Darklands (album)

Darklands
Studio album by The Jesus and Mary Chain
Released	31 August 1987
Recorded	Wessex Studios, Southern Studios, Livingston Studios (all London)
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	35:51
Label	Blanco y Negro
Producer	William Reid, Bill Price, John Loder
The Jesus and Mary Chain chronology
Psychocandy (1985) Darklands (1987) Barbed Wire Kisses (1988)
Singles from Darklands
"April Skies" Released: April 1987 "Happy When It Rains" Released: August 1987 "Darklands" Released: October 1987

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]
Drowned in Sound	9/10[3]
Paste	[4]
Pitchfork Media	7.8/10[5]

Darklands is the second album by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. Unlike their previous album, drum machines were used in place of drummer Bobby Gillespie, who had left to pursue a successful career as the frontman with Primal Scream. The album marks a turning point in the band's music, going from the noise-pop of Psychocandy to a more melodic indie/alternative sound.^[6]

Gillespie later recorded a cover version of the album's title track with Primal Scream.

Lead vocals are by Jim Reid, with the exception of "Darklands," "Nine Million Rainy Days" and "On the Wall" which are sung by William Reid.

Track listing

All songs written by Jim Reid and William Reid.

LP (BYN 11) and cassette (BYNC 11)

Side 1

1. "Darklands" – 5:29
2. "Deep One Perfect Morning" – 2:43
3. "Happy When It Rains" – 3:36
4. "Down on Me" – 2:36
5. "Nine Million Rainy Days" – 4:29

Side 2

1. "April Skies" – 4:00
2. "Fall" – 2:28
3. "Cherry Came Too" – 3:06
4. "On the Wall" – 5:05
5. "About You" – 2:33

CD (BYNCD 11)

1. "Darklands" – 5:29
2. "Deep One Perfect Morning" – 2:43
3. "Happy When It Rains" – 3:36
4. "Down on Me" – 2:36
5. "Nine Million Rainy Days" – 4:29
6. "April Skies" – 4:00
7. "Fall" – 2:28
8. "Cherry Came Too" – 3:06
9. "On the Wall" – 5:05
10. "About You" – 2:33

Personnel

The Jesus and Mary Chain

• Jim Reid - vocals (all tracks except 1, 5, 9), guitar, bass, drum machine programming
• William Reid - vocals (tracks: 1, 5, 9), guitar, bass, drum machine programming, production

Additional personnel

• Bill Price - production (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
• John Loder - production (tracks 5, 7, 10)
• Helen Backhouse - design
• Andrew Catlin - photography
• John Maybury - photography
• Tim Broad - photography

Notes

• Tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9: Produced at Wessex Studios
• Track 2: Produced at Livingston Studios and remixed at Wessex Studios
• Tracks 5, 7, 10: Produced at Southern Studios
• Track 9: Remixed at Southern Studios

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7]	81
Swedish Albums Chart	38
UK Albums Chart	5
U.S. Billboard 200	161

Legacy

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[8]

References

1. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r10351
2. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=649&name=The+Jesus+and+Mary+Chain
3. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16544/reviews/4143612
4. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2006/08/the-jesus-and-mary-chain-reissues.html
5. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11882-psychocandy-darklands-automatic-honeys-dead-stoned-dethroned
6. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r10351
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
8. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.

External links

• Darklands (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)