Jesus & Mary Chain | Rave and Roll Blog

April 27, 2014

David Marsden on the Rock.FM every Saturday and Sunday night from 7 p.m. until midnight. Streaming live via the Internet. Join the fun and get some interesting (and always entertaining) information at the new forum on Marsden Global. Miss a previous podcast? They are archived by Neil here: http://www.marsdentheatrearchives.com.

The complete list thanks to late-night help from JerusalemSlim:

69 Eyes – Feel Berlin
Associates – Club Country
Barclay James Harvest – She Said
Benjamin Russell – Miracle (2013)
Brian Eno/John Cale – Spinning Away
Clash – Jimmy Jive
Colourfield – Castles In The Air
Concrete Blonde – Everybody Knows
Daniel Lanois – The Maker
Daniel Usher – Black Black Heart
Danny Marks – Back To The Blues
Dave Matthews Band – Crash Into Me
David Bowie – Kooks
Dee Long – Good Night Universe
Deftones – Drive
Depeche Mode – Precious
Diamond Rings – I’m Just Me
Elliott Murphy – Thirty Was A Long Time Ago
Elvis Costello – Alison
Empire Of The Sun – Without You
Endgames – First, Last For Everything
Focal Points – Not Good Enough
Fools – Psycho Chicken
Gentleman Reg – When Heroes Change Professions
Grace Jones – Slave To The Rhythm
Hidden Cameras – Origin: Orphan
Hooters – All You Zombies
Jesus & Mary Chain – Nine Million Rainy Days
Joe Jackson – Steppin’ Out
Joe Satriani – I Believe
Leonard Cohen – Democracy
Long John Baldry – A Thrill’s A Thrill
Love and Rockets – Haunted When The Minutes Drag
Lucas Silveira – Savanna
Matthew Sweet – Dark Secret
Moby feat. Joy Malcolm – Lie Down In Darkness
Motels – Suddenly Last Summer
Muse – Panic Station
No Doubt – Easy
Peter Murphy – Our Secret Garden
Phil Lynott – Solo In Soho
Roderick Falconer – Mister Radio
Roger Waters – 5:01 AM (The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking)
Royal Canoe – Bathtubs
Scissor Sisters – Mary
Shins – It’s Only Life
Sigue Sigue Sputnik – Atari Baby
Slave To The SQUAREwave – Zombies
Stranglers – You’ll Always Reap What You Sow
Talking Heads – (Nothing But) Flowers
Tegan & Sara – Closer
Thomas D’Arcy – Talking On The Phone
Tim Cappello – I Still Believe
Tom Robinson – War Baby
Xprime – My Fair Lady
Zeus – Love/Pain

The Jesus & Mary Chain was an interesting alternative band from Scotland. They officially formed in 1983, and toured/recorded up until 1999. The founding members were brothers Jim (vocals, guitar) and William (vocals, guitar) Reid. Although classified as “alternative,” the band was heavily influenced by punk bands such as the Sex Pistols, the Stooges, and the Shangri-Las.

The brothers started out by recording and then shopping their demos. Within the first year they added band members Douglas Hart (bass) and Murray Dalglish (drums).

Jesus & Mary Chain didn’t exactly endear themselves to their audiences; their early gigs were short (at times only 20 minutes), intense, amphetamine-fueled exhibitions, often with their backs to their audiences and having no contact with them whatsoever. At one late-1984 gig, some bottles were hurled, the press blew it out of proportion, labeling the incident a “riot,” and the band was unfairly banned from playing in many venues.

Dalglish was replaced by Bobby Gillespie in 1984. This year marked a tumultuous time for Jesus & Mary Chain. There was admitted drug use and accompanying arrests. Add to this the stories of violence and band indifference during gigs, and all of these ingredients defined a long, uphill climb to success.

Things began to look up in the latter part of 1985. The band released the LP Psychocandy. They also scored appearances on John Peel, The Tube and Whistle Test, adding to their exposure. After the release of Psychocandy drummer Gillespie left the band, replaced by John Moore. No matter how hard they tried, violence followed the band to their gigs, with many sets being interrupted by bottle-throwing and smashed equipment.

The next couple of years brought more personnel changes and more brushes with violence and the law. Despite all of the obstacles, Jesus & Mary chain managed to release two more albums, Darklands and Automatic before the end of the decade. The 90’s produced 3 more collections, before the band called ti quits in 1999. They had a brief reunion in 2007.

It’s true that Jesus & Mary Chain had their hands full with controversy and internal instability, but they still created and released some seriously competitive and vital 80’s punk-influenced music. I guess it’s easy to imagine that with the proper management, and avoidance of illicit substance and violence-riddled shows, Jesus & Mary Chain would have been more wildly successful. But, it also may have made them just another 80’s sell-out hair band without any soul or substance.

In retrospect, Jesus & Mary Chain is a band that deserves more recognition. Check them out if you haven’t already. Even if you have, they are definitely worth the time to revisit.

Buy Jesus and Mary Chain music here.

Read more about Jesus & Mary Chain here.

“Head On” via YouTube user RhinoEntertainment: