JAMC Automatic Poll

Am I right in saying...

This is the one that broke them in the US, but doesn't mean as muc as any of the other albums here? (in the UK)

much

Don't know any of those songs

"Between Planets" mixes sex, drugs, death, madness, and depravity into pop: still so fucking cool after all these years, and still my ultimate pop song, total desert island material. Maybe I'll say more about it if this thread goes anywhere. After that I go for "Here Comes Alice", about which I'd say about the same as above: sex drugs depravity, maybe not as much death.

it meant a lot to me in the US, was the first JAMC I heard. Did it break big in the US? I don't know, but it was huge among my friends. I think Honey's Dead broke bigger, because 120 Minutes had more exposure in 1992, but I could be wrong about that.

I don't mean break big, just 'break' as in made them known.

Obv, the Pixies helped.

"Head On" was big in my circles before the Pixies, but it was way before the internet and so I don't know how this was outside of Atlanta. It's funny, at the time I thought the Pixies were pretty lame for picking such an obvious song to cover!

This is the one that broke them in the US, but doesn't mean as muc as any of the other albums here?

Yup – their first serious MTV play, and college radio too (mine played "Blues From a Gun" and "Head On" lots).

Time and the Pixes haven't dimmed "Head On"

yeah, "Head On" is still fabulous. Not as sexed as the first half, but it captures a feeling that to me is key to the essence of pop: "makes you want to blow the stars from the sky". I still live for those moments.

Love this album all the way through but nothing really challenges "Head On"

The Pixies kinda ruined Head On for me, in that I like their cover version a lot better. I went for Between Planets over Gimme Hell. This was my first JAMC album (I got into them around Reverence time but Honey's Dead hadn't come out yet)

the singles weren't as big or great, but Honey's Dead maintained the band's popularity.

'Coast to Coast', purely for that fantastic motorik outro, which doesn't go on quite long enough.

I don't think this broke them - I remember seeing the video of April Skies way earlier.

they were kinda horrible on this tour, Spiritualized kicked their ass.

blues from a gun

xpost but Shakey, Spiritualized would kick anyone's ass on tour. except in '08 maybe. still remember seeing two Spz shows in '03 though, back to back nights, 3 hours apiece. sooooo good.

"Her Way of Praying" one of my favorite songs by them. this album is so underrated, at least the first half is.

this every post-Psychocandy JAMC album is so underrated, at least the first half is.

-- Bee OK, Tuesday, July 8, 2008 7:38 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

er, strike the first half part of that.

I don't think this broke them - I remember seeing the video of April Skies way earlier.

But it did break them. The P&J crowd knew them for the first coupla albums, but this one got them on MTV.

Yeah, 14 year old me had never heard of the JAMC before, but when Automatic started getting MTV play I bought it and the two earlier albums and a t-shirt.

Head On for me, and then a second-place tie for any of the songs on the first half.

Oh wait, 1989 right? Make that 15 year old me.

I was all "this is no Darklands" when it came out, and I still never play it, but "Between Planets" has stuck with me.

'Coast to Coast' is still a pretty wonderful thing...

this every post-Psychocandy JAMC album is so underrated

OTM, except Darklands seems to get love despite the shadow. personally i have really never liked Munki outside a few songs.

their new song "All Things Must Pass" is great, hope they can keep up that kind of quality this go around!

i missed the automatic tour, but the live footage on snubtv at the time was absolutely incredible, esp the drummming, they play gimme hell and take it and it just seethes with malevolence

yeah Munki isn't anything special, though "I Love/Hate Rock n Roll" is a hell of a pair of songs.

i mean... the horns in that chorus!

But it did break them. The P&J crowd knew them for the first coupla albums, but this one got them on MTV.

I got Pyschocandy for my 16th birthday, tho I'd heard April Skies and Darklands before that (if not on 120 Minutes than it must've been on Channel 56's "Request Video" program).

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

^^^ILX System enjoys coincidences.

lol

i guess that's why i've always got the blues.

i missed the automatic tour, but the live footage on snubtv at the time was absolutely incredible, esp the drummming

I heard at the time the drummer for that tour was the drummer for Dif Juz. Cannot confirm it tho.

I love the end of "Blues From A Gun" quoted above, because the rest of the song is just ok, but then the song takes a dramatic turn for the awesome with the "I guess that's why I've always got the blues" part. This switch inside of a song trick is something the JAMC were great at, esp. on Darklands but here too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utOdJ700Qs0

I still love "Blues from a Gun"

"I don't care about the state of my hair" – man, what a terrific line. It builds up nicely to the way Reid sings, "Guess that's why I always got the blues." A great way of mocking the pseudo-profundity of their earlier work.

That video is very early 90s, with the colors and the seizure-inducing flashes. I lolled at the drummer. But still, great song.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I know I shouldn't take poll results seriously, given how I vote in most of them, but still, "Drop" getting a vote and none for "Here Comes Alice"? L O L

I love the "blues" part mentioned above, and by extension the binary form achieved musically by switching from a I-IV-bVII (which is really just a modal variant on I-IV-V) progression to straight up I-IV-V - JAMC were all about using I-IV-V ingeniously

Curt1s is this for real? It sounds like some Mayan code, but if it's for real that's pretty cool.

lol yeah

haha I voted for Drop

hey no prob with "Drop", it's a great lighters-up moment, I was just surprised that "Here Comes Alice" got no love

I should say, lighters-up at the festival for the end of the world or something killer party like that

"Cabeza Arriba" = my new JAMC all-Spanish one-man cover band name