Feature of the month. May 2001: THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN For the third month in a row the feature will be a duo -that´s what The Jesus and Mary chain always has been despite the fact that numerous members has been a part of the band including a Mo Tucker (Velvet Underground) inspired Bobby Gillespie in the early JAMC days. Jim & William Reid formed the band in East Kilbride, Scotland in the early eighties. After years of "polishing" their concept of feedbacking guitars & classic pop melodies they got signed to Creation Records by label boss Alan McGee. This man has also signed Bobby´s band Primal Scream & other classic creation acts such as My Bloody Valentine & Oasis. What first appealed to me about the band when I first heard about them in 1987 was the cool name. I was a young teenager that was into electronic music at the time & I just saw the band´s name on a single called "April skies". I had to buy it & it was a revelation. This was the band that wanted me to buy a guitar & start writing songs. Of course, it is no co-incidence that the band I ´d later form would be called The April Tears... Most of the music writers would agree that their finest moment is their debut album "Psychocandy" but for me, I´d choose both "Darklands" & "Automatic" before that. The cool simple base, the programmed drums & the roaring guitars on top of it. Great tunes in almost always the same three chords. JAMC even made The Pixies cover their hit "Head On" at the time...just half a year after Jesus released it as a single The Pixies included their version on their new album! The Reid brothers ended the band in 1998 but I wouldn´t be too surprised if they reformed to make yet another couple of albums. If they don´t & if you for some reason haven´t listened to their music discover them through these albums: PSYCHOCANDY 1985 DARKLANDS 1987 BARBED WIRE KISSES 1988 AUTOMATIC 1989 HONEY´S DEAD 1991 THE SOUND OF SPEED 1992 STONED & DETHRONED 1994 MUNKI 1998 It´s too hard to choose any particular fave songs but if I force myself to pick five right now I´d say; "Blues from a gun" & "Head on" from Automatic, the title track from "Darklands", "Reverence" from "Honey´s dead" & "Sometimes Always" -the duet with Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star from "Stoned & dethroned". Back