Amazon.com

My Bloody Valentine's entire career has been aiming toward the perfect guitar noise that Kevin Shields has in his head: a pure, warm, androgynous but deeply sexual rush of sound. Loveless is overwhelming, with Shields and Bilinda Butcher's guitars and voices blending into each other until they become a distant orchestra, the rhythm section striding in majestic lockstep, and occasional bursts of dance rhythms (as on the single "Soon") buoying the live instruments' warp and drift. Furiously loud but seductive rather than aggressive, the album flows like a lava stream from one track into another, subsuming everything in the mix into its blissful roar, and pulsing like a lover's body. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Reviews (299)

beautiful, ethereal, fuzzed-out bliss-one of my fave cds!!
i have actually owned this cd since it first appeared on the music scene ages ago, and to this day, i love it more each time i listen to it. mere words can't even describe the profound and lasting effect it has had on me; as an artist, it has provided for me a swirling, heady landscape from which i have always pulled forth inspiration. kevin shields is a true genius-i have yet to hear anyone that has been able to rival the unique sounds he has been able to twist and distort into truly beautiful, angelic noise. belinda's voice flits in and out of the thundering guitars on some tunes like a feather falling to the ground...during the midst of an earthquake. it sounds like an odd combination, but for anyone who's heard it and loved it as much as i do, it all seems to gel and compliment one another perfectly. so, what can i say that hasn't already been said by every other reviewer here? at the expense of sounding like a broken record, this gorgeous album is not to be missed, and has rightfully earned the title of a "masterpiece". even if we do ever hear from mbv again, it will be interesting to see how they top this excellent album. if you've yet to hear it, i strongly suggest that you purchase it. if you're anything like me, you will return to it again and again for sheer indulgent listening pleasure...provided that you're ever able to take it out for your cd player at all!!

Loveless thunders elephantine!
If music is the external record of the evolution of the human consciousness to a point in time where all sound, even the white noise that is the universal frequency of interstellar energies, is heard with wonder and as manifesting beauty because it is one with our experiential perception of god, then My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" is nothing less than a landmark record in that evolution.

Language is usually a poor tool to communicate the experience of sound, and it is rendered useless when presented with a document like this. If I were to try I might suggest words like "beautiful", "oceanic", "sensuous", "sensual", "ecstatic", "dreamlike", "orgasmic", "breathtaking", "emotive", "transcendent", "psychedelic", "mesmerizing", "elephantine", "lullaby", "ethereal", "soothing", "mellifluous" and "euphoric", but I would simply sound like an Amazon reviewer whose specialty is hyperbole as opposed to subjective critique. Make no mistake, however...this album is nothing short of extraordinary in every way. The fact that so little has come close to its power and grace since its release in 1991 is either testament to the vision of its creators, or proof that human beings are able to successfully channel the mysteries into an audio recording.

I feel this album is also an excellent example of the kind of textural tone colors that can be realized through the creative use of a guitar and digital sampler. The stereo mix might be described as "distorted", "out of tune", or "unbalanced" to the casual listener, and indeed, the recording is ripe with the sounds of machines being used in ways for which they were not designed. By the same measure, Les Paul was criticized for electrifying the guitar. "Loveless" is a wonderful album for the musician, as it will challenge, confound, and leap over your preconceptions of what music and sound should be.

It has been said that an essential quality of good art is its ability to leave each who witnesses it changed, and the fact that everyone who hears this album either swoons or recoils is proof that this is art with a capital "A".

I give "Loveless" my absolute and highest recommendation. No degree or amount of accolades do it justice, and my life is richer for having heard it. What more can I say?

one of the greatest albums of the 1990's...
in 1991 came the already classic "Loveless". the rockers "My Bloody Valentine" made their rare debut with "This is Your Bloody Valentine" in 1984. then, four years later they released "Isn't Anything", but the album they made them special... the album that made them famous in the rock genre... was "Loveless". which is easily one of the greatest albums out there. what a incredible 48 minutes it is, with amazing tracks like "Only Shallow", "When You Sleep", "Sometimes", and their amazing ending to the album... "Soon. but theres absoulutely not one bad track... those are just the stand-outs. Only Shallow has some of the greatest streaming guitars ever. theres always those complaints with the band with the vocals they can't hear and not nearly enough bass. but if you listen to the record a couple more times... you realize that doesn't matter.

When i first purchased "Loveless" and listened to it, i was a bit disappointed. It got so much acclaim as "one of the greatest albums ever!" so i kept trying, then one day I was listening to it... and... it just... CLICKED! it just clicked to me how beautiful this album really is. its just so many different things! want me to tell you how different? i've wrote over 50 reviews on CD albums here at Amazon, and when I i clicked the "recommended" button on Loveless, it had more than half of the CDs i reviewed. Spiritualized, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Neutral Milk Hotel, and much much more. this part of this review may seem useless to you, but i'm just saying... if you buy any album from the '90s... make it this one.

I've tried. Really.
I really have tried with all my might to like and appreciate this record, simply because of all the wonderful things I have heard about it. In the end, I just can't do it.

The first thing that kind of puts me off is the complete lack of dynamics anywhere on the disc. There are two: on and off. And I can't help but feel that for each song Shields just picked a key and kind of fuzzed around until it sounded right. I'll give you that some of this noise actually sounds pretty cool when the layering is done correctly -- I do like the intro to "I Only Said".

I read some reviews that compared "Loveless" to Philip Glass and Debussy. I just can't hear it. I can't get past the part of me that thinks that most of the record sounds like whale song played through a slew of pedals and other toys. The fact that the band nearly bankrupted a whole record albel recording this beast is beyond me. Where did the money go? (and yes, I have listened to it on the Sennheisers) I don't find the production value to be all that spectacular.

For my money, this is not one of the best records of the 90s, as has been stated. This sounds like what would happen if Sonic Youth covered Radiohead's "Kid A", and its not all that fabulous. I think I will stick to Hum's "Downward is Heavenward" for my expansive, spacey, fuzzy, and celestial rock songs.

Very jumbled over-layered fuz.
So amny people love this album but I think it's one of the most over rated albums ever.
Take a guitar, turn the reverb and volume all the way up and let it go over the vocals and you have this album.
Can't understand a single thing that is "sung" and the music sounds like it was recorded on a tape recorder that the batteries were about dead in.
Almost ever song sounds alike.
Sorry, but I think this album stinks. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sounding like a collision between the 1965 Beach Boys' tour bus and a truckload of malfunctioning vacuum cleaners, the Jesus and Mary Chain found something new to do with the old rock & roll verities. Psychocandy, the group's debut album after a handful of sublimely catchy 45s, found the Glasgow lads drenching everything from the Ronettes to the Harley Davidson mythos and heroin chic in walls of feedback, matching even the Ramones in revisionist ingenuity. It will always sound great--and like something no other band has quite caught up to. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Catchy Pop Songs With The Guitars on 11 and Feedback Galore
If the Beach Boys, The Velvet Underground, and a box of noisy guitars were put in a blender and set to puree, it might resemble the formula the Jesus & Mary Chain used on Psychocandy. That might sound like the musical equivalent of ice cream with ketchup, but it blends and works to amazing effect. The murky production on the album might take a while to get past, but underneath it is a set of fantastic songs. "The Living End," "My Little Underground," and "In A Hole" cover the band's upbeat, no-holds-barred sonic assaults while the wonderful "Just Like Honey" and "Some Candy Talking" are the band's ventures into more relaxed, softer, but no less brilliant, territory. My review title is what I made of the album's sound, and if that description intrigues you, then you must go out and listen to this. Psychocandy is sadly not available in the States for some unfortunate reason, but the import is worth the time to find and the extra money. As Jack Black in High Fidelity said about Psychocandy, "I can't believe you don't already own this!"

