The Jesus and Mary Chain Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
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- Опубліковано 4 вер 2024
- Today we're ranking the seven studio albums from The Jesus and Mary Chain.
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The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride (a suburb of Glasgow) in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they released their first single "Upside Down" in 1984. Their debut album Psychocandy was released to critical acclaim in 1985 on major label WEA. The band went on to release five more studio albums before disbanding in 1999. They reunited in 2007.
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Thanks for watching! Let us know what you think of The Jesus and Mary Chain and how you rank their albums down in the comments.
Next week: Stevie Wonder
After that: The Babys, May Patreon Poll Winner [TBD], Porcupine Tree
#TheJesusandMaryChain #AlbumsRanked #WorsttoBest #Psychocandy
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I remember when Psychocandy was released and dumped down the airwaves like a giant noise transmitter in the middle of polished eighties pop. I was a fan immediately.
Absolutely - and anyone who doesn't have Psychocandy at #1 wasn't there and doesn't get it
I realise Barbed Wire Kisses was marketed as a B-sides compilation but it's definitely worth a listen, one of my favourite JAMC albums.
Psychocandy at number five is absolutely baffling. Also, regardless of how you feel personally about the feedback/noise on that album, it was definitely intentional. How anyone would think it was accidental is beyond me. Regarding Psychocandy, Jim Reid himself said (in the documentary Beautiful Noise): ‘If Nancy Sinatra had Einstürzende Neubauten as a backing band, that’s kind of like how we wanted to sound.’
Agreed, fair enough if it's not your thing but it's very clearly intentional
01 Darklands
02 Automatic
03 Stoned & Dethroned
04 Honey’s Dead
05 Psychocandy
06 Munki
07 Damage and Joy
I really enjoy the Barbed Wire Kisses compilation which was the first album of theirs i heard some 30 years ago.
BWK is at least as good as any of their "real" albums.
The power of negative thinking.. cant find it!
Kram kinda nailing it lately with beautiful literary like reviews of these classic alt/indie albums. An album like Psychocandy may not be quite there for me (still really like it) but love learning about the way some people can hear it.
As for me I'm glad this week motivated me to listen to Darklands, really cool and listenable 80s alt album which gave me some Velvet Underground vibes, will be returning.
My only surprise is that Jason didn't put Psychocandy last. The one thing I will say about Psychocandy that I won't say for any other album I consider a favorite all-time record - it's too long. And I excuse a few of the songs just because of the strength of the best the album has to offer. The sound of the album was very intentional, btw.
"I remember we had quite a professional attitude towards the recording process. People probably imagine that we just fell into the studio off our tits and made a record, but there was no drink and drugs at that time in the studio. We went in there and just set about making a record as well as we could. In later years, recording would be a very, uh, [f'd]-up affair, but at that time, we had quite a professional work ethic."
Psychocandy is the type of album you don't even attempt to replicate, imo. Darklands, Automatic, Honey's Dead still very much retain a lot of their style. They just aren't as noisy. It's not really that complicated to me. Stoned and Dethroned is really the only other album in their discography that's quite different from Psychocandy. I mean, it's polar opposite. That album was actually my introduction to the band as a 16 year-old and I didn't realize how strange of an entry point that would be at the time. After that I bought a b-sides/rarities comp called The Jesus and Mary Chain Hate Rock n Roll. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit not being familiar with the rest of the catalog. Speed of Sound (which initially wasn't released in the US) is an even better b-sides comp. I wouldn't listen to Psychocandy or Darklands until around 2000/2001.
I think all of their albums except Darklands have at least a couple of tracks that aren't that great. I feel like music obsessives should hear Psychocandy at least once. After that, you're probably fine with a best of compilation and some of the b-sides/rarities. That's just me. A band I really like, but I'm not as big of a fan as Kram.
1. Psychocandy - 5 stars
2. Darklands - 4 stars (a very strong 4 stars)
3. Stoned and Dethroned - 4 stars (Maybe it's the slowcore fan in me, but the repetitiveness doesn't bother me as much. It is an issue, though. Cut it down to about 12 songs and it would be at least 4.5 stars.)
4. Automatic - 3.5 stars
5. Honey's Dead - 3.5 stars
6. Munki - 2.5 stars
7. Damage and Joy - never heard it
Btw, Jason. Are we getting a Cruel Country review anytime soon?
@@TheDigitalGramophone I thought it was sleep-inducing, a boring slog to get through. It looks like the upcoming Angel Olsen album is also going to be bland country. I haven’t liked any of the 3 singles released so far.
I’m hardly a big fan of the genre, but there have been 2 country albums that I’ve enjoyed so far in 2022: River Fools & Mountain Saints by Ian Noe, and Bronco by Orville Peck.
@@echosmyron1278 Well, it’s not a country record. That’s a red herring. I tend to prefer more musically adventurous Wilco albums, but I’m enjoying this one more and more with every listen. Tweedy’s lyrics are fantastic. A lot to unpack in there.
“As well as we could” being the operative phrase.
