Kevin Shields played guitar on Freedom of Speech

[Mr Inconspicuous]

Is this generally known?
Mentioned in a piece on My Bloody Valentine's wilderness years in the current Uncut. The article lists a selection of unlikely acts that Shields produced/played with/ remixed/recommended a guitar pick for to make a crust during the brief hiatus between MBV albums 2 and 3: the Frank and Walters, Hurricane #1, Placebo but I was a bit taken aback to see the Manics among them.

It doesn't exactly leap out at you listening to the track, but I suppose if you had to guess which Manics song 'the Brian Wilson of feedback' had contributed to FOSWFMC would probably be on your shortlist...

I would've thought that the band would sooner cut his right arms off than get Kevin Shields to guitar on a Manics album. I mean the Manics were vehemently anti-shoegaze and weren't MBV one of the bands that they included in this bracket?

[Son of Stopped]

Maybe this is their way of making up? I mean it's not like they had Slowdive play on the album!!

[Mr Inconspicuous]

Originally Posted by walpolian87

I would've thought that the band would sooner cut his right arms off than get Kevin Shields to guitar on a Manics album. I mean the Manics were vehemently anti-shoegaze and weren't MBV one of the bands that they included in this bracket?

Yeah I think Nicky once said he'd prefer to listen to his mother's hoover. But as Simon Price pointed out, pretty much any band you'd care to mention would fall into that category. And anyway what did the Wire ever have to do with the Manics' music?

[Jamie_Manic]

Originally Posted by Mr Inconspicuous

Is this generally known?

I thought it was farily common knowledge myself. I'm sure I've read stuff from Nicky saying he's a fan of the man, again we go back to their very handy reservation to contradict themselves I guess.

[Jayseph]

Remember, with the Manics, it's 'do as I say', not 'do as I do'.

They once called Johnny Marr a 'fat talentless dwarf' or similar, and we know how they really feel about him...

[teddy]

I seem to remember they were v open about it at the time and mentioned it in interviews. MBV are a classic band anyway - they said they hated baggy band in the GT era but Nicky has his list of 10 top Stone Roses songs and they covered the Happy Mondays!

[MSPKYE]

Originally Posted by Jamie_Manic

I thought it was farily common knowledge myself.

Yeah I remember it being mentioned a few times at the time of release

Originally Posted by JackParlabane

They once called Johnny Marr a 'fat talentless dwarf' or similar, and we know how they really feel about him...

When did they say that?

[Jayseph]

It was in one of their earliest interviews when they were saying things they didn't really believe just to be controversial. Not so sure they ever stopped...

[Mr Inconspicuous]

I'm not suggesting it was some kind of dark secret or anything, I'm just surprised I'd never heard about it. My passion for MSP, and music generally, had dwindled round KYE time so I guess I wasn't reading the press around that time too diligently. Ironically I notice one of 2 previous mentions of the collaboration on FD is in one of the Hot Press articles I posted myself.

[Manicben]

I seem to remember reading that they are fans of him, i also seem to remember that they didnt actually record with him, he just added some guitar to the final mix when it was being edited.

[Kieslowski]

Aye, I'd say it was pretty well known. They mentioned it in most of the interviews at the time, and it mentions his name in the album credits.

I have a copy of Total Guitar magazine where JDB says he couldn't believe he'd missed the chance to play with Kevin Shields, cos he's one of his guitar heros - I think Shields came in and did his bit while JDB was somewhere else, and he didn't know about it until he came back.

[Hans]

Originally Posted by Kieslowski

and it mentions his name in the album credits.

Where?

[Anaconda Vice]

I'm pretty sure he was uncredited. It's not like Shields is prominent in the mix anyway. I couldn't hear him much...