My Bloody Valentine: You Made Me Realise, or How On Earth Is This Record Out Of Print?

You Made Me Realise, the name given by fans to an actually untitled EP, is rather universally accepted as the jumping off point for My Bloody Valentine's renaissance in the world of noisy shoegaze pop. The record was released three months prior to Isn't Anything, and to our ears is actually a step ahead of that record. The guitars are noisier, the sounds more abstract, and the overall feel is darker, much more in line with Loveless.

"Slow" is a testament to the bendy guitar riffs that would later rule Loveless. "Thorn" is a poppy accessible track that touches on what would become the band's signature multi-tracked vocal sound. "Cigarette In Your Bed" foreshadows the reverse-recorded guitar feel of "Loomer", and "Drive It All Over Me" shares the steady rock underpinnings of "What You Want". Perhaps most notably, the leadoff track "Do You Realise" is the source of the noise attack that for many would come to define the band's live sound. Simply put, the EP is an overview of what would become My Bloody Valentine.

So, given all this, on might truly wonder: why is this record out of print? It was reissued in 1990, and since then: nowhere. It's not on iTunes, it's not in stores. It's not even in used record shops, and when it is, it's usually overpriced beyond recognition. Given the recent hype of the band's reunification and the live show's emphasis on "You Made Me Realise", you would think even a small print run reissue to sell at the live shows might have surfaced. And yet, to no avail: the record, which was named by both Q and NME on "best of" lists, is nowhere to be found.

It's times like these when we are morally torn: we pay for music, we support artists, we're out of the illegal download thing. Okay, RIAA, you scared us into submission. But here we have a conundrum: here is a record we cannot get - it is simply not available for purchase or consumption. And yet, the internet has it for us, exactly how we want it. What's a fan to do?

mp3: My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise (YouSendIt, click through)

My Bloody Valentine Played The Concourse

Let it first be said: there is no hype. The doting, and worship, and awe that has been placed upon My Bloody Valentine's live show are completely justified. There's the extreme volume, the live renditions of songs that have become near legendary, and the presence of a band that is notoriously cloistered. But more than that, there is the delivery of a completely new dimension to the music that so many listeners already know by heart. The band is masterful at reproducing its records live, but they also take on new characteristics. The bass is more throbbing, the distortion more alive, and the drums had more attack. In short, it was everything a live show should be.

Openers Spectrum put on a solid performance of dark, analogue-synth driven rock. The set started a tad slowly, but picked up speed as it moved along, and culminated with a nice barrage of drums and tweaked out synths from frontman Peter Kember. While the set was strong, it paled quite notably in comparison to what was coming next.

When MBV took the stage, the crowd became noticeably more enlivened. This was the main act: it was what everyone was there to see. The band blasted into the set, and a wave of noise swept over the concourse. The bass alone was enough to rattle your chest, but the treble was there too: just as loud and crystal clear. Cheers to the band's soundman, as they appear to have somehow defied the Concourse's notorious bad sound, and delivered on the MBV promise.

The band's set was very similar to those that have been played on this tour. We didn't manage to get it down on paper, because frankly, we were too engrossed in the show. Suffice it to say that it traversed the band's two records and EP's, but that the focus was definitely on Loveless. To hear the tracks that we've all listened to so many times on record, was truly a treat. Seeing Kevin Shields play guitar was almost surreal: It's an event that seemed for so long like it would never happen, and now here it was, happening.

Finally, there was the main event of the main event: the wave of noise in the middle of "You Made Me Realise". It's been described by many, to varying degrees of extremity: sickening, cleansing, peace-bringing, what have you. In the end, what it is is 25 minutes of 130 decibel feedback and distortion. Some people were covering their ears, some were smiling, some waved their hands in the air. Still, the sonics of this grand finale are not what really hit home with us. What's truly impressive about this stalwart of My Bloody Valentine performance is that they do it at all. There is simply no other band out there creating this kind of music, this kind of noise, for people to consider and take into their heart and soul. And at the end of the day, that's why we're so glad to have My Bloody Valentine back in the world of the living: They are offering something different, food for thought, a piece of the musical pie that you can simply get nowhere else.

Many more pictures in the HAD Archive.

Reminder: MBV Is Tonight At The Concourse, New Album In The Works

(They probably look a little older now)

Well, if you can deal with the Concourse Design Center for an evening, and you have a nice set of earplugs, then tonight may avail you of one of the most illuminating musical sound experiences this side of 1992. As we've previously mentioned, My Bloody Valentine's reunited lineup will be hitting San Francisco tonight. We imagine that we don't really know what's in store for us (and we're waiting to see just how epic that 45 minutes of static really is), but by all accounts it's fantastic.

In other MBV news, Kevin Shields has now confirmed to a number of sources that the band has decided to move forward with a new record, built around the foundations that were developed in '96/'97. While this does have us immeasurably excited, you'll have to pardon if it goes in the folder for "we'll believe it when we see it".

Ticketmaster's all sold out, but being a GA show, you can probably craigslist yourself some love.

UPDATE: We just discovered that Pete Kember's post-Spacemen 3 project Spectrum is opening. Get there early!

My Bloody Valentine: Too Good To Resist

Sure, we were feeling skeptical about the choice of venue, and we still maintain that it sucks. That being said, with all the positive press (from news outlets, fans, blogs, and everyone in between) coming off of MBV's East Coast appearances, we're thinking we're going to have to make an appearance at the band's gig next week. By all accounts, these reunion gigs have been transcendant experiences that leave listeners tingling with joy after waves upon waves of abstract noise (Check out the vid above to see what we mean). It's the kind of thing that really, we thinks, you have to experience for yourself.

Tickets are on-sale now.

Some Interviews You Might Like To Read

Both David Byrne and My Bloody Valentine will be in San Francisco in the coming weeks, so we thought we'd take a minute to pass a couple of interesting interviews your way. Pitchfork has an interview with David Byrne on his latest, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, and the New York Times has a nice sit down with Kevin Shields about the MBV reunion. Enjoy!

David Byrne is at Davies Symphony Hall October 6th and 7th
My Bloody Valentine are at the Concourse Design Center September 30th

MBV Reunion In SF = Fail

We just spotted this little news item while reading ipickmynose. Wow. Just wow. We couldn't agree more. MBV in SF? Awesome. At the Design Center? What a mess. Who decided to turn that place into a music venue we'll never guess, but this is just one on a long string of bands we wish could have escaped its grasp...

Japancakes To Cover Loveless In Its Entirety

Last Friday news came down the wire that Japancakes intends to cover My Bloody Valentine's classic Loveless in its entirety. I just got a chance to listen to the leaked "Only Shallow", and while it's decent, it doesn't seem to really merit much hype. Loveless is such a standout, timeless album: do we really need a cover of it, even if it is a competent one? Moreover, the cover is just too clean: all those bendy synths and guitars are missing. Have a listen:

mp3: Japancakes - Only Shallow