Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 348 - The JAMC

 21 Singles - The Jesus And Mary Chain

Rhino

Released July 2002

UK Chart #117

Their First Compilation was this one:

Barbed Wire Kisses (B-Sides and More) - The Jesus And Mary Chain

Blanco Y Negro

Released April 1988

UK Chart #9

US Chart #192

The Cassette and CD Version Included Four More Tracks

1 Kill Surf City    
2 Head    
3 Rider    
4 Hit    
5 Don't Ever Change    
6 Just Out Of Reach    
7 Happy Place    
8 Psycho Candy
9 Sidewalking    
10 Who Do You Love    
11 Surfin' USA    
12 Everything's Alright When You're Down    
13 Upside Down    
14 Taste Of Cindy    
15 Swing    
16 On The Wall    
17 Cracked*    
18 Here It Comes Again*    
19 Mushroom*    
20 Bo Diddley Is Jesus*

*Not on the Original Vinyl Version

Notes on Select Singles

Upside Down / Vegetable Man

Creation

November 1984

UK Indie Chart #1*

*Stayed on the chart for 76 weeks and was #1 twice.

Never Understand / Suck / Ambition

February 1985

UK Chart #47

You Trip Me Up / Just Out Of Reach / Boyfriend's Dead

May 1985

UK Chart #55

Just Like Honey / Head

September 1985

UK Chart #45

Some Candy Talking / Psychocandy / Hit

July 1986

UK Chart #13

Was released as a Limited Edition 2 x 7" pack that featured four acoustic tracks.

C1 Cut Dead (Acoustic)    
C2 Psychocandy (Acoustic)    
D1 You Trip Me Up (Acoustic)    
D2 Some Candy Talking (Acoustic)

All of these acoustic tracks were featured on the 2000 CD release of The Complete John Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit).

April Skies / Kill Surf City

April 1987

UK Chart #8

Was also released as a Limited Edition wth a Free 7"

Mushroom (Live) / Bo Diddley is Jesus

Happy When It Rains / Everything's Alright When You're Down

August 1987

UK Chart #25

It was also released on 12" with the same artwork and two additional tracks.

A Happy When It Rains (Long Version)    
B1 Everything's Alright When You're Down    
B2 Happy Place    
B3 F.Hole

There was a Limited Edition Box that contain a 3-Track 7". 

The third track was Shake.

It was also released on 10" and named an EP

A1 Happy When It Rains (Long Version)    
A2 Shake    
B1 Everything's Alright When You're Down    
B2 Happy When It Rains (Demo)

Darklands / Rider / Here It Comes Again / On The Wall (Porta Studio Demo)

10" 

October 1987

UK Chart #33

Also released as 7" and 12"

The 7" doesn't contain Here It Comes Again.

The 12" doesn't contain Here It Comes Again but includes Surfin' USA.

 

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I recall many years ago hearing someone describing what it was like listening to the debut album (Psychocandy) from East Kilbride's The Jesus And Mary Chain in this way:

"Remember when you went to the dentist and it turns out he's an absolute sadist?  He begins his treatment on you by indiscriminatly drilling your teeth without a word of warning and does not stop to  offer you any anesthetic to counteract the immense pain and misery that he has begun to inflict upon you! That's what it is like listening to Psychocandy!"

I thought that was a bit harsh on the Reid Brothers (William and Jim) but I kinda knew what the person was trying to say!

Today's choice of compilation looks back on the many brilliant single released by The Jesus And Mary Chain between 1984 and 1998. I decided also to post the first JAMC Compilation Barbed Wire Kisses (B-Sides and More) as well that covered the period between 1984-1987. I always found it funny that their first compilation would be one made up of B-Sides, rare tracks and just a couple of singles. 21 Singles released in 2002 was actually the first gathering up of the A-Sides.

Hearing them side by side like this is quite an amazing listening experience as it takes in their growth from bedroom band in East Kilbride to the big leagues of rock and roll stardom! Inbetween all of that you have classics like Upside Down and Never Understand - that sound like someone threw The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys and Ramones into a blender and instead of a smoothie you get these real rough around the edges moody pop tunes! There's these sensitive little numbers like Just Like Honey and Some Candy Talking that seem at odds with their screaching feedback infused sound.Then there's April Skies - clearly one of the greatest singles of all time if you are asking the right people! Happy When It Rains, Darklands, Sidewalking, Head On and Blues From A Gun are all magnificent as well. Blues From A Gun I especially love as William takes the vocal instead of Jim.

On the strength of songs like Far Gone And Out and Sometimes Always you would have thought that The JAMC were tearing up the charts. Sadly that was not the case, only April Skies (#8) and Reverence (#10) ever made it Top Ten and a few others just missed out on the Top Twenty (Happy When It Rains #25, Darklands #30, Far Gone And Out #23, and Sometimes Always #22). It's amazing to me that a single like Head On only reached #57! 

Four days ago it was annouced that the band will release their first album since Munki in 1998 entitled Damage and Joy and it is due March 2017. They also issued the track Amputation on their Soundcloud page.

Apologies for not providing info on all the singles included on 21 Singles, I was in a bit of a rush and thought I'd at least get a little info posted. I'm sure you can Google to your heart's content to find the info on the rest of them!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!