John Robinson

(...) Shields' best work - then, as now - comes to him during the hypnagogic state when the brain transitions between wakefulness and sleep. Butcher recalls him writing songs at night on the sofa in the flat in Brixton, often nodding off with a guitar on his lap. During an american tour to support 'Isn't Anything', a fan gave Shields a cassette of 'The Beach Boys Today!' and 'Pet Sounds'. "I fell asleep to it all the time", he says. "It became part of my life. Maybe because of it, I developed certain ideas about production." Inspiration came from other sources too: from his home on Brixton's Tulse Hill Estate, Shields was exposed to a vibrant mix of gospel, reggae, ragga and - crucially - hip-hop. These various factors began to coalesce, towards the end of 1989, into a follow-up to 'Isn't Anything'. (Michael Bonner/My Bloody Valentine, p. 56)