Barbed Wire Kisses (B-sides and More)

Description

The Jesus and Mary Chain released Barbed Wire Kisses (B-Sides and More) in 1988, just five years into their existence. The album is an incredible collection of singles, outtakes and rare tracks that proved to fans outside of collectors circles that the group ranked among the UKs great singles bands. Barbed Wire Kisses showcases a more varied presentation of the band. Their debut Creation single Upside Down, the speed-surf sonics of Kill Surf City and the dark Hit all gleam with the screeching hipster cool of Psychocandys best moments, while lighter fare like the tracks Psycho Candy and the acoustic version of Taste of Cindy echo the gentler tone of Darklands. The Jesus and Mary Chains knack for jaw-dropping cover versions is also exhibited with their thrashy take on The Beach Boys Surfin USA and Bo Diddleys Who Do You Love. The concurrent single Sidewalking ranks among the bands best, with its T-Rex swagger filtered through bands trademark feedback squall. Debut album Psychocandy defined The Jesus and Mary Chain as nihilist rebels, while its follow-up Darklands revealed their softer (albeit still gloomy) side. Barbed Wire Kisses shows all the varied influences (Motown rhythms, Spector-ish walls of sound, surf licks, industrial noise) that informed the band on the next phase of their career as they continued to re-invent pop music. The album is a great snapshot of the bands first half- decade and many of the bands biggest fans consider it the equal to any of their best work.