Musicless, Strident , Screeching, Shrill, Noise Anyone!
I love Jesus and Mary Chain, they're in my top (5) favorite bands. Just to get that out of the way, I own every CD this group ever released they're awesome, jamming, brilliant, ect., ect. "Psycho Candy" is the only CD I find virtually unlistenable. The production work is absolutely horrendous (strident anyone?). Do you enjoy the sound of 1000 screeching chalks on a chalkboard?, even at low volumes this will grate your nerves! and make your hair stand on end eeewwwww!...[WARNING!] this album will cause permanant ear damage at high volumes! There's so much shrill noisy feedback blaring out of control, you can hardly make out a melody or understand a word they sing...Yuk!, I'm not kidding. Thank God! they got better with each subsequent CD. I wonder? if they sat back one day and said "hey dude's let's make an album that's totally unlistenable, and someday someone will think it's an artistic work of genius", Hmmm... sounds almost like some of the reviews I've read, heh heh. Every song is forgettable, you won't be humming anything off this CD. I recommend Psycho Candy to people with an IQ of 70 on a warm day, the easily entertained, the deaf, or something to scare off mormons on a mission, who approach your house to spread the word of their cult...it really works!. Try "Darklands" or "Automatic" first then move on from there, act like the aforementioned doesn't exist.

....
I'll give credit to the Jesus and Mary Chain for coming up with something relatively novel in 1985. They combined early-60s melodies and song structures with crushing feedback, a la everybody's favorite name-check band, the Velvet Underground. OK, that's neat. Except that they repeated this concept song after song, again and again. In other words, this is a very repetitive album. Other than the memorable opening tune, Just Like Honey, the songs sound virtually the same. They did inspire My Bloody Valentine, one of my favorite bands, but MBV were much more creative in their shoegazing feedback, using different textures, whereas this album is just a sheet of noise.

DULCEmente MALIGNO ~~ SWEETMalignity
THIS cd is as If you Could HeaR the sound that makes your HeaRt when ure just been let down by someone u love..

when all the Hopes and ExpecTations u had on that Special realtionship are gOnE...

when all the beautifull moMents you kNOw u could have with someone... ...DON't Happened.....

This is the sound of a WOUNDED Heart.......

If You Jump, They May Not Catch You
Many people believe that if a person who gets paid to review music, also know as a professional rock critic, say something is good, then it's a fact. While music can be analyzed on technical skill and complexity, the only true measure of music is the emotional impact it has on a person. That's why a reviews by professional rock music critics are only the opinions of one person.
Sometimes the critics will praise music just because it has never been done before. Originality is a great thing, but it doesn't always work out. That's seemed to be the case with the Jesus and Mary Chain.

"Psycho Candy" is rated as a five star album by many critics and it made the "Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list at number 268. The critics compare it to the Velvet Underground, who came from the '60's like the critics themselves did. The Jesus and Mary Chain came from Britain, which is also a big plus in the rock critic book.
Beyond originality, there's nothing special about this album. The feedback and echoes are not very pleasing to the ears. The voice is very mellow, but the noise keeps the music from being relaxing. Songs like "Never Understand"is an audio assault, but not in a good way.

"Psycho Candy" may be an acquired taste, but it takes a whole lot of patience to develop that taste. There's nothing more frustrating than taking listening to an album over and over and still not finding it pleasing. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Some albums really can change the world, and in 1989 this was one of them. The psychedlic dance extravaganza that was The Stone Roses ushered in the era of Madchester, baggy trousers, Kangols, and the Hacienda. From the magnificent protracted opening of "I Wanna Be Adored" (where, for once, the arrogance wasn't overdone) to the dying seconds of "Fools Gold," every note was perfect. Jon Squire's guitarwork was a thing of magic, a new hero for a new age, Ian Brown sang with gusto, and the rhythm section had paid attention during the second summer of love (1988 version). Essential. --Chris Nickson ... Read more

Reviews (199)

They should have been as big as U2!
I bought this album over 13 years ago and it still finds it's way into steady rotation on my cd player. I hate most of the stuff that comes out of the UK, but these guys were unique. They wrote the most beautiful melodies, heaped on soaring choruses and the interplay between musicians was outstanding. They played the most uplifting happy music but never sounded sappy. It wasn't embarrassing to say you dug these guys. Everyone I know who has heard this album has LOVED it. Somehow, they managed to squeeze 30 years of pop music into one majestic piece of work. From the distant clicking train tracks that introduce "I Wanna Be Adored" to the final tambourine shake at the end of "Fool's Gold", the Stone Roses' debut inspires awe and adoration. I'm running out of superlatives here. It's as if they took every good element of indie-pop, folk-rock, funk, house and psychedelia and somehow made it click. "She Bangs The Drums" is pure grandeur. Not one hook or melody is wasted. "Waterfall" takes it's cue from a propelling shuffle beat and a pulsing bass line that raise the shimmering guitars to heights way beyond your standard UK jangle guitar bands. R.E.M. only wish their guitars could chime like this. "This Is The One" is a the most uplifting cynical song ever and "Shoot You Down"'s soft brush drumming and gentle arpeggios create a magnificent ambience. "I Am The Ressurection" sees the band start off in a Merseybeat pop style only to morph into a monstrous psychedelic jam that includes 12-string and countrified slide guitar, maracas, tambourines, bongos, funk-derived basslines and frenetic drum soloing. It's as if all the 60's had been compressed into one eight-minute power pop jam. In truth, there is not one bum track on the whole album. John Squire's guitar playing is the unholy ... child of Hendrix, Page, Johnny Marr, Paul Simon and Roger McGuinn. Reni is the best drummer to come out of Britain in a generation. Not since John Bonham and Keith Moon had their been a limey drummer with such a distinctive style. Mani's bass playing is functional, but, because he's surrounded by virtuosos, somebody has to keep it simple. Ian Brown was tone-deaf live, so his vocals must have been run through heavy harmonizers and sequencers because he sounds good here. At their peak the Roses could do no wrong. Their b-sides could have easily been saved up and used as a second album, and it would have still been better than most bands' best outputs. Oasis copped their attitude, the Verve borrowed their jam-heavy stylings, Blur took the art-school feyness and Radiohead even nicked their producer. The Roses have to be the most influential and inspirational cult band in the world. Unfortunately, they frittered away all their potential by delaying their second album, losing Reni's powerful drumming, by abandoning the sound that made people love them and by playing awful live shows. Their aloofness turned into laziness and killed the band. At least they can be proud of this one gem they bestowed upon the music world. I was lucky to come across something this sublime at the moment it was unleashed upon the world. God Bless.

This Is The One
This is an album that is for no year and no age but for all time; simply put, The Stone Roses' classic debut is a record so perfect, so brilliant, so beautifully inspired that it rises above nearly every other album in the history of rock.

It is impossible to fully describe with words the staggering level of aesthetic beauty and perfect songcraft present here. This music by itself is melodically and harmonically extraordinary; when put in the hands of Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani, and Reni, it becomes something more, a phenomenal blur of psychedelic transcendental magic.

