Could Loveless have killed Britpop? The saga regarding My Bloody Valentine's 1991 classic

My Bloody Valentine is a band whose sonic innovations continue to inspire and confound, and they are among the acts set to reunite later this year.

Considered pioneers of the shoegaze movement, their 1991 album Loveless is widely regarded as a masterpiece, earning the title ‘Best album of the 1990s’ by Pitchfork and a 93 rating on Metacritic.

Despite its acclaim, the album's creation through Creation Records became legendary for its protracted recording sessions, Kevin Shields' exacting vision, and the band's numerous studio changes.

While the album was eventually released, it severely strained Creation's finances, just two years before the label signed Oasis. This raises the question of whether Oasis's trajectory would have been different if Creation had collapsed.

Drawing on material about the band and Creation Records, including Alan McGee’s book Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Label, we examine the arduous journey behind one of music’s most influential albums and how the pursuit of perfection could have impacted Oasis.

This is the story of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless.

How did My Bloody Valentine's Loveless nearly bankrupt their record label?

My Bloody Valentine's early years and signing to Creation

The seeds of sonic chaos and near financial ruin were sown in Dublin, Ireland, in 1983 with the formation of the group. The initial lineup included guitarist Kevin Shields, drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig, and vocalist David Conway.

While they would become one of the godparents of the shoegaze scene, their earlier works were more influenced by bands like The Cure and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

They released a series of EPs and a mini-album, This Is Your Bloody Valentine, on independent labels like Tycoon and Fever. However, the band's move to London in the mid-1980s was pivotal, as they developed their signature sound and established their distinctive lineup.

David Conway left the band, Debbie Googe joined on bass, and vocalist/guitarist Bilinda Butcher joined in 1987, completing the core and most famous lineup.

During this period, My Bloody Valentine developed their distinctive sound, characterized by heavily distorted, swirling guitars, ethereal vocals often buried in the mix, and a dense, atmospheric quality. This sound became a key element of the shoegaze subgenre, as they became part of ‘the scene that celebrated itself.’

Around this time, Creation Records was also making waves in the UK music industry. Founded by Alan McGee, the label had a knack for discovering talent. Before signing Oasis, Creation's roster included The Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream.

Creation was a label known for allowing artistic expression, making them a seemingly perfect match for My Bloody Valentine. McGee signed the band in 1988.

In various interviews, McGee explained that their sound was unlike anything he had heard before—a wall of beautiful noise. He was immediately convinced of their unique talent, even if he didn't fully grasp the commercial potential or the eventual recording complexities.

Loveless recording sessions and budgetary concerns

What Creation Records initially envisioned as a quick five-day recording session at Blackwing Studios in Southwark in February 1989 quickly spiraled into a multi-year odyssey that would push the label to its financial brink.

Kevin Shields recalled the label's initial optimism, as written in the 33 ⅓ book by Mike McGonigal, stating, "When it became clear that wasn't going to happen, they freaked."

The band's pursuit of the perfect sonic environment led them to numerous studios. After unproductive months at Blackwing, they relocated to The Elephant in Wapping for eight more fruitless weeks in September.

Engineer Nick Robbins' tenure was short-lived, as Shields insisted that Robbins "was just there to press the buttons." Robbins was soon replaced by Harold Burgon, whose main contribution, according to Shields, was showing the band how to use the studio's computer.

Despite the album's slow progress, Creation agreed to release the Glider EP as a precursor. Alan Moulder was brought in to mix Soon, a track that would later appear on Loveless. Shields's positive experience with Moulder was significant: "As soon as we worked with him we realized we'd love to some more!"

However, when the band returned to the album, Moulder became the only engineer Shields fully trusted, with others being told, "We're so on top of this you don't even have to come to work." Shields's frustration with the studio personnel was evident as he stated that "these engineers – with the exception of Alan Moulder and later Anjali Dutt – were all just the people who came with the studio ... everything we wanted to do was wrong, according to them."

Ironically, the band credited everyone present during the recordings, even those whose contribution, according to Shields, was limited to "fix[ing] tea."

In the spring of 1990, Anjali Dutt took over from Moulder, assisting with vocals and guitar tracks as the band continued their nomadic studio existence, often deeming locations unsuitable after just a single day.

