# Psychocandy

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Psychocandy
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Psychocandy.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychocandy
> Source revision: 1322336747
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Psychocandy
| type         = studio
| artist       = [the Jesus and Mary Chain](/source/the_Jesus_and_Mary_Chain)
| cover        = Psychocandy.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = 18 November 1985
| recorded     = March–April 1985
| studio       = [Southern](/source/Southern_Studios), Wood Green, London
| genre        = *[Noise pop](/source/Noise_pop)<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/noise-pop-ma0000012156|title=Noise Pop|publisher=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=17 July 2012}}</ref>
*[alternative rock](/source/alternative_rock)<ref name="pm"/>
*[post-punk](/source/post-punk)<ref name=Paste>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/07/the-50-best-post-punk-albums.html|title=The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums|last=Jackson|first=Josh|date=13 July 2016|website=[Paste](/source/Paste_(magazine))|access-date=26 August 2016}}</ref>
*[indie rock](/source/indie_rock)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/the_jesus_and_mary_chain_-_jim_reid_on_touring_psychocandy|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain - Jim Reid on Touring 'Psychocandy'|website=[Under the Radar](/source/Under_the_Radar_(magazine))|first=Michael |last=Wojtas|date=11 September 2015|access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-jesus-and-mary-chain-live-at-barrowlands-album-review-10413638.html|title=The Jesus And Mary Chain, Live at Barrowlands – album review|website=[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)|first=Andy|last=Gill|date=24 July 2015|access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref>
| length       = 38:55
| label        = [Blanco y Negro](/source/Blanco_y_Negro_Records)
| producer     = The Jesus and Mary Chain
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = [Darklands](/source/Darklands_(album))
| next_year    = 1987
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Psychocandy
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [Never Understand](/source/Never_Understand)
 | single1date = 18 February 1985
 | single2     = [You Trip Me Up](/source/You_Trip_Me_Up)
 | single2date = 20 May 1985
 | single3     = [Just Like Honey](/source/Just_Like_Honey)
 | single3date = 30 September 1985
}}
}}

'''''Psychocandy''''' is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band [the Jesus and Mary Chain](/source/the_Jesus_and_Mary_Chain). It was released on 18 November 1985 by [Blanco y Negro Records](/source/Blanco_y_Negro_Records). The album is considered a landmark recording: its combination of [guitar feedback](/source/guitar_feedback) and [noise](/source/noise_(music)) with traditional [pop](/source/pop_music) melody and structure proved influential on the forthcoming [shoegaze](/source/shoegaze) genre and [alternative rock](/source/alternative_rock) in general.

The album reached No. 31 on the [UK Albums Chart](/source/UK_Albums_Chart) and was preceded by three [charting](/source/UK_singles_chart) 1985 singles: "[Never Understand](/source/Never_Understand)", "[You Trip Me Up](/source/You_Trip_Me_Up)", and "[Just Like Honey](/source/Just_Like_Honey)". The band moved away from its abrasive sound with their follow-up album, 1987's ''[Darklands](/source/Darklands_(album))''.

==Background and recording==
After quitting their jobs in 1980, brothers [Jim](/source/Jim_Reid) and [William Reid](/source/William_Reid_(musician)) formed the Jesus and Mary Chain with bass player [Douglas Hart](/source/Douglas_Hart). Taking inspiration from German industrial band [Einstürzende Neubauten](/source/Einst%C3%BCrzende_Neubauten), girl group [the Shangri-Las](/source/the_Shangri-Las), and the album ''[The Velvet Underground & Nico](/source/The_Velvet_Underground_%26_Nico)'', they bought a [Portastudio](/source/Portastudio) multitrack recorder in 1983 when their father lost his job in a local factory and gave the brothers £300 from his redundancy money. The band recorded a demo tape containing the songs "[Upside Down](/source/Upside_Down_(The_Jesus_and_Mary_Chain_song))" and "[Never Understand](/source/Never_Understand)" which was heard by [Glaswegian](/source/Glasgow) musician [Bobby Gillespie](/source/Bobby_Gillespie), who in turn passed it on to his friend [Alan McGee](/source/Alan_McGee) of [Creation Records](/source/Creation_Records).<ref name=observer2014>{{cite web|last=Lynskey|first=Dorian|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain on Psychocandy: 'It was a little miracle'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/26/jesus-and-mary-chain-psychocandy-live-interview|website=[The Observer](/source/The_Observer)|publisher=[Guardian News and Media](/source/Guardian_News_and_Media)|access-date=23 November 2014|date=26 October 2014}}</ref> McGee was impressed with the tape and invited the band to play at a Creation Records showcase event in [London](/source/London), becoming the band's manager shortly afterwards.<ref name=quietus2011>{{cite web|last=Marszalek|first=Julian|title=Brown Acid Black Leather: The Story Of The Jesus And Mary Chain's Psychocandy|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/07301-jesus-and-mary-chain-psychocandy|website=[The Quietus](/source/The_Quietus)|access-date=24 November 2014|date=8 November 2011}}</ref>

