THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Psychocandy; Darklands; Automatic; Honey's Dead; Stoned and Dethroned
(Rhino/Blanco y Negro/Warner Brothers)

The Jesus and the Mary Chain in 1985

Scottish brothers Jim and William Reid made an indelible impression on the future of alternative music when their band, The Jesus and Mary Chain, emerged during the mid '80s. Their sound mixed vintage pop melodies with searing Velvet Underground feedback all set against lyrics about the usual rebellious late teen pursuits (mainly sex, drugs, and motorcycles). Most importantly though, they delivered it all with a disaffected, anti-social posture that, even though it was copied and studied into cliché, was revolutionary at the time, and the band played the mix of notoriety and devotion they got from it like a fiddle. Now with the re-release of the band's five original Blanco y Negro/Warner Brothers' records in DualDisc format, the time has come to take a look back at this band.

Psychocandy was an incredibly hyped record when it arrived in 1985, and it delivered. The leadoff track and single, "Just Like Honey," was a stunning musical statement, both abrasive and tuneful. It was also an incredibly basic three-chord song with boldly sexual lyrics that drew a line straight to Slim Harpo: "Moving up and so am I in her honey dripping bee-hive." The rest of the record oscillated between more of these simple, ear candy pop songs and more bracing, noise soaked efforts. Everything featured Jim Reid's subdued vocals, which at times became detached to the point of menace. This now classic record was capped off by the brilliant "Something's Wrong," which most effectively merged the noise with the melody in almost perfectly encapsulate teenage alienation.

The band in the early 1990s

For the follow-up, 1987's Darklands, two key changes occurred. First, drummer Bobby Gillespie left to form his own band (the also influential, and still active, Primal Scream). Rather than replace Gillespie, the Reid brothers decided to use a drum machine. Now, Gillespie was hardly a virtuoso, but the resulting sound makes the later records sound more dated than they should, not to mention more robotic, with the 80's drum machine technology. The second big change wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the Reids decided to pull back the sheets of white noise in what seemed to be an effort to hush those who said all of the feedback was used to hide the band's lack of actual instrumental talent. As a result, Darklands is certainly easier to listen to than Psychocandy, but it also lacks some of its predecessor's power. Still, there are some really great songs including the splendid "Happy When It Rains" and the excellent single "April Skies," and the whole record does succeed in proving that the band possessed an uncanny knack for great gray-skied melodies.

By the time Automatic appeared in late 1989, the rest of the underground had caught on to the melodic white noise concept, and bands like the Pixies and My Bloody Valentine were pushing the original idea in thrilling directions. Indeed, the whole "shoegazer" movement was beginning to dominate the UK independent scene, and the Reids were hard-pressed to keep up with the bands for whom they paved the way. Overall, Automatic sounds forced and lacks the songwriting quality of the first two records, but the record's single, "Head On," was a well deserved alternative hit (with a video that was an MTV mainstay at the time) with its undeniable chorus: "Makes you wanna feel/Makes you wanna try/Makes you wanna blow the stars from the sky." And if the rest of the record sounds dated now, "Head On" has aged perfectly and stands at the top of the band's catalog.

As the Jesus and Mary Chain moved into the 90's and the glory days of the new (but actually quite old) alternative nation arrived, they had achieved elder statesman status. 1992's Honey's Dead saw the re-introduction of a human drummer, which gives that record more rhythmic dynamism, which was a smart move. The record also featured William Reid sharing equally the lead vocal duties with brother Jim. Honey's Dead  is a mixed bag of material that still sparkles with the power-pop major chord songs ("Far Gone and Out" and "Tumbledown"), but the grinding, almost industrial material is grating to say the least, and at times, they seem to be running short on ideas (i.e… the "Roadrunner" rip-off of "Frequency") while trying to siphon off some of Depeche Mode's fanbase.

The last of the band's Blanco y Negro records (and last of these five re-issues) was 1994's Stoned and Dethroned, which found the Reids stripping everything down and kicking back with the most subdued and rootsy record of their career with plenty of acoustic guitars front and center. In many ways, the record anticipated the shift to acoustic styles that saw Slowdive transform into Mojave 3. Stoned and Dethroned also features a couple of high-profile guest appearances from Pogues' singer Shane MacGowan (on "God Help Me") and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, whose successful duet with Jim Reid on "Sometimes Always" helped guide the record into the Billboard Top 100. Overall, the record sounds like an ending more than a beginning, though that may be due to hindsight as the band only released one more record (1998's Munki released on Sub Pop).

All in all, these five records perfectly illustrate the Jesus and Mary Chain to be a band that definitely had an impact on future bands. But they also show quite clearly that the band was really a product of its time, especially considering the band's use of drum machine and synth bass instead of a live rhythm section, which gives a dated sound to the weaker songs. And though there are individual moments in the later records that show the Reid brothers' talents, the band will still be remembered for its first and most effective record more than its full catalog.