Album · The Jesus and Mary Chain
Darklands by The Jesus and Mary Chain
Darklands is an album by The Jesus and Mary Chain, released in 1987. 4 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 26 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “April Skies”, on 22 lists with a best position of #16.
Darklands, the Jesus and Mary Chain's second album, came out on Blanco y Negro on 31 August 1987, and anybody expecting Psychocandy part two got something moodier: the noise pulled back to a dark shimmer, the melodies left standing out in the open. Bobby Gillespie had gone off to front Primal Scream, so Jim and William Reid handed the beat to a drum machine for the first time, and its cold, steady thud suits the gloom perfectly. Douglas Hart still held down the bass, and Bill Price produced.
Jim takes most of the lead vocals in a flat, weary murmur; William steps up for the title track, "Nine Million Rainy Days" and "On the Wall". "April Skies" gave them a UK hit, and the album climbed to number five on the UK chart, their highest-charting album there. Primal Scream later returned the favor, covering the title track on a 1998 B-side.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Darklands on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April Skies | 22 | #16 | – | 1987–2023 | |
| 2 | Nine Million Rainy Days | 2 | #41 | – | 1987–2003 | |
| 3 | Kill Surf City | 1 | #39 | – | 1987 | |
| 4 | Down on Me | 1 | #1966 | – | 2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.