Following more London concerts, the Jesus and Mary Chain entered Alaska Studios in Waterloo, [South London](/source/South_London), and recorded their debut single, "Upside Down". Released by Creation Records in November 1984 and featuring a B-side produced by [Slaughter Joe](/source/Slaughter_Joe), "Upside Down" sold out its initial pressing and ended the year by being placed at number 37 in [John Peel](/source/John_Peel)'s [Festive Fifty](/source/Festive_Fifty).<ref name=quietus2011/> After recruiting Gillespie as their drummer in late 1984, the Jesus and Mary Chain signed to the [WEA](/source/Warner_Music_Group) subsidiary label [Blanco y Negro](/source/Blanco_y_Negro_Records), which had been established by [Rough Trade](/source/Rough_Trade_Records) founder [Geoff Travis](/source/Geoff_Travis).<ref name=observer2014/> The band entered [Island Studios](/source/Island_Studios) to record with engineer [Stephen Street](/source/Stephen_Street) but the sessions proved to be fruitless and the band returned to Alaska Studios for the recording of their second single, "Never Understand". The single was released by Blanco y Negro in February 1985, and in March that year they began recording their debut album with engineer [John Loder](/source/John_Loder_(sound_engineer)) at [Southern Studios](/source/Southern_Studios) in [Wood Green](/source/Wood_Green), North London.<ref name=quietus2011/> ''Psychocandy'' was recorded in six weeks<ref name=observer2014/> and totalled £17,000 in recording and production costs.<ref name=quietus2011/>

==Music and lyrics==
''Psychocandy'' contains fourteen tracks with a total running time of thirty-nine minutes. The music has been described as "[bubblegum pop](/source/bubblegum_pop) drowned in feedback",<ref name="rollingstone100" /> that fused "melody with obnoxious bursts of [white noise](/source/white_noise)."<ref name="dis">{{cite web|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16544/reviews/4143612|title=Jesus and Mary Chain – Deluxe Reissues|website=[Drowned in Sound](/source/Drowned_in_Sound)|date=30 September 2011|access-date=14 July 2012|last=Gourlay|first=Dom|archive-date=14 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714052521/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16544/reviews/4143612|url-status=dead}}</ref> Dan Weiss of ''[Paste](/source/Paste_(magazine))'' magazine said the album "sounded like the [1910 Fruitgum Company](/source/1910_Fruitgum_Company) and [Joy Division](/source/Joy_Division) arm-wrestling in a [sheet metal](/source/sheet_metal) factory, with slabs of white noise guarding candy-toy melodies the Reid Brothers didn't want you to get sick of too quickly."<ref name=Paste /> ''[Radio X](/source/Radio_X_(United_Kingdom))'' characterized the sound as "moving away from the squealing feedback that characterised [the band's] early live shows and leaning more towards classic 60s pop."<ref name=":0" />

Critics have noted the influence of classic 1960s [pop](/source/Pop_music) groups<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/xh25|title=Review of The Jesus And Mary Chain – Psychocandy|publisher=[BBC Music](/source/BBC_Music)|date=1 August 2007|access-date=14 July 2012|last=Jones|first=Chris}}</ref><ref name="quietus2011" /><ref name="pitchfork80s" /> such as [the Beach Boys](/source/the_Beach_Boys)<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="bbc" /><ref name="pitchfork" /> and [the Rolling Stones](/source/the_Rolling_Stones)<ref name="pitchfork" /> alongside the work of [rock](/source/Rock_music) bands [the Velvet Underground](/source/the_Velvet_Underground),<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="bbc" /><ref name="quietus2011" /> [the Stooges](/source/the_Stooges)<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="pitchfork80s" /> and [Suicide](/source/Suicide_(band))<ref name="pitchfork80s" /> on the album. 

