From the Ronettes to the Ramones: A collection of My Bloody Valentine’s favourite songs

Posted On November 3, 2024November 3, 2024

If you ask a shoegaze fan for a list of their favourite songs, they’ll probably just direct you to the discography of My Bloody Valentine. Spawning out of Dublin in the early 1980s, the Irish four-piece paired layers of fuzzy, distorted guitars with vocals that drifted in and out of view, creating soundscapes to entirely lose yourself in. But their pioneering work within the realm of shoegaze peaked with one album in particular, 1991’s Loveless.

An all-enveloping display of their love for pedals and torrents of noise, Loveless put My Bloody Valentine on the shoegaze map and cemented them as pioneers of the genre, even if it did lose them the support of Alan McGee in the process. It was atmospheric and abrasive, ethereal and entrancing, and unlike anything audiences have ever heard before. Unfortunately, the masses weren’t entirely convinced by Loveless or by shoegaze in general.

As most 1990s kids were drawn to the catchier, more commercial sounds of Britpop, shoegaze became known as the scene that celebrates itself. A couple of decades later, that statement no longer seems quite as true. Loveless has amassed an unparalleled legacy in the genre, shoegaze has experienced a full-blown revival, and almost every budding, pedal-loving guitarist looks to Shields for inspiration.

Although My Bloody Valentine’s sound exists within a very specific sphere, committed to droning guitars and walls of noise, the members aren’t quite as dedicated to shoegaze in their own listening habits. Their taste spans heavy metal, old soul girl groups, classic punk, and more, as they demonstrated during an appearance on NTS, where they picked out some of their favourite songs. 

The band kicked things off with ‘Bomber’ by Motörhead, the title track from their 1979 album. With raucous vocals and twangy guitar riffs, it’s a far cry from Shields’ take on the instrument, but My Bloody Valentine are clearly open to guitar genres other than their own. They also played a live version of ‘Rockaway Beach’ by the Ramones, showing off their love for punk, too.

Shields and his bandmates completely transformed guitar music from the riff-heavy genres that had come before them. They buried vocals under layers of distortion rather than allowing them to drive the song, and dragged guitars through feedback and pedals until they became almost indistinguishable. Still, they owe a lot to those guitar pioneers who came before them, even if they sound nothing alike.

My Bloody Valentine also picked out some slightly softer offerings, including the Ronettes’ signature track ‘Be My Baby’ from the early 1960s. Full of gorgeous harmonies and intermittent castanets, the track is impossible not to love, warm and inviting from the very first second. Although it couldn’t be much further from shoegaze, it’s a worthy inclusion.

The band’s picks span countless other genres and time periods, from the soft strums and soaring vocals of Electric Light Orchestra to Dusty Springfield’s sultry ‘The Look of Love’. It’s a list that shows off the widely varied taste of My Bloody Valentine’s members, proving their knowledge of music far beyond the world of shoegaze.

Perhaps the long-awaited next album from Shields and his bandmates will delve further into their other influences, a classic pop, heavy metal, punk effort.

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