Psychocandy

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Psychocandy
Studio album by The Jesus and Mary Chain
Released November 1985 (1985-11)
Recorded Southern Studios, Wood Green, London
Genre Noise pop
Length 38:55
Label Blanco y Negro
Producer The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain chronology
Psychocandy
(1985)		 Darklands
(1987)

Psychocandy is the debut studio album by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released in November 1985. The album is considered to be a landmark recording; its combination of guitar feedback with traditional pop song structures proved influential on the forthcoming shoegaze genre and alternative rock in general. The band would move away from its abrasive sound with the release of their second album, 1987's Darklands.

Contents

[edit] Background

The band had been signed by Blanco y Negro on the strength of their debut, Slaughter Joe-produced single, "Upside Down" and media attention generated by the band's highly charged and energetic gigs. The album includes the singles "Never Understand", "You Trip Me Up" and "Just Like Honey". Following reissue on CD in August 1986, the bonus track "Some Candy Talking", which was originally released on the namesake EP, was included on the album, only on the UK Blanco y Negro CDs released in 1986 and 1997; in the USA, it was released on CD by Reprise in 1986 and American Recordings in 1993 without the bonus track. In 2006, the album was remastered and released in DualDisc format without "Some Candy Talking" to conform with the original playlist. In 2011, it was re-released (along with the other five studio albums) by Edsel in collaboration with Rhinoas a two-CD set with extra tracks (singles, B-sides, demos and Peel Sessions) and a DVD (NTSC, all-region).

[edit] Recording and production

Lead vocals are handled by Jim Reid on this album, with the exception of "It's So Hard", sung by William Reid.

[edit] Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars[1]
BBC (positive)[2]
Pitchfork Media (9.6/10)[3]
Q 5/5 stars[4]
Robert Christgau (A-)[5]
Rolling Stone (favourable)[6]
Rolling Stone 5/5 stars[7]
Sputnikmusic 5/5 stars[8]
Drowned in Sound 10/10 stars[9]

Psychocandy has frequently appeared in "best-ever" album lists, such as Q magazine's list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever, where it placed at number 88 in 2000. In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at number 23 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".[10] In 2003, the album was ranked number 268 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 greatest albums of all time". Allmusic described the album as one that "created a movement without meaning to."[1]

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Jim Reid and William Reid, except where indicated.

LP (BYN 7) and cassette (BYNC 7)

Side 1

  1. "Just Like Honey" – 3:03
  2. "The Living End" – 2:16
  3. "Taste the Floor" – 2:56
  4. "The Hardest Walk" – 2:40
  5. "Cut Dead" – 2:47
  6. "In a Hole" – 3:02
  7. "Taste of Cindy" – 1:42

Side 2

  1. "Never Understand" – 2:57
  2. "Inside Me" – 3:09
  3. "Sowing Seeds" – 2:50
  4. "My Little Underground" – 2:31
  5. "You Trip Me Up" – 2:26
  6. "Something's Wrong" – 4:01
  7. "It's So Hard" – 2:37
CD (BYNCD 7) 1986
  1. "Just Like Honey" – 3:03
  2. "The Living End" – 2:16
  3. "Taste the Floor" – 2:56
  4. "The Hardest Walk" – 2:40
  5. "Cut Dead" – 2:47
  6. "In a Hole" – 3:02
  7. "Taste of Cindy" – 1:42
  8. "Some Candy Talking" – 3:19
  9. "Never Understand" – 2:57
  10. "Inside Me" – 3:09
  11. "Sowing Seeds" – 2:50
  12. "My Little Underground" – 2:31
  13. "You Trip Me Up" – 2:26
  14. "Something's Wrong" – 4:01
  15. "It's So Hard" – 2:37
2-CD/DVD (EDSG 8006) 2011
CD 1
  1. "Just Like Honey" – 3:03
  2. "The Living End" – 2:17
  3. "Taste the Floor" – 2:57
  4. "The Hardest Walk" – 2:37
  5. "Cut Dead" – 2:47
  6. "In a Hole" – 3:02
  7. "Taste of Cindy" – 1:41
  8. "Never Understand" – 2:58
  9. "Inside Me" – 3:10
  10. "Sowing Seeds" – 2:50
  11. "My Little Underground" – 2:31
  12. "You Trip Me Up" – 2:25
  13. "Something's Wrong" – 4:01
  14. "It's So Hard" – 2:41
  15. "Suck" - 2:08
  16. "Ambition" (Vic Godard) - 3:31
  17. "Just Out of Reach" - 2:09
  18. "Boyfriend's Dead" - 1:43
  19. "Head" - 3:53
  20. "Cracked" - 3:48