Lead vocals are handled by Jim Reid on this album, with the exception of "It's So Hard", sung by William Reid.

==Release==
The album includes the singles "Never Understand", "[You Trip Me Up](/source/You_Trip_Me_Up)" and "[Just Like Honey](/source/Just_Like_Honey)". Following reissue on [CD](/source/Compact_disc) in August 1986, the bonus track "[Some Candy Talking](/source/Some_Candy_Talking)", which was originally released on the namesake EP, was included on the album, only on the UK Blanco y Negro CDs released in 1986 and 1997; in the US, it was released on CD by [Reprise](/source/Reprise_Records) in 1986 and [American Recordings](/source/American_Recordings_(record_label)) in 1993 without the bonus track. In 2006, the album was remastered and released in [DualDisc](/source/DualDisc) format without "Some Candy Talking" to conform with the original playlist. In 2011, it was re-released (along with the other five studio albums) by [Edsel](/source/Demon_Music_Group) in collaboration with [Rhino](/source/Rhino_Entertainment) as a two-CD set with extra tracks (singles, B-sides, demos and John Peel Sessions) and a DVD ([NTSC](/source/NTSC), [all-region](/source/DVD_region_code)).

==Reception and legacy==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/psychocandy-mw0000652509|title=Psychocandy – The Jesus and Mary Chain|website=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=14 July 2012|last=Raggett|first=Ned}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[Mojo](/source/Mojo_(magazine))''
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hissy fits|magazine=[Mojo](/source/Mojo_(magazine))|issue=153|date=August 2006|last=Segal|first=Victoria|page=111}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))''
| rev3score = 9.6/10<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11882-psychocandy-darklands-automatic-honeys-dead-stoned-dethroned/|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Automatic / Honey's Dead / Stoned & Dethroned|website=[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))|date=4 August 2006|access-date=14 July 2012|last=Abebe|first=Nitsuh}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[Q](/source/Q_(magazine))''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Automatic / Honey's Dead / Stoned & Dethroned|magazine=[Q](/source/Q_(magazine))|issue=240|date=July 2006|last=Cameron|first=Keith|page=122}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[Record Collector](/source/Record_Collector)''
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy|magazine=[Record Collector](/source/Record_Collector)|issue=394|date=November 2011|page=87}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)''
| rev6score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy|magazine=[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)|issue=1003|date=29 June 2006|last=Edwards|first=Gavin|author-link=Gavin Edwards (writer)|page=74}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[The Rolling Stone Album Guide](/source/The_Rolling_Stone_Album_Guide)''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|chapter=The Jesus and Mary Chain|last=Sisario|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Sisario|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|publisher=[Simon & Schuster](/source/Simon_%26_Schuster)|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/429 429–430]}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[Select](/source/Select_(magazine))''
| rev8score = 5/5<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy / Darklands / Barbed Wire Kisses / Automatic / Honey's Dead / The Sound of Speed / Stoned and Dethroned|magazine=[Select](/source/Select_(magazine))|issue=82|date=April 1997|last=Manning|first=Sarra|author-link=Sarra Manning|page=112}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[Spin Alternative Record Guide](/source/Spin_Alternative_Record_Guide)''
| rev9score = 9/10<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Jesus and Mary Chain|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|publisher=[Vintage Books](/source/Vintage_Books)|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=197–198}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[The Village Voice](/source/The_Village_Voice)''
| rev10score = A−<ref>{{cite news|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv4-86.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[The Village Voice](/source/The_Village_Voice)|date=1 April 1986|access-date=22 January 2016|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref>
}}