And yeah, maybe I’ll see if either of the guys wants to tack Wilco onto our SOTY session tomorrow. I’ve listened to it a bunch of times already.
automatic is easily my favourite. love the sound, the drums. perfect for driving.
nice 😎
Yeah, I was wrong about it. It’s my second favorite now.
@@curly_wyn younger me was too twee to appreciate the sheer swagger of Automatic. It rocks in its own sleazy way though and never being the same JAMC of Psychocandy and Darklands . I love the super obvious drum machine
Big fan, very tough to rank. The top 5 in my list are all near 5 stars...
1. Automatic
2. Darklands
3. Honey's Dead
4. Stoned & Dethroned
5. Psychocandy
6. Damage and Joy
7. Munki
If compilations were allowed, I'd put Barbed Wire Kisses at like #3
my top 3 as well - all 5 stars
Kevin - same bottom 3 as well, but in a different order - stoned & dethroned also in the middle spot for me - we are basically hearing them the same way . . what's your low score? mine is damage and joy at 4 stars . . i remember owning Barbed Wire Kisses on cassette (long gone now)
@@NaughtyVampireGod my lowest is munki, but i do like it a lot... probably 3.5 is as low as i'd go. I still play them all a fair amount, even all these years later.
The Compilation From 1988 Barbed Wire Kisses Is My Favorite Jesus & Mary Chain album. It has all the odds & sods.
Yes. Barbed Wire Kisses is really good. I do like Psychocandy more than you. I guess I benefitted from not experiencing media response at the time. As a big Echo fan, aren't you predisposed to not being a big J&MC fan? :)
@@TheDigitalGramophone J&M guys were big Echo fans & liked Nick Cave as well .U2 & Echo had beef with U2 keeping Echo off the LiveAid bill in 1985.
1. Automatic - 5 stars
2. Honey's Dead - 5 stars
3. Darklands - 5 stars
4. Stoned & Dethroned - 4.5 stars
5. Munki - 4.5 stars
6. Psychocandy - 4.5 stars
7. Damage and Joy - 4 stars
Another top 25 band for me. Second week in a row (Pixies last week). 😎
Thanks, Boys!
Love to see the Honey's Dead love!
@@179rich Hey Rich. Oh yeah . . .
@@curly_wyn Well, we are hearing them differently* but glad that Stoned & Dethroned and Munki get high ratings.
* Except that we gave both Stoned & Dethroned and Damage and Joy 4.5 and 4 respectively. 😎
@@NaughtyVampireGod Tbh, now that I’ve revisited Automatic, I now realize I was wrong about it. It kicks ass and is now my second favorite album of theirs! 🤗🖤
@@curly_wyn Glad you re-evaluated Automatic!
I listened to the first two albums:
1. Darklands 5 Stars
2. Psychocandy 3,5 Stars
Will definitely come back to them!
hello Eyeball! Glad you like the sound of Darklands . . I think you will enjoy the rest of their albums . . they are a top 25 band for me
I saw them on their first national UK tour when Psychocandy came out . The noise was most definitely intentional and glorious, and I remember feeling I was in the middle of an earthquake. Plus at that show they covered Can's "Mushroom" - a clear indicator of the experimental side of their approach which they generally dumped soon after, only resurfacing occasionally on tracks like "Reverence".
Thanks for highlighting this underrated band. Hopefully there'll be an 8th album to review someday! Not enough stars in the JMC universe.
I’m sure you know but 8 March the new lp Glasgow Eyes drops.
@@kylewoolsey6635 I actually didn't know that. Thanks for the good news!
8 P.M. here in Poltava Ukraine. Waiting for new episode TLM's ranking :)
I love the artwork for Honey’s Dead - she reminds me of a golden hued Blessed Mother statue left to chip away in a neglected backyard or cemetery. She’s beautiful to me.
that's perfect
@@NaughtyVampireGod I definitely have a soft spot for old statues and religious artwork in general
@@michelewiese48 😀👍
Yes, I like it a lot too. Jason's comments were a bit puzzling. Great album, great cover.
The typography is horrible. I have no problem with the image but it looks like it was photocopied.
Darklands - 4 stars (8.3)
Damage and Joy- 3.5 stars (7.1)
Psychocandy -3 stars ( 6.5)
Munki - 3 stars (6.3)
Automatic - 3 stars (6)
Honey’s Dead - 2.5 stars (5.7)
Stoned and Dethroned - 2.5 stars (5.5)
I would have counted Barbed Wire Kisses, despite being a comp, as it is loaded with studio songs that weren't available anywhere else. I know back in the day we all considered it to be like a regular studio album
Darklands would be my number one. Automatic kicks ass too. So hard to rank…such a killer band.
Agreed!
My Ranking
1. Honey's Dead (10/10)
2. Psychocandy (9/10)
3. Darklands (8'5/10)
4. Automatic (8'5/10)
5. Damage and Joy (7/10
6. Barbed Wire Kisses (7/10)
7. Stoned and Dethroned (6'5/10)
8. Munki (5'5/10)
Greetings from Asturias. (I'm on Holidays Now)
Nice list, btw. I'm seeing a lot of love for honey's dead.
