Scotland's Jesus and Mary Chain accomplished several important feats in 1985 when it released its debut album Psychocandy.
Drenched in guitar distortion and feedback, the record finally answered the question, "What would a vacuum cleaner sound like if it mated with a buzz saw?" More important, Psychocandy perfected the recipe for candy-coated arsenic, with sweet pop melodies wrapped around a narcotic chunk of sheer white noise.
Thirty years later, the formula still packs a visceral punch. On tour to mark the album's 30th anniversary, lead singer Jim Reid and his guitar-playing big brother William played Psychocandy from start to stop Thursday night at the Bomb Factory, and it sounded almost as exhilarating as it did in its heyday.
Just like on the LP, the band opened Psychocandy onstage with "Just Like Honey," including the glorious three-beat opening salvo from drummer Hal Blaine in the Ronettes' "Be My Baby." It was a pivotal moment in the show, just as it's been in the Jesus and Mary Chain's career: The song's inclusion in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation revived interest in the group and fueled its reunion in 2007 after nearly a decade apart. The film's star, Scarlett Johansson, even joined the Chain onstage that year at Coachella.
The rest of the album unfolded Thursday night in a powerful note-for-note fashion, from the soaring Brill Building melodies of "Taste of Cindy" to the hushed Velvet Underground tones of "Cut Dead" and the raging "In a Hole," a perfect showcase for touring drummer Brian Young of Fountains of Wayne fame.
In concert, Psychocandy lacked some of the wall-of-distortion lushness it originally had on vinyl. And you could argue fans might have just as well listened to it at home: Dimly lit and barely moving, the Reid brothers and their three bandmates were mere shadows in a shroud of fog and strobe lights.
Still, Psychocandy is best experienced live, with every last squeal, roar and apocalyptic clang of "You Trip Me Up" washing over you at 110 decibels.
Clocking in at barely 75 minutes, the show was much longer than the infamous 20-minute concerts the band played in its early days. The current length felt just about right: Psychocandy ended the show on a triumphant note after a half-hour of classics like "April Skies," "Head On" and 1992's "Reverence" - one of the concert's darkest and most potent moments.
As the band blasted out its machine-shop maelstrom and Jim Reid howled "I wanna die like JFK!" just a mile or so from the Grassy Knoll, the Jesus and Mary Chain made you forget all about its pop side and its Beach Boys-inspired melodies. Deep down, this is a band that's anchored in aggression, angst and bleak emotions.
Thor Christensen is a Dallas writer and critic.
