Named after the debut single by Teenage Fanclub.
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This blog is all about being a music lover in Glasgow; reviews, interviews, memories, old faves, new discoveries (past & present) and more. Thanks for visiting - I hope you discover something amazing you've never heard before, or that you rediscover an old favourite.
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Showing posts with label Bobby Gillespie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bobby Gillespie. Show all posts
Cover version of the month #114 Primal Scream & Kate Moss cover Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
Primal Scream's Evil Heat album, released in 2002, was a bit of a messy affair. The band were possibly a little burnt out from recording and touring 2000's extraordinary XTRMNTR, where they recorded and produced with the help of an exceptional array of guests including Kevin Shields, The Chemical Brothers and David Holmes. Their live XTRMNTR shows were a sonic kaleidoscopic exploration, with Shields joining them on stage to create all kinds of glorious white noise over techno beats.
Looking back, the Scream's run from 1991's Screamadelica, taking in Give Out But Don't Give Up, Vanishing Point and through to XTRMNTR is pretty astonishing. They knew no boundaries, pushed themselves to new levels, collaborated with Weatherall, Holmes and the Chemicals, went to Memphis to play country soul and rock n roll, benefited greatly from the addition of Mani on bass and partied harder than most.
What goes up, must come down.
Evil Heat was a bit disappointing for me. I only really revisit 2 songs from the album; the sublime and dreamy Autobahn 66 and their cover of Some Velvet Morning with Kate Moss. Truth be told, I rarely listen to much of the Scream's work post XTRMNTR. Maybe 6-8 songs or so? The band rarely play much from their post 2000 albums either.
Back to the cover version though. There is added zip and electro sleaze on the extended version of the song with Gillespie singing in a menacing whisper and Moss's vocals sounding dreamlike at times and beautifully seductive at others, especially at the end when she is purring look at us but do not touch.
Then there's the video. A masterclass in lo-fi psychedelia and effortless cool. Bobby Gillespie, all rock 'n' roll swagger, looking good, great hair, sharing the screen with the iconic Moss, wearing a babydoll dress, all sultry and seductive. Both start in seated positions, but are seemingly brought to life by the songs pulse and the psychedelic light show going on behind them.
Before long, Gillespie is up at a mic, a modern and cooler take on Sid Vicious's look while singing My Way and Moss is prowling and dancing to the beat, looking effortlessly gorgeous. It's simple, yet utterly captivating. Surreal and beautiful.
The original Some Velvet Morning isn't just a song; it's a legend, created by whispered awes in the decades since it was released. In pre-internet and social media times, this was a song that was passed down and around via mixtapes, often mentioned by bands I followed in interviews.
Hazelwood and Sinatra's Some Velvet Morning is kind of psychedelic folk by way of a western. It’s a dreamlike, almost unsettling duet, full of cryptic lyrics and a haunting, ethereal beauty.
The contrast between the two singers creates a masterpiece of tension and seduction, a truly one-of-a-kind creation. Hazlewood's gruff baritone weaving around Sinatra's innocent, almost childlike delivery;
Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and daffodils
This becomes super trippy around the 3-minute mark, when the song is cut up to have Hazelwood and Sinatra singing line about, with the music completely different for each line. It's the kind of song that sounds like it came from another dimension, existing outside of time. No wonder it is still talked of in wonder.
Primal Scream's electronic transformation of the song is super cool. Hazlewood and Sinatra's version feels like a hazy journey through a fever dream. The Scream Team take it on a shimmering, swirling sonic adventure - creating a pulsing groove, synth soundscapes and swirling texture. Both have a dreamy quality that isn't easy to capture on record.
Gillespie and Moss will have shared a few velvet mornings in their time. It's a great cover version.
Hazelwood and Sinatra's original and the Primal Scream cover of Some Velvet Morning (I've opted for the version on their Dirty Hits album) are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE
Primal Scream's Screamadelica recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. It is, without question, a seminal record, one that not only captured the times, but also celebrated days gone by and looked to the future. 30-years on, it's still doing that, a mark of how extraordinary an album it is.
Bobby Gillespie and his band have been in a reflective mood of late; they haven't released any new material since 2016's Chaosmosis. However, there are times in life when it is good to pause and reflect on achievements, to celebrate them, to remember ... if you can.
