The Jesus and Mary Chain's swooning debut Psychocandy seared through the underground and through the pop charts, shifting the role of noise within pop music forever. Post-punk and pro-confusion, Psychocandy became the sound of a generation poised on the brink of revolution, establishing Creation Records as a tastemaking entity in the process. The Scottish band's notorious live performances were both punishingly loud and riot-spurring, inevitably acting as socio-political commentary on tensions emergent in mid-1980s Britain. Through caustic clangs and feedback channeling the rage of the working-class who'd had enough, Psychocandy gestures toward the perverse pleasure in having your eardrums exploded and loudness as a politics within itself. Yet Psychocandy's blackened candy heart center – calling out to phantoms Candy and Honey with an unsettling charm – makes it a pop album to the core, and not unlike the sugarcoated sounds the Ronettes became famous for in the 1960s. The Jesus and Mary Chain expertly carved out a place where depravity and sweetness entwined, emerging from the isolating underground of suburban Scotland grasping the distinct sound of a generation, apathetic and uncertain. The irresistible Psychocandy emerged as a clairvoyant account of struggle and sweetness that still causes us to grapple with pop music's relation to ourselves.

Musically, culturally and in terms of sheer attitude, The Jesus and Mary Chain stand alone. Their seminal debut album Psychocandy changed the course of popular music with its iconic blend of psychotic white noise, darkly surreal lyrics and pop sensibility, and the band continue to enchant and confound.This fierce, frank and often funny tale begins in the faceless new town of East Kilbride, near Glasgow, at the dawn of the 1980s with two chronically shy brothers, Jim and William Reid, listening to music in their shared bedroom. What follows charts the formation of The Jesus and Mary Chain, their incendiary live performances, their relationship with Alan McGee's Creation Records and those famous fraternal tensions that prepared McGee for the onslaught of the Gallaghers, with plenty of feedback, fighting and, most importantly, perfectly crafted pop along the way. It is time this vastly influential group and sometime 'public enemy' had their say.

The Jesus and Mary Chain's swooning debut Psychocandy seared through the underground and through the pop charts, shifting the role of noise within pop music forever. Post-punk and pro-confusion, Psychocandy became the sound of a generation poised on the brink of revolution, establishing Creation Records as a tastemaking entity in the process. The Scottish band's notorious live performances were both punishingly loud and riot-spurring, inevitably acting as socio-political commentary on tensions emergent in mid-1980s Britain. Through caustic clangs and feedback channeling the rage of the working-class who'd had enough, Psychocandy gestures toward the perverse pleasure in having your eardrums exploded and loudness as a politics within itself. Yet Psychocandy's blackened candy heart center – calling out to phantoms Candy and Honey with an unsettling charm – makes it a pop album to the core, and not unlike the sugarcoated sounds the Ronettes became famous for in the 1960s. The Jesus and Mary Chain expertly carved out a place where depravity and sweetness entwined, emerging from the isolating underground of suburban Scotland grasping the distinct sound of a generation, apathetic and uncertain. The irresistible Psychocandy emerged as a clairvoyant account of struggle and sweetness that still causes us to grapple with pop music's relation to ourselves.

Extensive set of rare and classic photographs of the Jesus and Mary Chain with words by Jim Reid and Julie Reid, together with selected lyrics. Beautifully presented hardcover book.

America's premiere alternative music magazine presents a book of outrageously opinionated reviews of the essential albums of punk, new wave, indie rock, grunge, and rap. Its abundantly illustrated, full-color pages provide in-depth and informative record reviews on the widest possible scale of alternative music. National ads/media.

The Dean of American Rock Critics tackles the decade when music exploded. The '90s saw more albums produced and distributed than any other decade. It was a fertile era for new genres, from alt-rock to Afropop, hip hop to techno. Rock critic Robert Christgau's obsessive ear and authoritative pen have covered it all-over 3,800 albums graded and classified, from A+s to his celebrated turkeys and duds. A rich appendix section ensures that nothing's been left out-from "subjects for further research" to "everything rocks but nothing ever dies." Christgau's Consumer Guide is essential reading and reference for any dedicated listener.

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'A glorious photographic compendium of styles and street cultures from a bygone era'. -- The Guardian 'An artist's image and music is inextricably tethered and A Scene In Between draws these threads together beautifully'. -- Vice Magazine 'A visual manifestation of Knee's personal obsession and acute knowledge of the scene - in particular, the underground style - whilst mirroring the general mood of the era'. -- Dazed Magazine A revised edition of this cult classic photographic exploration of 1980s music and fashion. A Scene In Between sets out to excavate the sartorial treasures of the UK's 1980s guitar scenes. Using original archive photography from scenesters, band members and amateur photographers of the time, Sam Knee takes you on a fashion trip through the visual racket of pivotal indie bands including Primal Scream, Spacemen 3, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tallulah Gosh, the Vaselines and countless others. Charity shop chic, anoraks, bowlcuts, leather trousers and stripy tees are all de-riguer in this evocative photographic historical capsule. Seven years on from the release of the first edition, Sam Knee has expanded his photographic contact base, and built a loyal Instagram following of over 60,000 (including many big names in fashion and music). This revised edition features a new cover and intro, interviews with Johnny Marr, Deb Googe and Lawrence from Felt, alongside hundreds of never-seen-before photographs that will delight both fans of Sam's work and new music and fashion aficionados.