave Coway singer is just wrong.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 27 November 2003 07:57 (twenty-one years ago)

don't you go dissin mr conway!!

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:05 (twenty-one years ago)

it's not that he's bad really, just compared to Bilinda and Kevin... c'mon!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:17 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread is madness. Psychocandy is utterly exhilarating sonically, on vinyl or CD.

What he said. My god, why am I still awake?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Ok, I'm listening to it now. First, I had to turn up the volume on my stereo from around 10, where it normally resides, to 15 just to hear the damn thing.

Second, the vocals are way too upfront in the mix. Ouch. The drums sound like they're coming from down the hall.

The guitar sound is great of course.

― Debito (Debito), Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The drums sound like they're coming from down the hall.

That's why it's so great, in part. Yay!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:26 (twenty-one years ago)

My god, why am I still awake?

You sensed a disturbance in the force, no doubt.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Alderaan can blow up without me. Must sleep now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:31 (twenty-one years ago)

No the drums are in the bathtub. Pay attention. The whole album sounds like it was recorded in a drafty men's lavatory, with the windows open and water dripping from the pipes. i.e. it's great.

― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 27 November 2003 09:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Sigh.

(PLease someone scrub my brain right now cause if you don't get the image of Bobby G in a bathtub out of my head RIGHT NOW I'm going to do no work at all today, and I'm going to be stuck in this office for the rest of time.)

― Citizen Kate (kate), Thursday, 27 November 2003 09:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Your search - bobby gillespie naked - did not match any documents.

no pics for you

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 09:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Psychocandy = 1985. Isn't Anything = 1988. There's no comparison

can this be explained? you can't compare things unless they came out in the same year?? psychocandy's signal fault is that it all sound the same, and buys into boring drugs-and-shades-and-spector-beat mythology. isn't anything is kerlassic. there's the comparison.

― enrique (Enrique), Thursday, 27 November 2003 09:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I've already told the story about how in my first band, when I played PsychoCandy to our drummer, she nudged the bassplayer and whispered "Does Kate know her stereo is broken?" in her ear. So I'll tell it again.

So yummy, so chewy, the pop, naked Bobby G... aaaaaahhhh...

― Citizen Kate (kate), Thursday, 27 November 2003 09:30 (twenty-one years ago)

If Bobby Gillespie thought of that drum thing at the beginning of "Jailbird" (album versh)then he's the greatest genius ever!

― dave q, Thursday, 27 November 2003 09:32 (twenty-one years ago)

george clinton thought of it of course!

― enrique (Enrique), Thursday, 27 November 2003 09:33 (twenty-one years ago)

it never occurred to me, even at the age of 16, that Loveless sounded strange, til this year.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 10:12 (twenty-one years ago)

"it was recorded and released by an upstart indie label (Creation) with no capital."

actually, it was recorded and released by a huge major label (Warner Brothers) with a fuckload of capital.

― Marc R, Thursday, 27 November 2003 10:16 (twenty-one years ago)

You REALLY want to know? It's because it was recorded at Southern studios by John Loder, a '70s rock (read: prog) fan with little or no experience of engineering bands. He was totally unfamiliar with any of the Reid's reference points, as this woman I know who also worked at Southern told me a story about Loder coming up to the office one lunchtime and asking if she'd ever heard of a band called The Stooges. John subsequently went on to distribute Dischord records in the UK. Interesting guy.

― Rock Chimp, Friday, 28 November 2003 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Three Feet High and Rising is brilliantly mixed, but unbelievably shittily mastered.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 28 November 2003 11:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought that was just the LP version...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 28 November 2003 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

john loder did a shithouse job on the first tsunami record

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 28 November 2003 11:51 (twenty-one years ago)

hükser dü's candy apple grey and psychocandy were both rolled out with much palaver in new zealand on warner brothers '85/'86 as i remember. Licensing was so common back then that this was typical of how much music came to me through a major label, leaving me wondering "how indie was that ?", "was that the only way ?" and "that original label, it's really dissolved ?"

i remember seeing the posters seeming bigger than other typical posters, and looking at the overall band art, and thinking "this psychocandy is really getting the corporate marketing treatment".

i think stereo quality in their equipment was quite a lot more varied back then amoungst people, so suspicions like that from back then don't surprise me. The idea that stereo fidelity has something to do with it, i don't know that something like that could be used in the marketing today, as it was then.

― george gosset (gegoss), Friday, 28 November 2003 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

Psychocandy is utterly exhilarating sonically, on vinyl or CD.

