Named after the debut single by Teenage Fanclub.
This blog is all about being a music lover in Glasgow; reviews, interviews, memories, old faves, new discoveries (past and present), playlists and more. Thanks for visiting - I hope you discover something amazing you have never heard before, or that you rediscover an old favourite.
Regular features/playlists; Never Ending Mixtape / Cover Version of the Month/ Trust Me.
Insta - @everythingflowsglasgow
I was very saddened to hear of the death of Martin Duffy from Primal Scream.
Duffy (as he was affectionately known) had lived a life for sure, but he was only 55. Too young.
As a teenager Duffy joined Felt and contributed massively to the bands sound, also being given the freedom by the bands enigmatic leader Lawrence to write instrumentals for the band.
Simultaneously, Duffy played on the first two Primal Scream albums, joining the band permanently in time for the move into electronic music and the seminal Screamadelica album.
"I remember Duffy when we were doing Inner Flight. He was tripping on acid. I remember him jumping on the mixing desk going 'Bob, Bob, I'm pissing in the sky!' It was beautiful." Bobby Gillespie
Of course, to be in the Scream you had to be able to keep up with them and it sounds like Duffy had no problem in doing that! He nearly died while partying with the band during a hedonistic session in 1993, unsure if he had been stabbed or fallen on to glass. I remember reading about this in the NME at the time.
Primal Scream were the perfect band for a long time; Bobby Gillespie as a front man, the dual guitars of Andrew Innes & Robert 'Throb' Young, Gary 'Mani' Mountfield on bass, Duffy on keyboards ... joined, on occasions, by Kevin Shields on guitar.
To see the band on their Vanishing Point and XTRMNTR tours at the Barrowland was simply incredible. They could play beautiful soulful blues ballads, high energy rock n roll, psychedelic futuristic electronica, punk rock or dub based grooves. It was a sonic arsenal.
Duffy could either lead (just listen to his playing on the Give Out/The Original Memphis Recordings, or underpin everything (that organ groove on Come Together is a real favourite).
Appreciated throughout the 'indie' music community, Duffy played a big role in keeping The Charlatans going following the tragic death of Rob Collins, stepping in to play Knebworth. The band then played Channel 4's The White Room shortly afterwards and it might just be my favourite live TV performance of all time. Look at the way Tim Burgess looks on at his band jamming away on One To Another and a particularly ferocious Crashin' In.
Released 30-years ago, towards the end November 1992, Lazarus was a statement single from The Boo Radleys ahead of their Giant Steps album in 1993.
Sales, sadly, didn't quite match the statement, Lazarus reached number 76 in the charts. But for the band, putting out a 12-inch single at 6 minutes 22 seconds in length was just what they needed to do. It was 'giant step' forward from their standard shoegaze sound, that of a band enthralled by labelmates My Bloody Valentine. Now it felt like The Boo's were exploring all kinds of music to find their own sound(s).
The Boo's had released Everything's Alright Forever back in March 1992. If you go back to check that album out and then listen to Lazarus, you'd struggle to believe it's the same band, same personnel.
Beginning with distorted white noise, teases of key riffs and beats kicking in, the 12-inch version of Lazarus builds for almost 2-minutes before everything seems to come together. There is an almost reggae groove going on, then a horn section, acoustic rhythm guitar, synths, effects ... rmodern psychedelia and beautifully so.
Horns kick in just before 3-minutes to lift the song, to lift the listener out of a lysergic dream. Everything soars skywards before falling gently to the first verse. Singer Sice (Simon Rowbottom) sings tenderly, vocals gently distorted.
I, I must be losing my mind
I keep on trying to find a way out
There's no need you don't lock the door anymore
At the end of the second verse horns and electric guitar, full of fuzzy effects, kick in euphorically to fly high for an instrumental before swooping back down for two further 3 line verses.