Historic NW Spain, nice.
Big JAMC fan. First 4 albums are just ingrained in my DNA. Reid brothers kick ass . Here’s my list :
The Jesus And Mary Chain - Albums Ranked
7. Munki ( 3 stars)
6. Damage And Joy ( 3 Stars)
5. Stoned And Dethroned ( 3.5 Stars)
4. Darklands ( 4 .5 stars)
3. Automatic ( 4.5 stars)
2. Psychocandy ( 5 stars)
1. Honey's Dead ( 5 stars)
nice - our list aren't that different . . i have honey's dead at 5 stars and in second place . . psychocandy is kind of the wild card on many of these lists
J&M Chain wears its influence on its sleeve - one can really feel their influences w/o a lot of guessing. Influences include the Velvet Underground (think "Here She Comes Now" or "I'm Waiting for my Man"); Phil Spector Wall of Sound; Shangri-Las who were sort of a girl group with a Patti Smith type of lead singer); The Stooges "No Fun; The Monkees' "Stepping Stone"; T Rex's "Jeepster"; Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra's "One Velvet Morning". So one sees why they sought out Hope Sandavol for a duet and then one of the brothers was dating her too.
Beach Boys also get mentioned as an influence . . i think you can reflect influences and still have a unique sound
@@NaughtyVampireGod Yes that is right and they have a unique sound.
@@oppothumbs1 😎👍
Jason, if you heard Stoned & Dethroned as much as I have, you might appreciate the consistent sound (perhaps during a road trip) and you definitely wouldn't have a problem with song bleeding together. As a melody junkie I thought you would love this album.
Underrated album, easily their fourth best!
I called it - Jason not a Psychocandy fan, but he didn't hate it like I thought he would.
I'm with you Jason- Darklands is far and away my favorite with its brilliant mix of the loud (although more toned down than Psychocandy) and dreamy. Highlights include "Happy When it Rains,' 'Deep One Perfect Morning,' 'Down on Me,' and 'April Skies. Skies' but honestly, I can just put the whole thing on and float away....Don't get me wrong- I love Psychocandy too!
1. Darklands
2. Psychocandy
3. Automatic
4. Damage and Joy
5. Stoned and Dethroned
6. Honey's Dead
7. Munki
I kinda think of Automatic as being the perfect balance btwn Psychocandy & Darklands . . the later being almost country imo . .
Love the glasses. Excellent critique. JMC is one of my favorites as well, Psycho Candy, Darklands, Automatic, and for me even Stoned and Dethroned are all great works. Barb Wire Kisses is a good one too.
1. Darklands - 4.5
2. Psychocandy - 4.5
3. Stoned & Dethroned - 4
4. Automatic - 3.5
5. Honey's Dead - 3.5
6. Damage & Joy - 3
7. Munki - 2.5
You're definitely not hearing the same Psycho Candy that I'm hearing, but that doesn't matter, Kramzer, you're a poet.
The Boys are much better than a lot of "professional" critics I've read or heard.
@@NaughtyVampireGod yeah, that’s probably true lol
I prefer the psycho candy demos, than the album. Love the channel/ your views. Hi from Sydney. ✌️👍
As a huge Mary Chain fan, I think it's a pretty decent cool discussion. There are some things I don't get, such as mentioning hard rock bands, :D but it's cool!!! Well done!!
Great job you guys! Love both perspectives. Most underrated band of all time.
Darklands and Automatic are my favourites of theirs.
1. Psychocandy (1985) 4.5/5
2. Darklands (1987) 4/5
3. Automatic (1989) 3.5/5
4. Stoned & Dethroned (1994) 3.5/5
5. Honey's Dead (1992) 3/5
6. Damage & Joy (2017) 3/5
7. Munki (1998) 2.5/5
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
4.5 Psychocandy (1985)
4.0 Darklands (1987)
3.5 Automatic (1989)
3.0 Honey's Dead (1992)
3.5 Stoned & Dethroned (1994)
2.5 Munki (1998)
3.0 Damage & Joy (2017)
This was my first true deep dive into the work of the Reid brothers and I very much enjoyed it. No question Psychocandy is one of the most influential albums of the 1980s. I can hear everything from My Bloody Valentine to Stereolab to Deerhunter in it. But as far as the actual songwriting, it can get a bit samey. Basically, I think it's a 4 star album that gets an extra half star for being so influential. Their rest of their discography largely departs from the noise-rock sound of the debut. Darklands is tame compared to Psychocandy but features some of their best melodies. I like the lean and mean sound of 1989's Automatic, I just wish more of the songs stuck with me. Same goes for Honey's Dead- it feels focused but I don't find the "hit rate" for memorable songs to be very high. Stoned & Dethroned's folksy feel is a refreshing change of pace and overall the album re-emphasizes melody. It's a bit long but I enjoy a majority of the songs. 1998's Munki was made while the band was disintegrating and apart from a couple-four songs (out of 17) it sounds directionless. Damage & Joy is a respectable comeback even if some of the music is recycled from previous projects. The Jesus and Mary Chain wouldn't be a candidate for my "top 100 artists" list but I definitely have a greater appreciation for them now.
