My Bloody Valentine

Hootsmon

This band passed me by somehow.....worth a wee delve into their catalog ya think?

Hootsmon

...and which album tae go for 1st

Sporky

MBV is trash.

Isn't Anything and Loveless are very different, both are masterpieces. 

digitalkettle

'Loveless' is the sound.

Not a very extensive back catalogue: give it all a spin!

Recommended order: Loveless, Isn't Anything, EPs (on Spotify), m b v (I only ever played this once).

stickyfiddle

Loveless is great. I don't think I've ever listened to anything else of theirs

Sporky

digitalkettle said:

Recommended order: Loveless, Isn't Anything, EPs (on Spotify), m b v (I only ever played this once).

There are some absolute gems on the EPs - good call.

I liked Ecstacy And Wine too, but before that they were awful. Like shit goth country & western. 

Vintage65

Bill Murray failed to consummate his onscreen relationship with Scarlett Johansson because of this band.

Whitecat

Agree with most of what's been said. 'Loveless' is THE seminal shoegaze album. Start there and just fan out... Isn't Anything definitely second-best. m b v has moments, but isn't quite the stone-cold classic. The EPs are all good to great.

Some of the most interesting sonic bits are the gaps between the songs... but Kevin's guitar in general is like nothing that came before or since...

ewal

Loveless probably the better album overall, but my favourite individual song is on Isn't Anything - You Never Should. Soon is good too, but always think of it being on the Glider EP.

As for THE seminal shoegaze album - not sure there is such a thing. All the bands were as different as they were similar. My favourite album which loosely falls in to the genre is Swervedriver - Duel. However, it doesn't have a lot in common with Loveless apart from fact they're both loud alt rock descended from late 80's post punk and US alt bands like Sonic Youth etc

Whitecat

ewal said:

Loveless probably the better album overall, but my favourite individual song is on Isn't Anything - You Never Should. Soon is good too, but always think of it being on the Glider EP.

As for THE seminal shoegaze album - not sure there is such a thing. All the bands were as different as they were similar. My favourite album which loosely falls in to the genre is Swervedriver - Duel. However, it doesn't have a lot in common with Loveless apart from fact they're both loud alt rock descended from late 80's post punk and US alt bands like Sonic Youth etc

Well, I love me some Slowdive too and they are sonically very different from MBV despite being put into that same genre bucket. I think the problem is mainly that the genre is not well-defined enough, but I still think whatever MBV did with Loveless is "it"...

Hootsmon

Got the Loveless  album in....yikes! it's like an album of white noise and 'orrible distortion throughout and somewhere DEEP in the background someone is attempting a vocal with a blanket over their head...I think

That's the last time I am askin' you lot for a recommendation

PS It's mibbe my age...32

Sporky

Ah - maybe try some Merzbow instead? 

Vintage65

ewal said:

Loveless probably the better album overall, but my favourite individual song is on Isn't Anything - You Never Should. Soon is good too, but always think of it being on the Glider EP.

As for THE seminal shoegaze album - not sure there is such a thing. All the bands were as different as they were similar. My favourite album which loosely falls in to the genre is Swervedriver - Duel. However, it doesn't have a lot in common with Loveless apart from fact they're both loud alt rock descended from late 80's post punk and US alt bands like Sonic Youth etc

The only thing they had in common was gazing at their fx pedals 

Vintage65

ewal said:

My favourite album which loosely falls in to the genre is Swervedriver - Duel.

The album is Mezcal Head, but the 2nd track Duel is mind-blowing.

Vintage65

Hootsmon said:

Got the Loveless  album in....yikes! it's like an album of white noise and 'orrible distortion throughout and somewhere DEEP in the background someone is attempting a vocal with a blanket over their head...I think

Go and get your ears syringed  

Sporky

Vintage65 said:

ewal said:

My favourite album which loosely falls in to the genre is Swervedriver - Duel.

The album is Mezcal Head, but the 2nd track Duel is mind-blowing.

I maintain that Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn is their finest work. She's Beside Herself a close second. 

Vintage65

Sporky said:

Vintage65 said:

ewal said:

My favourite album which loosely falls in to the genre is Swervedriver - Duel.

The album is Mezcal Head, but the 2nd track Duel is mind-blowing.

I maintain that Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn is their finest work. She's Beside Herself a close second. 

I'll have a listen to that later.

 Duel is my blueprint for arranging and mixing guitars, and it still sounds great today. I always play it whenever I feel jaded.

I just remembered that I have some Swervedriver 1993 concert footage in my bookmarks.

Sporky

Duel is excellent.

She's Beside Herself was, I think, a B-side of Rave Down. Particularly good live, but still great recorded. 

ewal

Mezcal Head - of course! My brain is addled!!

Duel and Never Lose That Feeling both excellent. Duel is an arranging and mixing masterpiece - I love the way the distorted guitars layer up for the noisy bit. I was trying to play it just recently - even using an alternative tuning, the initial arpeggiated bit is tricky to nail.

Vintage65

ewal said:

Mezcal Head - of course! My brain is addled!!

Duel and Never Lose That Feeling both excellent. Duel is an arranging and mixing masterpiece - I love the way the distorted guitars layer up for the noisy bit. I was trying to play it just recently - even using an alternative tuning, the initial arpeggiated bit is tricky to nail.

Duel is relentless and it keeps on coming in waves, and you're never quite sure what's going to be next. Did you hear the live version at the Astoria? Those dudes can play too. Rick Beato interviewed Adam a while back and he went through some tunings with him.

Kittyfrisk

Vintage65 said:

Hootsmon said:

Got the Loveless  album in....yikes! it's like an album of white noise and 'orrible distortion throughout and somewhere DEEP in the background someone is attempting a vocal with a blanket over their head...I think

Go and get your ears syringed  

A facility not currently available on the NHS in the UK