Yes indeed. (He says while finishing listening to it.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 29 January 2005 06:55 (twenty years ago)

Nearly every Peel Sessions version of the "Psychocandy" songs are superior to the "Psychocandy" versions.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 29 January 2005 06:59 (twenty years ago)

*is* superior

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 29 January 2005 06:59 (twenty years ago)

Peelist.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 29 January 2005 07:16 (twenty years ago)

Peel Slowly and See.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Saturday, 29 January 2005 10:58 (twenty years ago)

Since the JAMC never even got close to recording another album as good as Psychocandy, I have to assume that the mix is not a problem.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Saturday, 29 January 2005 11:09 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

i'm just listening to the "snapper" lp - shotgun blossom - and it sounds exactly like a mimicry of jesus and mary chain's "psychcandy", maybe with a bit of krautrock.
still,it is considered a great record by some.
am i missing something?

― gerald the mouse, Thursday, 9 March 2006 08:10 (nineteen years ago)

no, that's a great record too. thanks keith!

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Thursday, 9 March 2006 09:07 (nineteen years ago)

it's OLD...

― Russell Dixon (Skinny), Thursday, 9 March 2006 13:59 (nineteen years ago)

To answer the original question, the stereo is not broken - your EARS are broken.

― Fish is Biodegradable! (That Means It Rots) (kate), Thursday, 9 March 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

it's dated,not so old.

― der i, Thursday, 9 March 2006 14:04 (nineteen years ago)

never saw this thread. i downloaded some tracks off this a couple of years back and just assumed it was bad encoding/recording from analogue source or something, ha ha.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 9 March 2006 14:09 (nineteen years ago)

People not knowing that Psychocandy's supposed to sound like that make me feel v. old.

― Raw, Uncompromising, and Noodly (noodle vague), Thursday, 9 March 2006 14:10 (nineteen years ago)

I knew that Psychocandy was supposed to sound like that when I first heard it; my issue was that, at the time, I had no interest in hearing something that sounded like that.

― Dan (Thank God Tastes Change) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 9 March 2006 14:53 (nineteen years ago)

The sleeve is GREAT...

― Russell Dixon (Skinny), Thursday, 9 March 2006 14:55 (nineteen years ago)

For best effect of course you need to play the vinyl on a cheap stereo with a worn needle. Which is how I spent the 80s listening to it.

― Raw, Uncompromising, and Noodly (noodle vague), Thursday, 9 March 2006 14:57 (nineteen years ago)

Oh yes. Heaven.

― Fish is Biodegradable! (That Means It Rots) (kate), Thursday, 9 March 2006 15:03 (nineteen years ago)

21 yrs!

― Merryweather (scarlet), Thursday, 9 March 2006 15:26 (nineteen years ago)

Was Darklands better?

― Russell Dixon (Skinny), Thursday, 9 March 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

Isn't it coming out in SACD surround sound format or whatever? Perhaps I dreamt it.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 9 March 2006 15:35 (nineteen years ago)

I always thought the problem with Psychocandy's recording could be solved by just turning up your stereo to the point where the record started skipping, then turning it down just enough to keep the needle in the grooves. People who complain about it just aren't playing it loud enough.

― js (honestengine), Thursday, 9 March 2006 15:58 (nineteen years ago)

On their latest compilation the Psychocandy stuff sounds even harsher, which works in context: you can see how Darklands andAutomatic cleaned up the aural (if not lyrical) murk.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 9 March 2006 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

And the winner for the most "not getting the point" special release is...

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000006NL3.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

― The Equator Lounge (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 9 March 2006 18:18 (nineteen years ago)

It's like watching home movies in technicolour on a super wide screen!

― Fish is Biodegradable! (That Means It Rots) (kate), Thursday, 9 March 2006 18:21 (nineteen years ago)

Why does Jesus and Mary Chain's 'Psychocandy' sound like crap?

`Cos you've got your had way up your ass, apparently.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 10 March 2006 00:39 (nineteen years ago)

Crap? Even on a terrible turntable in the 80s I thought Psychocandy really came pretty close to perfection. Now, on very good stereo equipment, it's still utterly amazing. That said, I am curious to hear what a remaster would do to it.

'Ears are broken' indeed. Vaguely remember some interview, Jim Reid relating how someone heard a song off Psychocandy playing on a radio, thinking the radio was broken, picking it up and banging it so it would get back to working correctly. I mean, if that was your band, tell me you wouldn't swell with pride.

― bkjj40a (bkjj40a), Friday, 10 March 2006 00:40 (nineteen years ago)

Was Darklands better?

No. But it's pretty good.