Now, maybe now I should change
Because I'm starting to lose all my faith
While those around me are beaten down each day
After the fourth verse (above) horns, guitars and beats kick in again and are looped for a full minute, extra layers being added, a little more urgency comes in and the inspired groove is one to get lost in. I'd love to hear this extended.
There are remixes of Lazarus that you can check out via the links below and through the expanded release of Giant Steps on streaming platforms, but none of them really take this riff on. It's a remix/edit in the making.
Lazarus is an astonishing song. It was in in 1992 and it is now; the power, the ambition, the care that went into it have ensured that it stands up 30-years down the line.
Despite universal high praise for the Giant Steps album, The Boo Radleys didn't have a hit on their hands. None of the singles from the album broke the top 40 and while the album reached number 17 and sold 60,000 copies in 1993 (Creations most successful album that year), the incredible reviews didn't translate to the sales Creation anticipated.
After being inspired initially by label mates My Bloody Valentine and then the transformation and ideas showcased by Primal Scream with Screamdelica, Martin Carr, leader and songwriter for The Boo's, was then inspired by the hits that Oasis were experiencing. He wanted a piece of the action!
That would come with Wake Up Boo! released in February 1995, although I always associate it with summer. Legend has it that a postcard by Alan McGee was on permanent display on the mixing desk, encouraging Carr and his bandmates to use every trick in the book to create a hit single.
Here is a snip of the ecstatic NME review for Giant Steps. I'd highly recommend checking or revisiting the album. From pure guitar pop to dub, reggae and psychedelic sounds, it's a cracker.
It's an intentional masterpiece, a throw-everything-at-the-wall bric-a-brac of sounds, colours and stolen ideas. That The Boo Radleys (of all people!) have decided to accept their own challenge and create a record as diverse and boundary-bending as this is, at first glance, staggering. Isn't this the job of the U2s and the leisured idols of rock, unable to do anything without the tactit approval of history? Fortunately not? The Boo Radleys are sifting through time (the mid-60s mostly) and conjuring up something that's as cut-up and ambitious as anything you'd care to mention. NME
A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. Lazarus (12 inch mix) joins them.
I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE
Andrew Weatherall seemed to sprinkle magic on absolutely everything he touched. Coming to my attention through Primal Scream's seminal 1991 album Screamadelica, Weatherall's taste was cool and unique. If he loved something, if he thought it was interesting - then he was all in.
This resulted in him working with an incredible range of bands and artists through his career. From bands at their peak, to new bands breaking through. Old friends and new friends.
His talent and taste was well supported by labels like Heavenly Recordings, recognised by peers and worshipped by devoted fans.
In short, Weatherall was special. A visionary. He heard things in songs that us mere mortals couldn't. Or at least we couldn't until he got his hands on them and remixed them.
On the second anniversary of his death, I found myself checking Twitter for tributes and fans posting their favourite Weatherall moments. Leading to me going down a delightful Andrew Weatherall rabbit hole for a few hours and clicking on some remixes that I hadn't heard before. As well as old favourites.
So for my regular Anything Goes & Everything Flows 60-minute mixes I've compiled one of Weatherall mixes. Only it's gone way beyond 60-minutes. That's probably apt as Andrew Weatherall was a guy who didn't believe in boundaries.
I believe in you, I've got no bounds
As mentioned in previous blogs. I started the 60-minute mixes based on favourite pubs in Glasgow like The Variety Bar and McChuills. I think this would go down a storm on a Friday/Saturday night in either.
I hadn't heard a number of these songs/remixes before. I particularly love the Silver Apples song, while both The Asphodells songs are fantastic and I'm exploring them a little more. Elsewhere long-time favourite bands of mine are well represented.