On release ''Psychocandy'' received favourable reviews. Writing for ''[NME](/source/NME)'', Andy Gill described the album as "a great searing citadel of beauty whose wall of noise, once scaled, offers access to endless vistas of melody and emotion",<ref>{{cite magazine|title='Candy' Is Dandy!|magazine=[NME](/source/NME)|date=23 November 1985|last=Gill|first=Andy|page=35}}</ref> while [William Shaw](/source/William_Shaw_(writer)) of ''[Smash Hits](/source/Smash_Hits)'' called it "a wonderful LP which should bring the Scottish brats the success they've missed out on so far".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psycho Candy|magazine=[Smash Hits](/source/Smash_Hits)|volume=6|issue=23|date=20 November – 3 December 1985|last=Shaw|first=William|author-link=William Shaw (writer)|page=80}}</ref> Tim Holmes of ''[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)'' praised the band as "a perfect recombinant of every [Edge City](/source/Edge_city) outlaw ethic ever espoused in rock."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thejesusandmarychain/albums/album/193252/review/6068217/psychocandy|title=The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy|magazine=[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)|date=27 March 1986|access-date=14 July 2012|last=Holmes|first=Tim|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622010350/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thejesusandmarychain/albums/album/193252/review/6068217/psychocandy|archive-date=22 June 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the end of year-roundups, the album placed at number two in ''NME''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s list of best albums of 1985,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1985.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629131157/http://rocklistmusic.co.uk/1985.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=29 June 2006|title=Rocklist.net&nbsp;... NME End Of Year Lists 1985&nbsp;...|website=rocklistmusic.co.uk|access-date=14 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1985-2-1045389 |title=Albums and Tracks of the Year |date=2018 |publisher=[NME](/source/NME) |access-date=August 30, 2018 }}</ref>  number 3 in ''[The Face](/source/The_Face_(magazine))'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/theface.htm#1985|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216032048/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/theface.htm#1985|url-status=usurped|archive-date=16 February 2006|title=Rocklist.net&nbsp;... &nbsp;... The Face Recordings Of The Year&nbsp;...|website=rocklistmusic.co.uk|access-date=14 July 2012}}</ref> and number 5 in ''[Melody Maker](/source/Melody_Maker)''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmpage.html#1985|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216032019/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmpage.html#1985|url-status=usurped|archive-date=16 February 2006|title=Rocklist.net&nbsp;... Melody Maker Lists The '70's & '80's.&nbsp;...|website=rocklistmusic.co.uk|access-date=14 July 2012}}</ref>

Subsequently, the album has frequently appeared in "best ever" album lists, such as [''Q'' magazine](/source/Q_(magazine))'s "100 Greatest British Albums Ever", where it placed at number 88 in 2000.<ref name="q100">{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlists.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104040314/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlists.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=4 January 2006|title=Rocklist.net&nbsp;... Q magazine Recordings Of The Year|website=rocklistmusic.co.uk|access-date=14 July 2012}}</ref> In 2006, ''Q'' magazine placed the album at number 23 in its "40 Best Albums of the '80s" list.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[Q](/source/Q_(magazine))|issue=241|date=August 2006|title=40 Best Albums of the '80s|pages=84–89}}</ref> In 2003, the album was ranked number 268 on ''[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)'' magazine's "[The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time](/source/Rolling_Stone's_500_Greatest_Albums_of_All_Time)" list,<ref name="RS500">{{cite book| editor-last=Levy| editor-first=Joe| editor2-last=Van Zandt| editor2-first=Steven| editor2-link=Steven Van Zandt|title=Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|orig-year=2005|edition=3rd|year=2006|publisher=Turnaround|location=London|isbn=1-932958-61-4|oclc=70672814|ref=RS500}}</ref> and 269 in a 2012 revised list.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-jesus-and-mary-chain-psychocandy-172546/| year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| publisher=[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)| access-date= September 10, 2019}}</ref>  The magazine also ranked the album number 45 on its list of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time.<ref name="rollingstone100">{{Cite magazine |date=22 March 2013 |title=100 Best Debut Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-debut-albums-of-all-time-20130322/psychocandy-19691231 |url-status=dead |magazine=[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325071642/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-debut-albums-of-all-time-20130322/psychocandy-19691231 |archive-date=25 March 2013 |access-date=8 September 2017 }}</ref> [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) described the album as one that "created a movement without meaning to."<ref name="allmusic"/>

