Customer Reviews

Loveless

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Is there anything new that can possibly be said about Loveless? Any stone as yet unturned? So much has been written about this album, and so much of it reads the same: "It's about tension, noise vs. melody, ugliness vs. beauty... It's a return to the womb... It foregrounds the background and favors texture over development... Kevin Shields is Brian Wilson... Smart went crazy..." It's all true, of course. There's no arguing with any of that, just as there's little reason to talk about this album which so many people love. When it comes to Loveless, we understand each other so well that we nod and grunt like we're standing in front of Hank Hill's house. For me, it's been that way for some time: Seeing the letters "M", "B" and "V" next to each other in a review of another band's album is enough to get said record on my "music to check out" list. I suspect I'm not alone.

Now that Kevin Shields is in better health and is slowly returning to the scene, he's explained that Loveless was something of an albatross for him, that he never could find a proper way to follow it. He should be comforted by the fact that no one else has been able to follow it, either. I've long dreamt of an album that was "Like Loveless, but more," but I haven't found it. And so many hundreds of albums have tried. Perhaps this is the sound of a single idea perfected. We should move on and continue to explore the vast spectrum of sound and feeling music provides, but we'll always return to Loveless for what it alone can deliver.

in 1991 came the already classic "Loveless". the rockers "My Bloody Valentine" made their rare debut with "This is Your Bloody Valentine" in 1984. then, four years later they released "Isn't Anything", but the album they made them special... the album that made them famous in the rock genre... was "Loveless". which is easily one of the greatest albums out there. what a incredible 48 minutes it is, with amazing tracks like "Only Shallow", "When You Sleep", "Sometimes", and their amazing ending to the album... "Soon. but theres absoulutely not one bad track... those are just the stand-outs. Only Shallow has some of the greatest streaming guitars ever. theres always those complaints with the band with the vocals they can't hear and not nearly enough bass. but if you listen to the record a couple more times... you realize that doesn't matter.

When i first purchased "Loveless" and listened to it, i was a bit disappointed. It got so much acclaim as "one of the greatest albums ever!" so i kept trying, then one day I was listening to it... and... it just... CLICKED! it just clicked to me how beautiful this album really is. its just so many different things! want me to tell you how different? i've wrote over 50 reviews on CD albums here at Amazon, and when I i clicked the "recommended" button on Loveless, it had more than half of the CDs i reviewed. Spiritualized, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Neutral Milk Hotel, and much much more. this part of this review may seem useless to you, but i'm just saying... if you buy any album from the '90s... make it this one.

My Bloody Valentine spent the mid- to late-80's expanding upon the feedback-drenched, murky sonic wash developed by bands like Cocteau Twins and The Jesus and Mary Chain with an LP and a series of EPs that were largely ignored by critics and fans. In 1988, they broke through with "Isn't Anything," a dreamy, intense record which practically spawned the entire, short-lived "shoegaze" genre. In 1992, however, they smashed their own mold with "Loveless," a timeless record which rendered it impossible for any group of any era to imitate or even expound upon what they had created. It may be the case that after this album's release, the genre's bands (or critics) soon abandoned any hope that another masterpiece of this ilk could ever exist, effectively facilitating the dismantling of shoegaze pop forever.

My Bloody Valentine's signature sound was basically engendered by Kevin Shields, a mastermind who spent nearly two years and approximately 500,000 dollars in the studio fiddling with guitars and training his and singer Bilinda Butcher's voices to coincide softly alongside the shimmering sonic textures, pop melodies, and Sabbath-esque hooks Shields had bouncing around in his head. The result was simply mesmerizing, as the drowning, subtlely sexual soundscapes present on each track submerge the listener in a pillowcase full of fuzzy feathers and silken cloth. This does not mean the work lacks heavy metal riffs or thundering rhythms, as tracks like "Only Shallow," "Loomer," and "What You Want" will prove. It's just that they are subdued and pounded into submission by Shields' masterful hand until they are weak and begging for mercy. Tracks like "Come in Alone," "I Only Said," and the instrumental "Touched" are just as lush, but even more erotic, as if they are naked and standing in your doorway, waiting for you to make the first move.

All in all, every track is an essential, and the record is a must-have, but buyer beware...don't play this record for the first time during the day or on your computer or in your car. If you do, you'll hate it from the outset, and potentially for the rest of your life, which would be very sad. To hopefully prevent this from occurring, your initial exposure should take place at night (or the early morning, say 1-2 AM) in the dark, and should involve good headphones. You may pick a comfortable chair to rest in, or you might simply lay in your bed. Once you're prepared, turn your volume up as LOUD as you can bear it. What happens next is up to you.

