The Jesus and Mary Chain

The Jesus and Mary Chain
The band onstage
The Jesus and Mary Chain performing in 2018
Background information
OriginEast Kilbride, Scotland
Genres
DiscographyThe Jesus and Mary Chain discography
Years active1983–1999, 2007–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websitethemarychain.com

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.[7] The band have had twelve top 40 entries and two top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart in the course of their career.

The Reid brothers recruited Douglas Hart on bass and Murray Dalglish on drums as their initial lineup. After signing to the independent label Creation Records, they released their first single "Upside Down" in 1984. Bobby Gillespie replaced Dalglish on drums, and their debut album Psychocandy was released to critical acclaim in 1985 on the major label WEA. After its release, Gillespie left the band to work on his own band Primal Scream. The band's biggest commercial success domestically was their second album Darklands, which reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart in 1987 and spawned the hit single "April Skies", peaking at No. 8 in the UK. It was the band's only top ten album. The band released their third album Automatic in 1989, which spawned their first charting singles in the US ("Blues from a Gun" and "Head On"). Hart departed from the band two years later.

The Jesus and Mary Chain then released the albums Honey's Dead in 1992 and Stoned & Dethroned in 1994, both of which continued their popularity in the US. "Sometimes Always", taken from Stoned & Dethroned, became the band's most commercially successful single in the US as it peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band departed from WEA after ten years, and then signed with Sub Pop Records in the US and re-signed with Creation Records in the UK for the release of the album Munki in 1998. The band broke up the following year as a result of an onstage altercation the year prior; William Reid prematurely left a tour after fighting with an intoxicated Jim Reid.[8] They eventually reunited in 2007, and in 2017, they released Damage and Joy, their first studio album in 19 years and seventh overall. Their next album, Glasgow Eyes, was released in 2024 and became the band's first top 10 album in the UK since 1988.[9]

  1. ^ Rotter, Joshua (2 December 2018). "The Jesus and Mary Chain Have Mellowed With Age — But Only Slightly". SF Weekly. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Jesus and Mary Chain". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  3. ^ Blistein, Jon (8 December 2016). "Jesus and Mary Chain Detail First Album in 18 Years, 'Damage and Joy'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  4. ^ George-Warren, Holly; Romanowski, Patricia, eds. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (3rd ed.). Fireside. p. 493. ISBN 0-7432-9201-4.
  5. ^ Lindsay, Cam (20 March 2017). "The Jesus & Mary Chain Are Forever Kings of Cool". Vice. Retrieved 13 May 2019. Nineteen years after their last record, the shoegaze progenitors return with 'Damage and Joy.'
  6. ^ Sailor, Emma (13 February 2018). "My Forgotten Favorite: American Shoegaze". KRUI-FM. Retrieved 13 May 2019. The result hearkens back to noisier, more aggressive shoegaze progenitors like The Jesus and Mary Chain.
  7. ^ Lindsay, Cam (21 March 2017). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Barbed Wire Disses".
  8. ^ "Jesus And Mary Chain Guitarist Splits Tour After Sibling Fight". MTV. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Elbow earn fourth Number 1 album with AUDIO VERTIGO". Official Charts. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.