Record Collector: Jim Reid (The Jesus And Mary Chain) on The Smiths debut album

Couple of bits from the latest Record Collector #556 (April, 2024):

The Smiths
(Rough Trade, 1984)

"William is a massive Smiths fan. I wasn't a fan then and I'm not a fan now. It used to drive me mad because I couldn't find anyone back then who didn't like The Smiths. I don't get them at all. They leave me completely cold."

Small bit on a record shop too:

FWD.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

And that's exactly how I feel about the Jesus and whatever chain.

Your ignorance is showing......you're probably American.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

I was more puzzled about what he said about the stone roses.

As someone who saw the Stone Roses first time around.......he's talking rubbish.

 

[gordyboy9]

worst group ever to come out of scotland.i would say absolute mince but as they are scottish i will say absolute haggis.

 

[ACTON]

Might just be me but I always thought J&MC were over-rated and wouldn't recognise a melody if it landed on their heads. Doesn't bother me in the slightest what some of them think about Smiths/Moz, or what anyone thinks.

 

[The Wild Turkey]

Jesus And Mary Chain are surf music pioneers.

 

[Gaylord Deepstar]

I loved the Stone Roses. Still do.

Two excellent albums.

Awesome shows.

 

[Johnnie Ray]

worst group ever to come out of scotland.i would say absolute mince but as they are scottish i will say absolute haggis.

Wrong. They are great.

 

[21punksalute]

“When people labelled us 'the new Pistols'”
Huh? Is he high? Who are these people? Don’t worry Jim, no one can ever say that again but because no one said it in the first place.

 

[Lujan369]

Where is my prince of the tides????

 

[Redacted]

I find it impossible to not totally love Head On and Just Like Honey. I had Automatic and listened to it a bit, did not have Psychocandy, which I think most people find to the their best.

 

[The Tormentor]

Don't get them at all? What an odd thing to say. Maybe if all of their songs sounded exactly the same, like Jesus and Mary Chain, he might understand...

He will Never Understand

 

[Redacted]

Don't get them at all? What an odd thing to say. Maybe if all of their songs sounded exactly the same, like Jesus and Mary Chain, he might understand...

Why can't people dislike the Smiths, what's hard to understand about it?

 

[Thewlis]

Darklands I liked a lot too.
Their comeback albums didn’t do it for me.

 

[gordyboy9]

Wrong. They are great.

i remember the time well,there was a lot of hype based around them and the first time i saw them it was just noise,DUG MEAT.

 

[gashonthenail]

Psychocandy was/is a classic. One of the best albums of the 80s.
There was a rather funny interview with the Reid brothers in the NME around the time of this NME cover where they joked about Morrissey shaving his armpits.

 

[marred]

So this guy decided to mention the Smiths because he doesn't like them? Why even bother? That's kind of weird.

On the Stone Roses front I agree with him re The Second Coming album. I listen to that album way more than I do the debut album. I do disagree with him about his comments on them being retro and pointless though. The first time I heard Fools Gold I was hypnotised.

 

[marred]

Psychocandy was/is a classic. One of the best albums of the 80s.
There was a rather funny interview with the Reid brothers in the NME around the time of this NME cover where they joked about Morrissey shaving his armpits.

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I like Psychocandy too. Weirdly, one of their most recent albums Damage And Joy is very good too.

 

[hand in glove]

It doesn’t bother me one bit that he doesn’t like the Smiths. The Jesus and Mary Chain are awesome. Not everyone I like has to be bubbling over in love with the Smiths or Moz. I mean, it’s always nice if they are, but not necessary!

 

[Les Tameside]

So this guy decided to mention the Smiths because he doesn't like them? Why even bother? That's kind of weird.

On the Stone Roses front I agree with him re The Second Coming album. I listen to that album way more than I do the debut album. I do disagree with him about his comments on them being retro and pointless though. The first time I heard Fools Gold I was hypnotised.

I think the magazine insisted on him mentioning The Smiths, thro’ the conceit of asking his opinion on influential debuts.

I can agree with him on two things: that VU album is one of the handful of gold standards for modern music, and Licensed to Ill isn’t.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

So this guy decided to mention the Smiths because he doesn't like them? Why even bother? That's kind of weird.

On the Stone Roses front I agree with him re The Second Coming album. I listen to that album way more than I do the debut album. I do disagree with him about his comments on them being retro and pointless though. The first time I heard Fools Gold I was hypnotised.

Surely the magazine provided a list of classic debut albums for him to comment on? To me, that seems way more plausible.