My Bloody Valentine's Loveless
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'Pocket-size books about favourite albums is a nice idea, akin to TV's Classic Albums and with an equal amount of care and attention.' --The Guardian (Friday Review)"
'A brilliant idea' --The Times
'Neat' --Nick Hornby
'A brilliant idea' --The Times
'Neat' --Nick Hornby
Product Description
This epoch-making record of the late '80s effortlessly combines dense swathes of guitar noise and dance music. This turned out to be their last record, guitarist and studio maestro Kevin Shields having set their standards so high it was impossible to surpass them. Shields is now playing with Primal Scream. Includes the classics Loomer, Soon and To Here Knows When.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This prolonged article is interesting at best, but most of the time McGonical is the sort of hipster music journalist who likes to discuss himself first, in order to be able to give his take on things. He constantly writes in the first person, he constantly relates about his own experiences (thank you, Kerouac) and he's constantly in Valley girl mode ("I was super psyched" - thanks, Mike, for that in-debt perspective).
Formal limitations aside and more seriously insufficient, McG. only expands on the subjects he's most interested in personally, so there are no technical details whatsoever (while I think that many people will be picking up this book especially for those).
There is practically nothing of interest here that can't be found in some form or another on the internet. If you like something light to read in the bath tub, this is fine, but if you're looking for an educated opinion and quality music journalism, apparently the 33 1/3 series is not for you.
Formal limitations aside and more seriously insufficient, McG. only expands on the subjects he's most interested in personally, so there are no technical details whatsoever (while I think that many people will be picking up this book especially for those).
There is practically nothing of interest here that can't be found in some form or another on the internet. If you like something light to read in the bath tub, this is fine, but if you're looking for an educated opinion and quality music journalism, apparently the 33 1/3 series is not for you.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The 33 1/3 series continues unabated with Mike McGonigal's in depth analysis of My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless", one of the bench-mark albums of the 90s.
"Loveless" is an album that still has the power to split an audience right down the middle. Upon first hearing it the natural response, almost inevitably, is to utter "Is this supposed to sound like this?" before being either sucked into it's unique and intoxicating sound-world, or completely repulsed by the churning and warped noise being spewed forth. There is really no middle ground; their sound demands your attention.
So, how does one even begin to go about unravelling the myriad mysteries of this particular labyrinth? Mike McGonigal, perhaps wisely, opts to take a journalistic approach. "Loveless" has a particularly troubled history, and McGonigal makes a brave attempt to sort rumour from fact, a task made more difficult by My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Sheilds revealing his side of the story for the first time. Until now, the major piece of reference has been David Cavanagh's history of Creation Records, "My Magpie Eyes are Hungry for the Prize", which covers the My Bloody Valentine story in some detail. Sheilds contends all of Cavanagh's account, claiming that the majority of it is fabricated. The reader is left in a position of having to judge which account is correct, and this lends itself to some very interesting reading.
McGonigal's style is well paced, introducing us to the main characters in this particular story, putting the album in context (adding some much needed historical detail which is absent from most accounts) and has an overview of the songs, before proceeding into looking at the actual creation (no pun intended) of the album, exploring the various myths that have arisen from it. We learn who actually played on the record (not as many band members as one would imagine...), we discover that the album didn't cost as much as had been reported, we learn about the mystery of what has happened to the band in the past 15 years (15 YEARS!!!!), and Sheilds gives us a tantalising view of a possible future.
Kevin Sheilds in particular comes across as a particularly likeable character, rather than the petulant 'genius' he is frequently portrayed as. He manages to convey his plight at having to deal with all manner of technical faults, label problems, and the weight of expectations that had come to settle on his shoulders.
Ironically, whilst McGonigal's journalistic style helps the book immeasurably, it is also it's major failing; this never reads like a book, more like an extended article. Also, his frequent attempts to take the reader 'out' of the story be discussing the actual writing of the book, don't always work, although when he discusses his over-use of David Cavanagh's book as a reference point is particularly effective, as I was just beginning to think he was relying on it a bit too much.
Once again, the goal of this series is to encourage the reader to re-examine a record they have lived with for a long time, and hopefully see it in a different light, and Mike McGonigal's book is no different, adding a different perspective to an album that means so much to so many. If one were to be petty about it, this book actively encourages the frustration at the lack of availability of My Bloody Valentine's back catalogue, but I guess that's not his fault.