Primal Scream lived at 100 mph for a lengthy period, so they could almost be forgiven for forgetting about albums they recorded. They kind of did! 2018's The Original Memphis Recordings (BLOG HERE) was an extraordinary find by Andrew Innes, with the guitarist literally discovering an album (that would go on to become Give Out But Don't Give Up) in a cupboard. Country tinged soul, Primal Scream cutting loose, Gillespie pouring his heart out on some outstanding ballads and the band blasting out rock n roll.
And now to celebrate Screamadelica at 30, Primal Scream have brought together all the 12-inch singles from the time in a lavish, luxurious boxset. The Farley mix of Come Together is simply sublime.
They've also brought out Demodelica, a collection of previously unreleased demos and work-in-progress mixes, the hackney studio demos and home recordings are of particular interest to me.
Andrew Weatherall is a name forever associated with Screamadelica. Yet if you dig deep into the albums history, you learn of Andrew Innes suddenly getting his hands on a sampler, new equipment and of a band keen to blur and smash boundaries. Bobby Gillespie seems to have a new air of confidence around him and a freedom to experiment.
So, for me, Demodelica is an important public release, in that it allows us a peek into the bands creative process at the time. Of course Weatherall was important to Screamadelica, but listen to the lyrics of Higher Than The Sun, the arrangements on the demos, Innes and Gillespie were on to something.
That comes across in a beautiful ragged Damaged with (presumably) Robert Young on electric guitar and Gillespie sounding confident in the beautiful ballad he's created. He's not quite got the I never felt so happy lyrics yet, just singing the melody.
The opening Jam Studio Monitor Mix of Come Together would go on to pretty much be the Farley mix of the song, with Weatherall taking it to incredible heights with his lengthy version. I love both of them.
Movin' On Up is coming together nicely, the lyrics not quite there, the feeling and intention definitely is.
Higher Than The Sun features twice, the Isle of Dogs home studio mix highlights how fully formed the instrumental part of the song was almost from the off. You then hear things progressing with Gillespie singing on the Jam Studio Monitor Mix.
The Home Studio version of I'm Comin' Down is gorgeous, just vocals, electric guitar and tambourine man, Gillespie sounds like he really is coming down. There is a great bit after the chorus at 2-minutes 18 seconds when Gillespie says 'let me hear you play it one more time' and Young delivers a great guitar solo.
I'm coming down
I can't face the dawn
I'm coming down
I feel too far gone
There are 3 versions of Don't Fight It Feel It on here. The first is 2-minutes long, the sound of Innes playing with his sampler, The Beatles Hey Bulldog features heavily, beats, psychedelic synth sounds and house piano chords are introduced.
Hypnotone come in to mix things on the second Isle of Dogs Home Studio mix, stretching things, something is happening, the idea is developing, horns are introduced, there are more things going on.
But it's when Denise Johnson comes in on the third version with the lyrics that perfectly capture the mood of the music, of the Scream Team and the the generation of kids that were partying all night, that the song lifts. And the voice, ooooffffft, Johnson adds euphoria and soul.
Gonna live the life I love
Gonna love the life I live
The Hackney Studio Vocal Melody recording of Inner Flight captures some magic in progress, Gillespie finding his way over a guitar laden with effects. The work-in-progress continues with the Henry Acapella Jam Studio recording, just over a minute of gorgeous vocals that sounds like it could easily fit in on the recent Feel Flows Beach Boys boxset.
The lysergic lullaby Shine Like Stars also has 2 versions, the Eden Studio Demo is mesmerising, sounds and samples being worked on as Gillespie sings beautifully.
Demodelica closes with the Eden Studio Demo of Screamadelica, the beats sound sublime as warm guitar chords wash like waves, wah wah guitar is introduced over synths that are under pinning everything and then a vocal comes in - utterly joyous.
Demodelica is another welcome and important addition to the Primal Scream story, their discography. I think it highlights just how far they had come from 1989's eponymous album, all speed and leather trousers.
Speed made way for ecstasy, Andy Weatherall fell in love with their ballad I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have and remixed it into Loaded, he phoned Gillespie and Innes from clubs to tell them dancefloors were going insane when he played it. Loaded gave the Scream their first top 20 hit and a taste of success.
Gillespie always had a vision for Primal Scream, Demodelica is the sound of Bobby and his band edging closer and closer to capturing the magic of the bands he loved and loves ... the sound of Primal Scream becoming a different band.
When I was in 5th year of high school a friend in the year above tried to get me into The Jesus and Mary Chain by playing me something on his walkman / personal stereo. For those a little younger than me, this was a little cassette player you could carry around with headphones!
