Automatic (The Jesus and Mary Chain album)

Automatic is the third album by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. The group on this record is basically the core duo of brothers William and Jim Reid with a drum machine providing percussion and even a synthesizer filling in on bass guitar. The only other credited musician was Richard Thomas who joined the touring version of The Jesus and Mary Chain as a drummer. Thomas drummed on "Gimme Hell" and was a former member of Dif Juz. He also made appearances on Cocteau Twins' 1986 Victorialand LP and This Mortal Coil's 1986 Filigree & Shadow.

Automatic
Studio album by
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Released9 October 1989
Recorded1989
StudioSam Therapy, West London
GenreAlternative rock
Length43:26
LabelBlanco y Negro Records
ProducerJim Reid, William Reid
The Jesus and Mary Chain chronology
Barbed Wire Kisses
(1988)		 Automatic
(1989)		 Honey's Dead
(1992)
Singles from Automatic
  1. "Blues from a Gun"
    Released: September 1989
  2. "Head On"
    Released: November 1989

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
Mojo[4]
NME8/10[5]
Pitchfork7.8/10[6]
Q[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Select5/5[9]
The Village VoiceB−[10]

Although released to generally poor reviews at the time (with the aforementioned synthesized drums and bass being the biggest point of contention), Automatic contains "Blues from a Gun", their most successful single in America up to that point, and "Head On" (later covered by Pixies). Critical and fan reception has improved with the passage of time. Pitchfork wrote in 2006 that "conventional wisdom wrongly calls [Automatic] the dud" of the band's discography, but that in hindsight the album "feels like a career peak"[6] and has been a fan favourite.

The last two tracks, "Drop" and "Sunray", do not appear on vinyl LP versions of the album.

Track listing

All tracks written by Jim Reid and William Reid.

LP (BYN 20), limited gatefold LP (BYN 20W) and cassette (BYNC 20)

Side one

  1. "Here Comes Alice" – 3:53
  2. "Coast to Coast" – 4:13
  3. "Blues from a Gun" – 4:44
  4. "Between Planets" – 3:27
  5. "UV Ray" – 4:06

Side two

  1. "Her Way of Praying" – 3:46
  2. "Head On" – 4:11
  3. "Take It" – 4:34
  4. "Halfway to Crazy" – 3:40
  5. "Gimme Hell" – 3:20

CD (BYNCD 20)

  1. "Here Comes Alice" – 3:53
  2. "Coast to Coast" – 4:13
  3. "Blues from a Gun" – 4:44
  4. "Between Planets" – 3:27
  5. "UV Ray" – 4:06
  6. "Her Way of Praying" – 3:46
  7. "Head On" – 4:11
  8. "Take It" – 4:34
  9. "Halfway to Crazy" – 3:40
  10. "Gimme Hell" – 3:20
  11. "Drop" – 1:58
  12. "Sunray" – 1:34

Personnel

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Additional personnel

  • Alan Moulder – engineer
  • Jamie Harley – recording assistant
  • Lee Curle – recording assistant
  • Dick Meaney – mixing assistant
  • Richard Thomas – drums on "Gimme Hell"
  • Ryan Art – design
  • Steve Mitchell – photography
  • Andrew Catlin – photography

Charts
Chart (1989–90) Position
Australian Albums Chart[11] 89
Swedish Albums Chart 42
UK Albums Chart 11
US Billboard 200 105

As of May 1998 the album has sold 60,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[12]

References
  1. Raggett, Ned. "Automatic – The Jesus and Mary Chain". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. Kot, Greg (7 December 1989). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Automatic (Warner)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  3. Cromelin, Richard (12 November 1989). "The Jesus and Mary Chain 'Automatic,' Warner Bros". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Automatic". Mojo (153): 111. August 2006.
  5. Quantick, David (14 October 1989). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Automatic". NME.
  6. Abebe, Nitsuh (4 August 2006). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Automatic / Honey's Dead / Stoned & Dethroned". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  7. "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Automatic". Q (38). November 1989.
  8. Sisario, Ben (2004). "The Jesus and Mary Chain". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 429–30. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. Manning, Sarra (April 1997). "The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Barbed Wire Kisses / Automatic / Honey's Dead / Stoned And Dethroned". Select (82): 112.
  10. Christgau, Robert (6 February 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  11. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  12. "Billboard". 9 May 1998.
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