In 2002 ''[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))'' listed ''Psychocandy'' as the 23rd best album of the 1980s.<ref name="pitchfork80s">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/8/|title=Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1980s|date=20 November 2002|website=Pitchfork|access-date=14 July 2012|archive-date=27 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227215721/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/8/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In their 2018 update of the list, the album was listed at number 40.<ref name="pitchfork80supdated">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=9|title=The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s|date=10 September 2018|website=Pitchfork|access-date=23 September 2018}}</ref> ''[Slant Magazine](/source/Slant_Magazine)'' listed the album at number 38 in its "Best Albums of the 1980s" list, saying, "Shaping fuzz into a potent, tactile instrument, The Jesus and Mary Chain helped establish the style of distortion-laden fogginess that would eventually become the foundation for [shoegaze](/source/shoegaze)."<ref name="slant">{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/best-albums-of-the-1980s/P7|title=Best Albums of the 1980s|date=5 March 2012|website=[Slant Magazine](/source/Slant_Magazine)|access-date=14 July 2012}}</ref>  The album was also included in the book ''[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die](/source/1001_Albums_You_Must_Hear_Before_You_Die)''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|date=23 March 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref> 

In 2016, ''[Paste Magazine](/source/Paste_(magazine))'' named the album the 21st-best post-punk album of all time. Staff writer Dan Weiss said: "Predating [Sleigh Bells](/source/Sleigh_Bells_(band)) or [Times New Viking](/source/Times_New_Viking) or the catchall-turned-festival-name "[noise pop](/source/noise_pop)" was this journey to the logical extreme. [...] It's as difficult to memorize as it is to resisting singing along with when it's on, as if every listen is your first."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-50-best-post-punk-albums |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=Paste Magazine}}</ref> In 2018, ''[PopMatters](/source/PopMatters)'' included ''Psychocandy'' in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s [Alternative Rock](/source/Alternative_rock) Albums" saying, "it may still be the only [noise pop](/source/noise_pop) LP anyone ever really needs to own".<ref name="pm">{{cite web |last=Ramirez |first=AJ |url=https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |title=Hope Despite the Times: 12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s |website=[PopMatters](/source/PopMatters) |date=11 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122054617/https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=22 January 2018 }}</ref> In 2025, ''[Radio X](/source/Radio_X_(United_Kingdom))'' included the album in its list of "The 25 best indie debut albums of the 1980s".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The 25 best indie debut albums of the 1980s |url=https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/best-indie-debut-albums-of-the-1980s/ |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=Radio X |language=en}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing = [Jim Reid](/source/Jim_Reid) and [William Reid](/source/William_Reid_(musician)), except where noted
| headline = Side one
| title1 = [Just Like Honey](/source/Just_Like_Honey)
| length1 = 3:03
| title2 = The Living End
| length2 = 2:16
| title3 = Taste the Floor
| length3 = 2:56
| title4 = The Hardest Walk
| length4 = 2:40
| title5 = Cut Dead
| length5 = 2:47
| title6 = In a Hole
| length6 = 3:02
| title7 = Taste of Cindy
| length7 = 1:42
}}

{{Track listing
| headline     = Side two
| title1 = [Never Understand](/source/Never_Understand)
| length1 = 2:57
| title2 = Inside Me
| length2 = 3:09
| title3 = Sowing Seeds
| length3 = 2:50
| title4 = My Little Underground
| length4 = 2:31
| title5 = [You Trip Me Up](/source/You_Trip_Me_Up)
| length5 = 2:26
| title6 = Something's Wrong
| length6 = 4:01
| title7 = It's So Hard
| length7 = 2:37
}}

Note: the 1986 CD release contains the extra track "[Some Candy Talking](/source/Some_Candy_Talking)", between "Taste of Cindy" and "Never Understand".

