1985: As the last detached murmurs of post-punk slowly crest into the earliest whispers of shoegaze, standing there in a world all their own, cutting a profile both unique and incomparable is The Jesus and Mary Chain. With equal influence gleaned from The Stooges and The Shangri-Las, The Velvet Underground and The Beach Boys, the band releases the unassailable godhead album, Psychocandy.

In celebration of this recording, one of the most important and watershed albums of all time, Third Man Records is humbled to announce Psychocandy: 40th Anniversary Edition as the 65th release of their Vault quarterly subscription series.

Anchoring this set is a 2xLP version of Psychocandy cut at 45rpm. It is not hyperbole to say this might be the loudest cut…not only of this record, but of any record…you will ever hear. The high speed treatment here affords the sonics a heretofore unseen clarity in the band’s utilization of controlled feedback. And such dynamic range! A record better-suited for this treatment you will struggle to find. Crank it loud and it just does not break up. Distortion has never sounded so clear. Cut by Warren Defever at Third Man
Mastering using super high definition 192khz transfers of the original 1985 mix and featuring the classic JAMC line-up of Jim Reid, William Reid, Douglas Hart and Bobby Gillespie.

Additionally, unearthed specifically for the anniversary is a crystalline live recording from St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit from 1987. Perfectly balanced with songs from Psychocandy and its equally as beautiful follow-up Darklands, two takes here (“Taste of Cindy” and “April Skies”) appeared as non-album b-sides in 1988, but the rest of the songs on this 2xLP swath are all previously unheard and absolutely mind- blowing in all the best of ways. Mixed back in the day by William Reid and Brian Young, from multitrack
soundboard recordings.

The original album is packaged in a sumptuous two pocket, gatefold jacket housed in a slipcase and pressed on 180-gram psychocandy colored vinyl with the live discs on darkest black 180-gram vinyl and living in a classic double-wide spine single-pocket jacket.

And the metaphorical cherry on top, the pairing of the the absolutely savage improvisational fan favorite “Jesus Fuck” with the wildly early (and previously unreleased) demo of “Just Like Honey.” These two songs, better than any, highlight the brilliant musical chiaroscuro of the Jesus and Mary Chain, the perfect tenuous blend of light and dark, unparalleled hypnotic pop melody and bombastic overdriven feedback noise. Pressed on metallic gold vinyl, this 7-inch quintessentially captures the contrasting beauty of what makes this band so groundbreaking.

Sign up now through midnight central time July 31st only at www.thirdmanrecords.com/vault

The Jesus And Mary Chain
Psychocandy: 40th Anniversary Edition
4xLP / 1 x 7-inch

SIDE ONE - PSYCHOCANDY
Just Like Honey
The Living End
Taste The Floor

SIDE TWO - PSYCHOCANDY
The Hardest Walk
Cut Dead
In A Hole
Taste Of Cindy

SIDE THREE - PSYCHOCANDY
Never Understand
Inside Me
Sowing Seeds
My Little Underground

SIDE FOUR - PSYCHOCANDY
You Trip Me Up
Something’s Wrong
It’s So Hard

JIM REID: VOCALS, GUITAR
WILLIAM REID: GUITAR, VOCALS
DOUGLAS HART: BASS
BOBBY GILLESPIE: DRUMS

SIDE FIVE - Live in Detroit November 20th, 1987
In A Hole (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Fall (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Happy When It Rains (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Cherry Came Too (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

SIDE SIX - Live in Detroit November 20th, 1987
Just Like Honey (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
The Hardest Walk (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

April Skies (live)

The Living End (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Taste Of Cindy (live)

SIDE SEVEN - Live in Detroit November 20th, 1987
Nine Million Rainy Days (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Down On Me (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
You Trip Me Up (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

SIDE EIGHT - Live in Detroit November 20th, 1987
Kill Surf City (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Who Do You Love (live) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

JIM REID: VOCALS, GUITAR
WILLIAM REID: GUITAR, VOCALS
DOUGLAS HART: BASS

DAVE EVANS: GUITAR

BONUS 7-INCH

SIDE 1

Jesus Fuck (LIVE @ MELKWEG, AMSTERDAM March 9th, 1985) PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

JIM REID: VOCALS, GUITAR
WILLIAM REID: GUITAR, VOCALS
DOUGLAS HART: BASS
BOBBY GILLESPIE: DRUMS

SIDE 2

Just Like Honey (EARLY DEMO) PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

JIM REID: VOCALS, GUITAR
WILLIAM REID: GUITAR, VOCALS
KAREN PARKER: VOCALS