The opener "I Wanna Be Adored" seems to drift out of heaven with its distant rumblings. As the funky bass line emerges from the noise and the layers of shimmering guitar harmonies cascade over the ominous rhythms, the stage is set for a truly astonishing musical journey. After this opening swirl of drama, "She Bangs The Drums" makes a perfect entry, its endlessly catchy, carefree melody taking the listener to a different world. And these two songs are but the beginning...

There is never a dull or unenlightening moment on any of these 13 masterpieces; even "Don't Stop," which is "Waterfall" played backwards, is profound and peerless, and "Elizabeth My Dear," a one-minute interlude set to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair," is a political protest for the ages. The album's true shining moment is its conclusion--no album in the history of rock has ended so well. The 13-minute firestorm that is "This Is The One/I Am The Resurrection" is a masterstroke not soon to be replicated by anyone. The triumphant guitars of the former song--which recall the harmonious work of The Byrds--and the sweeping, awe-inspiring instrumental solos on the latter are as close to pop Valhalla as any band could ever hope to be.

Although this album never went platinum and was basically ignored outside of Britain, it went eventaully go down as one of the top ten albums of all time. Some critics continue to downplay its quality and impact, saying that it is simplistic and overly naive. Yet "The Stone Roses" is a much finer piece of work than Nirvana's much-overrated "Nevermind," Oasis' shallow "Definitely Maybe," and U2's derivative "Achtung, Baby." It is better than anything by The Clash, The Rolling Stones, and The Sex Pistols, and thus is one of the absolute finest pieces of music ever, with a place next to "Double Nickels on the Dime" and "Revolver."

************************************************************
don't believe the nerds who complain about recording quality or tone-deafness. the stone roses provide pure pop bliss.
top 100 lists, classic?, not classic?, groundbreaking or not, who really cares?

A great moment in popular music
This masterpiece is testament to the fact that melody produces the best music. Buy it before you die. It will make you happy.

Oh no.
People are starting to bash this CD. Please, they are all wet! This CD is PERFECT. EVERY second of this CD is absolutely amazing. Melodic, timeless(!!!), uplifting, thirst-quenching, day-breaking, love-making, soul saving. The guitar playing is flawless (see: JAMMING last 5 minutes of I Am The Resurrection). The airy vocals of Ian Brown (heard throughout). The driving bass (Fool's Gold/I Am The Resurrection) and ecstatic drums (She Bangs the Drums, This Is The One, Fool's Gold). There is not one dud in the whole group. I have listened to this CD HUNDREDS of times and it still makes me feel like life is perfect (although it is far from it).

If you like pop music. If you aren't a crabby, contrarian. (fragmented sentences for dramatic effect. ;) ) If you LOVE great tunes, BUY THIS CD and enrich your life. You'll thank me for gushing like this when you experience this work of genius. I am not being generous, I am being honest. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Right now
Ambulance Ltd. is the latest New York band that I have seen that has some promise. I saw them in their early days, and they have become a greater band over time. They are also one of the best looking bands I have seen. They had to kick one member out because he wasn't cutting the mustard. They take all their hard rock influences and make this new hybrid of music. They came out with an EP a while ago. This showed that they had some good songs. After tours with Placebo and Suede, Ambulance Ltd. have improved to become a major league band. They are already well known in Europe. Their instrumental that begins the album "Yoga Means Union" goes in five different directions at once. "Primitive" is a soft rock song that builds and builds into a big chorus. "Anecdote" and "Heavy Lifting" are more folky and jazzy. The voice of Marcus Congleton sounds especially unique. They do a cover of "Ocean" by The Velvet Underground, which is appropriate. "Sugar Pill" is overall the best song. It's a smooth and quiet funk vibe. For a New York band they sound the opposite of some slick garage rock band. Ambulance Ltd. are the sound of the sophisticated music of the future. Some bands are trying to be different so they stand out, and they are trying too hard. I feel that Ambulance Ltd. is being themselves entirely. They are more "right now" then any band.

A simply wonderful debut from a great band
Contrary to another reviewer's incorrect statement, Ambulance ltd is NOT a "manufactured boy band". I've been waiting for Ambulance's debut album for about a year now, and it was well worth the wait. For those of you who haven't heard the EP from 2003, do yourself a favor and get that as well. For those who already own it, expect more of the great things you've come to love. The debut LP is a bit more produced and less raw than the self titled EP, but equally as tasty. Ambulance ltd. is everything you ever wanted in a band, from catchy riffs to the sweet crooning of Marcus Congleton's voice, they get it. There is no pretension about them, just well written music by talented musicians. This album is the teaser to their live show, which is so full of energy and passion that it must be seen to be believed. Living in NYC, I've been fortunate to witness their metamorphisis from a furry little caterpillar into a beautiful,colorful and graceful butterfly. If you have the opportunity to see them, do so as quickly as possible. You'll thank me for it.... just listen to the album beforehand so you can sing along.

A wonderful album
The opening of this album is incredible. Its not very often that a band just plays good music with no lyrics. I couldn't hear one song that I would consider a "filler".
This album is the best I've bought all year and would suggest it to anyone that is into music with no specific genre.
Two BIG thumbs up.

untitled
As far as debuts go, this isn't quite up to par with Led Zeppelin's rookie album and it doesn't match the Stone Roses first opus, but then again I don't care and I'm guessing this NYC quartet doesn't either.

After opening with a gamut-running instrumental opener, the listener gets the swanky bar rock of 'Primitive' as it starts unassumingly before swelling to a thrusting climax and fading out. The cocky bar-rock of 'Primitive' is immediately counterbalanced with 'Anecdote' a sweet folky ballad that sonds like a Jackson Browne outtake, but for all its sugary melody the lyrical sentiments are slightly stinging. 'Heavy Lifting' is a teriffic pounding anthem that would be better if not for the cooing end that feels tacked on.

'Stay Where You Are' is barely audible in the beginning but if the listener waits out the first two minutes s/he is rewarded with a lovely and unforgettable ethereal guitar line that is surrounded by sparse-yet-effective drumming and plaintive lyrics. The song eventually builds to a sun-shrouded summit that is remiscent of Built to Spill's quieter moments or Travis if they sounded like you wanted them to. 'Swim' is a moody experiment that fits in well with the disc's darker sounds. It seems like a waste of a track until the song reaches the soaring (but brief) choru, and then it all makes sense.

'Sugar Pill' is a lazy summer song, and it would be better suited to swap titles with Michigan or Swim as it references the lake state and evokes watery imagery in a song so delicate it seems that it may fall apart at many moment, and it's wonder and testament to the band that it never does.

