B Butcher - Another MBV Thread

also, I've told this story before, but on the creation-records.com (fansite), Debbie Googe says in an interview that Butcher auditioned for Kevin, Debbie and Colm by singing Dolly Parton's "Bargain Store" - which is one of the best/creepiest/sexiest songs ever. I think it really informs some of the thinking behind their greatest work - songs which Bilinda certainly influenced.

Belinda's contributions to those two albums ("Anything" and "Loveless") is undeniably crucial yet atrociously underplayed. They were fairly rubbish before she joined, weren't they?

It's a line of thought that Shield's seems to have promoted himself in the interviews I have read, and no-one else from MBV seems to have claimed otherwise to my knowledge. I do think you are right that from the moment Butcher joined they started very rapidly switching up the gears until reaching the Isn't Anything/Loveless plateau, and Belinda's vocals contributed a very significant edge to their sound. It's hard to know what effect she had instrumentally however.

Anyway, I really do feel that BB is just as responsible as KS for the glories of Isn't Anything, Loveless, and all the better EPs. Shields is no true technical genius, despite the fact that he's been portrayed as such again and again in the indie media. BB was much more than just a muse; much more than just a voice. They were two sides to one coin. Dissonance on the head and beauty on the tail.

Why aren't we asking for BB's next opuses? It's more than a shame that she gets so little credit.

So enter that in your Rock encyclopedia.

My Bloody Valentine were very much part of the COUPLE archetype (See Fiona Fletcher's Archetypes 2 article in Careless Talk) rather than the auteur archetype. MBV were so great and so amazing because they balanced masculine and feminine elements, blending the two together into something amazing. To call them solely Kevin Shield's project is not just sexist, it's also just WRONG.

And don't go quoting some article in Sound On Sound to prove me wrong...

"MBV were so great and so amazing because they balanced masculine and feminine elements, blending the two together into something amazing."

I agree.

some might argue that some people have very shaky beginnings before they manage to give birth to the most brilliant peaks of their careers, but i do think Bilinda was a VERY necessary part of that.

Bilinda over Liz Fraser.
Hope Sandoval over Bilinda.
? over Hope.

It's really a shame we couldn't hear more from her. The Tremolo EP would have been Pefect if BB sang the last song. Kevin's finest moment as a vocalist is without question "Sometimes", the most moving song I've heard from them incidentally.