My Bloody Valentine, an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland, have recorded songs for three studio albums and a number of extended plays, singles and compilation releases. Formed in 1983 by Kevin Shields, Colm Ó Cíosóig and David Conway, the band had a series of unsuccessful releases throughout the mid-1980s on various independent record labels.[1] In 1987, after the addition of bassist Debbie Googe and vocalist-guitarist Bilinda Butcher, My Bloody Valentine released "Strawberry Wine", Ecstasy, and the 1988 EP You Made Me Realise, which were predecessors to the band's debut album Isn't Anything (1988). Considered an independent success,[2] the band released two further EPs before Loveless (1991), their second studio album; which is considered their magnum opus and which received unanimous critical acclaim since its release.[3] Both albums pioneered an alternative rock subgenre known as shoegazing, a term coined by Sounds journalists to describe certain bands' "motionless performing style, where they stood on stage and stared at the floor".[4] My Bloody Valentine disbanded in 1997 after failing to utilise a third album although Kevin Shields was rumoured to have sent 60 hours' worth of material to Island Records,[5] with whom the band signed after being dropped by Creation Records in 1991. My Bloody Valentine reunited in 2007 and began completing their third album. The album, m b v, was self-released in 2013 and received "universal acclaim", according to Metacritic.[6]
The band were unsuccessful during their early career, with reviews of their initial releases being unanimously negative.[7] My Bloody Valentine first experienced chart success with their EP The New Record by My Bloody Valentine (1986), which entered the UK Independent Singles Chart at number 22. Their successive releases, 1987's "Sunny Sundae Smile", "Strawberry Wine" and Ecstasy all placed in the independent charts, along with "Feed Me with Your Kiss", "Soon", "To Here Knows When" and Isn't Anything, which peaked at number 1 upon its release.[8]Loveless is the most commercially successful of the band's releases—it peaked at number 24 in the UK Albums Chart[9] and has sold over 290,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[10]
Among some of My Bloody Valentine's best-known songs are "Only Shallow", a song which includes notable use of Kevin Shields' "glide guitar" technique;[11] "Sometimes", which was featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 film Lost in Translation;[12] "Soon", a duet which incorporates elements of dance music;[13] and "You Made Me Realise", which during live performances features an interlude of noise and excessive feedback known as "the holocaust", which has often lasted for half an hour and reached 130 db.[14]
Kevin Shields(pictured in 1989) is the primary songwriter for My Bloody Valentine and solely composed all songs on m b v (2013).A third of the lyrics on Isn't Anything (1988) and Loveless (1991) were written by vocalist and guitarist Bilinda Butcher (pictured in 2009).[15]Bassist Debbie Googe (pictured in 2008) co-wrote one My Bloody Valentine song: "Never Say Goodbye", a b-side to "Strawberry Wine"."Instrumental No 1" features a sample of "Security of the First World" by Public Enemy (vocalist Flavor Flav pictured in 1991).[16]Andrew Weatherall (pictured in 2005) released a remixed version "Soon" on the "Glider E.P. Remixes" single in 1990.My Bloody Valentine contributed a cover version of "We Have All the Time in the World", performed by Louis Armstrong (pictured in 1965), to Peace Together in 1993.One of the band's final releases before their disbandment was a cover version of "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W" by Wire (vocalist and guitarist Colin Newman pictured in 2008)
^"Incidental One" features Mark Eitzel of American Music Club as a vocalist, reciting lyrics he wrote over music written by Kevin Shields.
^"Instrumental No 1" was released as a non-album single originally titled "Instrumental" in 1988 and issued with the first 5,000 LP copies of Isn't Anything.[31] It was retitled on the compilation album EP's 1988–1991 (2012).
^"Kevin Song" remains unreleased although available on various bootlegs.[33] It was planned for release on the compilation album EP's 1988–1991 (2012), but was excluded from the final track listing.
^"Map Ref. 41°N 93°W" is a cover version of the Wire song, not an original composition.
^ abOffbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip (Booklet). Various artists. Alternation Records. 1996. IRS 993.519.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Whore: Various Artists Play Wire (Booklet). Various artists. WMO. 1993. WMO 2CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)