In 1978, Kevin Shields and Colm Ó Cíosóig were introduced to each other at a karate tournament in South Dublin, with the duo becoming friends, and later forming The Complex, a punk rock band, with Liam Ó Maonlaí, Ó Cíosóig's friend from Coláiste Eoin. The band performed a handful of gigs, before disbanding when Ó Maonlaí left to form Hothouse Flowers, and Shields and Ó Cíosóig later formed A Life In The Day, a post-punk trio which had little success. Following A Life In The Day's dissolution, Shields and Ó Cíosóig formed My Bloody Valentine in early 1983 with lead vocalist David Conway, performing under the pseudonym Dave Stelfox. The band experienced a number of line-up changes during their initial months, with lead guitarist Stephen Ivers and bassist Mark Ross being recruited in April 1983, before Ross left in December to be replaced by Paul Murtagh, who also then left in early 1984. In March 1984, Shields, Ivers and Conway recorded the band's first demo on a four-track recorder in Shields' parents' home in Killiney, and this tape was later used to secure a contract with Tycoon Records. Soon after recording the demo, Ivers left, and Conway's girlfriend, Tina Durkin, joined as a keyboard player, and it was around this time that Gavin Friday, the lead vocalist of the post-punk band Virgin Prunes, suggested that if they wanted to make it then they needed to get out of Dublin. Shields agreed, and so the band relocated to the Netherlands after a successful show there, and they lived there for a further nine months, opening for R.E.M. on one occasion in April 1984. However, due to a lack of opportunities in Holland, as well as not having the correct documentation, they relocated to West Berlin, Germany in late 1984 and recorded their debut mini album, 'This Is Your Bloody Valentine' in 1985. It failed to receive much attention, and so the band returned temporarily to the Netherlands, before settling in London in mid-1985.
Following their relocation to London, members of My Bloody Valentine lost contact with each other while looking for accommodation, and Tina Durkin, not confident in her abilities as a keyboard player, left the band. When the remaining three members regained contact with one another, they decided to audition bassists, as they'd lacked a regular bassist since their formation, and Shields acquired Debbie Googe's telephone number from a contact in London, inviting her to audition and subsequently recruiting her as a bassist. Rehearsal sessions were regularly held at Salem Studios, which was connected to the independent record label Fever Records, and the label's management were impressed enough with the band to offer to release an extended play record, provided the band would finance the recording sessions themselves. Released in December 1985, 'Geek!' failed to reach the band's expectations, but it did lead to them appearing on the London gig circuit, alongside bands such as Eight Living Legs, Kill Ugly Pop and The Sting-rays. Due to the band's slow progress, Shields contemplated relocating to New York City, where members of his family were living at the time, but Creation Records co-founder Joe Foster had decided to establish his own record label, Kaleidoscope Sound, and he persuaded My Bloody Valentine to record and release an EP for them. 'The New Record By My Bloody Valentine', was released in October 1986 and was a minor success, peaking at number 22 on the UK Indie Chart. In early 1987, the band signed to Lazy Records, an independent record label which was founded by the indie pop band the Primitives and their manager, Wayne Morris.
My Bloody Valentine's first release on the label was the single 'Sunny Sundae Smile', released in February 1987, and it peaked at number 6 on the UK Indie Singles Chart, with the band touring following its release, securing a support slot with the Soup Dragons. It was on that tour, however, that David Conway announced his decision to leave the band, citing a gastric illness, disillusionment with music, and ambitions to become a writer. Conway's departure left the band without a lead vocalist, and Shields, Ó Cíosóig and Googe advertised in the local music press for a new singer. The audition process was disastrous, and although Shields did consider forming another group, the band experimented with vocalists Bilinda Butcher and Joe Byfield, both of whom had been recommended to them by other musicians. Butcher was offered the gig after singing the Dolly Parton song 'The Bargain Store', with Byfield deemed unsuitable as a lead vocalist. Following Butcher's recruitment, Shields shared lead vocals with her, although he was initially reluctant to take on a vocal role within the band, and with the new line-up in place, the band had intended to drop the My Bloody Valentine moniker, but unable to decide on a name, they kept it "for better or for worse". Under pressure from Lazy Records to release a full-length album, the band compromised and agreed to release a single and subsequent mini-album, citing the need for time to stabilize their new line-up. 'Strawberry Wine' was a three-track single, and was released in November 1987, with the album 'Ecstasy' following a month later. Both received moderate critical acclaim, and peaked at number 13 and 12 on the independent singles and albums chart, respectively.
However, 'Strawberry Wine' was described as the better of the two releases, as 'Ecstasy' was plagued by production difficulties, including errors in the mastering process. It was criticised as the product of "a group who appeared to have run out of money halfway through recording", and this was later confirmed to be true, as the band were funding the studio sessions themselves. This was because the band's contract with Lazy stated that the label would handle the promotion of releases, whereas the band would finance the recording sessions. Following their departure from Lazy, Rough Trade Records offered a deal to finance the recording and release of a full-length album, but the band turned it down. In January 1988, they performed in Canterbury, opening for Biff Bang Pow!, a band that featured Creation Records founder Alan McGee. After blowing Biff Bang Pow! off the stage, My Bloody Valentine were described as "the Irish equivalent to Hüsker Dü" by McGee, who approached the band after the show and invited them to record and release a single on Creation. The band recorded five songs at a studio in Walthamstow, East London in less than a week, and in August 1988 they released the 'You Made Me Realise' EP, which was received well by the independent music press, and which finally made critics stand up and take notice of the stunning guitar sounds that would become the band's trademark. It debuted at number 2 on the UK Indie Chart, and following the success of the EP, the band released their debut full-length studio album, 'Isn't Anything', in November 1988. The album was a major success, receiving widespread critical acclaim, peaking at number 1 on the UK Indie Chart, and influencing a number of "shoegazing" bands. For many, this was the start of the band's career, with everything before the Creation records being considered the work of almost a different group, but if you want to hear how they reached the point that they could create the sound that would put them on the map, then here are all the recordings that they released as singles and EPs up to 1987, on their long and winding road to success.
Track listing
01 No Place To Go (from the 'Geek!' EP 1986)
02 Moonlight (from the 'Geek!' EP 1986)
03 Love Machine (from the 'Geek!' EP 1986)
04 The Sandman Never Sleeps (from the 'Geek!' EP 1986)
05 Lovelee Sweet Darlene (from 'The New Record By My Bloody Valentine' 1986)
06 By The Danger In Your Eyes (from 'The New Record By My Bloody Valentine' 1986)
07 On Another Rainy Saturday (from 'The New Record By My Bloody Valentine' 1986)
08 We're So Beautiful (from 'The New Record By My Bloody Valentine' 1986)
09 Strawberry Wine (from the 'Strawberry Wine' EP 1987)
10 Never Say Goodbye from the 'Strawberry Wine' EP 1987)
11 Can I Touch You (from the 'Strawberry Wine' EP 1987)
12 Sunny Sundae Smile (from the 'Sunny Sundae Smile' EP 1987)
13 Paint A Rainbow (from the 'Sunny Sundae Smile' EP 1987)
14 Kiss The Eclipse (from the 'Sunny Sundae Smile' EP 1987)
15 Sylvie's Head (from the 'Sunny Sundae Smile' EP 1987)
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