Blistering ear candy (Psychocandy - Jesus & Mary Chain)

Member Name: cswann

Product:	Psychocandy - Jesus & Mary Chain
Date:	31/01/05 (712 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great tunes, Blistering guitars

Disadvantages: Drums can be a bit dull

Brothers William and Jim Reid formed the Jesus and Mary Chain in 1984, signed up to the Creation label. They became notorious for 20 minute live performances, and were well-used to controversy (violence at gigs, druggy lifestyle and alleged drug-laden lyrics). “Psychocandy” was their first album, coming out in 1985.

The line up comprised:
Jim Reid and William Reid on guitar and vocals.
Douglas Hart is on bass
Bobby Gillespie is credited with drums on this album.

Gillespie was not in the original line-up, but he did play drums with them, for a while, in the days before he went off to form his own band Primal Scream.

“Psychocandy” has a great beginning, as all classic albums should have.
It starts with that pounding drum – for all the world it’s just like a classic single, such as something like The Ronnettes’ “Be my baby”. Something very, very memorable, which immediately makes you get your ears into gear.
The song is “Just like honey”, of course, which I remember was the first single of their’s that I ever bought. “Never understand” and “You trip me up” (also present on “Psychocandy”) had been released earlier, but it was “Just like honey” that got me hooked. The song appeared on the soundtrack of “Lost in Translation”, so no doubt some younger listeners became hooked too.

On the best songs there’s always those Jesus and Mary Chain trademarks the bass drum and otherwise the stripped down guitar and vocals, then the fuzzy feedback guitars coming in like a brilliant headrush. But the album manages to avoid sounding samey.
In a way, though, there are two basic styles - half the songs are great pop songs, the other half are terrifying bursts of noise.

“Taste the floor” is like an elementary Rock and Roll song. “Ain’t she sweet” or something by Eddie Cochran is the kind of thing that springs to mind when I hear it) There’s a song that the Beatles recorded in their very early days, called “Three Cool Cats”, which was originally recorded by the Coasters – and the same tune is certainly detectable in “Taste the floor”.
“Cut dead” is a very stripped down song – a 60s sound – that drumbeat at the beginning again – not quite Phil Spector, but there’s a nod to him - with the tambourine. And the way the chorus ends up with just a “da da da da da da” – also very 60s (think of the Troggs).

“The hardest walk” is a lot like the Hardest Thing by the Stone Roses, but since their debut album, on which “The hardest thing” appeared came out 7 years later, in this case we have to say that the Jesus and Mary Chain were the influence rather than being influenced!

The bassline on “The hardest walk” is great, by the way – something which I didn’t realise until I’d listened to the album a few times.

“Never understand” is basically The Ramones with feedback. It’s a cover of a Sex Pistols song.
This song – with its dull thud, thud, thud ,and a quick thud-thud-thud sometimes to liven things up – is the on that that makes me realise that the drums are probably the worst thing about this album. Sorry, Bobby.

“Inside me” has the “hey hey hey” line which they are so good at, and the drug influence is certainly here (“I’ve seen my head expand”).
“In a hole” has a very intense vocal towards the end (with “heart and soul” cried out over and over) which is a lot like Mark Almond’s in “Soul inside”, which was released in the early 80s, before this album was released. So, another influence there.

“Taste of Cindy” goes off key pretty soon, but there’s still that great surf metal sound – often the chord changes alone can convince me the song’s still got a tune that’s worth listening to.

Best song on a brilliant album is “Some Candy talking”.
Like many of the tracks, it’s clearly about drugs, well, heroin. It didn’t get played on the radio very much for this reason, but was still a top 20 hit.
“Some Candy talking” is the nearest thing to a rush you’ll ever hear in music – Reid says “Talk!” and it’s all unleashed, for you to just give in to it.

There are other bands who have emulated their sound - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and even popsters like EMF to some extent.
I know I’ve mentioned lots of earlier influences, but the Velvet Underground have got to be namechecked – it’s all there – the druggy haze, the wonderful tunes, the blistering guitars.

The sleeve notes on the CD don’t provide lyrics – just some lines from some of the songs – but there are plenty Internet sites where you can get the lyrics.

“Psychocandy” will remain one of my all-time favourite albums, without a doubt.

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