Jesus Jones is an interesting musical act. Combining the electronic sounds of the late 1980s and early 1990s at the time with some Rock Music stylings, they capitalised on the Acid House and the Madchester scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which was essentially itself a crossover of the then-new EDM Music along with some of the contemporary Rock sounds of the time. Their debut album, Liquidizer (1989), released by Food Records, was a moderate success but their record company insisted that they needed some hit records. The result was this album, being Jesus Jones’s most popular record in the long term. The band consisted of: Mike Edwards (vocals and guitars); Jerry De Borg (guitars); Al Doughty (bass guitar); Iain Baker (keyboards and programming) and Simon “Gen” Mathews (drums). The album itself was produced by Mike Edwards, Andy Ross and Martyn Phillips. This is now widely seen as a cult classic in musical terms. Let’s warp back to 1991 and we shall hear if this release is any good.

Trust Me begins with some interesting electronic sounds, and launches into a strange and different sounding Rock tune. The vocals present are deep and growling by Mike Edwards. This does sound really good for what this is, however. This is an excellent mixture of the post-Acid House scene of the time and some of the Alternative Rock stylings at the time, which is a good musical combination. A short tune at just over two minutes long, this does sound really different and excellent for what this is. A really exciting listen, from the start.

Who? Where? Why? begins with some interesting droning electronic sounds, and has some gorgeous singing by Mike Edwards. This launches into a good mixture of EDM beats and textures, before kickstarting into a glorious Rock/EDM mix of a tune. This music sounds quite unlike anything else out there and is a good and brave launch into the unknown territory musically of mixing Rock and Acid House based sounds throughout. Nonetheless, this does come across as better than you’d think. The looping and mixing throughout is really very clever. Squelching Acid House melodies are mixed with some cool and clever Rock guitars, with some imaginative and different Alternative Music samples throughout. Different. It ends with some droning Eastern sounds and finishes there.

International Bright Young Thing is a fantastic and funky-sounding tune from the start. It has an excellent blend of Acid House based EDM and guitars throughout. Indeed, this is fairly underrated as a musical piece, and no doubt paved the way for the likes of people such as Primal Scream. A gloriously good yet different listening experience that sounds different to anything else to this very day. A cool mission statement from Jesus Jones, this music sounds wonderfully glorious throughout. The mixture of Rock and EDM throughout, complete with guitars and the Amen breakbeat, makes this an interesting listen and a winner. The vocals are pseudo-Grunge as well. It seems as though Jesus Jones was a band of their time, but only of their time. This music may not have aged very well, but it is good for what it is. Some guitar feedback squalls finish this off.

I’m Burning begins with some Doom video game styled era sounds, including electronics and bass guitar. Nonetheless, this is very, very good for what this is. The mixture of guitars and Acid House-styled electronics make for a different and rather tripped-out listening experience. Some throaty vocals emerge, and this chorus sounds really different and great. This is a decent tune that has a great deal of promise throughout, although to be fair, this music is extremely dated. A good listen, but despite the fact that this music is good, it has dated very badly. Towards the end, this builds up in intensity with shouted vocals, electronics and a passionate musical delivery. It’s okay.

Right Here Right Now is not the hit song by Fatboy Slim. However, this does sound good from the start but is much more a traditional Rock song in terms of musicianship and musicality. It does sound decent, however, and the mixture of throaty singing, cut-up beats and guitars sounds really good. A very different listening experience throughout, this dated music does have some promise to it, even if it sounds like a relic of its time. There is a minimal yet awesome guitar solo on this tune, along with some brass sections in the chorus. A good song, but nothing truly mindblowing here. Jesus Jones’s music is an acquired taste, to be fair. A good listen, all the same.