My Bloody Valentine's third record Loveless is a sweeping swath through the halls of stand out art music that will forever be tried (ie Evanescence) but never duplicated in full or even part. If you're into breathy, viseral, the dreamy and druggy - Loveless will prove to be a priceless addition to your CD collection. The songs pack an extra special punch with layer upon layer of ingeneous sound, the art of noise, whispered vocals and long compositions - the tracks shine with the luster, warmth, distance, chill and ambiguousness of love itself in the form of an existential meditation. I say, Meditate on this! You can thank me later. Just don't expect a new MBV record in the near future. Loveless is close enough to actual perfection that the process of creating a follow-up has proven to be a stifling venture. Fall in love Loveless in the meantime.

I just dont get it.
Its like, I cant hear the lead singer guys voice or something.
All I hear is really loud fuzz noises and everything but music. This album was recommended to me by tons of people too.
Im going to go listen to my Jets to Brazil cd, something Im actually comfortable listening to.

Sadly, that is exactly how most MBV reviews start off.
Listen, step a bit outside your boxes, turn off your radio, do not shop at corporate electronics chains or corporate music shops or bookstores, theyre bad for your health. Any My Bloody Valentine album is absolutely great, period. Too bad Kevin Shields was such a bozo. Dont believe me? go to http://www.buddyhead.com and read his interview. Its a wonder this band ever existed for the very short amount of time that they did. Heck, they didnt even exist as a full band for more than a couple years. In fact, except for 3 tracks, Loveless was recorded by Kevin and Belinda only.

After you realize how great My Bloody Valentine is, start getting into some real rock music like U.S. Maple. And if you want some good guitar to listen to, get some Rafael Toral or Kevin Drumm albums.

P.S. The MBV box set (due out late next year) isnt going to have anything rare or hard to find. Just the stuff off Creation plus a couple extra 'deleted' tracks that Kevin didnt like because of the vocals.

I naturally thought I would appreciate this album after a few listens, as so many reviews have stated it is a musical masterpiece. Well having owned it for a few weeks now, I can tell you it just aint. Many of the melodies are rather boring, and just meander about without actually going anywhere.

I am giving this album 2 stars for 2 reasons: The songs 'Only Shallow' and 'Blown A Wish'. These songs are actually very good and I would suggest that you download these and not buy the whole album, you will be dissappointed with the other songs

I got his album when it came out as a recommendation from a friend who called it brilliant... this guy really knew music too. There is virtually nothing that was copied to make this album. MBV made a totally original album that to this day probably won't be eclipsed. The sound is this constant droning guitar layer, filled with other layers of guitar that seem like they came from another planet, where guitars make different noises. Then there's Colm's drums, where you swear the man has 4 arms. This is an album that you either hate it or love it. Given modern music with the simple bar chord, a fan of the aforementioned genre will be disgusted by this album. If you see the cover of this album, can you identify all the shades of red on the cover? If you can, or care to, then you will like the album a lot. It is some type of noise symphony, where the band pushes the technology of guitar, bass, drums and synthesizer to the limit that most of us cannot imagine. A true story: I blew out my passenger side front window on my car while playing this album on a frigid February evening, while driving on the highway/ motorway... I don't think this would be possible with any other band. The noises on this album are beautiful. They smear and blur into each other in a very precise manner. I won't even begin the Shoegazer description, since no one of that so called genre compares with this album. It is WONDERFUL... for mature listeners only.

It's safe to say there's nothing in my CD collection that quite approaches the attempt of Loveless, which sounds a bit like hearing REM through your neighbor's heating vent while vacuuming. That speaks highly of the record though, which takes a safe musical form and warps it until it's vaguely unrecognizable and a bit threatening. Loveless has a genuine beauty and solipsistic originality that's invasive and fascinating; songs like "Only Shallow" and "To Here Knows When" become more and more interesting the more you hear them, and the record tends to have lines and songs that pounce just when you're about give up on them. Take a line like "Fall apart my bleeding heart/ Nothing left to lose/ Once in love/ I'll be the death of you" in "Blown a Wish" - it's a bit of a silent alarm, which basically describes the entire record.

I agree,there's nothing more to say....Loveless is miles away from everything else over the past 25 years.I thought that Radiohead could follow loveless,but not even close.LOVELESS is Alternative Rock's suprime masterpiece.

This is,in fact,the greatest rock album of the 90's.And one of the best of all time.Kevin Shields is a visionary with a passion like no other...the man only does what's he wants to do,and the way he wants it.He always get it right.A Classic.