― sleeve (sleeve), Friday, 10 March 2006 02:48 (nineteen years ago)

No the drums are in the bathtub. Pay attention. The whole album sounds like it was recorded in a drafty men's lavatory, with the windows open and water dripping from the pipes. i.e. it's great.
-- spittle (ptu...), November 27th, 2003.
which wa y shoul the wind blow ?
it sounds better left in sealed plastic.

― retrokid, Friday, 10 March 2006 02:57 (nineteen years ago)

Nope, still sounds amazing to me, too. Bring the murk!

Context plays a part - the 'production' on those early records was diametrically opposed to the way a British indie release was meant to sound at the time.

― Soukesian, Friday, 10 March 2006 07:51 (nineteen years ago)

Was Darklands better?

I like it better because it's more my style. I do understand why the debut is considered their best though.

― BeeOK (boo radley), Friday, 10 March 2006 08:33 (nineteen years ago)

Did I dream the reissues then?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 10 March 2006 09:14 (nineteen years ago)

JAMC...they looked KOOL too... :)

― Russell Dixon (Skinny), Friday, 10 March 2006 09:39 (nineteen years ago)

Sounded that way on purpose I think.

The "Darklands" album sounded way better, which was considered a "sellout" by some people.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 10 March 2006 22:51 (nineteen years ago)

Nothing on Psychocandy excites me like "Happy When It Rains."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 10 March 2006 23:33 (nineteen years ago)

Um, wow. This album is fucking awesome. Thanks, everyone. Really digging this and Loveless.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Friday, 10 March 2006 23:53 (nineteen years ago)

Nothing wrong with an album where every other song starts off like "Be My Baby." Seriously.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Friday, 10 March 2006 23:54 (nineteen years ago)

If my crap sounded like this, I'd be on the toilet for 45 minutes every time.

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 11 March 2006 00:19 (nineteen years ago)

The concept of "remastered" GBV albums still makes me rofl.

― Yoo Doo Nut (donut), Saturday, 11 March 2006 00:32 (nineteen years ago)

"Is it just me? The mix is horrible. The volume is low. I can barely listen to the thing. Please somebody remaster this."

it has always sounded amazing to me. maybe the cd sucks? i've never heard it on cd. some cds just aren't made very well. barbed wire kisses on cd always sounded good to me. and all the later stuff sounds fine on cd.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 11 March 2006 00:45 (nineteen years ago)

How do I shot feedback??

To my ears, the CD is slightly inferior to the original LP pressing, but it doesn't really sound like a different album or anything. I think the "Just Like Honey" production is flawless and of course sounded amazing in Lost in Translation.

― i'm from hollywood, Saturday, 11 March 2006 00:53 (nineteen years ago)

Scott, I just listened to the m-f on mp3 and it sounded great. So I'm thinking it's nothing to do with the medium.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Saturday, 11 March 2006 01:25 (nineteen years ago)

it has always sounded amazing to me. maybe the cd sucks?

This wouldn't surprise me. I haven't heard "Psychocandy" on vinyl, but I have the "You Trip Me Up" single and it sounds INCREDIBLE -- 100X bigger and nastier and gorgeous than on CD. The vinyl grooves might be the widest I've seen ... that sucker was mastered LOUD.

I also think that the Peel Sessions versions of the "Psychocandy" tracks are far better than those on the album proper.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 11 March 2006 01:40 (nineteen years ago)

likewise, the sidewalking 12-inch has a monster sound that cd and vinyl comp versions don't come close to (also a john loder thang). john loder was a god to me, by the way. easily in my top ten of fave soundgeniuses.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 11 March 2006 02:11 (nineteen years ago)

I think if they do a remaster, they should bury it under MORE echo and feedback.

― electrogrouse (haitch), Saturday, 11 March 2006 09:57 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

From Spin CDs:

5 Jesus & Mary Chain re-releases
These remasters now £7.99 each, click on the titles to pre-order and to check the tracks: 'Automatic', 'Darklands', 'Honey's Dead', 'Psychocandy' and 'Stoned And Dethroned'. Released 10th July.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 22 May 2006 06:15 (nineteen years ago)

Each reissue will be released in dual disc format, with one side containing the remastered album and the other side featuring a high-resolution audio mix and three music videos.
The band's 1985 debut, Psychocandy — which was named one of Spin Magazine's 50 essential records — will include the videos for "Just Like Honey," "You Trip Me Up" and "Never Understand."
Darklands (1987) features videos for "Happy When It Rains," "April Skies" and the title track.
The DVD portion of 1989's Automatic is comprised of "Her Way Of Praying," "Blues From A Gun" and "Head On."
Honey's Dead, their underrated 1992 album, has clips for "Almost Gold," "Reverence" and "Far Gone And Out."
Stoned And Dethroned, the last JAMC album to be released via Warner Bros. in 1994, will be reissued with the videos for "Come On," "Snakedriver" and "Sometimes Always."

