JAMC's early gigs have become the stuff of legend in underground circles. Playing in front of small audiences, the band earned their notoriety by playing very short gigs, some lasting no more than ten minutes and consisting of a constant wall of feedback and distortion. The group became know as well for playing with their backs to the audience and refusing to speak to them. Many shows culminated with the Reids trashing their equipment, which was often followed by the audience rioting. All of this delighted manager and Creation Records boss Alan McGee, who obviously found it very easy to get attention for the band, as well as aliened more commercially-minded music business figures.
Their debut single, "Upside Down", came out in 1984 on Creation, but they signed to the WEA-backed Blanco y Negro the following year. Said label released their debut album, titled 'Psychocandy', which fused together the Reid's two primary influences, the guitar noise and avant-garde rock of The Velvet Underground with the 60s pop leanings of Phil Spector and The Beach Boys. It included songs such as the indie sensation "Just Like Honey". The record divided many music fans due to its deliberately abrasive sound yet still received positive critical reviews and is now considered a landmark recording in the history of alternative music.
Gillespie left the band before the next album, 'Darklands, came out, going on to front Primal Scream. He was briefly replaced by John Moore (later of Black Box Recorder), before former Biff Bang Pow! drummer Dave Evans. The aforementioned 'Darklands' also received supportive reviews, and it showed a less noisy and more contemplative sound that was welcomed by both many post-punk fans and many mainstream rock fans. Notable songs from that period include "April Skies" and "Happy When It Rains".
Albums
# Psychocandy (November 1985)
# Darklands (September 1987)
# Automatic (September 1989)
# Honey's Dead (March 1992)
# Stoned & Dethroned (1994)
# Munki (June 1998)
# Damage and Joy (2017)
Plus the following - (sessions, singles, b-sides, live recordings et cetera)
# Barbed Wire Kisses (April 1988)
# The Sound of Speed (1993)
# Hate Rock N' Roll (1995)
# 21 Singles (2002)
# BBC Live in Concert (2003)
# The Complete John Peel Sessions (2003)
# The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities (2008)
For the iconic indie label Sub Pop, the band recorded 1998's 'Munki' album, which would turn out to be their last before splitting the following year. The album is often thought of as sounding 'divided' due to the Reids' crumbling relationship. Jim Reid has recalled: "Me and William weren't really getting along at all. That last year we barely even spoke. 'Munki' is one of my favorite albums, but it was really divided. William would go into the studio with the rest of the band and record while I wasn't there, and then I'd go in with them when William wasn't there."
William Reid then recorded as the artist Lazycame. Brother Jim formed the band Freeheat, which disbanded in 2003. Jim Reid is currently recording solo material and he has, to date, recorded and released one single Song For A Secret which was released on Transistor Records.
Like some of their influences such as Dee Dee Ramone, Lee Hazelwood, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, throughout their career the boys were rumored to have ongoing substance abuse issues, which may have contributed to their notoriety. They reportedly dabbled in regular use of things like amphetamines and heroin, which made for lyrical reference in songs like Some Candy Talking and the album title Stoned & Dethroned.
Despite not having huge commercial success, they've gone on to influence a range of other music groups such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Butthole Surfers, My Bloody Valentine, and Spacemen 3.
The Jesus and Mary Chain reunited to play at the Coachella Festival on April 27, 2007, followed by two more shows in Spain at the Summercase Festival. More shows followed in late 2007 and early 2008 in London.
Calling themselves 'Sister Vanilla' an LP, Little Pop Rock, was released in 2007 and reunites the brothers along with their sister, Linda, singing on most tracks.
Damage And Joy is the brand new studio album by The Jesus And Mary Chain, released on March 24th, 2017.
