Automatic (The Jesus and Mary Chain album)

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Automatic is the third studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released on 9 October 1989 by Blanco y Negro Records. The album was recorded in 1989 at Sam Therapy in West London and runs 43 minutes and 26 seconds.

The core group on this record is the Reid brothers, William and Jim, using a drum machine for percussion and a synthesized bass. Richard Thomas played drums on the track “Gimme Hell” as a member of the touring lineup; he had previously played with Dif Juz.

The album initially drew mixed reviews, largely due to the electronic rhythm section. Yet it yielded their most successful U.S. single up to that time, “Blues from a Gun,” and included “Head On,” which was later covered by the Pixies. Over time, critics and fans have reassessed Automatic more favorably; in 2006 Pitchfork suggested it could be a career peak rather than a dud.

Notes: The last two tracks, “Drop” and “Sunray,” are not on the vinyl LP versions. All songs were written by Jim Reid and William Reid. It was released in several formats: LP (BYN 20), gatefold LP (BYN 20W), cassette (BYNC 20), and CD (BYNCD 20). By May 1998, it had sold about 60,000 copies in the United States (Nielsen SoundScan).

Singles from Automatic:
- “Blues from a Gun” — released September 1989
- “Head On” — released November 1989

In the Jesus and Mary Chain discography, Automatic sits after Barbed Wire Kisses (1988) and before Honey's Dead (1992). Producers were Jim Reid and William Reid. The album’s genre is alternative rock.