MY RATING SYSTEM:
5.0 = major classic (consistently great *and* stratospheric highs)
4.5 = minor classic (consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both)
4.0 = great (more than 50% is worth revisiting and it's an essential record for this artist/style - passes my "it'll make a fan out of someone who's new to this artist" test)
3.5 = seriously good (at least 50% is worth revisiting)
3.0 = nominally good (less than 50% is worth revisiting)
2.5 = decent (competent but uninspired - not worth revisiting)
2.0 = poor (difficult listen)
1.5 = awful (can't finish it)
1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse)
*Note: "Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few clunkers if the rest of the songs are good enough. Also, I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore.
Hi Whammy. Good comments, although I like J&MC a lot more than you do. Psychocandy was the birth of a new sound. (Don't know what Roxanne is talking about!) However I have it ranked next to last b/c I just don't enjoy it as much as the others. As you correctly note, the melodies (songwriting) got better after the debut. I'd like to get your take on the top songs when I post that - if you have the time. 😎
@@NaughtyVampireGod Maybe they'll grow on me with more time. Psychocandy was the only album I knew going into this week. I will say that my top 10 songs list has been a challenge. They have no shortage of candidates.
Love jesus and mary chain for me, Psychocandy and Automatic are both 9/10 classics, followed by Darklands at 8 and Stoned and Dethroned. The rest had the odd tune but didn't leave much of an impression. Super cool and influential band too, love the simplicity and attitude.
Nice to hear someone else rate those two albums highest, automatic was my first album of theirs
1. Psychocandy (5 stars; #36 in my top 200 albums of the 80s)
2. Darklands (4 1/2 stars; #110 in my top 200 albums of the 80s)
3. Automatic (3 1/2 stars)
4. Damage and Joy (3 1/2 stars)
5. Honey’s Dead (3 stars)
6. Stoned and Dethroned (3 stars)
7. Munki (2 1/2 stars)
I had forgotten how highly ranked Psychocandy is on my 80s list, as it’s only my 8th favorite album of 1985 (it’s ranked behind Rain Dogs, Hounds of Love, Tim, Up on the Sun, Flip Your Wig, Night Time, and This Nation’s Saving Grace). Such a loaded year.
I only really come back to those first 2 albums. I used to have digital copies of all their 90s stuff, but I deleted all of them years ago. My ranking for those later albums were based on vague memories.
Yeah - A great year. Fables of the Reconstruction my #1 album for 1985.
@@NaughtyVampireGod That is a great album!
@@curly_wyn 😀👍
The number of acts that I have seen live in my youth that have been covered here recently continues to grow - JAMC can be added to The Pixies, Blur and Don Henley.
Some of the bands that I think they have influenced:
My Bloody Valentine
Curve
Ride
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Glasvegas
The Raveonettes
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Dinosaur Jr.!
You got me thinking about which artists they've covered that I've seen live in-concert. For me, it'd be:
Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Steely Dan, King Crimson, The Who, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Rush, Fleetwood Mac, U2, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, REM, Tom Petty, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Van Halen, Pearl Jam, The Cars, Soundgarden,The Black Crowes, Elliott Smith
And there's gonna be another one next week, Stevie Wonder.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 I'm struggling to think of many acts that they covered earlier that I have seen live. All I can think of are REM. Oasis and Peter Gabriel. I tried and failed to get tickets for Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium in 1988.
Looking forward to Stevie Wonder next week. I haven't seen him but my sister and niece have seen him about 4 times.
😎 Nice look, Kram. That desert city's got me reaching high . .
Kram - Great commentary especially on yer top 2 picks. Very nice to see Automatic getting a five star review. That album is absolutely under-rated across the board. Another J&MC description is "Gothic Cowboys" - - that one sorta fits Darklands. I guess the band summarized things pretty well when they called it "the sound of speed". 😎
I didn't quite finish with The Jesus and Mary Chain discography this week but perhaps I should go back and finish those last two albums at some point. I tend to favour the earlier part of their discography, what I heard past Automatic didn't connect as much. I assumed I would like this band more overall so I was a bit disappointed as I went on in their discography but maybe I just need more time with the later albums.
1. Psychocandy - 4.5 (9.2)
2. Darklands - 4 (8.2)
3. Automatic - 4 (7.7)
4. Stoned & Dethroned - 3.5 (6.9)
5. Honey's Dead - 3 (6.3)
We have similar views of this band. Our ratings and rankings are almost identical. Nice work. Cheers!
7. Automatic (1989) 2.5/5
6. Honey's Dead (1992) 2.5/5
5. Damage And Joy (2017) 3/5
4. Munki (1998) 3/5
3. Darklands (1987) 3.5/5
2. Stoned & Dethroned (1994) 4/5
1. Psychocandy (1985) 4.5/5
@@curly_wyn I with you on Automatic and Honey's Dead, but for me killer guitars on both albums saved them quite a bit. If guitar playing weren't that good, they easily would be 2 stars range, based on songs wise.
