on 2011-09-02 dscanland Said:

Sure puts my review to shame. Nicely Done Charles!
Not Rated

Review:

on 2011-09-02 CharlesMartel Said:

When this album came out it was indeed revolutionary stuff which pricked up the ears of more than a few music lovers. It combined a pop-lyric musical style, with short, somewhat depressing songs, all set against a barrage of feedback noise and sound effects. When you put this on your turntable for the first time it quite simply blew you away. This was revolutionary stuff and seemed to indicate a whole new direction for post punk, possibly even capable of taking on the bland artificiality of the new romantics. For, at the heart of it all, when all the feedback and noise was stripped away, the tracks on this album were classic format pop songs. None was over three minutes long and the themes were often about the trials and tribulations of love, though there was often a twist to them.

It is still revolutionary, but it never caught on at the time in the way it ought to have done. However, it has been hugely influential. That was perhaps because there are only so many sounds you can make with feedback, and only a certain level you can turn it up to before it drowns everything else out. Plus of course, commercially, noise does not go down to well, especially as the Reid brothers were sullen and uncommunicative bastards at the best of times. The Primitives tried the feedback path, continuing in the pop vein, with their first album "Lovely", but that was about it for this style of pop. The Jesus and Mary Chain toned the feedback down for subsequent albums, but kept the darker side of poppy music going. Unlike those who followed, they seemed unable to combine the feedback and wall of noise with a decent melody. Consequently, like all revolutions, the band rather petered out as musical innovators, sold their soul, and became part of the mainstream ten years after this album had been released. "Psychocandy" now is widely recognised as one of the truly great albums of the eighties.

But the songs on this album still have capability to turn your head and take you right back to the moment. The opener, "Just Like Honey" is not only the stand out track but it is the epitome of what the band were trying to achieve. A slow drum beat turns into a droning haze of feedback drowned guitars and then the song gets going. And at no point does it let up from there. Some songs may be more drenched in feedback than others but the collective effect is all the same. This is an album which makes you take notice of something which hitherto had been seen merely as a gremlin intent on ruining live performances through poorly balanced sound quality. The Jesus and Mary Chain had turned accident into art form.

20 years and more on, the album has become a classic and, like many revolutions before, its influence on what followed has been significant. It is still difficult to listen to though, so there is much that hasn't changed. It sparked the sound of the shoegazers that followed (My Bloody Valentine are classic examples of successful mimics) and continues to influence bands well into the 21st century  check out Asobi Seksu or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club by way of example.

Yet the music remains a testament to the brothers Reid. That they could lock themselves away and make this album, which smacks of not only non-commercial, but almost anti-commercial intent, and make a success of it speaks volumes. At the time of its release, the brothers said that they had written so many songs and played them over and over again, refining them, that "Psychocandy" seemed to them almost like a greatest hits album. I can see what they mean.

Ultimately, music as a whole benefits from albums like this. They shake you out of your lethargy and force you to (re-?) evaluate your musical tastes. Long may this album continue to slam the faces of new listeners into the walls of modernity and challenge them, nay defy them, to ignore it.
Rating: 8/10

on 2008-05-26 SolitaryMan Said:

I think it'll be the next one I check out.
Rating: 9/10

on 2008-05-26 psychoticbarber Said:

Wait til you hear Munki, SolitaryMan.
Rating: 8/10

on 2008-05-26 SolitaryMan Said:

This is the first (and only, so far) album by Jesus and Mary Chain I've heard. Prior to hearing it, my only knowledge of the band was their influence on some of my more favorite shoe gazing bands. Upon hearing it, I found it to be so much more than influential. I think it's one of the best albums of it's time, not so much for it's influence but for the fact that it's got such great songs on it.
Rating: 9/10

Review:

on 2008-05-26 psychoticbarber Said:

Psychocandy is the first release by the Scottish Jesus and Mary Chain. The album is notable for being one of the progenitors of the shoegaze genre, which is epitomized by melding vocals with guitar noise while the musicians stared at their feet. The band consisted, at the time, of Jim Reid (Vocals, Guitar), William Reid (his brother, also Vocals and Guitar), Douglas Hart (Bass), and Bobby Gillespie (Drums).

I like this album quite a bit. Obviously drug inspired, the feedback noises and building of simple parts together to form a greater whole was, for the time, revolutionary. Despite what you might think with the feedback and squealing guitars, I find this an excellent album to relax to. It's very mellow in its oddness, which is nice. Some songs definitely stick out, like "Just Like Honey" and "Taste of Cindy", they tend to be a little more upbeat, as is my wont. I'd also like to draw attention to the drumming. It's not crazy, it's not flashy, but it is just right and it cements the entire album together.

In the negative, the album can feel a bit repetitive if you're not into that sort of thing. Many songs sound somewhat similar, especially the intros of "Just Like Honey" and "Some Candy Talking" have the same feel to me. I do like this album, but I rarely listen all the way through, unless I need calming down.

This album is a little over-hyped, I think, which is not the band's fault and that's why I didn't include it in the negative. It's a great album, but I much prefer the edgier sound of Munki, their seventh and last. All things considered, this album is definitely worth checking out if you haven't, and definitely worth giving another listen if you have.
Rating: 8/10