Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 27 September 2010 | |||
Recorded | 1984-2008 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, noise pop | |||
Label | Music Club Deluxe | |||
The Jesus and Mary Chain chronology | ||||
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Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain is a greatest hits album by Scottish alternative rock band, the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released on 27 September 2010 via Music Club Deluxe. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The album contains various key tracks from the band's discography, including their singles and a number of rare B-sides, alternative versions and live cuts. [5] Rare songs featured in the albums include the band's reunion song, "All Things Must Pass", which was recorded for the television series "Heroes" in 2008, an alternative version of "33 1/3", "45 RPM", which appeared on 104.9: An XFM Compilation Album and a re-recording of "The Hardest Walk", which originally appeared on the soundtrack of "Some Kind Of Wonderful". [6] [7]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Daily Express | [8] |
The Quietus | favourable [9] |
The Skinny | [10] |
Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating: "Upside Down might seem like too much for casual fans, but it retails for the price of a single disc and functions as a thorough, accurate representation of the band’s discography." [7] PJ Meiklem of The Skinny wrote: "The evolution between 1984’s debut single Upside Down and All Things Must Pass (the only new material released since reforming in 2007) may be clear, but it’s not so marked as to drag you through a 44-song-journey to chart it." [10]
Julian Marszalek of The Quietus praised the album, commenting: "Splendidly mastered to boost the fuzz that fizzes throughout the Jesus and Mary Chain’s three chord gems, Upside Down… is a great introduction for anyone seeking an alternative to received wisdom erroneously taken as fact, as well as a timely reminder of Reidian greatness for any lapsed apostles." [9] Johnny Dee of Classic Rock magazine also wrote: "unchronological, Upside Down doesn’t tell the story of The Mary Chain’s transformation from Creation Records agent provocateurs to gothic pop stars to rock’n’roll class act. Instead it darts between eras and demonstrates the breadth of their career." [11]
Robert Spellman of Daily Express described the album as "a useful 44-track gathering of JAMC material spanning the Reid brothers' recording output from 1984 to 2008." [8]
All tracks are written by Jim Reid and William Reid, except where noted
No. | Title | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Just Like Honey" | Psychocandy | |
2. | "April Skies" | Darklands | |
3. | "Blues from a Gun" | Automatic | |
4. | "Far Gone and Out" | Honey's Dead | |
5. | "Some Candy Talking" | Some Candy Talking EP | |
6. | "Come On" | Stoned & Dethroned | |
7. | "Head On" | Automatic | |
8. | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" | Munki | |
9. | "All Things Must Pass" | Heroes: Original Soundtrack | |
10. | "Reverence" | Honey's Dead | |
11. | "Sidewalking" | Non-album single | |
12. | "Cracking Up" | Munki | |
13. | "Upside Down" | Non-album single | |
14. | "Never Understand" | Psychocandy | |
15. | "The Hardest Walk" | Some Kind of Wonderful (film) | |
16. | "Happy When It Rains" | Darklands | |
17. | "Sometimes Always" | Stoned & Dethroned | |
18. | "The Perfect Crime" | Sometimes Always | |
19. | "Almost Gold" | Honey's Dead | |
20. | "Darklands" | Darklands | |
21. | "45 RPM" | 104.9: An XFM Compilation Album | |
22. | "Head" | Just Like Honey |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Half Way To Crazy" | Automatic | ||
2. | "You Trip Me Up" | Psychocandy | ||
3. | "Rollercoaster" | Rollercoaster EP | ||
4. | "Birthday" | Munki | ||
5. | "Happy Place" | Happy When It Rains | ||
6. | "Something I Can't Have" | Sound of Speed | ||
7. | "I Hate Rock 'n' Roll" | Munki | ||
8. | "Tower of Song" (Leonard Cohen cover) | Leonard Cohen | Rollercoaster EP | |
9. | "Vegetable Man" (Pink Floyd cover) | Syd Barrett | Upside Down | |
10. | "In A Hole" | Psychocandy | ||
11. | "Kill Surf City" | April Skies | ||
12. | "33 1/3" | I Hate Rock 'n' Roll | ||
13. | "Cherry Came Too" | Darklands | ||
14. | "Between Planets" | Automatic | ||
15. | "Moe Tucker" | Munki | ||
16. | "Little Stars" | Sometimes Always | ||
17. | "God Help Me" | Stoned & Dethroned | ||
18. | "New York City" | Come On | ||
19. | "Nine Million Rainy Days" | Darklands | ||
20. | "Drop" | Automatic | ||
21. | "Black" | Munki | ||
22. | "Psychocandy" | Some Candy Talking EP |
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the band since its formation. They are recognized as key figures in the development of the shoegaze and noise pop subgenres. The band recorded twelve top 40 singles and two top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart throughout their career.
Head over Heels is the second studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. The album was released on 24 October 1983 through the label 4AD. It featured the band's signature sound of "Guthrie's lush guitars under Fraser's mostly wordless vocals" and is considered an archetype of early ethereal wave music.