"Ophella' doesn't really do it for me, but 'Young Urban' comes back as a shoegazer-ish album "closer" that flexes some of Ambulance LTD's musical muscle. The hidden tracks are decent, but don't really add anything different to this EP. Fortunately for us all they don't detract from it either, and the listener is left with a solid and enjoyable debut that burrows its way further and further to the inner ear with each successvie listen. Though they don't do it on this album, Ambulance LTD. show that they have the potential to deliver a masterpiece in the very near future.

nice and peaceful
this cd is just relaxing to listen to. often times when im doing something il put it on for background noice. i wont distract you from things around u but its still enjoyable to listen to. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the finest albums to arise out of the shoegazing trend coating the early 1990s, Ferment is rich, lush, and wrenching. For what it's worth, Catherine Wheel get a mention in the liner notes of the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream. Perhaps it's indicative of the fact that this album rocks a little harder than the genre-defining releases from the likes of the Stone Roses, the Charlatans, and the Inspiral Carpets. Ferment includes guitar solos, albeit tasteful guitar solos, that most of Catherine Wheel's contemporaries would have balked at. Later releases abandon the ethereal noise wash, leaning a little more toward the sound of their admirers the Pumpkins. A beautiful, spiraling release, Ferment is pliable but impenetrable. --Beth Bessmer ... Read more

Reviews (31)

It's Sad When True Musical Talent Is Ignored...
I am completely and hopelessly addicted to Catherine Wheel's "Ferment". It is difficult to imagine that a hard rock album can be beautiful, but this album truly is. The brilliant vocals, guitar work, and drumming all fuse to form an almost hypnotic masterpiece. The album starts off with the fantastic trio of "Texture", "I Want to Touch You", and "Black Metallic" and from then on you will be hooked. Just go along for the ride! Every single track is better than most singles that are played on the radio! In particular, the songs "Indigo is Blue", "Ferment", and "Tumbledown" are so incredible that I simply can't get the music out of my head!! This may sound like a bad thing, but believe me it isn't. Catherine Wheel is one of those bands that simply did everything right and yet failed to be commercially successful. For the life of me I can't understand why! As a band they are so incredibly talented and sophisticated that it makes the stuff on MTV and MuchMusic look like it it was written by third-graders on a PC music program! Unfortunately, the damage to this band is already done. They are nowhere to be found nowadays, and every true fan of rock music should feel a great sadness because of it. If you are a rock music fan, I beg you to give Catherine Wheel a listen! "Ferment" is one of the best albums of the 1990's bar none, and I simply can't recommend this album enough!

they were never shoegazers proper...
although i hesitate to refer to catherine wheel as ever qualifying as "shoegazers" ('loveless' and 'souvlaki' are the best examples of that genre) due to CW's more up-front songwriting tendencies, i do think that this excellent LP evokes similar feelings in the (lucky) listener...rob dickinson's extraordinary voice (one of the loveliest male voices in all of rock music) is prominently featured over the depth charges of guitar, rather than the reverse (Shoegazing 101)...

anyway, this is a truly wonderful album, with nary a single track being forgettable...CW has since faltered album after album, trying to be more "rock" and/or "pop" really has never suited them, and all of their albums after 'chrome' are not very good, in spite of what hardcore fans may attest...

'ferment' features a few standout tracks and a wealth of lovely "supporting cast members"...the title track and 'black metallic' are both stunning, as if the band had tapped into the emotional heart of what the real shoegazers were missing...regardless of the lyrics, dickinson's vox and the shimmering, hissing, soaring guitar torrents make for beautiful stuff...'indigo is blue' has a perfectly timed pause before its guitar solo (don't let the phrase "guitar solo" scare you off), and also makes gorgeous use of dickinson's uniquely "hollow" vocal style...the words to "salt" are mostly unintelligible (perhaps CW were gazing shoeward on occasion), yet the song gallops along gracefully, with peals of feedback buried behind the wall of guitars in its fadeout...like slowdive's 'machine gun', the song manages to be moving without any sort of decipherable lyrical hook...

anyone interested in the kind of lush rock music that doesn't seem to get made anymore as frequently as it did during the early 90's (nowadays we get tweeness, soulless post-rock, over-earnest emo schmaltz, and so forth) should absolutely seek out 'ferment'...

the follow-up, 'chrome', is structured in a very similar way ('texture' is to 'kill rhythm' as 'black metallic' is to 'pain') and is also worthwhile...

the shivers that raced up my spine years ago during 'black metallic's quiet bridge are easily brought back on every listen...this record should be cherished...

"Imagine a light that never escapes you"
As soon as I saw the music video for "Black Metallic" on MTV's 120 Minutes back in my high school days, I knew I had to have this album. Ferment is unbelievable and Catherine Wheel instantly became one of my favorite bands of the 1990s. Ferment was their debut album and has a more raw, stuffy sound than their next recordings. It has very loud guitars and drums but the songs are also very melodic and catchy. "Texture" really rocks and is an excellent opening track, hooking the listener right away. "I Want To Touch You" is very catchy and is perhaps, next to "Balloon," the most accessible track on Ferment. It was also released as a single. "Black Metallic" is heavy but is also one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard and the album version clocks in at over 7 minutes. It is amazing, especially when the guitars kick in again after the quiet interlude towards the end. Other favorites of mine include the rocking "Shallow," "Tumbledown" which has a beautiful melodic guitar that turns into a blazing riff, "Bill and Ben," the catchy "Salt" with the kickin' drums, and the fun Ba-B-Ba-Ba-"Balloon." The title track is interesting. It is very quiet and soothing and just explodes with headbangin' guitar. Catherine Wheel's later albums may be better produced with crisper sound, but Ferment is, perhaps, their most solid release. No weak tracks here at all. One final note: the lead singer is Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson's cousin! How cool is that?!

The best
Owning this album is more than a gesture in supurb musical taste. Adding Ferment to your collection elevates you to rock guru status. Keep it right next to your copy of The Queen Is Dead and anyone eyeing your cd library will know you're for real.

Their best- best of the gazers
If you are looking for a gazer band with some kick this is it! I Want TO TOuch You chugs along and Black Metallic has a feeling that Ride never got. Nuff siad if you are a gazer fan. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Three years before 1991's Loveless, My Bloody Valentine's masterwork of impossibly dense soundscapes, the Dublin quartet offered some fairly affecting dream pop on its first full-length album, Isn't Anything. Both worthy of Creation's "shoe-gazing" heritage and skewed enough to stand up next to pre-grunge guitar bands like Sonic Youth and the Pixies, the record makes the most of a group that hadn't yet found its bearings. And at its best, Isn't Anything hints at how great it will be when their sonic discoveries are finally honed. --Roni Sarig ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Stepping stone in Indie history.
My Bloody Valentine are undoubtably one of the most important bands in the history of indie music and, although 'Isn't Anything' doesn't quite measure up to the immense standards of 'Loveless', it still serves as a unique sign-post to where music was (or is) going.

Basically this is a stepping stone between 'Loveless' and the early work of The Jesus and Mary Chain. Echoes of The Velvet Underground pervade, yet the sheer sonic ingenuity of Kevin Shields takes this already avant garde template to an entirely original plain. However, this is not to suggest that the songs are somehow lacking. The last four songs, particularly 'You Never Should', are a arguably the pick of the bunch- all mangled guitars and pretty, lo-fi melodies- yet there is much to enjoy elsewhere. Brutal riffing comes to the fore on the single, 'Feed me with your kiss', while the brilliantly off-kilter double-tracked vocals of 'Sueisfine' lead to the sonic equivalent of inertia- which is really rather good.