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 14:19 (nineteen years ago)

Argh, so this is just a way of getting us to part with more of our hard earned cash, instead of just re-releasing the bloody video on DVD. Oh, just you watch, then they'll re-release that, too, with "bonus" tracks or something. ARgh.

Of course, you know I'm going to buy them.

― The Minimal Criminal (kate), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

Anyone have any opinions on getting Psychocandy on Dualdisc (remastered) vs. the 180-gram vinyl release from Rhino? Decisions, decisions...

― Reatards Unite, Wednesday, 27 June 2007 17:48 (eighteen years ago)

Dualdisc has the videos which are GREAT.

― Spencer Chow, Wednesday, 27 June 2007 17:57 (eighteen years ago)

Anyone have any opinions on getting Psychocandy on Dualdisc (remastered) vs. the 180-gram vinyl release from Rhino?

first, this thread is a great read.

and because of that i broke open my dualdisc of Psychocandy. it's a must, if you own the 80's version of this CD. it's sound cleaned up without losing any of the dirtiness. what a album, one of the best ever!

― Bee OK, Friday, 29 June 2007 03:22 (eighteen years ago)

because youre an idiot jerk

― deeznuts, Friday, 29 June 2007 03:27 (eighteen years ago)

So quick with the insults? I thought we were discussing music here in a civil manner. Or is that kind of thing beyond your obviously low intelligence level? If so, please leave the board. Thanks.

― Bimble, Friday, 29 June 2007 03:37 (eighteen years ago)

I think that was his response to the thread title

― Curt1s Stephens, Friday, 29 June 2007 03:43 (eighteen years ago)

yes. bimble you linked me to that thorn of crowns vid on youtube & will never be an idiot jerk in my book.

― deeznuts, Friday, 29 June 2007 03:52 (eighteen years ago)

are the UK versions of their remasters dualdiscs or regular CDs? i hate dualdiscs.

― f. hazel, Friday, 29 June 2007 05:18 (eighteen years ago)

Regular discs.

― Mark G, Friday, 29 June 2007 08:35 (eighteen years ago)

"Something's Wrong" came up on my ipod this morning. I had completely forgotten how utterly (and paradoxically) majestic that album could sound.

― baaderonixx, Friday, 29 June 2007 15:12 (eighteen years ago)

The only way to fully appreciate Psychocandy is via a cassette-recorded copy made in the studio of a university radio station, using an inferior turntable and the station's well-worn-to-the-point-of-whiteness-paler-than-the-Reid brothers' complexions vinyl version. (I later bought an official actual cassette and it didn't measure up.)

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 29 June 2007 18:05 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

Psychocandy is today's 'seminal album' being given away with The Times / WHSmith

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/commercial/article4867507.ece

― koogs, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 08:58 (seventeen years ago)

I think I only have this on napster-download-circa-2001 mp3 so I'll probably buy that.

― jim, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 09:49 (seventeen years ago)

It is supposed to sound that way. It's called "shoegazing". See also My Bloody Valentine, which is an even more typical example of the same.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 10:54 (seventeen years ago)

> See also My Bloody Valentine, which is an even more typical example of the same.

you talk as if mbv only ever released one lp...

― koogs, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 13:47 (seventeen years ago)

pls do not associate JAMC with lame MBV thx!

― Bright Future (sunny successor), Wednesday, 8 October 2008 14:49 (seventeen years ago)

by the way the first post is cute

― Bright Future (sunny successor), Wednesday, 8 October 2008 14:50 (seventeen years ago)

I don't think the record sounds like crap. But I prefer the band's sound on their early 12" singles. They have this three-dimensional/dub feel that seems to be missing from Psychocandy.

― QuantumNoise, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 15:04 (seventeen years ago)

another day goes by me
another day, a month and a year
and as I look around me
I feel so lonely there's no one here
no one here beside me
no one here to help to see me through
to see me through
to see me through
'cause I need you
'cause I need you
been standing still for much too long
and I realise there's something wrong
I'm feeling strange, I need a change
and I realise that
there's something wrong
there's something wrong
there's something wrong
another two years over
don't understand what's happened to me
these days are so much colder
up against the fire, dont feel any heat
cracked up years behind me
cracked up years ahead are all I see
are all I see

― baaderonixx, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 15:33 (seventeen years ago)

pls do not associate JAMC with lame MBV thx!