{{Track listing
| headline = 2011 2CD/1DVD reissue bonus tracks
| title15 = Suck
| length15 = 2:08
| title16 = Ambition
| writer16 = [Vic Godard](/source/Vic_Godard)
| length16 = 3:31
| title17 = Just Out of Reach
| length17 = 2:09
| title18 = Boyfriend's Dead
| length18 = 1:43
| title19 = Head
| length19 = 3:53
| title20 = Cracked
| length20 = 3:48
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 2011 reissue disc two
| title1 = [Upside Down](/source/Upside_Down_(The_Jesus_and_Mary_Chain_song))
| length1 = 3:00
| title2 = Vegetable Man
| writer2 = [Syd Barrett](/source/Syd_Barrett)
| length2 = 3:35
| title3 = In a Hole
| length3 = 2:41
| note3 = [John Peel](/source/John_Peel) radio session, 23 October 1984
| title4 = You Trip Me Up
| length4 = 2:07
| note4 = John Peel radio session, 23 October 1984
| title5 = Never Understand
| length5 = 3:08
| note5 = John Peel radio session, 23 October 1984
| title6 = Taste the Floor
| length6 = 3:08
| note6 = John Peel radio session, 23 October 1984
| title7 = The Living End
| length7 = 2:15
| note7 = John Peel radio session, 3 February 1985
| title8 = Inside Me
| length8 = 3:01
| note8 = John Peel radio session, 3 February 1985
| title9 = Just Like Honey
| length9 = 2:49
| note9 = John Peel radio session, 3 February 1985
| title10 = Some Candy Talking
| length10 = 3:13
| note10 = John Peel radio session, 29 October 1985
| title11 = Psychocandy
| length11 = 2:01
| note11 = John Peel radio session, 29 October 1985
| title12 = You Trip Me Up
| length12 = 2:41
| note12 = John Peel radio session, 29 October 1985
| title13 = Cut Dead
| length13 = 2:47
| note13 = John Peel radio session, 29 October 1985
| title14 = Up Too High
| length14 = 3:44
| note14 = Portastudio demo, 1984/85
| title15 = Upside Down
| length15 = 3:10
| note15 = Portastudio demo, 1984/85
| title16 = Never Understand
| length16 = 3:18
| note16 = Portastudio demo, 1984/85
| title17 = Taste the Floor
| length17 = 3:06
| note17 = Portastudio demo, 1984/85
| title18 = In a Hole
| length18 = 2:42
| note18 = Portastudio demo, 1984/85
| title19 = Something's Wrong
| length19 = 3:27
| note19 = Portastudio demo, 1984/85
| title20 = Just Like Honey
| length20 = 2:58
| note20 = Alaska Studios demo, June 1985
| title21 = The Living End
| length21 = 2:16
| note21 = Alaska Studios demo, June 1985
| title22 = My Little Underground
| length22 = 2:33
| note22 = Alaska Studios demo, June 1985
| title23 = Never Understand
| length23 = 3:25
| note23 = alternate version
| title24 = Jesus Fuck
| length24 = 2:30
}}
{{Track listing
| headline      = 2011 reissue bonus DVD
| title1        = Never Understand
| note1         = music video
| length1       = 3:02
| title2        = You Trip Me Up
| note2         = music video
| length2       = 2:27
| title3        = Just Like Honey
| note3         = music video
| length3       = 3:02
| title4        = In a Hole
| note4         = ''[The Old Grey Whistle Test](/source/The_Old_Grey_Whistle_Test)'', 12 March 1985
| length4       = 3:40
| title5        = Riot at [North London Polytechnic](/source/University_of_North_London) – interview and live clips
| note5         = ''[The NewMusic](/source/The_NewMusic)'', 15 March 1985
| length5       = 6:46
| title6        = Interview
| note6         = [VRT](/source/Vlaamse_Radio-_en_Televisieomroeporganisatie), Belgium, 17 March 1985
| length6       = 2:29
| title7        = Never Understand
| note7         = VRT, Belgium, 17 March 1985
| length7       = 2:54
| title8        = Just Like Honey
| note8         = ''[The Tube](/source/The_Tube_(1982_TV_series))'', 11 November 1985
| length8       = 3:08
| title9        = Inside Me
| note9         = ''The Tube'', 11 November 1985
| length9       = 2:44
| title10       = ''[Upside Down: The Creation Records Story](/source/Upside_Down%3A_The_Creation_Records_Story)''
| note10        = film trailer
| length10      = 2:21
}}

