THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN Reissues
Rhino (2006)
This pair of dual discs from Rhino sees The Jesus And Mary Chain get reissued. Good albums, but are they worth it? Debatable.
The band's 1985 debut Psychocandy (Rhino R2 73379) was an indie mix of pop and rock; moving on from New Wave there's a whimsical pop on some tracks contrasting with a punk crunch on others. All in that dark gothic self righteous indie way.
Opener 'Just Like Honey' was one of several singles, with most of the album potential singles.
The flip side, the DVD layer, features the album in advanced resolution, and videos to the album's 3 singles. Some real 80's kitsch, horrendous Cure like hair cuts and piss-takingly half hearted feeble non attempts and miming.
And a real opportunity lost with the extra format / space, with non of the b-sides or pre album singles. ***
Darklands (Rhino R2 73377), issued in 1987, was a more mature set, but equally their own brand of stripped back indie pop/rock. Definitely a progression that also spawned some hit singles. ***
On the surface, good albums for their scene, and nice with the official single video, but so much opportunity lost making them far from complete.
Review by Joe Geesin
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