With its mixture of great tunes and twisted experimentation, it is clear why 'Isn't Anything' is held in such high esteem by many musicians. The sound of garage-rock on E and LSD instead of Speed, the really strange thing about 'Isn't Anything' is that My Bloody Valentine could go any further.

paved the way for post-rock bands o' plenty.
This album is 12 years old, and still holds up as one of the best in my collection. This album, like very few others that i own, offers more than just a listening experience. It's a milestone in music history. This was 1988? and here's a guy who plays guitar chords with tremolo bar in hand. No one had even attempted this at the time. Kevin Shields guitar tone is almost 15 years old, and no one can replicate it even with todays equipement. Guitar tones aside, this album goes far and beyond that. The songs are nothing short of masterpeices. "You Never Should" is my absolute favorite song of all time. And the heartbeat drumbeat in "All I Need" is just spine tinglingly beautiful. one thing i am absolutely sick of is people saying the vocals are too quiet. Those people obviously aren't listening hard enough, and you should not take their reviews seriously. Just because the vocals can sometimes be hard to make out, doesn't mean this band isn't saying anything. They're saying lots, and it goes beyond just the lyrics. Listen again.

nowhere near Loveless, in many ways...
"Isn't Anything" is no where near My Bloody Valentine landmark 1991 rock album, "Loveless". one of the greatest albums of the '90s, maybe THE best. but three years before Loveless was their 1988 album, "Isn't Anything". 12 tracks, 38 minutes of the Bloody Valentine you know. they made their debut in 1984 with their incredibly rare album, "This is Your Bloody Valentine". we all know My Bloody Valentine because of their album "Loveless", but before they had this. yeah, they still have the rockin', streaming, amazing guitars -- just not as good. nor is the record.

i think, personally, "Loveless" has one of the greatest productions ever in the music industry. though, "Isn't Anything" differs from Loveless. songs could've sounded so much better with rocky songs like "Feed me with your kiss". theres not much more i can say in this review, "Isn't Anything" is a good album... but like i've said, Loveless just completely slaughters Isn't Anything in tracks, time, production, instrumental, and musically.

if you loved "Loveless", its likely you might enjoy Isn't Anything. worthy to have in anyones collection, but don't expect the beauty or amazement of Loveless.

Better than Loveless
I like "Isn't Anything" better than "Loveless". if you think otherwise, then you should consider fu**ing off.

First off, the lyrics to many of these songs rock. the lyrics for "soft as snow" are cool.
Secondly many of these songs rock. Look no further than "Feed Me with Your Kiss" and "You Never Should".
Thirdly buy this record or suffer the consequences of Kevin Shield's wrath.

best songs:
"Cupid Come", "feed me with your Kiss", "sueisfine", "when you wake, your still in a dream"

Songs that suck:
"No MOre sorry"

Simply Amazing
Let me start by saying my bloody Valentine is my favorite band ever, and this is my favorite album of thiers. I am tired of people comparing "Isn't Anything" to "Loveless." I think the band was in two totally different eras of the bands existence and they each have two very different things to say.
One cannot argue the brilliance of "Loveless," which after one listen made me throw out all of my REM tapes. Loveless might have been the album that along with Pavement's "Slanted and Enchanted" and Nirvana's "Nevermind" changed the musical landscape forever. It is still being imitated and appaulled by everyone from Billy Corrigan to the guy from Phish as well as many others.
The reason why I would choose "Isn't Anything" over "Loveless" is that it sounds more like a band album rather than a Kevin Shields album. Debbie's bass playing has never been stronger or more creative -- just listen to the openning bass riff! Colm is simply amazing, picking up where Keith Moon left off. Bilinda and Kevin are amazing, both on guitar and the interplay between their vocal harmonies. It is tight and focused and so innovative that it started a musical movement --(shoegazer or dream pop, depending on which side of the Atlantic yr on).
Along with Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation," 'Isn't Anything" brought attention to the fact that a new breed of guitarist was emerging, that something wonderful was about the happen and about to turn the music industry on its ear. Buy it today. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Simply incredible
This cd is incredible. One of the best I have every heard, definitely best by BJM. Although the flow of the cd is more disjointed than other BJMs, man of the individual songs (evergreen, wisdom, everyone says) are true gems.

If you don't already own this CD, go out and get it. Its takes spaceman 3 psych out blurs in My Bloody valentine drones and mixes in the rolling stones irreverant attitude.

I can't recommend this CD highly enough.

IZ COOL!
I broowed this cd from my brother, as ive been getting into My Bloody Valentine, Labradford, and Bowery Electric. I was blown Away! Alot of really great songs, and its just a fulfilling album to listen to. try it!

This is it, Baby!
It's the Maasacre from a time when they felt things a little bit differently and measured themselves against more contemporary band movements. But this album will be sought after even 20 years from now, GUARANTEED. Timeless as they wanted it and all of their releases to be. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ride was an essential element of the wall-of-sound, trippy, melodic shoe-gazing movement of the early '90s. Nowhere is their best album and is one of the prettiest albums of that era. Songs are psychedelic wash of reverberation, and ghostly, passive vocal melodies. Born from the womb of My Bloody Valentine distortion, Ride tempers their sound with an easier melody, reaching across to the pop spectrum. "Vapour Trail" stands out as the leader of the pack--a gorgeous song that floats and drones in and out of your head like a cleansing fog. --Beth Bessmer ... Read more

Reviews (38)

One of the great albums
Like all great artists Ride rediscovered the obvious and transformed it into something totally new. Effects pedals have been around almost as long the electric guitar itself, but mostly have only been used as incidental embellishments; a bit of wah wah on a solo, some discrete phasing on a rhythm guitar part, the ubiquitous yet mostly predictable use of distortion. Ride took these basic elements and pushed them to the nth degree, creating a wild, glorious soundscape of such intensity and emotion that one runs out of superlatives trying to describe it. From the chaotic "Seagull", through the melodic perfection of "In a different place" and "Vapour Trail", to the glacial textures of "Polar Bear", Ride reinvented what it was possible for a guitar band to do. Their experiments with the aural possibilities of the electric guitar reached its apogee on the epic "Dreams Burn Down", alas a prophetic title as Ride's ability to maintain this level of creativity turned out to be short lived. Ride came and went while other artists (liked the astonishingly overrated Radiohead) more profitably expoited the genre they invented. The best album of the 90's.

After Nowhere
Nowhere is one of the greatest extended statements of melodic guitar and band to rise out of the shoegazing movement. "Guitar" is the word most used in describing Ride, and this it is true that this was a guitar band, but what makes the lyrical work of Andy Bell and gang so great is that it worked as a whole. I find it difficult to separate the guitars from the rhythm section as is possible with other guitar dominated bands. This is to say that the cymbal and bass line throughout the opening track, Seagull, make the guitar solo 3 minutes into the song possible, as do the vocals. This ability to approach the symphonic is what makes this a great set of music that is able to sustain the impressionistic intent from beginning to end.
In the re-issue with the Today Forever ep the soundscapes of Nowhere are embellished in ways that can only be followed by a few moments of silence.
Seagull, Polar Bear, Vapour Trail, and Beneath stand out, and yet the CD is as seamless as My Bloody Valentine's masterpiece, Loveless. The music of each band is quite different, but as companions to a time period, and a genre (and this is a genre, shoegazing) they do stand the test of time. If a person were to have only one Ride CD then the re-issue of Nowhere would be the one, followed by Going Blank Again Re-Issue.

He he he
If heroin has a sound it would sound exactly like this band.

A nice "Ride".
I'm not going to say that this is the essential album of the genre, but it is one of the better ones. I think it takes a few listens to get into, and no particuliar songs really stand out, but as a whole it's very good. I like the cover art, because it really does reflect the sound of the band. In short, if you're into the "shoegazing" sound at all, you should enjoy this. It could be 4 stars.