"Loveless" is an album that still has the power to split an audience right down the middle. Upon first hearing it the natural response, almost inevitably, is to utter "Is this supposed to sound like this?" before being either sucked into it's unique and intoxicating sound-world, or completely repulsed by the churning and warped noise being spewed forth. There is really no middle ground; their sound demands your attention.
So, how does one even begin to go about unravelling the myriad mysteries of this particular labyrinth? Mike McGonigal, perhaps wisely, opts to take a journalistic approach. "Loveless" has a particularly troubled history, and McGonigal makes a brave attempt to sort rumour from fact, a task made more difficult by My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Sheilds revealing his side of the story for the first time. Until now, the major piece of reference has been David Cavanagh's history of Creation Records, "My Magpie Eyes are Hungry for the Prize", which covers the My Bloody Valentine story in some detail. Sheilds contends all of Cavanagh's account, claiming that the majority of it is fabricated. The reader is left in a position of having to judge which account is correct, and this lends itself to some very interesting reading.
McGonigal's style is well paced, introducing us to the main characters in this particular story, putting the album in context (adding some much needed historical detail which is absent from most accounts) and has an overview of the songs, before proceeding into looking at the actual creation (no pun intended) of the album, exploring the various myths that have arisen from it. We learn who actually played on the record (not as many band members as one would imagine...), we discover that the album didn't cost as much as had been reported, we learn about the mystery of what has happened to the band in the past 15 years (15 YEARS!!!!), and Sheilds gives us a tantalising view of a possible future.
Kevin Sheilds in particular comes across as a particularly likeable character, rather than the petulant 'genius' he is frequently portrayed as. He manages to convey his plight at having to deal with all manner of technical faults, label problems, and the weight of expectations that had come to settle on his shoulders.
Ironically, whilst McGonigal's journalistic style helps the book immeasurably, it is also it's major failing; this never reads like a book, more like an extended article. Also, his frequent attempts to take the reader 'out' of the story be discussing the actual writing of the book, don't always work, although when he discusses his over-use of David Cavanagh's book as a reference point is particularly effective, as I was just beginning to think he was relying on it a bit too much.
Once again, the goal of this series is to encourage the reader to re-examine a record they have lived with for a long time, and hopefully see it in a different light, and Mike McGonigal's book is no different, adding a different perspective to an album that means so much to so many. If one were to be petty about it, this book actively encourages the frustration at the lack of availability of My Bloody Valentine's back catalogue, but I guess that's not his fault.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I confess - Loveless is my favourite album of all time. It is a classic. When I heard it for the first time around 1994 I had never heard anything like it before. That unique sound that no one has ever achieved since. Indie guitar taken to a higher level. Art meets music.
The release of this book filled me with much excitement. The first ever book written about this great album.
The main highlights of the book are the interviews. Kevin and Belinda were both interviewed extensively throughout 2005 & 2006. Debbie along with a host of engineers and Creation employees were interviewed by email. The Kevin and Belinda interviews are especially revealing. You learn that the album was created almost entirely by Kevin. Kevin and Colm were homeless during the making of the album and got very little financial support from creation. You find out more about the (romantic) relationship between Kevin and Belinda. They also took in depth about the recording process and how they created that stunning tremelo sound.
The problem with the book is the author. He is from an American fanzine background. He likes to talk about himself (at times the book is as much about him). he dismisses every other "shoegazer" band as insignificant - sure Ride, Swervedriver etc. might not have created a Loveless but they still created some fantastic music. he instead likes to tell us about obscure US and Europe bands that I (and probably you) have never heard of.
However, this book is well worth purchasing on the strength of the interview material alone which is essential for any MBV fan.
8/10 for the interviews.
The release of this book filled me with much excitement. The first ever book written about this great album.
The main highlights of the book are the interviews. Kevin and Belinda were both interviewed extensively throughout 2005 & 2006. Debbie along with a host of engineers and Creation employees were interviewed by email. The Kevin and Belinda interviews are especially revealing. You learn that the album was created almost entirely by Kevin. Kevin and Colm were homeless during the making of the album and got very little financial support from creation. You find out more about the (romantic) relationship between Kevin and Belinda. They also took in depth about the recording process and how they created that stunning tremelo sound.
The problem with the book is the author. He is from an American fanzine background. He likes to talk about himself (at times the book is as much about him). he dismisses every other "shoegazer" band as insignificant - sure Ride, Swervedriver etc. might not have created a Loveless but they still created some fantastic music. he instead likes to tell us about obscure US and Europe bands that I (and probably you) have never heard of.
However, this book is well worth purchasing on the strength of the interview material alone which is essential for any MBV fan.
8/10 for the interviews.
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