9 October 2019

30 years ago, on 9 October 1989, Scottish fuzzy feedback legends THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN released their third longplayer ‘AUTOMATIC‘. The band was reduced to brothers William and Jim Reid assisted by a drum machine and a synthesizer replacing the bass guitar. The only other credited musician was Richard Thomas who joined the band as a drummer on tour. Although the critics had mixed feelings about the record’s production, in the long term ‘Automatic‘ became a fan’s favourite. With single ‘Head On‘ (later covered by Pixies) the duo even scored their most successful single in America so far back then. Overall it was one of their rockiest album ever.

Los Angeles Times wrote: “They might have hit it with their third album. The Jesus and Mary Chain still works the same few rock archetypes–blues, Velvet Underground two-chord rise and fall, Stooges grunge riffs, Ramones bubble-gum punk–and this time, the Reids really make it sing and surge and soar.“Automatic’s” power is its faith in simplicity and its inspiration is in the way it sabotages the structures it celebrates. William Reid approaches the guitar as a flamethrower, and by the end of the album he’s trashed the terrain in just about every track,” like the climactic shoot-out in an over-the-top apocalyptic battle movie. Full review here. Score: 4/5

The two singles…

– HEAD ON –

– BLUES FROM A GUN –

Album in full…
(original tracklist: #1 – #10)

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THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN: Facebook

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