@@RostyslavLogachov Tbh, I was wrong about Darklands and Automatic. They’re both awesome and easily my favorite and second favorite JMC albums respectively now. 😊
I was a fan when I first heard them 84/85, 'Darklands' & 'Psychocandy' are easily my favourite two but all the others have their moments...
1. Darklands,
2. Psychocandy,
3. Automatic,
4. Stoned & Dethroned,
5. Honey's Dead,
6. Damage & Joy,
7. Munki,
07) Psychocandy (2.5 stars)
06) Damage and Joy (3.25 stars)
05) Munki (4.25 stars)
04) Automatic (4.25 stars)
03) Darklands (4.5 stars)
02) Stoned & Dethroned (5 stars)
01) Honey's Dead (5 stars)
0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst
.5 stars - terrible
1 star - bad
1.5 stars - pretty bad
2 stars - fair
2.5 stars - meh
2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it."
3 stars - OK/decent
3.25 stars - pretty good
3.5 stars - good
4 stars - very good
4.5 stars - excellent
5 stars - blowup girl and some LSD
notes:
* I was never much of a fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain until Honey's Dead came along and then I went ga ga. I have a lot of history listening to Honey's Dead and Stoned & Dethroned which must have something to do with why I rate and rank them so high.
* This band is very druggy and a little sleazy. Very druggy sound, quite dark but with plenty of sweetness and light shining through as well.
* Psychocandy is the ultimate J&MC album for many. But for me it's just too noisy. In most of these songs there is an oppressive wall of noise and feedback that is just not very musical (although sometimes it is in subtle ways). There is a difference between "heavy" and "harsh," and most of these songs are just too harsh. I do like the metallic textures and there's some good (if rather primitive) songs underneath, but the noise is just too much. If this is your thing, I could see why the other albums just don't do it for you like this one does.
* The absence of the "wall of noise" on their second album Darklands is most welcome. But I never got turned on to this album back in the day. I thought it should be "dark" like the title says and I found the singles were not so dark. But revisiting the album for this list was a pleasure - lots of 5-star songs. There is darkness too, plenty of druggy vibes and lyrics about death. "Fall" has a classic alt-rock drum beat that would go on to be quite popular with bands like The Breeders.
* My first impression of Automatic back in the day was that it was indeed "automatic" as in "just going through the motions." I have since gotten over that notion though. Automatic sounds quite good. It sports that classic alt-rock beat on many of these songs - too many in fact - it gets pretty stale towards the end of the album. The Reid brothers were using drum machines at this point and probably could have used a live drummer. "Drop" and "Sunray" were added to the CD but the album (vinyl) is better without them. "UV Ray" is noisy but it's done quite effectively.
* Honey's Dead is just kick ass. It retains their heavy, distorted guitar sound and mixes it with alternative dance beats. There's just the right amount of controlled noise and it sounds so cool. Some songs are kinda like early Brit pop at times with a tasty harder edge. I used to skip the first and last tracks because I thought all that crap about wanting to "die like Jesus Christ" and JFK was them trying too hard to sound cool and edgy - it was a turnoff. I've gotten over that though, thanks to a conversation I had with a fellow fan. Now I just see it as sort of like campy black humor and I can dig it.
* Stoned & Dethroned is just a great mellow acoustic album to put on and chill out with. Loads of melodic 5-star songs. Not a single weak track - nothing under 4 stars.
* Munki finds the band changing things up a bit with some unusual instrumentation and experiments along with their usual distorted guitars. I like the way they play with sound and distorted voices a bit between songs. "Perfume" with Hope Sandoval is brilliant and hypnotic. "Moe Tucker" is like surf electronica while "Cracking Up" gets a bit Brit-poppy. There's some horns on a few of these songs, some weird piano. Some of their themes are getting a bit tired though.
* Damage and Joy unfortunately has some things working against it. On Spotify, Amazon Music and UA-cam, the album is only available in a deluxe version with a mixed up running order sprinkled with bonus cuts instead of tacking them on the end. So annoying! Obviously this screws up the listening experience from what was originally intended. I ended up skipping around on my own to replicate the original running order. What's worse, the opening track is censored even though it's labelled "explicit." I fucking hate censorship! A lot of these songs were previously released in other forms under other names. "War on Peace" drags too much to be the second track. "Song for a Secret" reminds me of "Sometimes Always" while "The Two of Us" reminds me of Modern Lovers. Quite a few times J&MC melodies sound "familiar," but I'm not going to go too far down that rabbit hole into what song sounds like what. One of these songs rhymes "guy" with "guy." Not the first time they have done something like that. Some of these lyrics are really fucked up:
"I killed Kurt Cobain
I put the shot right through his brain
And his wife gave me the job
Cuz I'm a big, fat, lying slob"
"Facing up to the facts" has the line "Can't find a hole I can put my erection." Not a great song but the cool guitar saves it.