Nothing To Hold Me begins with some guitar feedback swells, hi-hats and Roland TR-808 based drum machine sounds. This launches into a song that, quite frankly, doesn’t sound great. This sounds extremely dated and dull, to be fair. It seems that Jesus Jones wasn’t that talented or innovative as a group. This has some interesting but uninspired textures, spoken word vocals in the verses and throaty singing in the chorus. This sounds really daggy as a musical piece, and it is a definite glimpse at the most ordinary and dated music of 1991. There is some wah-wah guitar playing here, but all the same, this isn’t pleasant to listen to. A missed opportunity.

Real Real Real begins with some pitch-shifted harmonies and electronics, launching into another good but lacking song. This is a major improvement on the previous song, and it sounds pretty, enjoyable and melodic at best. This is a much better song than expected, even for this very average and dated music. It sounds like a good mixture of post-1980s Rock Music with a dash of Acid House/Rave Music thrown into it. There are some very catchy melodies on this tune, and this takes you to a place where you want to dance away. Still, this sounds very old today. A good listen, even if this is not a great listening experience.

Welcome Back Victoria begins with some programmed hi-hats and ghostly noises, followed by some electric/acoustic guitars that are multitracked. This sounds a bit weird, to be frank. More throaty vocals emerge, and this tune is another fairly average listening experience. Sadly, this is not hit music, either critically or commercially, and has not lasted terribly well over the years. A simple and interesting song that isn’t necessarily a love song, this is very lacking and off-sounding as a piece of music. All in all, this is okay but is really sadly lacking as a piece of music and overall concept as an album. In any case, this music is an awkward fusion of Alternative Rock, Acid House, Rock and Electronic fusion. It ends with repeated sounds and a ghostly conclusion.

Two and Two begins with some interesting electronic drumbeats and launches into a good song with some interesting guitar riffs. This is very minimal music and isn’t as good as many of their contemporaries, such as Primal Scream, Happy Mondays or other groups in similar musical terms of the time. The lyrics are also very generalistic in terms of listening. The guitars on this track do sound really quite good, but that is about it throughout this tune. The vocals on these songs also are not that great, sounding like a very ordinary delivery throughout. A rather pathetic attempt at creating music that counts. Forgettable.

Stripped begins with a Pink Floyd clock sample, and launches into an atrocious sounding tune. This is bad, quite frankly. Some breakbeats enter, and this tune enters into a poor listening experience that is much more about creating noise than anything else. There are numerous samples from Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1979) album, and this sounds like a car crash. Weird, and definitely worth skipping ahead, if you can. A sad representation of the worst of early 1990s music, it is very clear why Jesus Jones never became a household name. There is a breakdown in the second half, and this follows into a bad section with multitracked vocals. Awful, do not listen to this tune. This is very, very bad. Fortunately, this ends soon enough with more clock samples from Pink Floyd. Unoriginal.

Blissed is the final track on this album. Begins with a rip-off of Orbital’s Chime, and launches into a very poor and dated tune. The vocals are a bit more melodic on this tune, but again, this is nothing incredibly good or special to listen to. A sad reminder of how ordinary and unappealing this album is. Some melodic guitars are present alongside the electronics on this song, but there is nothing really worth hearing on this tune. If you can hit stop by this point, please do. You’re not missing out on much on this tune. The lyrics are very poorly written as well. There is an interesting midsection of a mixture of sounds and melodies, including bleeps, bird sounds and ethereal patches. You’d be far better off listening to the music of The Prodigy than this, however. Soon enough, the singing and guitars return sounding okay, but this is enough to send one to sleep. A very ordinary and forgettable listening experience. The ending has the repeated sounds. An okay finish to a rather disappointing album release.

This album is very, very ordinary. It proves that, instead of breaking solid musical ground, Jesus Jones struggled even at their best to create good music that would last. If this is their best album, then it says a lot about the overrated and unlistenable nature of this group’s music. Therefore, this album is a solid disappointment. Should you listen to this album? No, it is certainly not worth hearing.

An uninspired and disappointing set of songs by a no-name band.

5/10