Taking Sides: Psychocandy vs. Loveless

No Psychocandy, no Loveless

Entirely correct, but which would you rather listen to?

This is like the "Daddy or chips?" of my musical world.

I think I might just have to go with Psychocandy. I have listened to that several times in the past year, while I'm not sure when was the last time I dragged out Loveless. (I think I actually probably listen to Isn't Anything more regularly.) Something about the 3 minute pop format of Psychocandy is more pleasing to me in my day to day listening. It's, to me, a more successful marriage of my twin loves of bubblegum and noise.

I often listen to Loveless, though haven't for a while.

Summary: I know I love "Loveless". I think I love "Psychocandy" more, but if I hear it again and think "ex-loved" then I'll mention it here.

So, for now, "Psychocandy". Without "Some Candy Talking" which is good, but not for this album.

xpost with Kate, funnily enough the other way round.

How's that pronounced? Pies cho candy?

It is a thing of beauty.

I think 'Loveless'-era live MBV vs. 'Psychocandy'-era live JAMC might be a fairer fight - one hour of feedback vs. possible rioting?

There are 3 threads with "Psychocandy" in the title.

Three? Only Three? And This thread is one of them!!!

Nah, it was born one.

>rocks like a bastard, <

Wow, people really believe this?? I'm speechless.

I've got an advance of the new Psychocandy reissue in my CD changer right now, incidentally. "IS rock and roll" is somewhat stretching things by a few billion miles -- the album's not bad, but not nearly as good as I'd remembered. (If you're gonna be rock and roll, for one thing, hiring a rhythm section might be a nice touch, though I realize such things are hard to come by in England.) "Something is better than nothing," on the other hand, is right on the mark.

b.b.but that's "Come On", from "Stoned and Dethroned"

Um, please don't blame Bobby Gilespie on England, thanks.

Psychocandy still wins this one all the same.

You Made Me Realize/"Feed Me With Your Kiss" > Psychocandy > Isn't Anything > Barbed Wire Kisses > Loveless and I never heard Darklands or Honey's Dead so don't ask me where they fit in this equation.

but he is wrong that its better than Loveless, which is magnifico, and I don't care if its boring to say so. that album has a riddim section that knows what its doing.

To be fair, though, nothing on 'Psychocandy' rocks quite as hard as 'Upside Down', and nothing on earth rocks like 'You Made Me Realise'.

I've used the word 'rock' far too many times today.

Whichever clown it is on Psychocandy either couldn't do the trick, or wouldn't, since it wouldn't be very junkie to have any energy at all.

Whichever clown it is on Psychocandy either couldn't do the trick, or wouldn't, since it wouldn't be very junkie to have any energy at all.

xp - haha dude you know it was gillespie drumming on psychocandy, right?

and re: colm, if the totally sterile (and sampled'n'triggered for what it's worth, though not sterile because of that) snare hits are what yr talking about as far as "rockin hard," well...uh...yeah...

and samples/triggers can rock verily, IMO.

and samples/triggers can rock verily, IMO.

Having seen both the Psychocandy era JAMC live a couple of times and the Loveless-era MBV a few times I'd just like to weigh in and say that My Bloody Valentine could kick the Mary Chain's ass any day. They were a phenomenal live group. Always were, from the first time I saw them round about the time Sunny Sundae Smile came out.

The JAMC were pretty plodding live and were more of an "event" than a decent musical experience. Not really much of "event" either, looking back on it.

There was a time in my life, that is probably better forgotten, but nevertheless those two albums were IT, in my musical world. For years Id reference Psychocandy as my favourite all time album, and it's definitely top 5. Loveless however is not quite top 5 for me. At least personally this is a really good taking sides, can't we just say everyone tried their best.

Four surely?

i've not listened to psychocandy in years, so there's obviously the slim chance i'd go back to it and be blown away, but ... hell, it wasn't even the best JAMC album ;)

yes, it was a minor revolutionary moment in music, but i don't think it stands up as a work of sonic art in the same way that loveless ... [fill in lyrical waxing in usual vein].