Other personnel;
Richard Thomas (drums 1988-1990)
Ben Lurie (bass/rhythm guitar/backing vocals 1989-1998)
Steve Monti (drums 1990-1995)
Matthew Parkin (bass 1992)
Barry Blackler (drums 1992)
Nick Sanderson (drums 1993-1998)
Mark Crozer (rhythm guitar 2007-now)
Loz Colbert (drums 2007-now)
JAMC singer Jim Reid is name-checked in the 2017 song "Lollipop (Ode to Jim)" by Canadian band Alvvays which begins "I saw Jim Reid in the corridor.." and contains other allusions to JAMC themes.
http://thejesusandmarychain.uk.com/
On the Wall
The Jesus and Mary Chain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not in a hole
And I can't see anyway
Just like a doll
I am one foot tall
But dolls can't see anyway
The frozen stare
The clothes and hair
Tied to a door
Chained to a floor
An hour glass grain of sand
Life in a sack is coming back
I'm like the clock on the wall
Swim in the sea
Swim inside me
But you can't swim far away
I never grew
Covered up by you
And nothing grows anyway
Life in a sack is coming back
I'm like the clock on the wall
The song "On the Wall" by The Jesus and Mary Chain tackles the theme of feeling trapped and restricted, much like a doll or a small person stuffed in a place without any escape. In the first verse, the singer compares himself to a mole who can't see any way out of the hole. He then compares himself to a doll that can't see anything either, even though his stare is frozen, and he wears clothes and hair like a man. The singer feels tied to a door and chained to a floor, like an hourglass grain of sand, meaning that his freedom and time are limited.
The chorus uses a metaphor of swimming, stating that despite being small, it's still possible to swim in the vast ocean that is inside us, meaning that it's possible to feel limitless in our thoughts and ideas. However, the last two verses talk about feeling stuck and stagnant, covered up by someone else as if they were preventing growth. The lyrics 'life in a sack is coming back, I'm like the clock on the wall' refer to how the singer feels like his freedom and time are slipping away, much like the clock on the wall whose hands keep moving steadily.
Line by Line Meaning
Unlike the mole
I am not holed up in the darkness like a mole, but that doesn't mean I can see a way out of my situation.
I'm not in a hole
I am not confined to a specific space, but I still feel limited in what I can perceive.
And I can't see anyway
I am aware of my own lack of vision and clarity, and it frustrates me.
Just like a doll
I feel like a lifeless object, unable to move or take action on my own.
I am one foot tall
Physically, I am small and insignificant, but my lack of stature mirrors my internal feelings of powerlessness.
But dolls can't see anyway
Even though dolls have eyes, they can't truly see or comprehend the world around them - just like I feel I can't.
The frozen stare
My expression is blank and impenetrable, revealing nothing of what's going on inside me.
The clothes and hair
My outward appearance is groomed and presentable, but it doesn't reflect the turmoil I feel inside.
These make me taste like a man
My external characteristics seem to align with a stereotypical version of masculinity, but it's all for show.
Tied to a door
I feel trapped and unable to escape my current circumstances.
Chained to a floor
I am held down by the weight of my own issues, unable to break free and move on.
An hour glass grain of sand
Time is passing me by faster than I can keep track of, to the point where it seems insignificant and irrelevant.
Life in a sack is coming back
The problems and struggles that I thought I had left behind are resurfacing, and I'm forced to confront them once again.
I'm like the clock on the wall
I feel like an inanimate object, just like the clock that hangs on the wall - unable to affect the course of time or make any meaningful impact.
Swim in the sea
There's a vast ocean of thoughts and emotions inside me that I can barely comprehend, much less navigate.
Swim inside me
I'm inviting someone else to explore the depths of my psyche, but I'm also hesitant and unsure about what they might find.
But you can't swim far away
Even if someone tries to help me, they can't truly escape from the confines of my mind and the issues that plague me.
I never grew
I feel stuck and stagnant, like I haven't matured or developed in any meaningful way despite the passage of time.
Covered up by you
Someone in my life has been shielding me or protecting me from the world, but it's also been inhibiting my growth and progress.
And nothing grows anyway
My stunted emotional growth means that I can't move past my current situation, and everything around me seems to be at a standstill.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
r brooks williams
The intro starts off a bit like "Walk on the Wild Side".