Some Jesus & Mary Chain Vinyl, a USB Key and Me
Jul 18th, 2007 by Donagh
Inspired by a combination of Conor’s Forgotten Irish Bands posts, WorldbyStorm’s post about the reforming of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the fact that I just got a new stereo with a record player, I decided last night to dig out a box of records I had in the shed.
I’ve moved house several times in the last 15 years, but somehow I always managed to bring my small box of vinyl records with me. There’s no reason for this as for most of those 15 years I didn’t have a record player. Clearly I was holding on to the albums thinking that at one point I would like to get a record player so I could play my much treasured albums again. But I’m also aware that I didn’t love them enough to put aside the cash to get a decent sound system.
There is also my innate resistance to the filthy mix of nostalgia and music. I’m more interested in listening to music I haven’t heard before than going back and putting on the old stuff, even if it does put the hairs up on the back of my neck.
Although it was incredibly important to me as a teenager and young adult I’m not so sure, apart from its ability to bring back crystal clear memories, that it means as much to me now. Or rather the emotions that it generated then are not emotions I have when I play the music now. Although it’s very nice to go back and visit that attitude now and again.
A good example of this is the Jesus and Mary Chain. In a sense their re-emergence from a prolonged family squabble is a celebration of the early Jesus and Mary Chain and much less a return to where they finished, which as WorldbyStorm points out, was a mess of the odd quality track amidst a sea of crap.
So, the audiences who will attend the shows, including Electric Picnic in September, will be there to live again the visceral aural torture which managed to piss their parents off so much. But of course, as Just Like Honey showed in Lost in Translation, enjoy the classic tunes from when Jesus and Mary Chain were truly on form.
Famously, the Jesus and Mary Chain used to perform gigs like Jesuits reportedly give Mass, with their backs to the audience. Sometimes it’s nice to play this music loud and turn your back on everything.
The following tracks were burned into MP3s from vinyl 12†records and EPs released between 1985-86:
Tracklisting:
Track 1 is Side one of Some Candy Talking EP
Some Candy Talking/Taste of Cindy
Track 2 is Side two of Some Candy Talking EP
Hit/Psychocandy
Track 3 is Side one of Just Like Honey 12â€
Just Like Honey/Head
Track 4 is Side two of Just Like Honey 12â€
Cracked/Just Like Honey Demo
Track 5 is Side one of You Trip Me Up 12â€
You Trip Me Up
Some Candy Talking & Taste of Cindy: Play Now | Play in Popup Hit/Psychocandy: Play Now | Play in Popup Just Like Honey/Head: Play Now | Play in Popup Cracked/Just Like Honey (Demo): Play Now | Play in Popup You Trip Me Up: Play Now | Play in PopupJust Like Honey was also used in the final scene in Lost in Translation. I still like that movie…
Great stuff. I’m eyeing one of those USB connected turntables with a view to a Christmas gift. While the above are great I always loved the Never Understand 12″ which also had a cover of Vic Goddards Ambition… genius.
I was delighted it was in Lost in Translation. As indeed were some cracking MBV tracks, or at least Kevin Shiels tracks.
I wonder if they’ll be so feedback drenched on tour. One would hope so…
Good to see the JAMC resurgence sweeping through the Irish Blog World! And there are few pleasures greater than digging out those old vinyl records and spinning them at full volume. I’ve gotten into the habit of sticking my old Golden Horde LP on to cheer me up.
Don’t know if you came across this interview with Jim Reid in the Guardian a few weeks back. I particularly like the bit about his sceptical barber!
Ha, while looking through the box I came across a copy of 100 Boys. No doubt Damian, you’ll be playing your records loud to drown out the sound of a screaming child
Screaming child wanting a feed: Wahhhh-wahhhh
Jim Reid, played at full volume trailing the chorus of Hit with his characteristic groans: waaahhhh- waaaahhhh
Screaming child: Waaahhhh-waaahhhh-waaahhhh
Jim: whaaa- whaaa (interrupted by feedback) whaaa-whaaa
Child: Wahhhh-wahhhh
Damian in kitchen fixing feed: dum-de-dum-de-dum
Congrats by the way…
Yea, I saw that interview. Class. ‘Oh, so you used to be in a big rock band did you? Funny you never mentioned it before’.
WorldbyStorm, I don’t think I have Never Understand. Its Sometimes, from Loveless I think. Kevin did the soundtrack for the movie though.
The USB key thing is only handy if you’ve a huge vinyl collection that you’re eager to add to your iPod shuffle. Either that or you prefer your new sounds to have that athmospheric vinyl crackle when you listen to them digitally.
Which GH LP Damian? I had the ‘album’ but always loved the Chocolate Biscuit Conspiracy with Robert Anton Wilson, and seeing as everything is revenant these days there’s even a myspace for them… http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=148161644
Always loved the line about the “Fine Gael Ard Fheis…” on Little UFO… And that too was fairly JAMC/Ramoneslike…
WorldbyStorm - it’s the self titled one that’s taken up residence on the turntable recently, but Chocolate Biscuit Conspiracy has been getting the odd spin. I’m glad there’s someone else who remembers pre-100 Boys GH - when the big album came out Chocolate Biscuit seemed to get written out of history. I’ll have to go and listen to Little UFO again now.
Donagh - Thanks, I’m hoping that early indoctirnation with Jim Reid & Co might ward off any tendencies to fall under the Barney spell. Probably a misguided hope I know…
Oddly enough finally got downloads of Jim Reids Freeheat, where he went very briefly after the JAMC. Entertainingly workmanlike reworking of Roadrunner for the nth time…
Incidentally the Guardian article was great… cheers for that…
The GH myspace link has denied me an evening’s archaeological research as I wandered onto the Stars’ site and then onto Hey Paulette! and then back to Dublin Opinion (which I only found by following a link on Indymedia (I think)).
The Horde’s site suffers from a revisionist streak. I must agree with the poster above that the classic line up had Donal on bass and Bernie on b/vocals. I never liked the hippy shit they produced after their departure.
I happily survived a period when it seems I went through a string of girlfriends on the basis that they were called after GH songs (or was it the other way ’round?). Throughout the ’90s I gave them the odd spin but I must admit I prefered the Stars for their music and for their gigs, which if never as manic as the early Horde gigs, were certainly great rock’n'roll.
They turned me on to so much music, where the Horde left me with an affectation for silly haircuts that I’m still trying to shift today. Mind you, it’s not as bad as that thing on the head of the bloke from a house.