Creation years: 1987 - 1991
You Made Me Realize EP (1988)
Captained by the perceptive Alan McGee, Creation Records started up in 1983 and had already accrued names like the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, The Pastels, and TV Personalities on their label by the time they’d met the Valentines.
So the story goes that while Lazy Records’ Wayne Morris was preoccupied with The Primitives, MBV opened for McGee’s Cure-inspired band, Biff Bang Pow!, at a show in Canterbury, England, and was impressed enough to offer the Valentines a deal then and there. And so began the career-defining relationship of My Bloody Valentine and the record label whose spine they broke.
Their Creation debut was a five-song EP that finds the band wading into the creative waters that would eventually make up their first full-length album. Jarring dissonant chords kick things off before Butcher and Shields reassure listeners with their now-familiar and comforting harmonies.
"Slow"'s innocent groove belies its explicit lyrics, which happen below the surface. "Thorn" is the poppy earworm of the bunch. At the same time, "Cigarette In My Bed" is an excellent title and features a vulnerable Butcher cooing over acoustic strumming before noise takes over.
Feed Me With Your Kiss EP (1988)
Two months later, MBV released their second EP with Creation. Here, the songs veer close to their pre-Creation days, with four bass-heavy tracks written by Shields, seemingly dominated by his bravado.
The meager utilization of Butcher’s soothing accompaniment and Shield’s strained delivery make for a bleaker mood than their recent predecessors. If the vocals were more obscured, "Emptiness Inside" could almost be a Loveless B-side, while Most Original Song goes to the closing track, "I Need No Trust": a tryst with minimalism and Shield’s doing his best Lou Reed impression.
Isn’t Anything (1988)
By this time, Creation had already showcased MBV’s live chops at their 'Doing it For The Kids’ gig, which also offered up their You Made Me Realize EP for the mere price of £1.99. After many minor efforts, the Valentines have their first full-length studio album, but Isn’t Anything represents more than that. It’s the soundtrack of a band stretching.
This idea was also echoed by journalists who witnessed Creation’s "Doing It For The Kids" show live. They, too, saw a band with potential but not quite in their skin yet. According to (the now-defunct) Melody Maker’s Simon Reynolds, “Live, the delicate melodies and the fine-tuning of chaos get crushed in the melee.”
Accurate, and yet, his final word is the focal point. “This raven-haired thrash-pop has a slightly more edgy and secret side than any of its "rivals." In this case, 'rivals' refers to fellow Creation label-mates Primal Scream, The House of Love, and Felt.
Safe in the studio, however, MBV were completely satisfied being left alone to beef up their sonic muscles. Groaning swirling riffs ("Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)"), "Cupid Come", "Several Girls Galore"), fierce hooks ("(When You Wake) You’re Still In A Dream"), candid confessions draped in ambient noise ("No More Sorry") and traces of their previous jangly work with tongue-in-cheek suicidal lyrics ("Sueisfine"). Occasionally, shades of the Pixies “loud-quiet-loud” formula surfaces ("Nothing Much To Lose"), as well as Sebadoh’s melancholy bliss ("I Can See It (But I Can’t Feel It)"), but "All I Need" perhaps comes the closest to the pure essence the band had been seeking. Their calling card would soon be vocals buried beneath a wall of otherworldly pink noise.
Glider EP (1990)
Within the first 45 seconds of MBV’s new EP, it’s apparent that we’re dealing with a new kind of band. And why? It could be because of the acid-house revolution spreading from Manchester into the veins of Creation Records.
Primal Scream’s bumping single “Loaded” was released in February 1990, and the writing on the wall was that this was the new sound. Conjecture remains, but one can easily distinguish the 7-minute club beat of ‘Soon’ from anything else on the EP. It is one of the first peeks into what would wind up on Loveless.
The eponymous track is either an exercise in perseverance or a clandestine work of genius. At first listen, "Glider" is a collage of construction vehicles simultaneously colliding together, but therein lies the point: there is beauty in a cacophony.
"Don’t Ask Why" is lighter, familiar fare. As a pleasant surprise, "Off Your Face" is a co-written tune by Butcher and Shields, with the former elevating the song to new heights with the sheer alteration of her voice.
Food for thought: does the cover art contribute to the idea that MBV is a sensual—nay, sexual band?
Tremolo EP (1991)
Finally, to the delight of the music-appreciating world, not least to Creation, the Valentines managed to pump out another EP in less than a year after Glider, and it immediately separated the wheat from the chaff. Bryan Eno claimed MBV’s output as “the new standard for pop," while multitudes of listeners returned Tremolo to the shop, claiming that the record must have been broken.
The expectation was to deliver a full-length post-Isn’t Anything album in eight weeks, but as history shows, this was easier said than done, especially if your name is Kevin Shields. To fuel the fire, fellow shoegazers Ride had just released their masterpiece Nowhere in October of 1990 to Top 20 acclaim. The pressure was mounting, the clock was ticking, and Creation was, unbeknownst to anyone, slowly going bankrupt.
As the last submission before MBV’s final form, this EP is at once a satiating experience with both feet firmly planted in the swirling soil they’d been cultivating for years. Even the name itself refers to the sustained grinding effect Shields famously employed through his guitar’s whammy—or tremolo—bar. Unlike its sibling EP, though, Tremelo sets itself apart by fully addressing its signature style by name and showcases a band entirely comfortable in its skin.
The opening track "To Here Knows When" is a future Loveless addition; an otherworldly experience akin to being abducted by aliens and strewn about their astral plane for four minutes and forty-three seconds, spoken in a language too beautiful for human ears.
Interestingly enough, one does get tribal feels throughout the experience with conga drums and chimes ("Moon Song"), dancing flute loops ("Swallow"), and walls of trance-inducing sound.
However brief, Tremolo also cemented two crucial facts:
1.) The band’s pink-noise hinged on Butcher’s ethereal contributions
2.) Codas are a thing of beauty
Indeed, the EP ("Moon Song" excluded) rewards all listeners with a hidden Easter egg of extended sonic bliss at the end of each track. Moreover, Tremelo has the fully realized version of "To Here Knows When", while a neutered version was egregiously included on Loveless. That being said, Tremolo is a worthy precursor to what came next.
Loveless (1991)
If Isn’t Anything was crafted by demi-gods with one corporeal foot in the mortal realm, then Loveless was a sensual shimmering gift from the deities. Nearly two years after Isn’t Anything and costing Creation around £250,000 throughout the use of multiple studios, Loveless finally arrived, shattered expectations, and planted seeds of influence in countless artists.
Today, humble tributes abound, ranging from full-fledged instrumentals (Japancakes) to albums composed of musicians from Japan and Korea chipping in with their unique takes, including a lovable version of "When You Sleep" by Shonen Knife.
Loveless sounds eerily just as good backwards as forward, tuned down half a step, played at half speed, and played at half speed without drums. However, writing about music is just as effective as singing about food: ultimately, you’ll have to experience it for the magic to work. Thus, words fail, and the only alternative is to absorb My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless from top to bottom.
See you on the other side.
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