Or you know who My Bloody Valentine *should* sound like? Hawkwind. Who rocked. Can somebody please explain what MBV did that Hawkwind hadn't already been doing better for decades (or, for that matter, what they did that ambient thrash bands like, say, Isis, haven't done better since)? Not trying to argue; just trying to understand. I still don't get what MBV *added* to the whole oceanic space psych jam equation, only what they subtracted. Same with MBV vs JAMC; they just seemed to me like Jesus and the Mary Chain with all the hooks *taken out*; I never understand what they replaced the hooks with. (Though I assume it has something to do with very specific guitar noises or whatever, say, that I've just never much connected with.)

You had to be there, as it were. I'm not going to get into an argument here about this, though -- Mike McGonigal's book on Loveless will say much, and my own piece in Marooned will talk about my own personal reaction. Suffice to say that if any group gave me a 'the Shins will change your life' moment, it was listening to MBV for the first time, specifically "Soon," and it is and remains the most profound spiritual moment in my life. You aren't me, and I'm not you, so I don't expect you to agree with me -- I don't expect ANYONE to agree with me. But it transcends questions of what rocks and what doesn't, frankly.

"Soon" was my moment too.

loveless = great in the 91 luxembourg winter fog, loses more and more of its charm with every new listen. get over it, people, please!

Also, 5:21 = 321 seconds... 3 2 1 DRUMROLL

I will now listen to "LSD" by Hawkwind.

I thought it was "Be My Baby."

It is. Weed is a terrible, terrible thing.

OTM.

The hooks may be missing, but:

MBV = interesting chord progressions & melodies

JAMC = dull, cliched chord progressions & melodies

if i try to separate myself from this question, i think loveless is the answer. otherwise it is painful to have to choose.

I agree

or whatever that quote was...heh.

Loveless sounds like the great paean to sex rumbling from deep within the earth--cavernous and lucious.

That said, "Just Like Honey" is a great song that I've heard far too many times.

Aww, bullshit. Loveless sounds like the most pretentious indie fuck ever, put onto the stereo to make "the first time special."

Whereas putting on Psychocandy for sex is still probably an attempt to impress the partner, but you're both too drunk to count.

the more I look at this thread, the less sense I can make of people who chose Loveless.

Seems like it comes down to whether one thinks "More Rock'n'Roll" = "Better Album". Psychocandy is certainly more rock'n'roll.

TS: if you had a time machine would you kill Hitler or prevent Loveless from being recorded

The Loveless lovers on ILM are otherwise so often in sync with my own tastes that I've never been able to understand why I still don't fully "get" that album, and believe me I've tried. So Psychocandy, then, but for some reason this saddens me.

(Ha, Loveless guilt!)

Aww, bullshit. Loveless sounds like the most pretentious indie fuck ever, put onto the stereo to make "the first time special."

Whereas putting on Psychocandy for sex is still probably an attempt to impress the partner, but you're both too drunk to count.

----so so OTM. Psychocandy for me ta

Luckily, I don't have to choose. These are two of the best albums ever. One is actually the best! The other one is top 10. It doesn't really matter which.

Seems like it comes down to whether one thinks "More Rock'n'Roll" = "Better Album". Psychocandy is certainly more rock'n'roll.

Psychocandy is more rock 'n' roll, and it's also the album I prefer, but I don't think "More Rock'n'Roll" = "Better Album." I just think Psychocandy is better.

Psychocandy's more pop if anything, it barely rocks at all

it is more rock AND more pop

Can somebody please explain what MBV did that Hawkwind hadn't already been doing better for decades?

?! I have listened to some Hawkwind records, but apparently not the right ones. Seriously, I've only heard a couple and it was a while ago, but does Hawkwind really sound like Loveless?

If you're of the opinion that anything by Hawkwind sounds like 'Loveless' then it's definitely time to put the crack pipe down.

I'd rather compare Psychocandy to Isnt Anything anyway, this is like saying "what is better, apples or concrete?"

