The Jesus And Mary Chain are set to release their new collection ‘Upside Down’ on November 15th.
Mixing feedback with sweet pop melodies, The Jesus And Mary Chain introduced a new, feral brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Dressed in black, their hair fluttering over their eyes the band were at once iconic and threatening.
Centred on the Reid brothers, The Jesus And Mary Chain helped pioneer the shoegaze sound with their debut album ‘Psychocandy’ before beginning to experiment.
Along the way the band would incorporate country, soul, blues and electronic influences while using a multitude of drummers. Later becoming elder statesmen in British rock music, The Jesus And Mary Chain returned to Creation for one final, corrosive and controversial, blast against the industry.
Splitting 1998, the band are now set to be celebrated on a 2-CD best of. ‘Upside Down’ collects key tracks from over two decades, including their seismic singles and a number of rare B-sides and live cuts.
The new compilation coincides with the documentary ‘Upside Down: The Story Of Creation Records’ which includes plenty of the band’s material. The new 2-CD album is named after the group’s debut single, and charts their highs and lows.
The Jesus And Mary Chain took their uncompromising sound into the Top Ten, earning a Top Of The Pops appearance in the process. Briefly reforming in 2008, two rare new recordings are available on ‘Upside Down’.
Early B-side ‘Vegetable Man’ is also made available while rare tributes such as ‘Moe Tucker’ are also on show. The band are now more relevant than ever, with groups such as Vivian Girls and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club openly admitting their debt to the Scottish feedback fetishists.
‘Upside Down’ could not be more timely, combining those fuzz drenched early cuts with those later songwriting experimentation.
‘Upside Down: The Best Of The Jesus And Mary Chain’ is out on November 15th.