==Personnel==
All personnel credits adapted from ''Psychocandy''{{'}}s liner notes.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Psychocandy|others=[The Jesus and Mary Chain](/source/The_Jesus_and_Mary_Chain)|year=1985|type=CD|publisher=[Blanco y Negro Records](/source/Blanco_y_Negro_Records)|id=242 000-2}}</ref>

'''The Jesus and Mary Chain'''
*[Jim Reid](/source/Jim_Reid) – vocals, guitar 
*[William Reid](/source/William_Reid_(musician)) – vocals, guitar
*[Douglas Hart](/source/Douglas_Hart) – bass
*[Bobby Gillespie](/source/Bobby_Gillespie) – drums

'''Additional musicians'''
*Karen Parker – backing vocals {{small|(1)}}
*Laurence Verfaillie – backing vocals {{small|(7)}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aprilskies.amniisia.com/jamc/members_of_the_mary_chain.php|title=april skies - the jesus and mary chain|last=niina|website=aprilskies.amniisia.com}}</ref>

'''Technical'''
*The Jesus and Mary Chain – [production](/source/Record_producer)
*[John Loder](/source/John_Loder_(sound_engineer)) – [engineering](/source/Audio_engineering)
*[Flood](/source/Flood_(producer)) – engineer {{small|(8)}}
*[Alan Moulder](/source/Alan_Moulder) – assistant engineer {{small|(8)}}

'''Design'''
*Greg Allen – [art direction](/source/art_direction)
*Alastair Indge – sleeve photography
*Bleddyn Butcher – sleeve photography
*Chris Clown – sleeve photography
*Mike Laye – sleeve photography
*Rona McIntosh – sleeve photography
*Stuart Cassidy – sleeve photography

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for ''Psychocandy''
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1985–1986)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([Kent Music Report](/source/Kent_Music_Report))<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St. Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|edition=illustrated|page=154|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
| 87
|-
{{album chart|Canada|92|chartid=0651|rowheader=true|access-date=10 February 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|47|artist=The Jesus and Mary Chain|album=Psychocandy|rowheader=true|access-date=19 September 2021}}
|-
! scope="row"| [European Albums](/source/European_Top_100_Albums) (''[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/80s/85/M&M-1985-12-02-OCR-Page-0007.pdf |title=European Hot 100 Albums |magazine=[Eurotipsheet](/source/Music_%26_Media) |volume=2 |issue=48 |date=2 December 1985 |page=15 |oclc=29800226 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>
| 81
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|35|artist=The Jesus and Mary Chain|album=Psychocandy|rowheader=true|access-date=30 August 2019}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|31|date=19851124|rowheader=true|access-date=19 September 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|188|artist=The Jesus and Mary Chain|rowheader=true|access-date=19 September 2021}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2025 chart performance for ''Psychocandy''
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2025)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums ([MAHASZ](/source/Association_of_Hungarian_Record_Companies))<ref>{{cite web |title=Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2025. 43. hét |url=https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista-fizikai-hanghordozok/2025/43 |publisher=[MAHASZ](/source/Association_of_Hungarian_Record_Companies) |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref>
| 36
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Psychocandy''}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Jesus & Mary Chain|title=Psychocandy|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1985|certyear=1988|id=5236-1861-2|date=17 November 1988|access-date=19 September 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|5332|Psychocandy}}
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
*[https://archive.today/20130416105922/http://www.radio3net.ro/dbartists/supersearch/UHN5Y2hvIENhbmR5IChXRUEgSW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCk=/Psycho%20Candy%20(WEA%20International) ''Psychocandy''] ([Adobe Flash](/source/Adobe_Flash)) at [Radio3Net](/source/Radio3Net) (streamed copy where licensed)
{{The Jesus and Mary Chain}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1985 debut albums
Category:The Jesus and Mary Chain albums
Category:Blanco y Negro Records albums

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Psychocandy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychocandy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychocandy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.