Great First LP
This was a great debut LP by Ride. Probably their best although 2nd LP "going blank again" comes close.
This was Ride's greatest sound by a band that could and should have achieved more, in the sense of popularity.Although it may be better like this, so that only a select few can keep these gems to themselves, making it more personal. They were the best shoegaze band, even though many turn to MBV, however, Ride were more accessable. Shoegaze died mainly because of the music media backlash (especially NME). However, the current return of this genre may get this fabulous LP reviewed again and looked at without the biased opinion of the anti-shoegaze press. Then it will be seen for what it is rather than have a label on it. This is a great sounding, bright, fuzzing, melancholic and powerful record with a youthful energy that overwhelmes the listener if he has what it takes to feel it. Take the test!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Long before groups like Oasis and Blur provoked cross-Atlantic media hype, Catherine Wheel were evolving the Brit-Pop style that typifies the genre's distinction. With the release of Chrome in 1993, they advanced their whispered-wall-of-sound approach to rock amalgamation. Underneath the rust and steel exterior, Chrome exhibits the confidence and sonic rhapsody of its creators. Beyond such fortitudes, the vocal and lyrical arrangements are perhaps the truest accolades of the album with lyrical themes which accompany the listener to the heart of tranquilized and love-inflicted fantasies. The fuzzy solos and vibrato accord further complement the songs aided by crystalline guitar melodies. Jaded with growing pains, singer Rob Dickenson croons with perfect tenor appeal on tracks like "Kill Rhythm" and "Crank," highlighting the personal temperaments which shape the album. Turning experiences into 12-step chromatic conclusions, Catherine Wheel polish the metallic spirit in any latent rocker.--Lucas Hilbert ... Read more

Reviews (26)

I have hundreds of cd's & this might be the best.
This was the first Catherine Wheel album I purchased. I now own all of them. I wish I could have back the 3 years they were recording before I was aware of them. This is still their finest album in my opinion. There is not a poor song on this CD. The mellow, dreamy tracks Fripp, The Nude, Ursa Major Space Station, are remeniscent of their fabulous Ferment CD. There are plenty of songs with a hard edge to them however: Broken Head, I Confess, Kill Rhythm. Strange Fruit & Show Me Mary are somewhere in between but are amazing still. Sit back, listen & experience this album & you might feel emotions you didn't even know you had. I would recommend it to anyone who loves music & craves something a little more complex & developed than the usual top 40 american slop.

"Deep, distant and pure"
Chrome is the follow-up to Catherine Wheel's excellent debut Ferment. It still has the loud, stuffy sound of Ferment but is not quite as raw and is more varied musically. It begins with the explosive "Kill Rhythm" which is very powerful yet catchy and sports some nice duel vocals in places. "I Confess" is very nice with a killer guitar riff in the middle. Some of the tracks are a little more accessible than the music on Ferment. "Strange Fruit" has addictive guitar and pounding drums and nice duel vocals. "The Nude" is also very accessible, as beautiful and artistic as the title suggests. Other favorites of mine are the surreal "Broken Head" with the sing-along-to chorus, and the even more surreal "URSA Major Space Station" (the drums here are amazing). Then there is the quiet 7:34 "Fripp" (Catherine Wheel usually has at least one extended track per album). The singles off this album are not as good as those off of Ferment. The best part of "Crank" is the opening riff and "Show Me Mary" is a little too pop. Still, Catherine Wheel's sophomore release is right up there with the brilliant Ferment. If you are new to Catherine Wheel, listen to the music clips Amazon offers and, if you like what you hear, get their first three CDs: Ferment, Chrome, and Happy Days. They are all solid with superb alternative rock material. Plus: Rob Dickinson, the lead vocalist, is cousin to Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson! How cool is that?!

most under rated album from the 90's by far...
one of the most under rated bands of the 90's... you hear their influences in many of today's popular bands. oasis and radiohead are admitted fans. if you don't know this album then you don't know the history of british rock as well as you should.

A must have
Every song on this album is amazing. If you're going to buy only one Catherine Wheel album this should be the one. This actually was the first album of theirs that I bought and now I have all of their cds, including many singles which have unreleased tracks on them. I would describe the albums sound as hard, rythmatic, and somewhat pop. The lyrics as powerful blues. This mix is very unique and they are unmistakable if you were to have heard them before. I suggest that everyone should buy this album you wont regret it. Most likely it wont be the last album you buy of theirs.

the best album ever
The fact that this album, and many others by Catherine Wheel, was overlooked by radio and music magazines -- what can I say? It's a crime. There are so many people that I meet who are closet Catherine Wheel fans. ("You like them? You've HEARD of them? I had no idea!") Among those people, this album seems to be a consistent favorite. I remember when this album came out, and I was working at a indie record store, a British music zine rated *Chrome* the "second-best British album ever." Buy this album. You won't regret it. ... Read more

Album Details

This is the Definitive Best of Collection from the Verve. The Package Will Consist of Singles Released from the Hugely Successful Albums "a Strom in Heaven", "a Northern Soul" and "Urban Hymns" as Well as Various EPs and B-sides. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Loveless part 2
On Tremolo My Bloody Valentine create a mini-album that would be played right after Loveless and sound like a contiuation more than anything. Tremolo also is a great record all by itself, it grooves and moves in all the right places, and sounds like it was recorded through the same hazy druggy sensualness that graced Loveless. However at times the drums seem even lower in the mix than on Loveless, which adds to its' dreaminess, which I guess is the point, but really I think the drums should have been more prominent, but hey wahtever, it still sounds great. All in all I highly suggest picking this up if you're a MBV fan and already have Loveless and Isn't Anything.

A mini-Loveless
Any MBV fan will kick himself for discovering this album so late as I did. It's like finding a lost section of Loveless. Although it's an EP, Tremolo was clearly concieved of like an album; it's coherent, connected, organic. Other reviewers below have noted the transitions between songs (as on Loveless), but what they haven't noted is that "To Here Knows When," a song already on the aformentioned album, actually gets a different ending/transition here. The other three songs not only stand up to anything on Loveless, but actually surpass many of those excellent tunes. The creative process and decision making that went into this EP would likely be intriguing; however, MBV's relative prolificness in 1991 now makes one wonder if Shields simply shot his bolt and had little else to say after; this as opposed to the idea that he's an obsessive perfectionist (yea, that holds a lot of weight after 10 years without a new cd!). Apparently he scraped an entire album after bankrupting a label! But no matter: Shields and MBV have given us enduring works and all of the following are essential: Isn't Anything, Glider EP, Tremolo EP, and Loveless.

Tremolo will send chills through your spine.

A My Bloody MUST!
Opens from a track from LOVELESS, widely considered to be their masterpiece. "To Here Knows When" is an etheral song with guitars that sound like they're phasing in and out of our plane of existence. Features a fantastically surrealistic ending that doesn't appear on the album. ****1/2

"Swallow" - is a B-side quality track but sweet and enjoyable nonetheless. Interesting percussion and a sound similar to modern (Eastern) Indian music. Like "To Here Knows When," its ending undergoes a radical transformation that serves as a segueway to the next song and sounds like working your way through a maze of clouds. ****

"Honey Power" - cool song from My Bloody honey Belinda Butcher. Features the kind of guitars I went crazy for on ISN'T ANYTHING. Instantly evolves into a stunning segue. *****

The ending of "Honey Power" brilliantly becomes the woozy "Moon Song," which is drunk on its own feedback. ****1/2

Good stuff! Fans will definitely want to get this one!

