Customer Reviews

Sound of Speed

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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If you are a fan of the Mary Chain, and still sitting on the fence about buying this record, let me assure you- the extended remix of 'Sidewalking' is not only worth the price of the disc, it may be the finest piece of music (or noise) ever recorded by JAMC. The rest of the album is hit or miss by Mary Chain standards, and certainly not the tour de force of Barbed Wire Kisses (the only B-sides collection, aside from the new Nick Cave compilation, to actually equal or surpass many of the band's regular LPs). That being said, a hit or miss record by the Mary Chain is head and shoulders better than most platinum selling pop records of the past 15 years. Whereas the witty cynicism of a song like 'Write, Record, Release Blues' is not lost on me, that doesn't make up for the fact that it is still a basically boring tune, but then you run into unabashed genius in the likes of 'Penetration,' 'Snakedriver,' or the ever-creepy, yet always appealing 'Teenage Lust.' Right about then, you remember why great bands like the Pixies were looking up to the Reid brothers back in the late 80's, and you walk away smiling because you still dig Leonard Cohen, so the arthritic humor of 'Tower of Song' suddenly seems alot funnier than it did when you were sixteen. After all of that, you probably owe it to yourself to buy the record, but you certainly owe it to the brothers Reid, for all they did to save your teenage soul.

The first one being, of course, Barbed Wire Kisses; their first collection of b-sides and covers. While that one was brilliant but inconsistent, this one is consistently good throughout. "Guitarman" (formerly found on 'The Last Temptation of Elvis' tribute album), "My Girl", and Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" (excellent version) represent the latest batch of covers, but even the originals this time around are fairly solid.

"Something I Can't Have" picks up where "Rollercoaster" left off. "Don't Come Down" sounds like a forgotten A-side of 'Honey's Dead', and the remix of "Sidewalking" is more fun than Nick Cave's last four albums combined.

If nothing else, it's worth picking up just to avoid blowing your cash on the inordinate amount it would require to collect all the individual singles.

This was the best music I had ever heard and I still love to listen to all these songs day by day through years and decades. Well, I'm glad to say I have turned to be JAMC fan with many other albums they scored.

The Jesus and Mary Chain (JMC) is one of truly great unappreciated bands. This album strikes me as something for the real fans only--I don't think this one will appeal to the masses. There's a blistering extended version of Reverence near the begining of the album, which by itself would have been enough for me to buy this album. There's several other bright spots--"Something I Can't Have" is reminiscent (but still distinct) of "Tumbeldown". JMC does good remakes of "Tower of Song" and "Guitarman," but their remake of "My Girl" is a little too strange for even diehard fans like myself. If you like JMC, buy this album. If you don't know JMC, start with "Honey's Dead," "Automatic," or "Stoned and Dethroned" before you buy this one.

This is the best record from Jesus&Mary Chain. It shows their electric and acoustic kind of sounds in the start of their career. An excelent collection of rarities and b-sides.
Great piece of Non-Mainstream Rock.

IT'S PRETTY AMAZING WHEN YOUR FAVORITE BAND THROWS SOMETHING AT YOU SO PERFECT YOU FIND THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN ABSORB IT ALL IN A FEW LISTENS.NOT ONLY ARE THE LYRICS EXPOSING AS TO HOW THE REID BROTHERS HAVE BEEN SPENDING THEIR SPARE TIME,BUT THE MOOD SWINGS BETWEEN "SOMETIMES" (MY PERSONAL FAVORITE) AND "DON'T COME DOWN" ARE DELIGHTFULLY FULLFILLING.FROM "PSYCHOCANDY" TO "MUNKI" THIS ONE IS TRULY A COLLECTORS DREAM.