Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain

Last updated

Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Upside Down best of cover.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Released27 September 2010
Recorded1984-2008
Genre Alternative rock, noise pop
Label Music Club Deluxe
The Jesus and Mary Chain chronology
The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities
(2008)
Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain
(2010)
The Complete Vinyl Collection
(2013)

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]

Contents

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]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
Daily Express Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Quietus favourable [9]
The Skinny Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [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]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jim Reid and William Reid, except where noted

Disc 1
No.TitleAlbumLength
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  
Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
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  

Personnel

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jesus and Mary Chain</span> Scottish alternative rock band

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.

<i>Head over Heels</i> (Cocteau Twins album) 1983 album by the Cocteau Twins

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.

<i>21 Singles</i> 2002 compilation album by The Jesus and Mary Chain

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.

<i>Psychocandy</i> 1985 studio album by the Jesus and Mary Chain

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.

<i>Barbed Wire Kisses</i> 1988 compilation album by The Jesus and Mary Chain

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.

<i>Honeys Dead</i> 1992 studio album by The Jesus and Mary Chain

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.

<i>Munki</i> 1998 studio album by The Jesus and Mary Chain

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.

<i>Automatic</i> (The Jesus and Mary Chain album) 1989 studio album by the Jesus and Mary Chain

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head On (song)</span> 1989 single by the Jesus and Mary Chain

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Reid (musician)</span> Musical artist

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Understand</span> 1985 single by 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Trip Me Up</span> 1985 single by The Jesus and Mary Chain

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sometimes Always</span> 1994 single by the Jesus and Mary Chain

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upside Down (The Jesus and Mary Chain song)</span> 1984 single by The Jesus and Mary Chain

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidewalking</span> 1988 single by the Jesus and Mary Chain

"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.

Rollercoaster Tour 1992 concert tour

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.

<i>A Gilded Eternity</i> 1990 studio album by Loop

A Gilded Eternity is the third studio album by the rock band Loop. Released in 1990 on Situation Two, it was a commercial success, topping the UK Indie Charts and reaching #39 on the official UK album charts.

References

  1. Cosores, Philip (21 September 2010). "The Jesus & Mary Chain releasing double-disc anthology". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  2. ""Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain" on Amazon". Amazon UK. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  3. ""Upside Down – The Best of The Jesus & Mary Chain" on Creation Records". 20 September 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  4. "Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain on Demon Music Group" . Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  5. Murray, Robin (5 October 2010). "The Jesus And Mary Chain Best Of Due". Clash . Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  6. Hudson, Alex (20 September 2010). "The Jesus and Mary Chain Receive New Best Of Set". Exclaim! . Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 Kellman, Andy. "The Jesus and Mary Chain Upside Down - The Best of the Jesus and Mary Chain". Allmusic . Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  8. 1 2 Spellman, Robert (12 December 2010). "The Jesus And Mary Chain: Upside Down: The Best Of... (Demon)". Daily Express . Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  9. 1 2 Marszalek, Julian (18 November 2010). "Reviews: The Jesus And Mary Chain - Upside Down". The Quietus . Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  10. 1 2 Meiklem, PJ (14 November 2010). "The Jesus and Mary Chain – Upside Down: The Best Of..." Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  11. Dee, Johnny (December 2010). "The Jesus And Mary Chain". Classic Rock . Retrieved 10 October 2013.