I only listened briefly, as whatever song I listened to sounded like feedback over someone banging metal bins together. I'm not sure what it was, although I suspect it might well have been Upside Down, the bands 1984 debut single which quickly made a mark on the music scene thanks to extreme use of feedback over the top of blurred bubblegum pop vocal melodies.
I wasn't ready for Upside Down and neither was the (lack of) sound capabilities of my friends walkman! Thankfully I tried them again the following year upon release of Honey's Dead and fell for edgy cool like Reverence mixed with acoustic bliss like Almost Gold and there was the pop perfection of Far Gone And Out.
I can't explain
Exactly what I'm doing
Standing In The Rain
The Jesus and Mary Chain had something. Early on that was hidden behind feedback, shyness, shades and loads of alcohol that meant no-one knew what to expect at live shows, resulting in most being 15-minutes or under with a number turning into violence, most notably the now infamous North London Polytechnic show in 1985.
Brothers Jim and William Reid are the heart of The Jesus and Mary Chain. Hailing from East Kilbride on the outskirts of Glasgow, they had been fantasising about forming a band for years. Sibling rivalry meant that at one point they each had their own fantasy band, but finally they brought their songs together, recruited a friend Douglas Hart on bass guitar and formed a fierce bond with Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream who came across their demos on the flip side of a Syd Barrett compilation tape that a friend had passed on.
Gillespie would replace original drummer Murray Dalglish to form the classic Mary Chain line-up. He played drums standing up like Moe Tucker from The Velvet Underground, Douglas Hart played a two string bass guitar, while the Reid brothers worked their magic. They were a proper gang, in their own world. I would have loved to have seen the band at this point, visually cool, shambolic drunken shows but with that kind of edge that makes a band special.
With Alan McGee as their manager, the Mary Chain were a blur of activity; singles, shows, tours, press, controversy and the aforementioned Psychocandy debut LP in 1985.
Second LP Darklands, released in 1987 was almost entirely the Reid brothers who had learned a great deal since bursting on to the scene in 1984. Feedback was banished for melodies, a drum machine was used (Gillespie had left to focus on Primal Scream) and the album dripped with quality like the title track, Happy When It Rains, April Skies and About You.
The Mary Chain were prolific; Automatic was released in 1989, the aforementioned Honey's Dead in 1992, followed by Stoned and Dethroned in 1994. By 1998's Munki album, the relationship between the Reid brothers had deteriorated to the extent that each would go in with the rest of the band to record their own songs, but their sibling wouldn't be there.
2017's Damage and Joy brought new songs, together with some of Jim's work under the name Freeheat and also songs from the brilliant Sister Vanilla album Little Pop Rock (the Reid brothers with their sister Linda) that I blogged on HERE.
Quite what the Reid brothers will do next is anyone's guess. However, they are taking my own personal favourite album of theirs, Darklands, out on tour ... finally, after numerous postponements due to the pandemic. I can't wait to see them at the Barrowland.
JAMC have an extensive back catalogue that includes some brilliant b-sides. The digital editions of their albums are expanded with all kinds of b-sides, demos and session tracks. This is the first time I've written a 10 from blog and discovered a song I hadn't heard before that I included in the blog.
So here, at the time of writing, are 10 of my favourite songs by The Jesus and Mary Chain. About You, Girlfriend, The Two Of Us and I Love Rock n Roll are other real favourites.
Sometimes Always
I've mentioned Sometimes Always a number of times in the blog, notably on my 10 from Hope Sandoval feature you can check HERE. What more can I say?! It's one of my all-time favourite songs, guitar pop perfection. The contrast between Hope's dreamy clear vocal and Jim's velvets-y drawl is just so cool.
I just love the groove to this. The Mary Chain sound super cool, William Reid's guitars chime at times, they soar at others. This reached number 8 in the charts in 1985, the Mary Chain had kicked in the doors.
The b-side to Far Gone And Out in 1992, Why'd You Want Me has William Reid on lead vocals and also conjuring brilliant little guitar riffs. The lyrics are almost classical Mary Chain, mentioning sin, the blues, drink, drugs, night, light and asking that simple question - why do you want me babe?
If I was writing a blog on the 10 songs I consider to be the Mary Chain's best then this wouldn't feature. But I love it's purity and simplicity, it's a real favourite.
Everything about this is super cool. Released as an EP in 1986, the song would later end up on the CD version of Psychocandy. It highlights how prolific the Reid brothers were. Some Candy Talking is like transporting The Velvet Underground into the mid 80's. That good, that cool.
