This Is Your Bloody Valentine
Encyclopedia
This Is Your Bloody Valentine is the debut release by the band My Bloody Valentine. The seven-song mini-album
, recorded in Berlin
, reflects the group's early gothic
post-punk
tendencies, and generally bears little relation to the shoegazing
sound with which they are most commonly associated, with Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
calling "[their] debut album...an unfocused and derivative collection of post-punk goth rock". The album made little impression at the time of its release.
While The Jesus and Mary Chain
have often been suggested as an influence on My Bloody Valentine, guitarist Kevin Shields played this down, pointing to this first release: "They're a great band, and an influence, because when they came along it was all jangly guitar and out-of-tune vocal and they had this great overdrive thing, really exciting. But we've got a mini-LP we made in Berlin in '84, pre-Mary Chain, ... with all our traits there-feedback thrash. . .".
The mini-album was reissued in 1990 by Dossier Records (DLP7501) on vinyl
and CD
.
/Dave Conway/Colm Cusack.
Mini-LP
A Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...
, recorded in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, reflects the group's early gothic
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
tendencies, and generally bears little relation to the shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
sound with which they are most commonly associated, with Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
calling "[their] debut album...an unfocused and derivative collection of post-punk goth rock". The album made little impression at the time of its release.
While The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
have often been suggested as an influence on My Bloody Valentine, guitarist Kevin Shields played this down, pointing to this first release: "They're a great band, and an influence, because when they came along it was all jangly guitar and out-of-tune vocal and they had this great overdrive thing, really exciting. But we've got a mini-LP we made in Berlin in '84, pre-Mary Chain, ... with all our traits there-feedback thrash. . .".
The mini-album was reissued in 1990 by Dossier Records (DLP7501) on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Kevin ShieldsKevin Shields
Kevin Patrick Shields is an American-born, Irish vocalist, guitarist, and producer of alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine....
/Dave Conway/Colm Cusack.
- "Forever and Again" – 3:32
- "Homelovin' Guy" – 3:02
- "Don't Cramp My Style" – 2:25
- "Tiger in My Tank" – 3:30
- "The Love Gang" – 3:54
- "Inferno" – 4:40
- "The Last Supper" – 4:30
Personnel
- Mark Bosak – engineer
- Dave Conway – lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Colm Ó Cíosóig – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Kevin Shields – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backup vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Tina – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...