Their first single, "Think", was released in March 1984. It's frantic, jangly guitar betrayed their Postcard label influences but there was also a harder edge. The follow-up single, "Where the Traffic Goes" emerged in August and the mini-album "1234567 All Good Preachers Go to Heaven" in October.
Plans for a split E.P. with the Smiths fell through, so at the tail end of 1984, The Minks joined the Jesus & Mary Chain on their UK and European tours, alongside McGee's own band Biff Bang Pow!. Opening for the Mary Chain at the notorious North London Poly gig, they witnessed first hand the chaos and excitement of being part of the early Creation label roster.
The third single, "What's Happening" came along in June 1985, with a more thrashy sound, reminiscent of early Wedding Present. After another tour, the band then headed back to Scotland to record their full-length debut album, although the tracklisting was interfered with by McGee, and the proposed title of "Eveybody's Got To Grow Up Sometime" was forcibly dropped.
After the release of the next single, "Cold Heart", Adam Sanderson left, and the band maintained their core fanbase with live sessions for Radio 1 D.J.'s John Peel and Janice Long, alongside more touring. They recorded an excellent song, "Cut Me Deep", which they wanted to release as a single, but were disappointed with the final version. The song was eventually included on the next Minks album, "Another Age", released in August 1988.
1989 saw the release of their last album for Creation, "Scratch the Surface", a collection of songs showcasing the band's increasing maturity and their unwillingness to stick to the same formula every time, although some critics felt that a slicker production removed part of the charm from their early recordings.
In the 1990's the band drifted apart and output came to a halt. It wasn't until 1998 that Jim Shepherd decided to get the Minks back together. In 2000 they recorded their first new material in ten years for the "Veritas" album and the "3B48" single on Genius Move records. Further releases have appeared on Alan McGee's Poptones label, such as the single "Daddy Dog", a collaboration with political activist Tommy Sheridan in July 2001, and a new album entitled "Popartglory" that followed in September.
Although a relatively minor band in terms of record sales, their influence can be traced throughout modern indie and alternative rock, from the D.I.Y. releases of the Riot Grrrl genre (Huggy Bear had namechecked the band in fanzines), to the intense passion and belief displayed by bands such as the Manic Street Preachers (also vocal in their praise for early Creation label bands), and Comet Gain.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE JASMINE MINKS: Biff Bang Pow!, Primal Scream, The Wedding Present, McCarthy, Manic Street Preachers, Hurrah!, Comet Gain, These Animal Men, Orange Juice, 60's Mod, Huggy Bear, Jesus & Mary Chain, Love, The Buzzcocks.