In 1984 Jesus and Mary Chain were like a ground zero. People just weren't making music like that. It was all dire (Aha, Curiosity Killed the Cat and Kajagoogoo). Their hatred of it coalesced into a genius, H-bomb sound. They were fans of real pop, of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, the Ramones. They chucked that all together - melody and noise - and distorted to a point where it blew everything else away. They were a reason to care about music again. Without the music revolution that Psychocandy unleashed there would be no Stone Roses, no Oasis, no Glasvegas. In the 1980s there was only Morrissey and the Reid Brothers who mattered. And like Morrissey, through hatred and anger they found music and love. Psychocandy is seminal because of what it started and what they went on to prove. Kajagoogoo gave us nothing but a hatred of bad hair and highlights; Psychocandy gave us British pop as know it.

ALAN McGEE, founder of Creation Records

Moby's memories

I remember getting the Never Understand 7in single in 1984, and it quickly lived up to its name. I didn't understand it but I loved it and it became a staple of my early DJ sets, even if it did invariably result in everyone leaving the dance floor. It was such a phenomenal slice of chaos and noise, with a very simple and beautiful melody hovering just below the surface. Then when Psychocandy came out I rushed to my local record shop (where I actually happened to be working). I took it home and realised that there was actually a lot more depth to Jesus and Mary Chain, and they weren't just a novelty noise act.

MOBY, American DJ, singer-songwriter and musician

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