21 Singles is a compilation album by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, released in the United Kingdom on 27 May 2002 by Warner Strategic Marketing, and in the United States on 2 July 2002 by Rhino Records. As the title proclaims, it contains 21 of the band's singles in chronological order from their 15-year career.
Psychocandy is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released in November 1985 on Blanco y Negro Records. The album is considered a landmark recording: its combination of guitar feedback and noise with traditional pop melody and structure proved influential on the forthcoming shoegazing genre and alternative rock in general.
Barbed Wire Kisses is a compilation album by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released on 18 April 1988 by Blanco y Negro Records. The album contains singles, B-sides and rare tracks. Throughout the 1980s the band was known for their prodigious output in these formats, often in limited editions which quickly went out of print. This album collects many of those releases spanning the band's career up to that point.
Honey's Dead is the fourth studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, released in 1992 on Blanco y Negro Records. It marked a return to a more abrasive sound for the group, as well as incorporating elements of alternative dance. The title refers to one of the band's early hits, "Just Like Honey", and is intended to demonstrate a complete departure from their earlier musical style.
Munki is the sixth studio album released by Scottish rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. After leaving Blanco y Negro, the Reid brothers signed to Sub Pop in the U.S. and Creation, who had released their debut single "Upside Down" in 1984, in the UK. The origin of the album title, according to Ben Lurie in an interview with Spin magazine, was that they "wanted an un-Mary Chain-like title...It doesn't mean anything. It's just a word. Misspelled on purpose." In an interview with The Herald, Jim said that their sister Linda suggested it. This was the band's final studio album before their 8-year breakup from October 1999 to June 2007.
Automatic is the third studio album by Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain, released on 9 October 1989 by Blanco y Negro Records. The group on this record consists of the core duo of brothers William and Jim Reid, with a drum machine providing percussion and synthesised bass. The only other credited musician was Richard Thomas, who joined the touring version of the Jesus and Mary Chain as a drummer. Thomas drummed on "Gimme Hell" and was a former member of Dif Juz. He also made appearances on Cocteau Twins' 1986 album Victorialand and This Mortal Coil's 1986 album Filigree & Shadow.
"Head On" is a song written by Jim Reid and William Reid of the Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was originally recorded for the group's 1989 album Automatic and was released as a single in November 1989.
William Adam Reid is a Scottish musician, best known for being the lead guitarist, main songwriter, co-founder and occasional singer of the Scottish alternative rock band, The Jesus and Mary Chain.
"Never Understand" is the first single from the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain's debut album Psychocandy. It was the band's first release on Blanco y Negro Records and was released through them in February 1985. The song was written by William Reid and Jim Reid, and was produced by The Jesus and Mary Chain. It is considered influential for its use of guitar feedback.
"You Trip Me Up" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain from their 1985 debut album Psychocandy. The track was released as the second single from the record through Blanco y Negro Records in May 1985. The song was written by band members William Reid and Jim Reid.
"Sometimes Always" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock group the Jesus and Mary Chain and the first single from the group's album Stoned & Dethroned. Written by William Reid, the song is a duet between Jim Reid and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. The song was a moderate commercial hit in the UK while also making some noise on the alternative circuit in the US. It has since seen critical acclaim as one of the best songs from the Stoned & Dethroned album.
"Upside Down" is the debut single from the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. The song was written by William Reid and Jim Reid, and was produced by The Jesus and Mary Chain. The b-side is a cover of a Syd Barrett song and was produced by Joe Foster.
"Sidewalking" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released as a standalone single in March 1988 and included on the compilation album Barbed Wire Kisses, released in April 1988. The single is also included on their 2002 compilation album. 21 Singles. The track reflected the band's interest in hip hop and samples the drumbeat from the 1984 single "Roxanne's Revenge" by Roxanne Shante as a loop. "Sidewalking" reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart, number 20 in Ireland, and number 23 in New Zealand.
Nick Sanderson was an English musician, most famous for being the front man in Earl Brutus, and a short-term member of the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Crocodiles is a noise pop/indie pop band from San Diego, California, US. The group was formed in 2008 by core members Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell after the break-up of their former punk bands Some Girls and The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower. Crocodiles' sound has typically been likened to The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Archies, and Tommy James & The Shondells.
The Rollercoaster Tour was a 1992 co-headlining concert tour by the Scottish noise pop band the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Irish-English alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine, the English Britpop band Blur and the American indie rock band Dinosaur Jr. A two-leg 34-date tour of the United Kingdom and North America, the U.K. tour was in support of all four bands' current releases: Blur's first album Leisure (1991), Dinosaur Jr.'s fourth album Green Mind (1991), My Bloody Valentine's second album Loveless (1991) and The Jesus and Mary Chain's fourth album Honey's Dead (1992).
The Complete Vinyl Collection is a box set release by Scottish alternative rock band, The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released on 12 December 2013 via Demon Music Group, marking the band's 30th anniversary.
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