There has long been debate about whether this is about sex or drugs. For me it sounds and reads like it is definitely about the chase of a thrill as a teenager - sex.
Cause hearts are the easiest things you could break
Darklands
Quite a lot happened between the release of Psychocandy in 1985 and Darklands (the album) in 1987. The Reid brothers became a lot more confident in their songwriting and musical ability. William Reid was heavily involved in the production. Perhaps the biggest change was that Bobby Gillespie was no longer the drummer, he'd been replaced by a drum machine.
Strange as that sounds, it worked out well for all parties. Darklands is my favourite Mary Chain album. I also consider it to be their best. The title track, the opening song on the album, at 5 minutes 29 seconds long, leaves the Mary Chain loads of time and space to create something truly magical.
It's so unrushed, William picks a riff and occasional big chord comes crashing in. Jim is all poetic, there are the pop du, du, du, du, du duuuu bits, it's got that Mary Chain cool, but this time it's majestic with it.
I only discovered this song when going through the JAMC catalogue for this feature. What a song! The Mary Chain at their rip roaring best; sounding cool, in a total groove, guitars blasting, flowing vocal melodies. Check them blasting through it on Later with Jools.
This was tucked away on the 1993 Sound of Speed EP and the subsequent compilation album of b-sides and rarities of the same name. By 93 the band had released 13 singles and 6 E.P's in addition to their albums, so they had plenty of material.
I mean, come on, this is just so perfect. The drums half-inched from The Ronettes, just the right amount of distortion, the way the riff kicks in for the instrumental, Jim Reid singing I'll be your plastic toy, the way Karen Parker's vocals come in for the prolonged just like honey refrain and outro.
Memorably used in the closing scene in Lost In Translation, Scarlett Johansson would later go on to perform it with the Mary Chain at their comeback show in Coachella.
Head On is classic Mary Chain guitar pop with influences from the fuzzed up 50's style guitar riff through to the 80's drum machine and synth bass that drive and underpin the song. The song drips with Mary Chain cool; references to death, the stars and the sky, there is a guitar solo, breakdown, a build up, hey yay ay ays and yeah yeah yeahs. The song could easily last well under 3-minutes, but Jesus and Mary Chain realise they are the zone and take it on to over 4-minutes.
There is a pre chorus and chorus that flow superbly.
And the way I feel tonight
I could die and I wouldn't mind
And there's something going on inside
Makes you wanna fell, makes you wanna try
Makes you wanna blow the stars from the sky
I can't stand up, I can't cool down
I can't get my head off the ground
In the video William Reid wears a Love t-shirt and Jim Reid clings to his mic stand as they mime to the song - looking super cool. Jesus and Mary Chain released many impeccable singles through their career and Head On is one of their best, certainly one of my favourites.
So yeah, I did mention this song early in the blog and yeah, it is in my top 10. As a kid getting into alternative guitar pop music this just seemed so perfect, so right, so cool. Like it could have been made in a garage, but it's just got that little bit more of a pop tinge to it, in all the right ways. They hey, hey, heys, the beats, the guitars going full on fuzz overdrive at all the right times. I love lines like I'm television sick and I'm television crazy and the line about taking thoughts to the railway station. Most of all I just love how this comes across as the sound of a band having fun.
I can't explain, exactly what I'm doing, standing in the rain
Don't do it for fun, do it if you feel it, kiss it on the tongue
The Reid brothers get everything absolutely spot on here. Structurally perfect, sounding cool, brilliant imagery, all the classic Mary Chain stuff is there - rain, honey, gold, pain, darkest.
I love the don't know why, don't know why, things vaporise and rise to the sky line, just effortless. And the plug into her electric cool line.
The way things lift with the and we tried so hard break into the chorus which has shimmering guitar and Jim Reid singing about being happy when it rains, happy when it pours ... it's spine tingling to hear a band in this kind of form, totally on it.
When it breaks to And I'm happy when it rains at 2 minutes 39 seconds it sounds like Jim is defiantly happy, leading to a short breakdown instrumental before going back to the refrain.
Primal Scream and the Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom are a match made in heaven. I have caught the band in the venue many, many times over the years and they always threaten to blow the roof off the place. In fact, at one show circa 98 with the Mary Chain supporting I think they might have succeeded!
This show was like an FA Cup final for Gillespie and co, the last night of a tour to promote their Maximum Rock n Roll compilation, there was a real sense of occasion to the night. And oh how they attacked and went for victory with pace, style and class. You could imagine a Fergie style pep talk - just go out and enjoy yourself.
