Darklands

• Artist: The Jesus and Mary Chain
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1987 09
• Total Time: 35:51
• Type: Lyrics are included with the album
• Genre: Rock

Review

Feeling no doubt burdened by the various claims of being the new Sex Pistols, and likely fed up with accusations that the walls of feedback were their own trick, the Reid brothers underwent a bit of a rethink with Darklands. The end result must have fallen squarely between two camps -- hardly eligible for sunny commercial airplay, not quite as flailing as the earliest efforts -- but, from a distance, this is an appealing, enjoyable record. Songs were often longer while the album itself was shorter than Psychocandy, walls of sound were often stripped away in favor of calmer classic rock twang and groove, while William Reid took the lead vocal at points, showing he had a slightly sweeter, wistful tone in comparison to his brother. However, the changes on Darklands can be overstated -- the basic formula at the heart of the band (inspired plagiarism of melodies and lyrics alike, plenty of reverb, etc.) stayed pretty much the same, even if the mixes were cleaned up -- compare "Down on Me" to any Psychocandy cut for a good example of the difference. The use of drum machines in place of Bobby Gillespie's rumble tended to enforce the newer focus, but at the album's best, such a seeming dichotomy didn't cause too much worry. "April Skies" made for a great single, while the soaring-in-spite-of-itself "Happy When It Rains" was another winner, one that Garbage more or less made its own some years later for its own similarly titled hit. William's singing turns made for other highlights as well, notably "Nine Million Rainy Days," the overt misery of the title suiting the dark crawl of the song, and the lengthy lament "On the Wall." Darklands is no Psychocandy in the end -- nothing the band released later ever was -- but it's still a good listen. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Darklands	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(5:28)
Deep One Perfect Morning	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(2:44)
Happy When It Rains	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(3:37)
Down on Me	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(2:36)
Nine Million Rainy Days	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(4:30)
April Skies	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(4:01)
Fall	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(2:29)
Cherry Came Too	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(3:06)
On the Wall	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(5:05)
About You	Jim Reid, William Reid	The Jesus and Mary Chain	(2:33)

Credits

Mason Williams (A&R), Mason Williams (Wah Wah Bass), The Jesus and Mary Chain (Main Performer), Greg Allen (Art Direction), Tony Harris (Engineer), Dan Hersch (Mastering), Bill Inglot (Mastering), John Loder (Producer), Bill Price (Producer), Jim Reid (Vocals), William Reid (Vocals), William Reid (Producer), Andrew Catlin (Photography), Vanessa Atkins (Editorial Supervision), Steve Woolard (Project Assistant), John Maybury (Photography), Kenny Nemes (Product Manager), Phill Brown (Cutting Engineer), Ginger Dettman (Project Assistant), Raena Winscott (Project Assistant), Kieron Tyler (Liner Notes), Robin Hurley (Project Assistant), Julie Reid (Project Assistant)

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