Isn't Anything's better than Loveless too. Way better comparison tho, true. Psychocandy has higher highs but Isn't Anything's a better album, more than one production idea etc, and it rocks harder than any of the three.

Aye, I was listening to it last night, awesome.

loveless, ffs.

psychocandy is good though.

"Psychocandy" has songs, and they aren't buried completely by the wall of guitars either (only almost).

So, "Psychocandy".

hiring a rhythm section might be a nice touch, though I realize such things are hard to come by in England

lol

loveless, ffs.

-- latebloomer, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 06:27 (2 hours ago) Link

Psychocandy for me, though I like both, but Loveless is a bit too blurred or so.

'psychocandy' is boring-er.

there is nothing more entertaining than watching grown men and grown women attempting to negate the inescapable truth that is loveless' brilliance. "a bit too blurred or so" = well done, you understood the album! I suppose Monet is "a bit too blurred" as well!

The new song-by-song cover album of Loveless by Japancakes is scary. Sounds like it should have come out on Vitamin.

i like the one with more bass

xxp - you can "understand" something and still think it's not that great, dude

HAs the Japancakes album been released? I'm really looking forward to hear that. I loved the "Only Shallow" leak.

Loveless for me, although I'd take Isn't Anything over either - it's a nice midway point between the two.

i might take souvlaki over either of these two ...

that said, i vote loveless.

also, JAMC is a good example of "the law of diminishing returns" wr2 their record output -- they started out on a very high note w/ psychocandy and followed up w/ a very good sophomore album (darklands) -- but then after those 2, i only like them in fits and spurts as they got rid of more of the distortion (which was the whole POINT of their sound) and got more boring as they went. while MBV was exactly the opposite in terms of progression -- they started off sounding like a cheesy birthday party-knockoff (not to mention that jettisoning dave conway was a GREAT move -- dude was the midge ure of buzzpop wr2 cheesiness) and got better as they went along.

Can somebody please explain what MBV did that Hawkwind hadn't already been doing better for decades?

lol chuck eddy, always a treat

i've played psychocandy a lot more in the past year or two, but i'll still go with loveless. they're both great.

xxp - you can "understand" something and still think it's not that great, dude

Yeah, but if your criticism is that the album is 'a bit too blurred or so', you've shown a remarkable lack of understanding as to the album's ends.

he just doesn't like it much, man, let him be.

I still like Loveless fwiw

naw louis, i didn't say that my criticism of the album was that it was "a bit too blurred"; i just said that it's possible to understand and appreciate loveless' aesthetic aims without thinking it's all that kickass.

i like loveless just fine. i still definitely dig psychocandy more, and isn't anything/ymmr are better than either of them, especially ymmr.

naw louis, i didn't say that my criticism of the album was that it was "a bit too blurred"

It was Zeus', not yours. I'm not attacking your viewpoint, which is sympathetic and understandable.

Reverence is still the only JAMC album I ever want to listen to.

ARGH I mean Honey's Dead, oops.

I agree with you, Ned.

"Soon" was my moment too.

-- mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:02 (1 year ago) Link

Same for me.

The new song-by-song cover album of Loveless by Japancakes is scary. Sounds like it should have come out on Vitamin.

-- zaxxon25, Tuesday, October 9, 2007 12:12 PM

I really really wanna hear it.

"scary" = good?

Loveless sounds like the most pretentious indie fuck ever

Surely that better describes artless piffle like, say, fuckin' Pavement, no?

I would not fuck to Pavement if I was being offered money to. Well obv I would but man, it'd be a mission. Re; Loveless moment, mine was To Here Knows When. Always amazed so many people love Soon so much, it's good (and part of the half the Lp I really like) but not all that MBVish, to me...

mine was To Here Knows When

^^^

Luckily, I don't have to choose. These are two of the best albums ever. One is actually the best! The other one is top 10. It doesn't really matter which.

― Spencer Chow, Tuesday, October 9, 2007 10:54 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark

I absolutely adore the logic in this post, think this is going to be my default position in whatever impossible T/S I come across next

schrodinger's best album ever