* Cheers mates!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent commentary, Rich.
@@NaughtyVampireGod Thanks NVG!
Psychocandy that low??
@@curly_wyn 2.5 does seem a little harsh. Everybody comes at these artists from their own angle, though, and that's what makes it fun.
@@curly_wyn Crazy, huh?
Fantastic review of Pscyhocandy by Kramz.
I love both psychocandy AND darklands. and stoned.
Automatic is a Great Album......contributed to saving mah life in 1991.
I’m glad! I especially love the rare track Terminal Beach; it has such a wonderfully bittersweet melody!
F'ing A man automatic is a great album! I was fortunate enough to see JAMC on that tour. After the show I met jim and william and try to engage in a conversation with them. Their scotish accent was so thick i couldn't understand a f'ing thing they were saying! lol . So I just nodded my head told them I loved their music and got their autograph.
I could rank my top five in almost any order but today this will do.
7.Damage and Joy - seems a bit by the numbers and bland
6. Munki
5.Automatic
4.Psychocandy
3 Stoned and Dethroned
2.Darklands
1.Honey's Dead (My entry point so my love for it is in part nostalgia)
The Power Of Negative Thinking and Barbed Wire Kisses are worthwhile compilations.
If I'm being honest, nostalgia has something to do with my appreciation of Honey's Dead.
1. Darklands 8
2. Psychocandy 8
3. Automatic 7.75
4. Stoned & Dethroned 7.5
5. Honey's Dead 7.25
6. Munki 7
7. Damage & Joy 6.5
They're more a singles band to me. Their sound is very cool but some melodies are quite similar and I don't enjoy their albums that much from start to finish.
They were quite influential but their sound isn't really that original. They mixed VU with bubble gum pop or The Ramones on slow motion with VU.
They have a bunch of great songs but what prevents them from being a top band for me is that they don't really connect with me at an emotional or intelectual level. It's candy for the ears that I dig while it sounds but it's easily forgotten afterwards. The impact is most of the times too superficial.
Their discography is quite consistent. I don't think they ever released a bad album.
Now let's listen to what you have to say
Kramzer has it pretty much nailed. I don’t see the over and over reference to Depeche Mode. If I was going to rank their albums, I don’t think I could because the first several albums (and best ones) are perfect for different moods. When I am mellow and maybe down a bit, Darklands works, when I want to appreciate musical genius, it’s Psychocandy. Automatic for a rocking mood, and I feel like Honey’s Dead is them hitting the middle. One of the best bands of all time.
01 Psychocandy
02 Honeys Dead
03 Darklands
04 Barbed Wire (even if it’s a Bsides compilation)
05 Automatic
06 Munky
07 Stoned
08 Damage
As with the pixies, i own the first 4 albums.
I share Jasons opinion, altough i respect psychocandy, i like the more clear sounding albums.
But it also depends on moods and every once in a while that psychocandy mood just hits the spot.
It’s great that even the lowest ranked record is “pretty good.”
I like the cover art for the album Honey's Dead... a splendid one....
1: Honeys Dead
2: Psychocandy
3: Munki
4: Barbed Wire Kisses
5: Automatic
6: Damage and Joy
7: Stoned and Dethroned
8: Darklands
None of the albums are bad btw
Please do a ranking of Kinks’ albums 🙏
you really got to do a discography listening of BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, it's modern Jesus and Mary Chain
For those old enough to remember: The first LP was heralded by three remarkable singles that in hindsight already told everything the band ever had to tell. When Psychocandy was released, it felt like just more of the same (It gained its status mostly from those who missed the beginning...). After all, they were one-trick ponies and the trick was not even their own.
7. Stoned & Dethroned 3,0 (There was a change of trick from one Lou Reed to the other Lou Reed aspect but then the new one was repeated over and over, 17!! times.)
6. Honey's Dead 3,0 (The previous album was called Automatic and this one just felt like it.)
5. Automatic 3,0 (The album title turned out to be prophetic.)
4. Darklands 3,5 (The drum machine announces a band becoming automatic.)
3. Damage and Joy 3,5 (A good summary of the better aspects of the band - but not really an album.)
2. Psychocandy 3,5 (Halfway through the record you already know everything there is to know about the band and it gets very repetitive - just, the formula is simply too good to skip it and you hang on until the end.)
1. Munki 4,0 (Far from perfect and too long but it captures their vision - if you call it that - better than their earlier releases. Song writing was never their trump card, however some songs here are their best.)
Munki is all over the place, but it's such a fun record. Not their best, but it's a unique record.
My Top 5 of The Jesus & Mary Chain - # 1 - Darklands # 2 Automatic # 3 Stoned & Dethroned #4 Honeys Dead # 5 Psychocandy - The Press went berserk for Psychocandy back in 1985 & the album failed to live up to the hype. The best stuff was on B-Sides.
I have the same memory about Psychocandy - it were the singles and B-sides prior to the album that put the band on the map, the album itself just cashed from the preview.