Enjoy. Search for Everything Flows DJ mix 11 - Andrew Weatherall remixes on Spotify, or CLICK HERE
I Heard Wonders (Andrew Weatherall Instrumental Mix) - David Holmes
2013 (Andrew Weatherall Dub) - Primal Scream
Another Lonely City - The Asphodells (Andrew Weatherall & Timothy J Fairplay)
101 (Andrew Weatherall Intensity Mix) - Finitribe
Make It Right (Andrew Weatherall Vocal Remix) - Frank Butters Presents
Edge Of Wonder (Andrew Weatherall Remix) - Silver Apples
Wide Eyed (Andrew Weatherall Remix) - The Horrors
Feathers - Andrew Weatherall
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Andrew Weatherall Mix) - Saint Etienne
Hallelujah (Club Mix by Andrew Weatherall & Paul Oakenfold) - Happy Mondays
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.
I found a recent tweet by Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand rather amusing. Given the timing, Kapranos might have been referring to Suede who have just announced a European and UK tour of their 1996 album Coming Up.
Personally I love when favourite bands of mine focus shows on landmark anniversaries of classic or fan fave albums. Some don't even wait for an important anniversary, they are just getting out there. Although I totally understand where Alex is coming from.
For me, everyone is a winner; the band get to revisit a much loved album, maybe even playing some songs live for the first time. It might generate media interest and sales of the album or merch. They may even get to play larger venues than 'normal' due to demand.
Fans, know what they are getting, are prepared to pay for tickets and merch and have a good night out, while promoters are probably more confident booking a band if they know exactly what the band is going to play.
Galleries curate exhibitions of artists at certain periods, people celebrate anniversaries all the time ... why can bands not celebrate their catalogue of creative work?
A number of my favourite bands have played classic albums. Teenage Fanclub needed 3-nights to play their Creation albums from the 1990's. Primal Scream revisited Screamadelica in 1991 and blew me away both times I saw them on that tour. The Charlatans have revisited their debut Some Friendly and Tellin' Stories, while The Lemonheads have performed It's A Shame About Ray. I caught The Jesus and Mary Chain play Psychocandy in Glasgow and I very much hope to find a friend with a spare ticket to see them perform Darklands at the Barrowland in March.
I have also been extremely fortunate to watch Arthur Lee and Love perform Forever Changes and Brian Wilson and his band perform Pet Sounds. Typing that sentence sent tingles down my spine.
That's five of my favourite bands playing records I cherish plus two absolute legends playing incredible albums from the 1960's that generations afterwards have fallen in love with .
Meanwhile bands from The Wonder Stuff to The Twang have played shows of 'classic' albums. They might not be 'classic' to me, but they are to some. And that is what counts.
Kapranos followed his initial tweet with the statement below.
He is very probably right regarding the idea. Although at the same time he mentions that touring is a way of performing a body of work - surely an album qualifies as that. And most bands also play other stuff either before or after the album concerned.
And in terms of an album being a slice of creativity frozen in time....
I find that a very odd comment. Art, good art, is timeless. Hell, in the case of Screamadelica mentioned above, the album still sounds futuristic.
Kapranos has a point, but perhaps he has missed one as well. Classic art does capture a moment in time, whether that is a painting, a photograph or music. The birth of rock n roll, Elvis on TV, The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, the summer of love, Bowie on Top of the Pops, The Pistols, the rave scene, Britpop ... they are moments in time that mattered to people, moments in time that people will revisit via YouTube, old photos, albums, singles and by chatting to friends, or making new friends online as a result of these memories. Are they frozen? Or do they continue to inspire?
Think of albums; Sgt Peppers, Pet Sounds, Never Mind The Bollocks, Stone Roses, Nevermind ... they capture a spirit and a moment in time for many. Other bands might not have created albums quite so culturally significant, but they still meant something to someone out there - enough to go on tour.
If playing an album show gets a band back together and out touring or playing a few dates and giving people a night out, making them happy .... good for them.
And what will happen if a promoter offer Franz Ferdinand good money to tour their classic eponymous debut album? The 15th anniversary is coming up! ;-)
Brian Wilson at Kelvingrove Bandstand, August 2017
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.
