Kevin Shields Sets The "Loveless" Record Straight (1 Viewer)

[cephalopod]

::clef:: Oh you've got blue eyes
Oh you've got green eyes
Oh you've got grey... eyes ::clef::

Slightly disgusted Loveless doesn't have 50 guitars on each song. I totally believed that. Fuck it. Good interview though. Can't stand Alan MeGee either. Although the JAMC did lose a lot when they left Creation.

Yeah, I read that book The Rise and Fall of Creation, and Alan McGee really did come across as a tool. Bobby Gillespie seemed a bit of an arse-wipe as well. There's something about Creation though, and you have to give credit to McGee. They had some roster of bands...

 

[RSJ]

::clef:: Oh you've got blue eyes
Oh you've got green eyes
Oh you've got grey... eyes ::clef::

What's that from? I always thought that was a weakerthans song.

 

[cookiemonster]

What's that from? I always thought that was a weakerthans song.

Temptation by New Order

 

[cephalopod]

It's Temptation by New Order alright. Timeless anthem!

 

[Pantone247]

I don't know if we're all talking about the same book, but the one above is the one I read recently. It's actually been largely discredited since it's publishing (and I don't think it's even been on sale since it's first run). Someone within Creation (I can't remember who) calls it an "accoutants version of events" and the feeling is once it hits the Sony deal it's just an attack on McGee and Co. for 'selling out'... which, after reading it, is fair enough. Sheilds has also come out against it (and contradicts in that above piece really) as has Andrew Innes of Primal Scream... to name two I've read about...

In the lack of any other books on the subject (that I know of) it's hard to counter, and it's still a great and an amazing history of Indie music in the UK. But just worth mentioning while were using it's, impressive, weight to bash McGee with

I think it's a little too easy to say "McGee is a c*nt" in the same vein it's too easy to diss Malcom McLarean as a tool, it's just an in-built part of their personality, without which is questionable wether they'd have achieved as much (and I believe they achieved a huge ammount) as they did...

 

[RSJ]

Aye, that's the one. Brilliant book.

 

[tim]

I could never hear the 50 guitars really. Two and a bass sounds about right.

Someone said Loveless has never aged, and I'd totally agree except for the horrible drum machine on the last track, but that gets covered up by guitar after about 30 seconds.

 

[Pantone247]

I think the Glider and Tremelo EPs have aged better cause Colm actually drums on them, it's much more of a 'live' band feel to it and thus sounds even more outlandish when the guitar start swooping in and out...

 

[tim]

I haven't heard any of the E.P.s actually. I downloaded "You Made Me Realise" but haven't gotten around to listening to it for whatever reason, but the first track sounded Isn't Anythingish.

What do you guys think of Isn't anything? I love the first half but then the second half is too grunge bandish or something.+ all the compression is annoying for headphones on the move listening.

 

[Pantone247]

Again with the downtuning
Did you try downtuning? To my ears the guitars on Loveless sound like they're tuned down about 2 semitones.

I've been mucking around with this stuff again recently, I've found tunning strings in unison to be a big deal, off the top of my head something like

EAEEBE

and using the two E's in the middle too play the melody off, obviously you've got your trem bar in your hand and when you dip it the open strings slacken a lot quicker then the two E's, so the rate of "detune" is different across the chord, so it sort of creates it's own chorus... specially thru a delay

Only thing I have close to a reverse reverb is a reverse delay, but you can tell it's a huge part of how the sound swells in between chord changes, and sort of trails the trem bar movements along... though rever delay is in no way as smooth (and is actually a bit rubbish really)



and this is how I spend my evenings

 

[Pantone247]

I haven't heard any of the E.P.s actually. I downloaded "You Made Me Realise" but haven't gotten around to listening to it for whatever reason, but the first track sounded Isn't Anythingish.

go look for Tremelo and Glider! now! Both recorded during Loveless and released to try and raise cash to finish the record, some amazing stuff on them both and plonked side by side make an album almost as good as Loveless...

What do you guys think of Isn't anything? I love the first half but then the second half is too grunge bandish or something.+ all the compression is annoying for headphones on the move listening.