And they did. The lights dropped and Andy Stewart's I Belong To Glasgow blasted out of the PA. As it faded the riff from Don't Fight It Feel It started and the band sauntered on, Gillespie resplendent in pink suit, Simone Marie Butler looked like the coolest bass player in the planet and Andrew Innes just grinned and set about his electric guitar with glee.
The band tore through Swastika Eyes and blitzed into Miss Lucifer with Gillespie urging the crowd to shake it baby, shake it baby and everyone did as they were told. The pace was ferocious, Accelerator was white noise punk rock and Kill All Hippies grooved.
Yup - the pace was ferocious and the Barras was hot last night Finally worked how to create a GIF!
There was a let up with a glorious (I'm Gonna) Cry Myself Blind and then a stunning I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have, Gillespie was all over the stage, jacket tossed aside and leading the crowd with glee. Original Scream guitarist Jim Beattie joined for the chiming pop perfection of Velocity Girl and Imperial, the latter of which was a real highlight for me.
Then the pace picked up again, the rock n roll romp of Dolls, the sensational Burning Wheel. But it was the closing 6 songs that nearly did take the roof off the place.
Loaded was greeted like a lost friend, the groove kicked in and the place was bouncing. Then it was Movin' On Up with Gillespie urging us to be the gospel choir cause his manager said they couldn't afford one! And then an incredible blitz through Country Girl. Gillespie, Simone and Innes regularly came together to smile at the way things were going.
Everyone needed to come up for air and the band left the stage for five minutes only to be urged back on and they started where they left off. Come Together was beautifully euphoric with the crowd singing along and then it was the double whammy of Jailbird and Rocks, delicious maximum rock n roll to end the night.
Gillespie looked like he didn't want to come off stage. A glorious grin was plastered across his face as he took in the scenes and the famous Barrowland roar.
Following on from 10 favourites by The Vaselines, The Lemonheads and The Pastels, ahead of two sold out shows at the Barrowland Ballroom on 17th and 18th December, it is the turn of Primal Scream to receive some love and attention.
Primal Scream came bounding into my life with the Movin' On Up video and single. They looked super cool and sounded incredible. I bought Screamadelica off the back of it, expecting more high energy rock n roll. Instead my mind was blown by the ambition, talent and soundscapes spread across this exceptional double album.
I have followed the band ever since then, catching them numerous times at Glasgow Barrowland, in a tent at Glasgow Green, at festivals, traveling to Manchester to see them play Screamadelica for the 20th anniversary and I have followed them on their sonic journey through music.
Screamadelica, Give Out But Don't Give Up, Vanishing Point and XTRMNTR is an exceptional run of albums from 1991 to 2000.
Pre 1991 the Scream were still determining who they were, their two patchy albums, Sonic Flower Groove and their second eponymous album released in 1991, were splashed with highlights like Love You and I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have, but in general it seemed like the band couldn't decide if they wanted to be The Byrds or The Stooges. The band were best known for the b-side Velocity Girl, 90-seconds of pure jangle guitar pop magic.
Sonic Flower Groove era Scream
Meeting Andrew Weatherall and being introduced to ecstasy changed them - for the better. Although it took time to change everything, even when Primal Scream released Loaded as a single Gillespie had greasy hair and dressed in leathers, his performance on Top of the Pops for that single is ridiculous to watch. Check it HERE
With a sharp mod style haircut Bobby Gillespie was suddenly the coolest person on the planet fronting the coolest band on the planet. Looking good enough to match his never undeniable excellent taste in, knowledge of and thirst for music.
Boundaries were being broken down in music all over the world and the Scream suddenly saw all kinds of new possibilities opening to them with Andrew Innes, Gillespie's partner in crime, starting to play a key role. Andrew Weatherall took them to another dimension.
The controls were not just set for the heart of the sun, Primal Scream were going higher than the sun.
The band arguably went too high, burned too brightly and they had to come down. Kind of. Give Out But Don't Give Up (and the recent Original Memphis Recordings) show a completely different side to the band - rock n roll, funky jams and gorgeous ballads - that they had touched upon with the incredible damage.
They went further, 1997's Vanishing Point is exceptional. The band, buoyed by the addition of Mani from the Stone Roses joining on bass, produce a melting pot of sounds that is truly their own. It is notable that the album was largely self produced.