The fuzz pedal used by William Reid in the Psychocandy is a Japanese one and, yes, it's intentional. It's still my second favorite album, and Darklands is greatly matured in textures and poetics compared to the first.
1. Darklands
2. Darklands
3. Darklands
4. Darklands
Nice one. I used to be really into noise pop and shoegaze in my late teens, and Psychocandy was like the crown jewel of all albums. However, I understand why Jason ranks it that low. If you don't like that style of music/sound it can probably be pretty annoying or not be that interesting.
7. Munki (1998) ★★★
6. Stoned & Dethroned (1994) ★★★
5. Damage and Joy (2017) ★★★½
4. Honey's Dead (1992) ★★★★
3. Automatic (1989) ★★★★
2. Darklands (1987) ★★★★½
1. Psychocandy (1985) ★★★★½
★★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★★½ - Really great
★★★★ - Great
★★★½ - Really good
★★★ - Good
★★½ - OK
★★ - Bad
★½ - Really bad
★ - Awful
½ - The worst
My new ranking:
1. Darklands (1987) = 5/5 stars
2. Automatic (1989) = 5/5 stars
3. Psychocandy (1985) = 5/5 stars
4. Stoned and Dethroned (1994) = 4.5/5 stars
5. Honey’s Dead (1992) = 4/5 stars
6. Damage and Joy (2017) = 3.5/5 stars
7. Munki (1998) = 3.5/5 stars
*I was very much wrong about Darklands l and especially Automatic. They kick ass, and the more hi-fi sound works the best for them. Badass stuff all-round! 🖤🤗
I heard a lot of them on WXRT Chicago... one of those bands. This was before 1995.
The whole point of automatic is that it’s a post industrial record by the Jesus and Mary chain
I Saw them in Benicassim in 98. Williams drunk and discussing with the crew and Jim sit an singing bored. Was one of the BEST concerts in my Life!!
The worst concert I ever went to was a The Jesus and Mary Chain's gig back in 1992 in Madrid.
They showed up so late that the crowd was really angry at that time. But when they left barely 25 minutes after without the minimum attempt to please or connect with the audience, people just went crazy. Things flew around, the stage got badly damaged, boos, screams...
Sounds Incredible!
Even the bulls refused to fight that day.
There was a lot of this in the UK, they would do 20 minute sets early in their career. They just didn't have the material yet. So people who had paid good money and travelled far were understandably a bit cross, and it would kick off. Unfortunately a certain element really liked this any it would happen at every gig. So much so nowhere would let them perform. It all died down when they were able to perform longer sets.
I know nothing about them and so I checked for music videos. the first one I found was "Just Like Honey" which is a pretty decent shoegaze type of song. The other two songs I checked weren't really my thing though. I may listen to an album at some point though.
JAMC Kicks ASS! Darklands, Automatic, pychocandy, don't forget get the rollercoaster ep which had 4 great songs, silverblade, lowlife and they did a cover of tower of song by Leonard Cohen that was pretty f'ing awesome.
Favorite band of all time.
1. Automatic
2. Darklands
3. Munki
4. Honey's Dead
5. Psychocandy
6. Stoned & Dethroned
8. Damage & Joy
I adore b-side albums- Barbed Wire Kisses, Sound of Speed, and Hate Rock N Roll.
ryan is a real fan
I am double your age. And i remember vividly when Psychocandy came out and literally saved me. i grew up in the 80ties and absolutely hated it. It was such a relief to see that something like this album could exist and it was a way out of my escapism to 60s and 50s music (which i still love by the way). To me it is within the top ten albums of all time. Automatic might have been as good, had it been recorded with a fitting drummer. Bobby Gillespies Mo Tucker style drumming on Psychocandy is massively underrated and a huge part of the magic of this album. Aside from that i am pleasantly surprised that this music is still discussed today and seems to have kept some relevance.
You’re 80 and were into Psychocandy when it came out?!?
@@TastesLikeMusic I'm not 80. Just wouldn't have thought you're 40. You kept yourself well.
Will be a JAMC fan till I die, one of my favorite bands
Munki is like that vu album "another view"...
Yes, yes, yes!
From a JAMC obsessive...
Great albums: Psychocandy, Automatic, Honey's Dead
Good albums: Darklands, Stoned & Dethroned, Munki
Bad album (though with a few decent songs): Damage & Joy
Two important recommendations:
1. JAMC is best under the influence of cannabis.
2. Don't neglect their off-album work. It's some of their best stuff.
Do the Grateful Dead
I'm excited about this list cause I've only heard a few songs from them and have been wanting to get into them more. so om going to watch this video and see what's up and might do th>er discrophy as well
You guys were definitely forgetting plenty of artists like these guys for the battle royal in the 90s.
Maybe because they are Scottish and not English? Still Britain/UK. Although Europe vs USA would be fairer, its definitely crazy the UK won the 70s and 80s and 60s for Kram, with the population difference. I still think the USA is slightly better just not a landslide. Britrock, new wave, shoegaze/dreamhop and trip hop are so cool. I'd say the UK EASILY take the 60s though, if you list all the artists down.
