(Original publication date unknown)

We all know Psychocandy, the landmark album to introduce writing songs with noise. Yeah, The Velvet Underground were one of the first to use noise feedback in their songs, but they used it in a more abrasive manner, writing songs around the noise, where The Jesus and Mary Chain (JaMC) chose to work with the noise and use it to complement their pop songs, giving the melodies underneath every song extra depth and resonance.

Darklands abandoned the noise in favor of shimmering guitars and pure candy-coated pop, making another seminal album of the ’80s indie pop scene. Automatic had the band change yet again to adopt a more ’50s inspired rock and roll sound that invoked the smell of black leather and the chugging engines of hot rods. Still not content with their sound, the JaMC took influence from the psychedelic Baggy / Madchester scene when making Honey’s Dead, which is otherwise a return to the noise pop of Psychocandy, though not as abrasive.

Stoned & Dethroned was a failed attempt to channel Lou Reed and Bob Dylan through droning vocals and acoustic instrumentation, but the Reids could not write as captivating lyrics as their idols and their lack of great melodies became even clearer as the album dragged on, being their longest yet. Munki was even longer and had a tendency to drag as well, but kept attention by revisiting several styles the JaMC explored throughout their career to make a varied album. A fitting retrospective and end to their discography, if nothing phenomenal or new.

The Jesus and Mary Chain write simplistic pop songs, but like any pop band with songwriting smarts, they know how to change the formula just enough with each album to emphasize different qualities of their music and make each album stand singular in their discography. Boy, am I glad they didn’t spend their career just remaking Psychocandy but worse with every single album. The first four JaMC albums are classics to me, and there’s some good to be found in what came after and the B-sides throughout their career as well.

Album Ranking: Psychocandy > Darklands > Automatic > Honey’s Dead > Munki > Stoned & Dethroned

Top Five Songs: “The Hardest Walk,” “Just Like Honey,” “Taste of Cindy,” “April Skies,” “Deep One Perfect Morning”

Collector’s Notes:

• The 2011 Edsel remasters are the definitive versions of all of JaMC’s albums. Each remaster brings each album to life, more than ever before, by enunciating the specific qualities of each album. Psychocandy still has an abrasive bite, but the noise is turned down a little bit to make tuning into the melodies easier (making it the most controversial remaster, but I still say it beats the original), Darklands shimmers a bit more, Automatic has more punch, etc. I highly recommend them all. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if you can buy these remasters as a single disc. All of these reissues have bonus CDs, which can really bump up their price.
• The JaMC have a near-complete B-sides and rarities collection called The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities. Naturally, I recommend it. It’s a whopping four discs of original material. However, some tracks are missing. For starters, “Jesus Fuck” is easier found on the second disc of the 2011 Edsel Psychocandy reissue.