My Bloody Valentine – Ecstasy and Wine

My Bloody Valentine – Ecstasy and Wine

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

You’ve led a relatively unsuccessful gothic/post-punk band for a few years now. Your records have failed to make an impact critically or commercially. Conventional wisdom would suggest packing it in. And then you get a new lead singer who helps to change everything.

So was the story of Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine in 1987. The Irish-via-Queens, NY guitarist named his group after the 1981 slasher film about a miner who stalks a group of young adults. None of the characters led particularly successful lives, and it was an apt metaphor for Shields’ music endeavors – albeit an unintentional one.

None of the groups albums singles and EPs from up to this point show much of anything to write home about from Geek! to This Is Your Bloody Valentine to “Sunny Sundae Smile” – a bizarre song about necrophilia – My Bloody Valentine looked to be stuck in second-rate mode.

That is, until Bilinda Butcher joined the group. Having relocated to London, Shields found Butcher like a ray of sunshine in a rainstorm. It was discovered very quickly that Butcher and Shields could harmonize incredibly well.

Her soft, airy vocals offered a nice contrast to the fuzzed-out guitars that the band was know for. And Shields was adding new influences to his sound. From The Byrds to The Jesus and Mary Chain to the twee indiepop of the C86 compilation and 14 Iced Bears, Shields was concocting his own sound which would later influence bands such as Slowdive and Ride.

While “shoegazing” hadn’t formally been invented yet, it was this period which would define what the genre would sound like. The music on the band’s first two Eps with Butcher - Strawberry Wine and Ecstasy – would be compiled into an album, aptly titled Ecstasy and Wine put out by Lazy Records in 1989.

By then MBV had moved onto even more experimental territory, fusing their hard-charging post-punk sound with a method of guitar playing known as “glide guitar.” Shields would use the tremolo arm on his Jazzmaster while strumming barre chords so that the strings were constantly fluttering in and out of tune.

The groups 1991 album Loveless was a sonic breakthrough, going into even dreamier territory. It was their last for 22 years. Shields has since distanced himself from Ecstasy and Wine, not performing anything from the record live since 1989. But how does this early material with Butcher hold up? Does it deserve a second look?

“Strawberry Wine” starts the album in jangly fashion with layers of dreamy guitars and Shields harmonizing with Butcher on every line. The C86 influence is out in full swing, with ethereal textures and soundscapes. It evokes the end of a beautiful summer day as the sun sets on a beach with fireworks in the distance. And of course, plenty of fruit wine.

“Never Say Goodbye” is even more powerful, with fuzzy rhythm guitars, jangly leads, and Keith Moon-inspired drumming by Colm Ó Cíosóig (whose name I can’t pronounce, despite my Irish heritage.) The call-and-response vocals by Butcher and Shields describe a perfect day where they “never say goodbye” and they “chase the clouds away.” The effect is again evocative of the free spirit of summertime.

“Can I Touch You?” is The Beach Boys via The Mary Chain in the best possible way. Shields sings this one alone in a voice highly reminiscent of Jim Reid. The majestic backdrop of an ascending guitar riff and Ó Cíosóig’s tribal drumming gives the song a primitive 1960’s pop feel.

“The Things I Miss” features hellish keyboards and fuzzed out guitars contrasted with Butcher’s sweetest cooing vocals. It’s largely different from the later work of MBV, but unlike their goth period, it holds up really well.

Strangely absent from the majority of the record is the sound of Deb Googe’s bass. Her thundering, metallic sound was a hallmark of latter MBV records. Here her work is buried deeply in the mix. Which is ironic, because she contributed lyrics to “Never Say Goodbye,” a trebly sounding recording with almost no audible bass.

But perhaps the strongest tune is The Byrds via R.E.M. jangle of “(You're) Safe in Your Sleep (From This Girl)." With more prominent bass and sounding like one of Mike Mills’ compositions from Murmur or Reckoning, it is the poppiest song on the album.

Shields sings in an upbeat voice about a relationship that is fraying at the seams. It’s the mark of a great songwriter to be able to compose uplifting music to contrast melancholy lyrics. And Shields does so in stride here. What makes the song special is that MBV would never attempt such straightforward pop again, despite succeeding at it. Oh well.