15-16: "Never Understand" 12" single
17-18: "You Trip Me Up" 12" single
19-20: "Just Like Honey" 12" single ("Just Like Honey (Demo Version)" is on CD 2)

CD 2
  1. "Upside Down" - 3:00
  2. "Vegetable Man" (Syd Barrett) - 3:35
  3. "In a Hole" - 2:41
  4. "You Trip Me Up" - 2:07
  5. "Never Understand" - 3:08
  6. "Taste the Floor" - 3:08
  7. "The Living End" - 2:15
  8. "Inside Me" - 3:01
  9. "Just Like Honey" - 2:49
  10. "Some Candy Talking" - 3:13
  11. "Psychocandy" - 2:01
  12. "You Trip Me Up" - 2:41
  13. "Cut Dead" - 2:47
  14. "Up Too High" - 3:44
  15. "Upside Down" - 3:10
  16. "Never Understand" - 3:18
  17. "Taste the Floor" - 3:06
  18. "In a Hole" – 2:42
  19. "Something's Wrong" – 3:27
  20. "Just Like Honey (Demo Version, October 1984)" - 2:58
  21. "The Living End" - 2:16
  22. "My Little Underground" – 2:33
  23. "Never Understand [Alternate Version]" - 3:25
  24. "Jesus Fuck" - 2:30

1-2: "Upside Down" 7" single, 1984
3-6: John Peel Radio Session 23/10/84
7-9: John Peel Radio Session 03/02/85
10-13: John Peel Radio Session 29/10/85 (acoustic session, previously released as part of the "Some Candy Talking" 2x7" single set)
14-19: Portastudio Demos, 1984/85
21-22: Alaska Studios Demos, June 1985
24: Originally intended as a B-side for a reissue of "Upside Down"

DVD
  1. "Never Understand"
  2. "You Trip Me Up"
  3. "Just Like Honey"
  4. "In a Hole" - Old Grey Whistle Test (12/03/85)
  5. Riot at North London Polytechnic - interview and live clips (The NewMusic, 15/03/85)
  6. Interview - VRT, Belgium
  7. "Never Understand" - VRT, Belgium (both 17/03/85)
  8. "Just Like Honey" - The Tube
  9. "Inside Me" - The Tube (both 11/11/85)

1-3: Promo videos (directed by Tim Broad)

[edit] Personnel

[edit] The Jesus and Mary Chain

[edit] Additional personnel

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Psychocandy - The Jesus and Mary Chain". Allmusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  2. ^ Jones, Chris (August 1, 2007). "Review of The Jesus And Mary Chain -Psychocandy". BBC. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  3. ^ Abebe, Nitsuh (August 4, 2006)."The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Automatic / Honey's Dead / Stoned & Dethroned". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  4. ^ July 2006 (p.122).
  5. ^ "CG: The Jesus and Mary Chain". Robert Christgau. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  6. ^ Holmes, Tim (March 27, 1986)."The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy". Rolling Stone. Archived fromthe original on June 22, 2008.
  7. ^ "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide".Google Books. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  8. ^ Herren, Scott (January 16, 2005). "The Jesus and Mary Chain -Psychocandy (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  9. ^ "Jesus and Mary Chain - Deluxe Reissues". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  10. ^ Q August 2006, Issue 241.

[edit] External links

The Jesus and Mary Chain
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
EPs
Singles
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