They eventually settled at Protocol in Holloway in May 1990, where serious work began on the album and another EP, Tremolo. However, by August, when Moulder briefly returned, he was "surprised by how little work had been completed," and Creation's concern over the escalating costs was growing.

Breaking point - uncompromising productions and delayed release

The protracted recording sessions for Loveless moved beyond mere delays and became a significant breaking point for Creation Records, fuelled by Kevin Shields's uncompromising vision and the seemingly endless pursuit of sonic perfection.

Shields's absolute control over the recording process became a defining characteristic of the Loveless saga. His determination to achieve a specific, often abstract, sound led to countless takes, meticulous layering, and an unwavering unwillingness to compromise on any aspect of the production, no matter how minute.

The secretive and unconventional method of recording Bilinda Butcher's vocals, with the curtains drawn and engineers kept in the dark during takes, exemplified the band's unique and time-consuming approach.

This, coupled with the constant changes in studio and the stark reality of their equipment being seized at Britannia Row due to unpaid bills, marked a critical escalation of the situation, highlighting the dire financial straits Creation was facing.

The immense pressure and extended delays took a significant toll on the individuals involved. Anjali Dutt's reported desire to leave the project and Creation's second-in-command Dick Green's alleged nervous breakdown starkly underscore the human cost of the uncompromising production schedule and the immense strain on the label's resources.

Even unforeseen health issues, such as Shields and Butcher's tinnitus, contributed to further frustrating delays, highlighting the unpredictable and seemingly never-ending nature of the recording process and its devastating impact on the timeline.

As months bled into years with still no finished product, the initial enthusiasm at Creation inevitably soured into increasing anxiety and palpable frustration.

The label, while still believing in the band's singular talent, was now staring down the barrel of a severe financial crisis, with the seemingly bottomless pit of recording costs offering no prospect of immediate return on their substantial investment.

Finally, after years of painstaking work and mounting tension, Loveless was eventually released in November 1991.

Was it worth it? The contemporary world reacts to Loveless

Upon its long-awaited release, Loveless was met with a complex reaction: a blend of awe at its sonic innovation and, at times, bewilderment at its challenging structures.

While the critical acclaim was undeniable, the album's reception wasn't always straightforward or easily digestible. Some critics were initially challenged by its dense, layered sound, the unconventional song structures, and the often-buried vocals.

A dominant theme in the reviews was the album's ground-breaking sonic textures. Critics were captivated by the revolutionary guitar textures, the "glide guitar" effect, the swirling atmosphere, and its all-enveloping sonic landscape.

Critics often focused on the album's emotional impact, describing it as both beautiful and unsettling, dreamy and intense. Some noted that Loveless didn't always adhere to traditional verse-chorus song structures, instead prioritizing the creation of immersive sonic landscapes – a reflection of Shields's uncompromising artistic vision during the studio process.

Commercially, Loveless performed relatively well in the UK charts, where My Bloody Valentine had a stronger following. However, it was not a chart-topping, mainstream phenomenon, and in the United States, the album had a more limited commercial impact, although it gained a cult following within the alternative music scene and became highly influential on a number of alternative acts stateside.

While the album's artistic achievement was clear to many, the question of whether its commercial performance could justify the immense financial investment remained a lingering concern.

Did the financial strain of Loveless have an effect on Oasis signing to Creation?

Creation Records was still grappling with the financial fallout from Loveless's extended recording when they signed Oasis in 1993, a move that would prove to be either a desperate gamble or a stroke of genius.

However, fortune favoured McGee's steadfast approach. Despite the label being, in his words, "skint," he recognized the early value of having a band whose raw energy and anthemic rock stood in stark contrast to the sonically challenging Loveless.

The gamble paid off twofold. After witnessing an explosive soundcheck performance, Creation released Oasis’s debut album, Definitely Maybe, which became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time, eventually selling 15 million copies worldwide.

The second crucial factor was the concurrent rise of the Britpop movement, which Oasis, alongside Blur, helped to define, culminating in their legendary rivalry.

McGee's risk ultimately paid off in the long term, albeit in a different form. While Loveless achieved modest initial success (peaking at #24 in the UK and selling an estimated 100,000 copies), its influence and critical acclaim have grown exponentially in the decades since, solidifying its status as a revered masterpiece.

My Bloody Valentine are set to tour the United Kingdom in November 2025, with dates in Manchester, London and Glasgow. Tickets are currently still available now through Ticketmaster UK.