The Jesus And Mary Chain, "The Sound Of Speed," 1993 1st German Press, Plays NM

$

66

Dr. John's Spin Factory is pleased to bring you the second in what would be three (so-called) compilation albums from the alt-rock Scottish trio, The Jesus And Mary Chain.  Here for your consideration is, The Sound of Speed.  The copy for sale was released in 1993 and is the sought after 1st German pressing.  As noted in the Condition Description above, the vinyl plays Near Mint with the exception of 3-4 seconds near the end of the song, "Shimmer" due to a pressing bubble.  This bubble generates three soft thumps that, to my ears, do not interfere with listening enjoyment.  Still, that said, if you purchase this record and find those 3 soft sounding thumps objectionable, you are welcome to return it for a full refund.  Also as noted above in the Condition Description section above, and for which there was insufficient space in that section to describe, the jacket has a few less than perfect areas.  On the front of the cover you will see seven or eight small creases in the cardboard.  On the back cover you will see one small crease. (See photos #11-13.)  All of these creases are relatively minor in as much as they are not structural, and are not tears, rips, or breaks in the images.  As can be seen in the wide 'cover' shots of the front and back of the jacket, when you pull back a few feet from the album, these creases are barely visible.  If you are looking for perfect vinyl in a perfect jacket, this ain't it!  What you will find is, this copy is more affordable than any of the others currently for sale, in large measure because most every other copy is located in Europe or Japan, hence shipping is a good deal more expensive. (There are two copies located in the USA and they are wicked pricey!)
And what of the music on this, The Sound of Speed?  Here's AllMusic's Andy Kellman to offer his opinions: 

The Sound of Speed is second in the trilogy of Jesus and Mary Chain "odds and sods" releases. This one isn't quite as essential as Barbed Wire Kisses (the first), but it definitely holds less cash-cow negativity and greater value over The Jesus and Mary Chain Hate Rock 'n' Roll (the third). The period covered here is 1989-1993, collecting most of the B-sides from Automatic and Honey's Dead. It's not quite complete, missing at least four B-sides ("Subway," "In the Black," "Terminal Beach," "I'm Glad I Never") and a small number of remixes. "Snakedriver" provides the best reason for picking this up, a classic Jesus and Mary Chain song in the sleazy, bluesy, "Beach Boys on lots of smack" mold. "Write Record Release Blues" skewers the Man while poking fun at themselves; one major demand: "Leave me in peaceful abject misery." The radio mix of "Reverence" doesn't sound any friendlier than the original, adding two minutes to the wailing beast and turning it into the dance remix of Big Black's "Kerosene" that it really is. Desperate, immature malevolence doesn't get any better. Speaking of reverence, this offers another clutch of covers, including Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" (pleasantly dirgeful), the Temptations' "My Girl" (pointless), Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster" (maxed vocal distortion), the 13th Floor Elevators' "Reverberation" (jug-free), and Jerry Reed's "Guitarman" (doesn't quite work). Other highlights in this decent package include the nasty "Lowlife" and an eight-minute version of "Sidewalking" that should please those who like the sludgy battering of the regular version.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, ultrasonic cleaning with the Kirmuss Audio Restoration System raised the overall quality of playback noticeably and very nicely...
Okay, good luck alt-rock music lovers!  May your ears feel the joy every time you fire up your stereo!  Best--Dr. John