As far as brotherly musical duos go, the Reid brothers are on par with the likes of the Gibbs, Gallaghers, and Greenwoods. Their band, the Jesus and Mary Chain, has been active on and off for 40 years and continues to thrive with their trademark fuzzy sound. With the release of their latest album, “Glasgow Eyes,” they will be taking the time to respond to your inquiries.
The Reid brothers, Jim and William, came from limited opportunities in East Kilbride, Scotland. With the help of their father’s severance pay, they bought a four-track and began making demo recordings. Their music combined the melodic sound of 1960s girl groups with the raw energy of punk and the experimental style of the Velvet Underground.
Beginning in 1984, they established a strong reputation for their live performances, which were short but incredibly intense. Their shows caused concern for the Sun newspaper. Over the years, members joined and left, including Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie as a drummer. They went from being signed to Alan McGee’s newly formed Creation Records to a subsidiary of the major label WEA. In 1985, their debut album Psychocandy was released, featuring their well-known song, Just Like Honey. Their success in the music industry grew and they even reached the Top 10 of the singles chart in 1987 with their song April Skies. However, they did not compromise their irreverent and often aggressive songwriting for a mainstream audience – their singles were banned twice by the BBC due to confrontational or drug-related lyrics.
During the 1990s, they embarked on memorable tours such as the quadruple-headliner Rollercoaster featuring Blur, Dinosaur Jr, and My Bloody Valentine. They also performed at the Lollapalooza festival in the US, which William criticized for its rowdy crowds. By the end of the decade, they had released a total of six albums. However, tensions were high within the band and Jim admitted that they were close to breaking point after each tour. In 1999, they ultimately decided to part ways and go their separate paths.
In 2007, they reunited and Scarlett Johansson was a featured performer at their Coachella return show. They then started touring and eventually resumed writing, leading to the release of “Damage and Joy” in 2017. Now, they are releasing “Glasgow Eyes”, which draws inspiration from jazz but according to Jim, it won’t be a jazz version of The Mary Chain. They have also incorporated elements of Suicide and Kraftwerk into their music.
On March 8th, the brothers will reflect on their career and answer questions from Guardian readers. Their European tour will follow later in the month, and their memoir will be published by White Rabbit Books later this year. Please post your questions in the comments section below, and their responses will be released on January 26th.
Source: theguardian.com