One shitty thing about youtube - you can sort comments by "newest first" but not "oldest first." Should be able to sort them oldest first. They blew it!😆
And drummer Bobby Gillespie went on to (IMO) greener pastures, which is a segue for a request to a spotlight on PRIMAL SCREAM!!!
Please.
@Jason
The Bears vs Darklands...the funny coincidence is that I just listened to the Belew album yesterday and it is nice (3,5 stars, just like Darkland) but I thought all the time that it was very close to an XTC album (probably the reason why you like it that much?). Both albums for me have in common that they are derivative and add too little own personality to their respective sources.
Even if I am not putting them on the same pedestal that you do, it would be hard to rank them against each other, it is really a "listener's mood of the day" kind of decision.
Jason's comment on Head On: "i like the Pixies version." what an idget.
Im 54. I brought Mary Chain to my little Canadian town in 85/86. The greatest band of my life not just my youth. Introduced our wedding party to Head on playing in the back ground. I cant even explain what the video or news clips, magazine articles etc meant to me back when I was a young teenager.......the music video Never Understand was my anthem. I remember thinking at 15 yrs old they were the ultimate coolest band!!!
Kram gets it.
I guess?
Now you've done JAMC why don't you do Spacemen 3? Probably even more influential. Oh yeah and where's Barbed Wire Kisses? It's a comp but there's rare and unreleased stuff on it so I reckon it counts.
Comps never count
@@TastesLikeMusic That's me told then, eh. Would still be interested in a Spacemen review.
The Jesus & Mary Chain albums ranked & ratings:
#7 Stoned and Dethroned [1994] ⭐⭐⭐
#6 Damage and Joy [2017] ⭐⭐⭐½
#5 Munki [1998] ⭐⭐⭐½
#4 Psychocandy [1985] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#3 Honey's Dead [1992] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#2 Darklands [1987] ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
#1 Automatic [1989] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yes. Automatic IS number 1.
@@NaughtyVampireGod my #2 but still 5/5 stars! 🤩
Psychocandy and dark lands, nothing much else worth listening to there.
Psychocandy sounds like a name for drugs.
The noise on Psychocandy just ruins it for me. I like noise done creatively but this is just an unrelenting wall of noise - noise for the sake of noise.
I listened to Tupac once. I wish he didn't rap - just ruined it
The best band that Scotland ever vomited out😎
If you've only listened to Munki 4 times, and Damage and Joy twice, you probably shouldn't be ranking them. Ranking psychocandy that low is criminally, morally, and spiritually batshit insane. You have no soul. What's wrong with Honey's Dead's cover?
Not finding a lot to agree with here.
Okay, the fact that Psychocandy is number 6 on Jason's list makes me ill. Come on dude....are you trying to be difficult on purpose???? lmao
JAMC are like vodka ,, gets you there quick ,, no fucking about !
So controversial Jason! 🥸👍
I was crackin up when Jason mentioned Honey's Dead had the worst album cover ever lol. I always thought they were going for "creepy" with that one. But it never occurred to me to consider it lame. Guess he's got a point though.
The album cover for Honey's Dead is fine. Weird & ghostly. She's dead, I guess . .
I guess I'm in the middle. It's not an awful cover but it's aslo not great. I'm generally not a huge fan of cover art that takes the album title literally.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 An album cover art video or two would be fun . .
Keep in mind that Jason is a massive Dinosaur Jr. fan, so he has tons of experience in dealing with horrible album covers. Two of his AOTY winners, Where You Been and Hand It Over, are masterclasses in terrible artwork.
@@echosmyron1278 Yeah, I think he would have to admit that.
Nobody thinks like me that Honey's dead is the BEST álbum?
I do!
Have you done primal scream?!
Have not
@@TastesLikeMusic would be very interesting a band it always takes me more than 1 listen of an album to appreciate. I think the only album I didn't feel that way with was screamadelica liked it from the off...
i like Munki and Darklands the best.
Honey's dead is my least favorite.
Best single ,, never understanding !
stoned and dethroned has to be their weakest...
Amputation from D&J sounds great live. Definitely disagree with Jason's list.
Damage and Joy is not one of their better albums, but Presidici (Et Chapaquiditch) is one of their better tracks.
It's very good but I like Mood Rider and Blues and Greens better. And on that song, they lazily rhyme "guy" with "guy."
@@179rich I like the lyrics, splintered shards, but amusing. But from now on I will give it a demerit for rhyming "guy" with "guy." That is lazy. Thanks.
Unrelated...Porcupine Tree Listography - how do you treat the band's beginning? There were some casettes, then they were signed and made a compilation from the tapes (mainly just Wilson alone), then they put out Up the Downstair, which may be the first band album even if not the debut...So, I have 10 albums from them but I am not sure that it covers it?
We'll probably count On the Sunday of Life as the first. So it will be 11 albums when the new album comes out that week. -Jason
@@TastesLikeMusic I assume my different count is due to Metanoia - no loss for me to leave that crap out.