It’s just over four years since the only previous occasion The Jasmine Minks featured – it was a reasonably comprehensive feature as part of the look at the tracks on CD86…..I’ll just cu’n’paste from it:-
One of the best tracks on CD86 is Cut Me Deep by The Jasmine Minks. However, it is a bit of a cheat that it is included as the song wasn’t released until 1988 as a track on Another Age, an LP that came out on Creation Records which was of course a central part of the C86 movement.
By this point in time, the band – originally from Aberdeen – had been with the label for four years and in an effort to become pop stars had relocated to London. Sadly, they were just one of many talented bands from the era who never made the breakthrough and they disbanded before the decade was over, suffering in part from Alan McGhee‘s preoccupation with the Jesus and Mary Chain which meant all the other bands on his roster took a seat away at the very back of the room.
The lead vocal on Cut Me Deep is courtesy of Jim Shepherd who had only taken on that role on the departure in 1986 of one of the other founder-members of the band Adam Sanderson. It was Sanderson who sang on what turned out to be the band’s best-selling single, Cold Heart, released in April 1986 and also available on their self-titled debut LP released a couple of months later.
The Jasmine Minks reunited in 2000, releasing the album Veritas, before the band signed to McGee’s Poptones label for the release of Popartglory (2001) and then after another lengthy hiatus, 4 track EP, Poppy White, was released on the Oatcake Records label in 2012 the same year they appeared at the 2012 Indietracks festival in the original 1984 lineup.
In 2014, the band celebrated their 30th anniversary with the release of Cut Me Deep – The Anthology 1984 – 2014 with 48 tracks spread over 2 x CDs.
2019 update
Unsurprisingly, The Jasmine Minks are one of the 115 acts to be include on the recently issued Big Gold Dreams boxset, courtesy of Cherry Red Record. The words ‘a frenetic roar of intent’ were used to describe this, their 1984 debut on Creation Records:-
mp3 : The Jasmine Minks – Think!
I was waiting on either Edwyn Collins or James Kirk to start singing after that inital 20-second burst of energy. Can’t understand why I can’t recall hearing this back in the day and why I didn’t seek it out.
I’ve tracked down the more than decent b-side:-
mp3 : The Jasmine Minks – Work For Nothing
JC
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Another wonderful blast from the past. If the band’s intention was to commit fun to vinyl with Think! then I believe they achieved it. As well as being incredibly energetic there is also something a little shambolic about it too – not a bad thing – the raw-ish/lo-fi production has captured the song perfectly. I particularly enjoy what I consider to be an almost Mick Karn a-like bass line.
The posting inspired me to search out the LP Sunset (a Jasmine Minks compilation). I couldn’t find it!? I did find Scratch the Surface alphabetically where it should be. This has bugged me. The hunt continues interspersed with lots of swear words.
Definitely a blast from the past for me as well, FFF. In the 80’s I bought a Creation comp featuring ‘Cold Heart’ by the Minks. (If I remember correctly is also had June Brides, Primal Scream, and maybe the Woldhounds? It was excellent). In any event, that’s the only song in my library by the band until today. Cheers, JC!