After making a name for themselves with a blistering, fuzz-infused sound, the Jesus and Mary Chain took a step toward the desert southwest with 1994's Stoned and Dethroned a mystic, drug filled car trip of an album that produced such iconic singles as "Sometimes Always" (a duet with Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star fame) and "Come On." Four albums of dank, tense, club rock wasn't supposed to lead here, a largely acoustic, somber album but alas it did. They'd distorted their way to precocious legend on Psychocandy and created an iconoclastic backdrop of self-destruction on Honey's Dead and became synonymous with that speaker filling feeling. But that all ended in 1994 when they incorporated the uplifting ("Girlfriend") the thoughtful ("You've Been a Friend") and unseemly sexy ("Dirty Water"). There isn't much variety on Stoned and Dethroned itself but its departure proved that the Glasgow band had a cache of hidden depth. Lyrically, the album is an interesting study as well. The better part of a decade saw JMC turn their busy sound into a high inducing experience; now they were singing the sad, introspective ballad of a user looking at their habit, and proving very good at it. Whether they were merely self-indulgent hints of the rock and roll lifestyle, or real pleas for something meaningful, the title follows function on Stoned and Dethroned, an album that encompassed the full scope of stoner networking. William Reid sings to drug buddies, good times on the hunt, and the humble feeling of being lost in use somewhere. In tune with Donovon's Barabajagal and Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches by the Happy Mondays, this is one of the better, most self-effacing drug induced records of the rock era.
EXTRAS:
The re-release of Stoned and Dethroned is being issued in Dual Disc format, a two sided CD with the original album on one side and a DVD side featuring the original in 24-bit sound and extras. Either mix of the album is excellent, especially the enhanced DVD mix which is exceptionally clean. The three videos (an extended mix of "Come On", "Snakedriver" and "Sometimes Always") are interesting time capsules, well crafted, and a fine addition to a JMC fan's collection. Other than these videos however, there is little in the way of substance here. There are lyrics and credits on the menu, but they are readily available elsewhere.
It was an excellent idea to revisit the world of Stoned and Dethroned, and certainly the other albums in the JMC catalog. Their sound is being revisited by a new wave of bands, and for the very first time, the group has become relevant in a historical sense. This format is not given optimum advantage here. It is a little too skimpy to run out and replace the original. |