In the coming years, Shields would disown Ecstasy and Wine. Part of this had to do with Lazy Records putting it out after My Bloody Valentine had signed to Creation to cash in on the success of the group’s 1988 album Isn’t Anything. Which is a shame, because – while not as experimental as their later work – the seeds of creativity were clearly sown here.

While their early records showed almost no signs of innovation, My Bloody Valentine proved the value of persistence. On Ecstasy and Wine, the group showed that they had a knack for original sounds. And they helped inspire an entire movement to follow them.

Lazy Records/1989

 

Miracle Legion – Me and Mr. Ray

Miracle Legion – Me and Mr. Ray

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

New Haven, CT is a funny town. You can find yourself walking down any block and be in a perfectly safe neighborhood. But venture too far in any direction at the wrong time of day and you could find yourself in a dangerous situation.

Yale University – one of the wealthiest universities in the country – is juxtaposed with crippling poverty that would make the student population blush. It ain’t for the faint of heart. It is this contrast which greatly informs the local arts scene. In the middle of this – during the ‘80s and ‘90s – was Miracle Legion.

Formed in 1983 as a partnership between singer/songwriter Mark Mulcahy and guitarist Raymond “Mr. Ray” Neal, Miracle Legion were pegged to be college rock legends. Their jangly sound and obscured vocals led to them being called “the next R.E.M.”

While that didn’t pan out, they still created a major cult following on the local circuit. Their debut EP The Backyard attracted critical acclaim in the US and the UK – even if the sales didn’t reflect it. However, the press did get the attention of legendary UK label Rough Trade Records.

As home to The Smiths, The Fall, and The Raincoats, Rough Trade could surely break Miracle Legion to the next level. They released Miracle Legion’s next record, 1987’s Surprise Surprise Surprise to more acclaim, but little fanfare.

Between the next EP and their 1989 full-length, the rhythm section quit. Consequently, the album would be recorded as a duo of Mulcahy and Mr. Ray – and aptly titled Me and Mr. Ray. The jangly electric guitars were traded in for hushed acoustics and harmonica.

Mulcahy and Mr. Ray seemed to take what could have been a disastrous situation and turned it into an excuse to revamp their sound. They were risking throwing away what people knew and loved about them for new territory. But as they didn’t set the world on fire commercially previously, they weren’t risking too much.

“Ladies From Town” starts the album off on a jaunty note, with uptempo drums acoustic strums, and folksy harmonica. Lyrically the track seems to take place in a pub or night club setting with Mulcahy asking for the company of a woman he meets.

On the Miracle Legion reunion tour, Mulcahy would pass the microphone out to women in the audience to sing the chorus. It was always an interesting moment, as no one knew how it would turn out.

“If She Could Cry” is another example of Mulcahy and Mr. Ray branching out. It fuses a country and western twang with the kind of modernized rockabilly American Music Club were doing at the time. Lyrically, Mulcahy is admonishing a man for mistreating a woman in a relationship.

The contrast of the dark lyrics with the jovial music is an effective touch. It gives the track a duality rarely present in popular music. Perhaps this complexity of emotions is what kept Miracle Legion out of the charts. It is entirely possible they were too clever for their own good.

Perhaps the most poignant track on the album is “You’re The One Lee.” A simple acoustic guitar and a heavily delayed electric introduce the song in dreamy fashion. Mulcahy enters expressing his love.

Mulcahy bares his soul. He waits all night for his lover to return, sitting with her parents on their porch watching cars go by. He compares their relationship to Apollo and Venus. But not all is perfect in the relationship. She has doubts about the narrator’s commitment.

Musically, the track is both sweet and melancholy. Mr. Ray knew to keep Mulcahy’s words naked, and his backing is simple but effective. He uses his guitar playing to create ambiance and a mood rather than taking center stage. As much as soloing is the mark of a good guitarist, restraint in the proper context is the mark of a great one.

Success can’t always be measured in sales or charting positions. Sometimes success is being cult heroes and inspiring other artists. For Miracle Legion, this is their version of success. While they never made it as big as R.E.M. – or even like-minded artists such as The dB’s – they carved out their own niche in a changing landscape.

Mulcahy and Mr. Ray made a brave decision to change sounds on their second full length. Rather than treading water with a new rhythm section, they made an album deliberately out of step with the sounds of the times. It is for this reason that Me and Mr. Ray stands the test of time.

Rough Trade/1989