Way back in 1993 I fell for a Scottish band called One Dove who released a string of impeccable singles and an album Morning Dove White consisting of electro pop so pure that it can lift you high.
And, I have to admit, I totally fell for their gorgeous singer Dot Allison who just seemed effortlessly cool. Girls like this didn't seem to exist in the Lanarkshire backwater of Carluke, only 25-miles from Glasgow, but at times it seemed like a million miles away. Especially if you got the last bus home from the Garage on a Saturday night.
The album is essentially a collection of the singles, flowing like a club mix with different versions of songs included. It works brilliantly.
Fallen, produced by Andy Weatherall, opens the album, it's buzzy synths, cowbells and a breathless Allison proclaiming she doesn't know why she is telling anyone this and asking for forgiveness. When the beat kicks in you are fully immersed in the world of One Dove, it has that purity I mentioned before and it just flows superbly.
There is a glorious breakdown when the beats and bass stop and it really is like you are falling and floating with the song and Allison - beautiful.
We then receive a blast of guitar to interrupt the purity and the flow with the Guitar Paradise Mix of White Love. The radio mix features later on the album and it was my first introduction to One Dove when it was released in the summer of 1993 when I was 17. This is simply sublime, the chorus just makes me smile, it just keeps running, flowing, feeling really euphoric.
Want to keep hold of this for you
The Guitar Paradise Mix is stretched out to over 10-minutes and the beats kick in with more breathless and sexy Allison vocals, kicking in just before the 3-minute mark. The bass is superb, it's a trippy mix by Andrew Weatherall, it has echoes of Screamadelica all over it.
White love, this love
This powerful, this pure
We then have the Cellophone Boat Mix of Breakdown, another single that was lifted from the album. There is beautiful piano/keys over big beats before everything comes together at around 1 minute 20 and One Dove find that pure flow that made me fall for them. The mix chops things up a little, coming in and out of the pureness I love.
The radio mix of Breakdown, still 5 minutes 30 seconds, comes later in the album (not on the original vinyl) and it just sensational. Allison croons about the moonlight, shadows, clouds and despair, how the small hours are hard to bear, leading to a chorus that can't help but be uplifting despite the lyrics.
Breakdown and cry (I cry for you)
Breakdown and cry (cry)
Breakdown and cry
Cry (I do)
The last verse has the brilliant line I remember the night you left me, the moon was full, I felt empty
The mix and the album continue with There Goes The Cure, this is blissful and another song about lost love. This is super chilled until 4 minutes 30 and then cries, extra synth strings and beats come in, Allison can only repeatedly sing he's gone, this really is lush, a little cousin to I'm Comin' Down from Primal Scream's Screamadelica LP.
The clubby vibes through the album continues with Sirens, funky dub bass, hammond, handclaps, beats and Allison sounding like a siren. The feel of this song and the invention it contains is stunning, it contains so many gems, especially when you listen on headphones. The arrangement and production are incredible.
Allison is incredible on this album, she should have been a total star, sadly band and label conflicts prevented a follow up. My Friend is dub and clubby with Allison's vocals whispery and echo-y repeatedly singing about a fever.
This remarkable record continues with synth strings over the sound of a heartbeat. Transient Truth, stretches to over 9-minutes and it is super trippy, leading into the utterly glorious Why Don't You Take Me? Allison pours her heart out over music that probably wouldn't sound out of place on a Massive Attack record from this era.
Oh baby when I sit and cry
The skies cry with me
Why don't you take me
Straight to your heart
Yeah I'm asking you please
I need you now, need you, need you now
Then we have the piano reprise of White Love, Allison singing over only house/gospel style piano, she sounds like an angel. It's only 1-minute long and you wish it was longer.
And that concludes the original vinyl version of the album, although the CD and digital versions (thankfully) have the radio mixes of White Love and Breakdown.
I say thankfully as they are absolutely stunning and, at least for me, the album wouldn't be complete without them and they add to the clubby feel as DJ's would (and still do) cut back to songs they had previously played in the mix.