This radio station was named Kowalski
Primal Scream went even further with XTRMNTR in 2000 - bringing in all kinds of guests to create truly incredible and pulsating music - Kevin Shields, the Chemical Brothers and David Holmes were among those joining the party. I would love to the 20th anniversary of this album to be marked with some live dates where the album is played from start to finish.
Has there been an album as energetic and as angry released since? Is there a band out there with the talent, anger and background that the Scream had at this time? Will there ever be again?
Primal Scream also utilised b-sides, recording cover versions, jams and releasing som stunning remixes. Although only one has made it into my list below, favourite b-sides include How Does It Feel To Belong?, Hammond Connection, Screamadelica (from the Dixie Narco EP) and the Burning Wheel (Chemical Brothers remix).
The post 2000 albums did take a dip in quality for me, but the exceptional tunes kept coming; Autobahn 66, Country Girl, Sometimes I Feel So Lonely and 2013 being just four.
The last few years have seen Primal Scream become a little more reflective in old age - revisiting the Memphis Sessions (who could blame them after Andrew Innes' extraordinary discovery of the tapes!) and with the singles compilation and tour.
Primal Scream in Memphis
Gillespie has always known how important Primal Scream were, or were going to be. And he is a music fanatic, he knows how to play the game, how to talk his band up on the level they should be.
And this current singles tour, a greatest hits tour if you will; maximum rock n roll, punk rock energy, euphoric house music, bluesy soul ballads - all combined will only cement what a truly incredible band Primal Scream are. They should be cherished ... they are.
Somehow I have tried to select 10 favourites. I could easily have selected 20.
Autobahn 66
Mani's bass for the Stone Roses is fantastic, but I think he really makes his mark with the Scream. I love the rumbling bass, the beats and the beautiful instrumental melody before Gillespie comes in.
Dreaming, I'm still dreaming
Dreaming my life 'til the day that I die
Dreaming my life 'til the day that I die
Autobahn 66 has a pulsating energy and delicate dreamy beauty to it. It's a real favourite of mine.
Everybody Needs Somebody (Original Memphis Recordings version)
There is a lyric in this song that got me the first time I heard back in 1994 and it still gets me every time. It's when Gillespie sings;
a little bit of soul
is worth more than gold
everybody needs somebody
The BBC documentary on the Original Memphis Recordings is fantastic. I love how Bobby rhymes off all these incredible people working on the album, names he has got to know through record sleeves and I love how he talks so passionately and proudly about his band mates and how they stepped up their game to play at the standard required for this album, in the setting they had in Memphis and with the musicians, engineers and producer involved.
This is such a gorgeous song, Denise Johnson's backing vocals are heavenly and I love the way the song breaks down to rise gloriously. A stunner.
Shoot Speed/Kill Light
I mentioned Mani's bass above, on this sonic electro punk blast it is at the heart of the song, allowing guitars to blitz all around it. On record this sounds like the vinyl might not cope with it, live it is one of the many songs Primal Scream have in their arsenal to shake things up, to move to another level, to threaten to tear the roof off the place. White Noise, White Heat. Incredible.
Benicassim Festival - live
Come Together (Farley mix)
I have blogged extensively on my love of this song, most recently HERE. My favourite version is from the 2011 Screamadelica shows where the Scream mix 3 versions together - you'll find that on the link above. Utterly euphoric pop, acid house, soul, gospel music.
I'm free, you're free
I want you to touch me
So come on touch me
It's all too much
Movin' On Up
This was the first Primal Scream record I bought after seeing the video on the chart show. Bobby Gillespie pulling all his Jagger moves, looking great, sounding great and with a big gospel choir singing my light shines on. This still sounds so fresh all these years down the line. Brilliant on record, utterly sensational live.
Rocks
I remember this coming out as a single and being incredibly excited by it. The Scream Team looked completely wasted on the cover, you stuck on the record and it was up tempo Stones-y rock n roll. High energy, high fun, high times for the Scream Team as they shot into the top 10 for the first time. Deservedly so.
The lyrics for the verses flow out of Gillespie like Dylan fronting the Stones before Mick and Keith come in for the chorus.