I think the debt is pretty obvious and acknowledged.

Trivia: Douglas Hart has done the amazing visuals for the new MBV tour.

Also, MBV lame? No.

― Spencer Chow, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 17:41 (seventeen years ago)

come on now

― Bright Future (sunny successor), Wednesday, 8 October 2008 19:00 (seventeen years ago)

I think the debt is pretty obvious and acknowledged.

The debt went the other way, though, didn't it? Obviously MBV's debt to Jesus & Mary Chain was great.

Both owe a great debt to Velvet Underground, with the exception that JAMC were influenced both by the good Velvets tracks("Sunday Morning", "Candy Says" etc.) and the bad ones ("Sister Ray", "Heroin" etc.), whereas MBV were only influenced by Velvets at their worst and most noisy and unlistenable.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 21:00 (seventeen years ago)

yes surely MBV gave nary a second thought to Sunday Morning how true

― ian, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 21:03 (seventeen years ago)

xpost, that is obviously what I'm saying.

― Spencer Chow, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 21:29 (seventeen years ago)

regarding the direction of the debt.

― Spencer Chow, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 21:30 (seventeen years ago)

Geir I honestly wonder how familiar you are with MBV. Very pretty melodies all over the place.

― Spencer Chow, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 21:48 (seventeen years ago)

Fact: Psychocandy sounds best on scratched up vinyl through blown speakers.

― Pillbox, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 22:58 (seventeen years ago)

Geir I honestly wonder how familiar you are with MBV. Very pretty melodies all over the place.

No idea. I have listened to their albums several times. I can hear there are melodies buried somewhere in there, but getting them into my head, which is obviously needed to judge them, is impossible because of that wall of guitar noise.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 23:01 (seventeen years ago)

Smoke some weed first

― Niles Caulder, Thursday, 9 October 2008 01:04 (seventeen years ago)

some days I think the best thing JAMC ever did was get mentioned in the liner notes to Evol or which ever it was

― sonderangerbot, Thursday, 9 October 2008 01:07 (seventeen years ago)

I can't see how Geir would dislike "Sunny Sundae Smile" or "Lovely Sweet Darlene".

― Trayce, Thursday, 9 October 2008 02:34 (seventeen years ago)

(ie Loveless is NOT THE ONLY THING THEY DID FFS)

― Trayce, Thursday, 9 October 2008 02:34 (seventeen years ago)

maybe because he's a cloth-eared fuckwit

― Deep House, M.D. (haitch), Thursday, 9 October 2008 02:41 (seventeen years ago)

two months pass...

i never really had a problem with the sound of this record, mainly just the repetitive song structures and general lack of variety. i've reconciled myself to this though over the last few years and now love the record pretty much unconditionally.

― Charlie Howard, Friday, 26 December 2008 02:52 (sixteen years ago)

so basically u foreced urself to liek it.

― descendent of warlocks (The Brainwasher), Friday, 26 December 2008 02:53 (sixteen years ago)

sorta deal

― Charlie Howard, Friday, 26 December 2008 03:23 (sixteen years ago)

It sounds that way on purpose. I like "Darklands" better because it has the vocals more in the forefront of the production.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 26 December 2008 03:46 (sixteen years ago)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/santabot.jpg

― I Was a Teenage Armchair Hongro Fan (Noodle Vague), Friday, 26 December 2008 13:12 (sixteen years ago)

six years pass...

well, the current live version of this album sounds absolutely bloody epic.
there are these huge basslines courtesy of phil 'lush/union jackson/etc' king, that i had never heard before tonights rendition in bristol.
i never heard the proper remasters, so have no idea if those editions revealed the bass.
and as for the drums.
wow.
i did not expect to be as impressed as i was.

― mark e, Friday, 27 February 2015 00:16 (ten years ago)

six years pass...

Still trying (and failing) to “get” this album. I guess you had to be there.

― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 28 December 2021 22:50 (three years ago)

i guess so, what is there to get? it is a good album.

― akm, Wednesday, 29 December 2021 00:31 (three years ago)

Yeah, you'd have to listen to the top twenty of the chart, and the independant album chart for a bit, and then play it, and then you may have context.

I don't think it's needed, really.

Some might say "Darklands" is the better album now, but.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 29 December 2021 09:43 (three years ago)

darklands isn't as distinctive but i certainly prefer it

― ufo, Wednesday, 29 December 2021 10:15 (three years ago)

21 Singles is all I need, really.

Happy birthday, Jim Reid.

― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 December 2021 10:30 (three years ago)

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