Automatic (The Jesus and Mary Chain album)

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Automatic
Studio album by
the Jesus and Mary Chain
Released9 October 1989
Recorded1989
StudioSam Therapy (West London)
GenreAlternative rock
Length43:26
LabelBlanco y Negro
Producer
The Jesus and Mary Chain chronology
Barbed Wire Kisses
(1988) 		Automatic
(1989) 		Honey's Dead
(1992)
Singles from Automatic
  1. "Blues from a Gun"
    Released: September 1989
  2. "Head On"
    Released: November 1989

Automatic is the third studio album by Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain, released on 9 October 1989 by Blanco y Negro Records. The group on this record consists of the core duo of brothers William and Jim Reid, with a drum machine providing percussion and synthesised bass. The only other credited musician was Richard Thomas, who joined the touring version of the Jesus and Mary Chain as a drummer. Thomas drummed on "Gimme Hell" and was a former member of Dif Juz. He also made appearances on Cocteau Twins' 1986 album Victorialand and This Mortal Coil's 1986 album Filigree & Shadow.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
Mojo[4]
NME8/10[5]
Pitchfork7.8/10[6]
Q[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Select5/5[9]
The Village VoiceB−[10]

Although released to generally poor reviews at the time (with the aforementioned synthesised drums and bass being the biggest point of contention), Automatic contains "Blues from a Gun", their most successful single in America up to that point, and "Head On" (later covered by Pixies). Critical and fan reception has improved with time. Pitchfork wrote in 2006 that "conventional wisdom wrongly calls [Automatic] the dud" of the band's discography, but that in hindsight the album "feels like a career peak".[6]

The last two tracks, "Drop" and "Sunray", do not appear on vinyl LP versions of the album.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks written by Jim Reid and William Reid.

LP (BYN 20), limited gatefold LP (BYN 20W) and cassette (BYNC 20)

Side one

  1. "Here Comes Alice" – 3:53
  2. "Coast to Coast" – 4:13
  3. "Blues from a Gun" – 4:44
  4. "Between Planets" – 3:27
  5. "UV Ray" – 4:06

Side two

  1. "Her Way of Praying" – 3:46
  2. "Head On" – 4:11
  3. "Take It" – 4:34
  4. "Halfway to Crazy" – 3:40
  5. "Gimme Hell" – 3:20

CD (BYNCD 20)

  1. "Here Comes Alice" – 3:53
  2. "Coast to Coast" – 4:13
  3. "Blues from a Gun" – 4:44
  4. "Between Planets" – 3:27
  5. "UV Ray" – 4:06
  6. "Her Way of Praying" – 3:46
  7. "Head On" – 4:11
  8. "Take It" – 4:34
  9. "Halfway to Crazy" – 3:40
  10. "Gimme Hell" – 3:20
  11. "Drop" – 1:58
  12. "Sunray" – 1:34

Personnel[edit]

The Jesus and Mary Chain[edit]

  • Jim Reid – vocals (tracks 2, 4–10), guitar, synthesiser, drum programming, production
  • William Reid – vocals (tracks 1, 3, 11), guitar, synthesizer, drum programming, production

Additional personnel[edit]

  • Alan Moulder – engineering
  • Jamie Harley – recording assistance
  • Lee Curle – recording assistance
  • Dick Meaney – mixing assistance
  • Richard Thomas – drums on "Gimme Hell"
  • Ryan Art – design
  • Steve Mitchell – photography
  • Andrew Catlin – photography

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Automatic
Chart (1989–1990) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 89
European Albums (Music & Media)[12] 47
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 48
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 42
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 11
US Billboard 200[16] 105

As of May 1998, the album had sold 60,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Automatic – The Jesus and Mary Chain". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. ^ Kot, Greg (7 December 1989). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Automatic (Warner)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  3. ^ Cromelin, Richard (12 November 1989). "The Jesus And Mary Chain 'Automatic,' Warner Bros". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. ^ Segal, Victoria (August 2006). "Hissy fits". Mojo. No. 153. p. 111.
  5. ^ Quantick, David (14 October 1989). "Auto Pirates". NME. p. 38.
  6. ^ a b Abebe, Nitsuh (4 August 2006). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Automatic / Honey's Dead / Stoned & Dethroned". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  7. ^ "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Automatic". Q. No. 38. November 1989.
  8. ^ Sisario, Ben (2004). "The Jesus and Mary Chain". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 429–430. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ Manning, Sarra (April 1997). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Barbed Wire Kisses / Automatic / Honey's Dead / The Sound of Speed / Stoned and Dethroned". Select. No. 82. p. 112.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (6 February 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 144.
  12. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 43. 21 October 1989. p. VIII. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – The Jesus and Mary Chain – Automatic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Jesus and Mary Chain – Automatic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  16. ^ "The Jesus and Mary Chain Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  17. ^ Bell, Carrie (9 May 1998). "Sub Pop's Jesus & Mary Chain Returns Head On With 'Munki'". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 19. p. 18. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
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