Music to worship God with.
This is spiritual! This can be considered the long awaited follow up to Loveless. I can say being owner of more than 600 CD's that there is only a handful of bands who've left a long lasting impression on me like MBV. Today, the only band who are still together that has left this kind of impression on me is Sigur Ros. (not radiohead)

Music to worship God too.
This is spiritual! This can be considered the long awaited follow up to Loveless. I can say being owner of more than 600 CD's that there is only a handful of bands who've left a long lasting impression on me like MBV. Today, the only band who are still together that has left this kind of impression on me is Sigur Ros. (not radiohead) ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

It would be easy to dismiss B.R.M.C. as another bunch of Britpop wannabes. Their amalgam of fuzzed-out vocals and chugging guitars over layers of droning feedback immediately brings to mind the Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream. But the band's wanton attitude easily compensates for its lack of originality. Plucking its name from the Marlon Brando classic The Wild One and digging deep into its weathered copy of Psycho Candy for lyrical inspiration, the leather-clad San Francisco trio picks up where Oasis left off--pillaging the past, regurgitating it shamelessly, and making it sound exciting and dangerous in the process. Imagine the sheer audacity that goes into writing a song like "Whatever Happened to My Rock & Roll (Punk Song)"--all Stooges agitation and Beach Boys melodies--and backing it with a blissful Stone Roses homage called "Awake." They're not the best at what they do, but right now they're all we've got. --Jaan Uhelski ... Read more

Reviews (94)

Beautifully Rendered Melancholic Club
B.R.M.C. is kind of a specialised taste, but it's some d*mn fine music. I first heard about them through Noel Gallagher and David Grohl, who both think they are awesome, if those two names mean anything to you. The band is currently working on the next album, but if you see their self-titled debut at Sam Goody and have the cash, buy it, because it is relatively hard to find and well worth the money.

BRMC glides along at a steady pace throughout the entire disc, while the music varied from song (rock, punk, blues bass) and themes (love, and a lot of Jesus theories), the album sticks together extremely well and is hard not to listen to the entire album rather than skipping tracks or leaving halfway through. The songs stick with you when you do leave, not so much to annoy, but to make you want to comeback and listen again. The vocals take on a soft Beatlesque drawl in some places and early 80's punk at other times, at once soothing and sacrilegious. As beautiful and well-crafted the songs are, the texture is rough and unpolished for a studio album, but that much only makes the grittier sound more raw and heartfelt, rather than the distanced and digitized junk you hear on the radio. You can actually feel and see the band playing rather than some computer.

"Love Burns" is the only US single I know of, but is easily matched or topped in its own special way by any other song on the album.

One hell of a ride
If, on a debut album, you're going to title a song "Whatever happened to my rock 'n' roll" then you better make sure you back it up with something of lasting quality.

Black rebel motorcycle have not only in B.R.M.C created a body of work that will live long in the conscious, but one of the defining albums of the new millennium, which moves the heart, mind, soul and body in equal parts.

The opening "love burns", like all great opening tracks, has that attention grabbing riff and creates the momentum for which "red eyes and tears" and then "Whatever happened...." build and expand upon. The latter is like a dirge with a pulse - an eye bleeding riff combined with an air tight rhythm section as it threatens to roll on and on forever destroying everything in it's wake.

Sure at times they sound like J&MC - especially on track five "white palms" (or is that just because the word Jesus is in the chorus???) and at times they even have that chaotic dense layered sound of My bloody Valentines. Music IS about borrowing from the past, it is about influences and this is what makes bands like the Black rebel motorcycle club so interesting. They take, borrow and recreate with their own angle. For this they are to be congratulated for having such wonderful taste, not lambasted for being short on ideas or originality.

B.R.M.C is one of those wonderful albums that don't come out too often and an asset to any CD collection.

Sounds Good... but Highly Unoriginal
BRMC is a really good album that has some very catchy songs on it. "Love Burns" is a great single and about 75% of the whole album is very good.
For those who have no experience with The Jesus and Mary Chain, this album will seem like a fresh, great sound. This album is almost a complete duplication of the recipe that The Jesus and Mary Chain used to make music in their career.
I was completely shocked when I heard "Whatever Happened To My Rock 'n' Roll." This song is almost identical to "Degenerate" by The Jesus and Mary Chain from their album Munki. The rhythm, the lyrical style and song structure are the same!
All these details aside though, this album is far from ground breaking, but it really sounds good. Since The Jesus and Mary Chain no longer exists, BRMC will satisfy your craving for noisy guitar.

Join the Club
One of the best debuts of the last years, "B.R.M.C." is a fine addition to the new rock movement that has strong ties to the past, late seventies zeitgeist (alongside the Strokes or the White Stripes). Mixing Jesus and Mary Chain with Oasis influences, this band provides a somewhat derivative, yet captivating sound, presenting a compelling set of songs. There`s nothing really new to find here, but moments like the sinister and gloomy "Red Eyes and Tears" or the addictive "Love Burns" are top notch compositions anywhere at any time. One of the few rock bands worth listening to today, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are a strong and solid name worth following.

Intriguing rock.

Leave it on and love it
If you like even 1 band of the comparisions made in other reviews pick this cd up. I thought it was similiar in some ways to the Jesus and Mary Chain at their most drugged out and dreamiest. I had the album for a year before just leaving it on one day and loving every song. Noisy, sweet, soft and loud all in one. Each song has a distinct sound to it as well. Just go buy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Five years before the group's Urban Hymns broke the band into the mainstream, The Verve's first full-length effort, A Storm in Heaven, gave incredible insight into the band's ability to mesmerize it's audience. Hypnotic vocals courtesy of vocalist Richard Ashcroft and layered musical textures from the band make for an incredible, memorable album. This is not the stuff of background music but instead best suited to provide the soundtrack for a candlelit, incense-filled Saturday night. Perhaps the band's best effort to date. --Denise Sheppard ... Read more

Reviews (45)

I'm wondering how long this CD will be my favorite...
...cause its been going on now for 5 years now. I discovered The Verve while listening to our college radio station, they played "Sail Away". That DAY I went out and bought it. Since then I listen to it just about everyday, its a permanent fixture in my car's CD changer, and I've considered buying another one for my home. Each song has so many layers that all come together to form music that is wickedly absorbing. This is by far the best Verve album.

One of my all time Faves
I listen to everything from Slayer to Toto to James Brown to Louis Armstrong, and this is one of my all time faves. This is a life changing album. It showed me that there is so much more out there. It is a roller coaster for the senses which takes you up, down and all around to release you feeling inspired. Northern Soul and Urban Hymns seem as though they are simply albums which this band produced while on their creative demise. Almost as though "Storm" was the Climax. I feel fortunate to have seen this band live many times in Detroit and Grand Rapids in their early to mid-90's hey day. Simply Amazing. Many believe this is the first release from this band. Indeed it is their first full length release, but I suggest getting a copy of their "All in the mind" EP, Or the Verve EP if you dig this album. If it weren't for this band, my appreciation for music would have been so limited. But, it is not for everyone. If you have an open appreciation for true musical art, I would suggest getting a copy of this. LISTEN WITHOUT DISTRACTION!!PLEASE.