I like it lots, but it is sort of flawed, some of the stuff is just plain out of time or speeds up, a lot of weird sound choices, when it's on "Lose My Breath" and "(When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream" it's amazing, don't think it dips off to much

I had that on cassette

 

[tim]

I've been mucking around with this stuff again recently, I've found tunning strings in unison to be a big deal, off the top of my head something like

EAEEBE

and using the two E's in the middle too play the melody off, obviously you've got your trem bar in your hand and when you dip it the open strings slacken a lot quicker then the two E's, so the rate of "detune" is different across the chord, so it sort of creates it's own chorus... specially thru a delay

Only thing I have close to a reverse reverb is a reverse delay, but you can tell it's a huge part of how the sound swells in between chord changes, and sort of trails the trem bar movements along... though rever delay is in no way as smooth (and is actually a bit rubbish really)



and this is how I spend my evenings

Ah well at least you're not harming anyone.

 

[mr pharmacist!!!!1]

I haven't heard any of the E.P.s actually. I downloaded "You Made Me Realise" but haven't gotten around to listening to it for whatever reason, but the first track sounded Isn't Anythingish.

What do you guys think of Isn't anything? I love the first half but then the second half is too grunge bandish or something.+ all the compression is annoying for headphones on the move listening.

the eps are deadly.
my favourite is the tremelo ep. its got a different outro at the end of to here knows when which is fucking stunning.
i always thought honey power had like 6 guitars or something playing in it.
anyway, enjoy.

 

[Richie]

I haven't heard any of the E.P.s actually. I downloaded "You Made Me Realise" but haven't gotten around to listening to it for whatever reason, but the first track sounded Isn't Anythingish.

What do you guys think of Isn't anything? I love the first half but then the second half is too grunge bandish or something.+ all the compression is annoying for headphones on the move listening.

'All I Need' off Isn't Anything is my favourite song by them... I see what you mean about the garage band-ish tracks but I think that actually makes it more interesting to listen to, when you have those sloppier moments mixed with the proto-Loveless type songs.

 

[tim]

'All I Need' off Isn't Anything is my favourite song by them... I see what you mean about the garage band-ish tracks but I think that actually makes it more interesting to listen to, when you have those sloppier moments mixed with the proto-Loveless type songs.

I think "no more sorry" is my favourite song on the album. Nothing else sounds like it. "sue is fine" is my favourite of the upbeat songs on the album.

I'll have to check out those EPs so if you guys rave about them so much.

 

[cephalopod]

I don't know if we're all talking about the same book, but the one above is the one I read recently. It's actually been largely discredited since it's publishing (and I don't think it's even been on sale since it's first run). Someone within Creation (I can't remember who) calls it an "accoutants version of events" and the feeling is once it hits the Sony deal it's just an attack on McGee and Co. for 'selling out'... which, after reading it, is fair enough. Sheilds has also come out against it (and contradicts in that above piece really) as has Andrew Innes of Primal Scream... to name two I've read about...

In the lack of any other books on the subject (that I know of) it's hard to counter, and it's still a great and an amazing history of Indie music in the UK. But just worth mentioning while were using it's, impressive, weight to bash McGee with

I think it's a little too easy to say "McGee is a c*nt" in the same vein it's too easy to diss Malcom McLarean as a tool, it's just an in-built part of their personality, without which is questionable wether they'd have achieved as much (and I believe they achieved a huge ammount) as they did...

Dunno is it the same book, but yeah, some of the content of the book which I read was been directly contradicted by Kevin Shields in the interview at the start of this thread. A sizable section of the book was dedicated to Loveless bankrupting Creation and the crazy whims of Kevin Shields and his out there production methods, such as an anecdote about him demanding some sort of marquee be set up outdoors in which he could record one guitar track with the proper ambience which it required. Very circumstantial stuff all of it though...a lot of the primary material in it came with the caveat 'yeah but we were fucked out of our heads at the time'

 

[east hastings]

check out the aidan walsh film, MBV are in it when they started off in Dublin and there were 4 guys in it

 

[hermie]

I think "no more sorry" is my favourite song on the album. Nothing else sounds like it. "sue is fine" is my favourite of the upbeat songs on the album.

I'll have to check out those EPs so if you guys rave about them so much.

definately tim!

honey power off tremelo and drive it all over me off you made me realise are two of my favourite songs ever

 

[Goodbye]

Member back in collage when Loveless came out and the amount of ejits who bought it on tape bringing it back to the shop cos the tape was "warped" was unbelievable...
Another time I remember my flatmate coming into my room while I was listening to it (on tape) to turn it off thinking my tape player was broken...

ah well

 

[nlgbbbblth]

What do you guys think of Isn't anything? I love the first half but then the second half is too grunge bandish or something.+ all the compression is annoying for headphones on the move listening.

Better than Loveless.
One of the greatest records of all time.

I'm in the minority.

Old thumped poll