If anyone cares , a reformed JAMC just played in Chicago , and they actually sounded pretty good. Walls of Orange amps , saturated in fuzz. Virtually none of the painful feedback sound of yore , if that put any of you off , and no echo on Reid's mike (Which he desperately needed.) , and NUTHIN' from their pre - second LP repertoirre , unless they did maybe one track from "Psychocandy" that I've long since forgotten. I traded that album in a long time ago , but , I'd buy it cheap , now. I did find the "Never Understand" b/w "Suck" and "Ambition" 12" affordably , recently.
John Battles said:
That's the problem , The JAMC's early , pre - LP single sides , particularly "Vegetable Man" and "Ambition" , are really hard to find. I lost interest after their first LP , so I would'nt buy a box set for 8 songs , personally. They earned a terrible reputation after a short tour of the states in about 1986....I saw them in '87 , and they SOUNDED LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE , EXCEPT THEY DID'NT EVEN HAVE A DRUMMER ! GIMME A BREAK. Jim Reid was collapsing to the floor , then recomposing himself at least every 30 seconds. You could have set your watch by it ! I heard , later , that the band demanded a case of Russian Vodka that's so rare , you probably could'nt find it in Russia , except on The Black Market. Someone found it, tho' , and the pre -show getting pissed commenced. I STILL ENJOYED THE SHOW , DESPITE THE ANNOYING DRUM MACHINE . i'VE GOT A TAPE WITH A FEW SONGS FROM AN EARLY UK TOUR , THEY DO SOUND PRETTY FUCKED UP , MAYBE NOT IF YOU DID'NT HOLD IT UP AGAINST THEIR RECORDS , THOUGH. I did'nt think they'd get anywhere , here , and that's a compliment. Something that abrasive should'nt have gotten over in the states , not with The Cure and The Smiths to save us.