Album of the Day

One of the greatest bands to emerge from the U.K. alternative scene of the 1980s, The Jesus And Mary Chain made their name with Velvet Underground-esque noise-pop given a Phil Spector-ish majesty. For their fourth studio album, 1992's HONEY'S DEAD, the brothers Reid added a healthy dose of industrial textures and sharper production to the mix. The 12 originals also include some of the band's most hummable melodies, from controversial opener “Reverence” ("I wanna die just like Jesus Christ … I wanna die just like JFK") to “Far Out And Gone” and “Almost Gold.” The expanded version of this striking set includes 15 bonus tracks, among them the “Rollercoaster” E.P. and such terrific B-sides as “Heat” and “Guitarman.” This is William Reid's birthday, and in his honor we'll give another spin to one of the JAMC's best albums, HONEY'S DEAD.