The writing, singing, arrangements, playing, mix and production are just sublime from start to finish, this really is an album that takes the listener on a journey. Allison is not afraid to sing about a broken heart and her band mates Ian Carmichael and Jim McKinven are not short of ideas.
Morning Dove White is a gem of an album and I really hope anyone reading this blog either revisits it or checks it out. A vinyl reissue would surely be welcomingly received?
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.
It must be 21 or 22 years since I first had the great pleasure of seeing Primal Scream live when they were touring Give Out But Don't Give Up.
In those days (and for a long time after) part of the fun was going along to see what condition Bobby Gillespie was in. Regardless of how f**ked up he was, Bobby and the Scream team always delivered. 100% or nothing. He was cooler than cool, looking great and acting great. A truly amazing front man who took in all kinds of influences to be completely unique - from the songs and albums he delivered to the performance on stage; Jagger, Lydon.....both there.....but there was never any doubt that Bobby Gillespie was his own man. Not many people can say that at least one point they were the coolest man to walk the planet.....Gillespie can.
The coolest man on the planet...more than once
A picture of Bobby Gillespie in an air ambulance after cracking his vertebrae and splitting his skull following a 7-foot fall from a speaker stack became an internet sensation. Bobby still had his shades on; total rock n roll.
Rock n Roll
Checking in to see what condition Bobby's condition was in; it wasn't 100%. He was up on his feet for the classic Movin' On Up to open proceedings, but he was clearly still affected by the accident, sitting perched on a stool for the vast majority of the show.
Bobby Gillespie operating at 70-80% largely means that the Scream are operating at that. Gillespie is a front man that can take his band beyond 100% to that magical 110%.....
Step forward Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass) and Martin Duffy (keys). They played their socks off. As much as I love Mani, he will never look as good as Simone who practically purred in tight leather trousers and a beautiful blouse. Punk rock chic. Oozing sex appeal and style.
Bobby and Simone
Hannah Marsden joined the band for a number of songs. She looks like, and is, a total pop star; Trippin' On Your Love was huge and Where The Lights Get In was greeted like an old friend.
Gillespie was largely seated and in pink blazer. Not many could get away with that! But his charisma shone through. Later on I wondered if the Scream were operating at 80% due to Bobby's inaction or the fact they started in daylight.
All the tricks of getting the audience to join in with It's Alright (It's OK) didn't have the same effect as usual.
Some Velvet Morning (played live for the first time), Accelerator and a gorgeous version of Damaged were all very well. But it was only when the lights went down and they played Swatstika Eyes that the band and audience truly came to life.
Primal Scream come to life in the dark
Not many bands have a song with the energy and venom of Swatstika Eyes in their cannon, nor a front man with the skills, taste and attitude of Bobby Gillespie who even operating at 70-80% quite frankly pisses all over the wannabe rock stars of today who have stylists and shop at Top Man.
The response to Swatstika Eyes (and possibly the painkillers) energised Gillespie to stand and lead his band and audience to one of the most fantastic conclusions to a show I have witnessed.
Loaded (naturally) turned Kelvingrove Bandstand into a rave. The double header of Country Girl and Rocks ensured that the audience went crazy.
Bobby sat through Loaded! No-one else did ;-)
Were they coming back on?.....
Well in true Scream style they kept us waiting. Returning to play the euphoric version of one of my all time favourite songs Come Together the version that they played on the Screamadelica anniversary tour.
The band stopped.....the crowd kept going...chanting the chorus over and over for a good 5-minutes to a grinning Gillespie.
OK he was far from 100% but his band, songs and hometown crowd made sure that this was a memorable night. Primal Scream never fail to deliver. We may never see Gillespie sitting down during a searing punk rock techno number like Swatstika Eyes again....of course I would rather have him bounding around the stage, but they are seasoned veterans and they delivered, sending over 2,000 people home in a state of delirium.