What Heaven Sounds Like
This is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums. I, like many others, first discovered the most awesome of modern bands--The Verve--when they released their breakthrough single Bittersweet Symphony and its companion album Urban Hymns.
I do believe that The Verve were one of the greatest rock groups to come along in quite some time, and I find it hard to pigeonhole them into any category or movement, although they had the shoegazer influences of their time, as well as a wondrous penchant for psychedelia that even blows away many of the bands of the late '60s. I have all three of their major albums, and cherish the songs of Ashcroft and Co. but this will forever remain my favorite. I agree with many reviewers who have said that the few who deeply appreciate this album are affected by it, it leaves an imprint on the inner soul.

The entire album is an enrapturing voyage: challenging, nocturnal, twilight-filled, and a perfect chaser for drugs or other substances (if you are the type). In all actuality, this album IS a drug on its own level.

Take the chance and buy this or burn it. In my opinion, this is the closest thing to musical paradise.

Very disappointing.
This album could have been a good one if it weren't for two things. Number one, the sound quality of A Storm In Heaven is just plain horrible. Ashcroft's vocals are just about nonexistant, as McCabe's guitars steal all of the glory throughout nearly the entire recording. Even some of the guitar work in this album is atrocious. As one reviewer said, parts of this album sound like a 'bad bootleg'. Another reason why ASIH gets two stars is because of the poor songwriting by Ashcroft. Before I bought this album I was expecting to hear thought-provoking, heartfelt lyrics and some decent guitar work. Well, the guitars deliver somewhat, but there were no lyrics that brought out any emotions whatsoever. "I must be feeling alone...I talked to God in a phonebox on my way home. I told you my answer...I left you my dreams on your answering machine." These are the kind of lyrics that you'll find on Urban Hymns(check out A Northern Soul too). Giving this album two stars is very generous.

Mind Expanding
I usually read reviews, but I had to share my opinion on this album. Like many other of the reviewers here, this album is an obsession for me. A friend recommended many years ago and gave me a copy but I couldn't get past the atmospherics and jam quality of the music. So it sat on my shelf off and on. A few years later I put this disc on my new upgraded speakers and was floored by the sheer level of power and grace of the music. Up and down the songs push and pull against Richard's vocals and lyrics which fill in the instruments and not the other way around. I've had this album on loop for probably the last 2 years and it never gets tired. It's an album that is not for everybody, but for those who get it are permanently changed.

Side note: I do think that this album lends itself well to drugs especially for those of you who partake. Lights off, volume up, some herbal enhancement and you're Already There. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Anyone familiar with Mazzy Star's ethereal, hypnotic music will find singer Hope Sandoval's debut album with the Warm Inventions a welcome return, with its haunting, spaced-out odes to melancholy. It's been five years since Mazzy Star's last album--the rich, evocative Among My Swan--and while Sandoval has appeared on records by the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Chemical Brothers, the At the Doorway Again EP, released at the end of 2000, was the Warm Inventions' first offering. The band--half of which is Colm O'Ciosoig from My Bloody Valentine--favor altogether sparser songs, which suffer somewhat from the absence of David Roback's lush, entrancing slide guitar, which made Mazzy Star so beguiling. Nonetheless, there are delights to be had: Sandoval's voice continues to drip with ennui and a tripped-out nonchalance while the delicate, tinkling songs on display here are eerily romantic, employing soft, beautiful acoustic guitars and occasional strings. Highlights include the relatively upbeat "On the Low," with its gentle swaying rhythm and occasional splashes of harmonica, and the dreamlike "Around My Smile," which features an intoxicated Sandoval singing, "I've got it going on." She may well be right. --Suzannah Brown ... Read more

Reviews (38)

The voice of Mazzy Star keeps us company until Mazzy returns
In the early 1990s, shoegazing was a bit of an underground trend in the alternative music scene. So named for the bands who often stared at the floor while performing their jam-laden music, its influence has been quite wide-ranging if still quite unknown to the general public. Mazzy Star is probably the de facto superstar of the shoegazer movement. The duo of Hope Sandoval & David Roback first debuted with 1991's SHE HANGS BRIGHTLY, which established their winning formula of dreamy soundscapes & Sandoval's sensuous vocals. 1993's SO TONIGHT THAT I MIGHT SEE actually brought Mazzy Star to major attention with the surprise radio hit "Fade Into You". But they proved mainstream success wasn't what they were after with 1996's AMONG MY SWAN, which was more experimental & even more powered by their own interior logic. Apparently, Mazzy Star is not one to be rushed when recording music, for that is all we have heard from them so far. Meanwhile, Sandoval has freelanced, guesting on recordings by artists like the Chemical Brothers. But I guess even she is wondering when the new Mazzy Star album will come, for she has released her solo album BAVARIAN FRUIT BREAD.

Those expecting a Mazzy Star album in all but name might be a little disappointed. This record is more stripped-down & bare-bones than the panoramic sound of Mazzy Star, indicating that this may have been a record made for fun. If that's the case, then fun has never sounded so serene & depressing. As always, Sandoval's ethereal voice is the star on this album, making songs like "Drop", "Clear Day" (the most Mazzy Star-ish tune here), the untitled & unlisted 10th track & "Charlotte" the perfect music to get high with. Then again, you won't need it to get the feeling of being transported to a whole other world with Sandoval's voice the only thing you need. In fact, most every song on BREAD is of the slow, dreamy, perfect-mood-music quality. The 7-minute epic "Lose Me On The Way" (which is track 12 on the album, in fact) is a sound-effects-laden masterpiece that is similar to the classic title track from SO TONIGHT THAT I MIGHT SEE. Another song you can just put on at night & just lay back & relax to. It's the same for the equally beautiful "Around My Smile". The one time where BREAD gets the least bit uptempo is "On The Low", but even then, the rhythm is only slightly jaunty. If a single must be released from this record, "On The Low" is by far the best candidate. Most "off-the-cuff" albums would be loaded with guest stars & friends, but BREAD only has three & they are indeed appropriate. Colm O'Ciosoig from shoegazing legends My Bloody Valentine accompanies Hope on almost every song & is great to hear from, considering his band is also made up of legendarily obsessive perfectionists (they haven't released anything since 1991's LOVELESS). William Reid from another famous shoegazing band The Jesus & Mary Chain co-writes "Drop" & British folk singer Bert Jansch appears on "Butterfly Mornings" & "Charlotte" contributing his distinctive brand of guitar picking.

Folky is definitely the word to describe BAVARIAN FRUIT BREAD for a lot of it has that feeling of what Nick Drake would have recorded had he managed to live longer. The only shoegazing element here is Hope Sandoval's unmistakable voice & that's all we really need to make this album above the normal contemporary folk record. Is it Mazzy Star? No, even if Hope was really the identifiable part of the group. It's something else altogether, with the music being even more minimalist than the cover art that decorates the album. So until Mazzy Star comes back with a follow-up to AMONG MY SWAN (or if, I should say), BAVARIAN FRUIT BREAD will be proof that Hope Sandoval could just as well handle things on her own as well as with David Roback.

she's got it going on !!!
anyone who has ever loved the somber, yet sweet music of mazzy star should eat this up just like a hefty piece of bavarian fruit bread. hope's vocals are richly textured & i find this cd extremely addictive. the strings, acoustic guitar, & bouncy drumbeats only COMPLIMENT