The Jesus & Mary Chain: 21 Singles

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * )

Do not adjust your treble knob, that's just how the Jesus and Mary Chain always sounded: coruscating feedback, wallpaper-stripping fuzz, cavernous reverb, two or more chords, caveman drums, and tunes that could be the Beach Boys dying in the gutter.

The band led by the surly Scots brothers Reid — the ones who weren't the Proclaimers — have finally called it quits and this chronological compilation takes us from 84 to 98, reminding that their creative heyday was within those first five years with the albums Psychocandy and Darklands and cuts like April Skies and Just Like Honey.

In their latter years they cleaned-up the scuzz-factor, sped-up and went all throbbing and electronic in the rhythm department. Those final chapters had some moments — like Sometimesalways, a duet with Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. But 21 Singles shows that the best J&MC songs always hurt a little as you tried to hum along.

Label: Warner