Munki

Untitled

Munki is the final studio album released by The Jesus and Mary Chain. After leaving Blanco y Negro, the Reid brothers signed to Sub Pop in the U.S. and Creation, who had released their debut single "Upside Down" in 1985, in the UK. After hearing the rough mixes to half of the songs on what would become Munki, Warner Bros. fired the Mary Chain and it was at this point that they signed to Sub Pop. The origin of the album title, according to Ben Lurie in an interview with Spin magazine, was that they "wanted an un-Mary Chain-like title...It doesn't mean anything. It's just a word. Misspelled on purpose." In an interview with The Herald, Jim said that their sister Linda suggested it.

The album features an appearance from Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star, who had previously duetted with the band on the single "Sometimes Always," and includes the singles "I Hate Rock'n'Roll", "Cracking Up" and "I Love Rock'n'Roll."

The album is often thought of as sounding "divided" due to the Reids' crumbling relationship, Jim Reid recalls: "Me and William weren't really getting along at all. That last year we barely even spoke. Munki is one of my favorite albums, but it was really divided. William would go into the studio with the rest of the band and record while I wasn't there, and then I'd go in with them when William wasn't there."

According to an interview in Alternative Press magazine, Jim said that "I Hate Rock 'n' Roll" was written by his brother "out of sheer frustration with the kind of crap we have to deal with in the music business." To counter-balance these sentiments, Jim wrote "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" because "I thought it left [Munki] kind of negative - I felt it was only half the story." In the same issue of Alt Press, Munki was rated a perfect 5 out 5. Most other reviews, like those from Allmusic and Rolling Stone linked on this page, were less enthusiastic. Like many JAMC albums not appreciated in its day (mainly for once again not sounding like Psychocandy), reception has improved with time.

Munki peaked at No. 47 in the UK album charts, the band's first studio album not to make the Top 40.

Track listing

1. "I Love Rock'n'Roll"
2. "Birthday"
3. "Stardust Remedy"
4. "Fizzy"
5. "Mo Tucker"
6. "Perfume"
7. "Virtually Unreal"
8. "Degenerate"
9. "Cracking Up"
10. "Commercial"
11. "Supertramp"
12. "Never Understood"
13. "I Can't Find the Time for Times"
14. "Man on the Moon"
15. "Black"
16. "Dream Lover"
17. "I Hate Rock'n'Roll"