Velocity Girl
Released as b-side to Crystal Crescent back in 1986, this 90-second guitar pop gem was lumped in with C86. It stood out a mile and was allegedly the inspiration for the Stone Roses moving away from the sound of their Garage Flower era songs towards the likes of Made of Stone. This is clever, pure pop. I blogged on Velocity Girl back in April - HERE
New video from 2019 for Velocity Girl
Higher Than The Sun A Dub Symphony In Two Parts
In my opinion this is Primal Scream's best song. Lyrically, musically and with the production, they just get it absolutely spot on. This is psychedelic bliss; Gillespie sings;
I'm beautiful I wasn't born to follow
I live just for today I don't care 'bout tomorrow
What i got in my head you can't buy, steal or borrow
I believe in life and let live
I believe you get what you give
The music is trippy and beautiful, really taking the listener on a journey. Looking back and listening to Primal Scream's eponymous album in 1989, there is nothing to suggest what would come. You'll get more of an idea from reading old Bobby Gillespie interviews.
Higher Than The Sun features on both sides of Screamadelica, the original version on side 1 is sublime, the Dub Symphony In Two Parts on the flip is outrageously good, it really does head higher than the sun - stunning!
Primal Scream - Higher Than The Sun
All 3 sections edited together
Swastika Eyes (live)
Good on record, so good they included 2 mixes on the XTRMNTR album, but live this song becomes an absolute monster. Provocative, punk, electro, high energy, techno... anyone on before or after Primal Scream at a festival was obliterated by this song with Mani in sensational form on bass. The imagery and energy that leap from this song is sensational.
Damaged
This gem of a ballad comes after the euphoria of Come Together and Loaded on the Screamadelica album, easing you back to earth after sky scraping highs. This may well be my favourite Gillespie vocal and the groove that the band get locked into is simply heavenly - they are on it.
If I had to choose in order, Damaged would probably be my second favourite Scream song behind Come Together. The love lyrics are beautiful, the guitar solo is inspired, and Gillespie's confessions of happiness, security and love sound like the microphone has been inserted directly into his heart.
33-years after its original release in as the b-side to Crystal Crescent, Primal Scream's Velocity Girl is as pure and as perfect as ever. In the same year it was released the song would open the NME's seminal C86 cassette compilation, going on to inspire bands to pick up guitars and let them jangle and chime.
Early Primals
Somewhere in Manchester, a young John Squire picked up a copy and it is notable how the Stone Roses sound changed from the punk debut So Young b/w Tell Me in 1985 and the songs collected on the Garage Flower compilation to 1987's Sally Cinnamon.
It is easy to hear why the song inspires. Velocity Girl is 82-seconds of a sugar pop rush, a guitar is strummed and a beat kicks in with Bobby Gillespe singing about a girl he is seemingly infatuated by but also aware of how much she could hurt him.
The vocals are over in under a minute following a plea of leave me alone, allowing time for the chiming guitars to take centre stage to drive the song to conclusion.
Velocity Girl is short, but it packs a perfect knockout punch.
Here she comes again, with vodka in her veins
Been playing with a spike, she couldn't get it right
Spelndour in silver dress, velocity possessed
The world was hers against fell apart again
I don't need anyone to hurt me, no not anyone at all
Cause my so called friends have left me
And I don't care at all
Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone
Remastered ahead of its inclusion on Primal Scream's forthcoming singles compilation Maximum Rock N Roll, the single is out now digitally before a limited 7-inch is released on 24th May, it's first repress since 1986.
The video featuring a modern Bobby Gillespe spliced with footage of Edie Sedgwick (Andy Warhol) from the film Ciao! Manhattan.
I had an Edie Sedgwick type character in mind when I wrote Velocity Girl. I read Jean Stein's biography about her and I wanted to meet a girl like that. Hanging out with Warhol, The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan and shooting speed while looking absolutely fabulous. Super hip and beautiful. She was the muse. I love her.
In a world and time where many recordings are produced, compressed and mixed to within an inch of their life, lets step back in time, to 1993, when Primal Scream decamped to Memphis to record the follow up to their seminal Screamadelica LP.
The band hired legendary producer Tom Dowd who had previously worked with all kinds of legends including Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Booker T and the M.G.'s. If the hiring of Dowd didn't give an idea of the sounds the Scream were striving for, they also hired in David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums), the Muscle Shoals rhythm section who had played on so many classic soul cuts.
For whatever reason (mainly Sony didn't hear a hit), the Memphis recordings were shelved and the album was beefed up. Rocks got a new drum beat and added sheen, Jailbird was also polished up a little and the album came out in 1994 as Give Out But Don't Give Up.
It's only now, 25-years later, that the original 9 recordings with Tom Dowd, plus a string of extras, are being released, being discovered in a cupboard in Andrew Innes' house.
