Kevin Patrick Shields, guitarist/singer for distortion-loving
fuzz-pop band My Bloody Valentine, was born 35 years ago today in New
York City. When Shields was 6, his family moved to Dublin, Ireland,
where he became extremely interested in pop
music. In 1984, Shields
formed My Bloody Valentine (after a horror flick) with childhood pal
Colm O'Ciosoig on drums, vocalist Dave Conway and keyboardist Tina.
After changing home bases a few times, they landed in London, where they
added bassist Debbie Googe. After releasing several indie EPs, My
Bloody Valentine -- with guitarist/vocalist Bilinda Butcher replacing
Conway -- released their debut album, 1988's My Bloody Valentine Isn't
Anything, which effectively blended pop melodies with sonic distortion.
In the process, the band changed the concept of noise in popular music.
But since they were notorious perfectionists, My Bloody Valentine took
years to release their next full-length album, 1991's Loveless. In the
meantime, they invented "shoegazing" -- a British-press-coined term for
barely moving or looking at the audience while onstage -- and influenced
a horde of similar "shoegazers" such as Lush and the Boo Radleys. The
critically acclaimed Loveless contained ambitious songs such as
"When You Sleep" and "To Here Knows When," which melded shimmering
bubblegum with pure noise.
In 1992, the band toured as part of the
"Rollercoaster" tour, which included the Jesus and Mary Chain, Blur and
Dinosaur Jr. Though MBV's ear-shattering sets finally brought them
notice in the U.S., the album became a hit only in the U.K. Creation
Records soon dropped MBV in the U.K., but Island signed them, promising a
new album soon. While many bands began imitating their pop distortion,
My Bloody Valentine came apart. Shields reportedly made two albums at
his home studio by himself, while Googe and O'Ciosoig quit the band.
Shields and Butcher, MBV's only remaining members, had a song on the
Wire tribute album and Shields was featured on Experimental Audio
Research's Beyond The Pale (1996). But another album from My
Bloody Valentine has yet to see the light of day.
Other birthdays: Ronald Isley (Isley Brothers), 57; Hilton Valentine
(the Animals), 55; and Leo Sayer, 50.
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