Automatic (The Jesus and Mary Chain album)

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Automatic
Studio album by The Jesus and Mary Chain
Released	September, 1989
Recorded	Sam Therapy, West London
Genre	Alternative
Length	43:33
Label	Blanco y Negro
Producer(s)	Jim Reid, William Reid
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Pitchfork Media (7.8/10) link Q July 2006 (p.122) Robert Christgau (B-) link
The Jesus and Mary Chain chronology
Barbed Wire Kisses (1988)	Automatic (1989)	Honey's Dead (1992)

Automatic is the third album by Scottish alternative band The Jesus and Mary Chain. The Mary Chain 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 is Richard Thomas, who had joined the touring version of the Mary Chain as a drummer. He plays drums here on "Gimme Hell."

Although released to generally poor reviews at the time (with the aforementioned synthesized drums and bass being the biggest point of contention), Automatic contains their most successful single up to that point, "Head On" (later covered by Pixies). Time has been kind to the album, with subsequent generations appreciating it in the context of the Reid brothers' entire career.

Jimmy Eat World referenced the album over a decade later in their track "Authority Song," with the lyrics "The DJ never has it/JAMC Automatic."

The last two tracks, "Drop" and "Sunray", were initially only available on the CD release, and not the vinyl LP and cassette releases. Later re-issues on cassette and CD feature all 12 tracks.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Here Comes Alice" – 3:52
2. "Coast to Coast" – 4:13
3. "Blues from a Gun" – 4:44
4. "Between Planets" – 3:27
5. "UV Ray" – 4:04
6. "Her Way of Praying" – 3:46
7. "Head On" – 4:11
8. "Take It" – 4:34
9. "Half Way to Crazy" – 3:41
10. "Gimme Hell" – 3:18
11. "Drop" – 1:55
12. "Sunray" – 1:35

[edit] Personnel

• William Reid - Guitar, Vocals (on Tracks 1, 3, and 11), Synthesizer, Drum Programming
• Jim Reid - Guitar, Vocals (on Tracks 2, 4-10), Synthesizer, Drum Programming

plus

• Alan Moulder - Engineer (Mixed at The Church)
• Jamie Harley - Recording Assistant
• Lee Curle - Recording Assistant
• Dick Meaney - Mixing Assistant
• Richard Thomas - Drums on "Gimme Hell"

[edit] Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1989	UK Albums Chart	11
1989	US Billboard 200	105