And oh what a treat it is to hear a band cutting loose, jamming, having fun, blasting out some good ole rock n roll and writing some outstanding ballads - building on the exceptional Damaged from Screamdelica. This is country tinged soul, Gillespie pours his heart out, the band are in sensational form, free from the electronics of Screamadelica, free to play, to express themselves and play they do.
Jailbird pulses and thrills, its looser than the version released as a single an on the album back in 1994, but its all there. Stabbing horns, euphoric backing vocals and Gillespie sounding like he is having the time of his life. Living the dream.
It's interesting to hear Rocks without the pounding drums that usher in the 1994 single version. This is the sound of Primal Scream as a super cool rock n roll bar band, guitars driving the song, horns lifting it higher and Gillespie urging us to get our rocks off. It's super cool raw rock n roll and Martin Duffy has a cracking piano solo in it.
The Faces-esque rock n soul of Call on Me continues the upbeat start to the album. Gillespie and Denise Johnson combine brilliantly. Tom Dowd's production captures a band on fire.
Primal Scream's ballads are often overlooked in their career, but there are so many gems. Going back to I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have (transformed into Loaded) through to Sometimes I Feel So Lonley.
Everybody Needs Somebody is a stunner, Gillespie urges we got together babe over a gospel backing vocals, Throb (Robert Young) coaxes soulful riffs on lead guitars and you can just imagine Gillespie looking on in awe as his band jam on behind him.
A little bit of soul
Is worth more than gold
The 'feel' that is captured on the Memphis recordings is stunning. The soul and passion leaps out. Sad and Blue with the bluesy slow harmonica and star reaching vocals of Denise Johnson utterly beautiful. From memory I recall an interview from the time where Bobby Gillespie says something like 'no-one can play as slow as us, it's beautiful'. Listen to this and you get what he means.
Shine a light on me sister, let your love light shine
This version of Big Jet Plane is gorgeous. The band feel their way in and Gillespie's stoned soul has never sounded better with the added sugar of a gospel choir coming in to lift the chorus. The horns are delicious. Mournful and soulful.
Gillespie hands lead vocals to Denise Johnson for the incredible Free. And oh how she soars. There is an almost jazzy feel to this recording, the sax, the piano, the slow groove. It's almost 7-minutes long and it's so easy to get lost in it.
Don't want you to touch me, don't you touch me, don't you touch me
Everything is broken, I believe in you no more
Jesus (which would become I'll Be There For You) is another stunning ballad, Gillespie singing over an organ before heavenly gospel backing vocals and the band lift the song to another level - towards the stars. The instrumental from 3 minutes 40 seconds is sublime. The Primals don't rush things, again they let the soul ooze out over 6.5 minutes and every second is vital.
Primal Scream really hit the mark with Cry Myself Blind, an uplifting soulful ballad that find Gillespie so broken hearted that he could do just that. The band play beautifully, Denise Johnson sings like an angel, Gillespie turns in another brilliant performance - possibly his most emotional vocal?, and if Robert Young's guitar could talk then it would be multiplying Gillespie's broken heart ten fold.
Have you ever had a broken heart?
Have you ever lost your mind?
Have you ever woke up screaming'
Cause you're so lonely you could die?
There is a heap of incredible bonus tracks. Sadly not available on vinyl, the instrumental Country Guitar is a standout, bluesy country tinged soul. Early jams on the likes of Sad and Blue, Big Jet Plane and Bobby singing lead on Free are excellent. Funky Jam (to be revisited on Give Out But Don't Give Up) does exactly what it say on the tin and there are some rough covers.
The Original Memphis Recordings capture a moment in time, it is a brilliant addition to the Primal Scream catalogue. Gillespie (vocals), Innes and Young (guitars), Duffy (piano) and Johnson (vocals) are in stunning form, raising their game to match the playing of the Muscle Shoals rhythm section an the reputation of Tom Dowd in the producers chair.
In Gillespie's words (now) it was a perfect album, 3 rockers, 6 ballads, but the album was rejected by Sony as they didn't hear a hit. So the album was pretty much rerecorded and by the time it came out it had cost around £1 million to make. Patchy sessions had already taken place at the Roundhouse in London before the band flew to Memphis.
25-years later, it's out and it is beautiful. The 9-track album is available on vinyl, all of the bonus tracks are on a deluxe CD and are also available on streaming and download sites. It would be hard for Primal Scream to revisit this album live without Robert (Throb) Young as his exceptional guitar playing is all over the album, but it is something I hope they are considering.
