Primal Scream: C or D?

I do smell a large rat re: Bobby G tho - he doesn't half talk shite and seems to hook onto "trendy" causes without any genuine-sounding justification.

[but, one of his daft proclamations did elecit my first ever published letter in Melody Maker back in 1992, so maybe I should be thanking him for his guileless motormouthery...]

'This is terrible!' said one of the Bobby Gillespies, pointing to the fact that the clothes were in the water.

'How beautiful!' exclaimed the second Bobby Gillespie, pointing at the bird.

And the third continued to swim, since he was there to swim and not to make value judgements.

I liked the weedy, hippie jangleshit. I put up with the endless stoner Stones jams. I LOVED the freeform psychedelic house music. I loved the acerbic post-come-down speed jitter discopunk even more.

Bobby G is of course my perfect man, and someday he will marry me and take away to his Battersea Dogs Home for lost great guitarists from the late 80s. The end!

Yes, I am going to sit and this thread and shoot down every single of one of you that tries to say bad things about my beloved Bobby G. Or maybe I'll just spread a giant net across the New North Road until Bobby G comes cycling by, kidnap him and sit him down in front of this computer to answer them himself!

yes please. I'd love to insult him myself.

Recently saw them for the 13th time in 15 years and still very fine.

The Actual song Screamadelica on the Dixie Narco 12" is the best thing ever.

OK how much do i have to pay for the next flight to Dublin?

As the frazzled pop pioneers Bobby G seems to think that they are - DUD.

Well, they're not the ultimate band. I like 'em a lot though - Vanishing Point, XTRMNTR and Screamadelica are all ace. People complain that they're only as good as whoever is producing them, but I honestly don't care how much influence their producers have if the end result is going to be a great record.

Hey, you're mean.

Absolutely. I don't think anyone takes Bobby G and his (frankly Gallagher-esque) ranting too seriously. But most of the music is intoxicating enough to make me forget this.

In the meantime, love 'em, from indie jangle onwards. Still think they did the worst gig I've ever seen in '94 though.

"Rocks" was a guaranteed floor-filler at Cafe Bleu.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Reader:
"A few years ago i blagged a ticket to an icelandic music festival, travelling with primal scream and prodigy. on a day off, after taking a coach up a very steep mountain road to a glacier, you threw an embarrassingly girly fit, refused to travel down with the rest of us, and demanded a hellicopter. remember?"

Bobby G:
"haha! Right, what happened was it took hours to get up there and the whole time I thought the bus was going to topple over the edge, and i was really cold too. when we got to the top, i just went 'get me fucking out of here'. and this guy put me in a jeep and drove me back at 90mph - that was really exciting, like being in some crazy road movie. as for demanding the hellicopter, yeah i probably did. Hey, that's fair enough. I'm a lead singer in a fucking rock and roll band! Why not?"

I love the way he tries to regain some macho pride by saying "that was really exciting, like being in some crazy road movie". Bobby gillespie: man of the people, indeed.

the music, on the other hand...

interviews with bobby are funny bcz he's a bit of a fule!

Strangely enough, I actually agree.

La la la la la laaa, Bobby G, how I love him. Horton Who?

''XTRMNTR and Screamadelica are both classic''

don't know abt 'screamadelica but XTRMNTR insults me.

Most of the rest doesn't move me to one extreme or the other.

http://www.nme.com/images/84_NMEcover_L150406.jpg

And neither do we, so f*** off ya talentless c***

NME gave the Scream dogs abuse for the Give Out But Don't Give Up
album. Infact they really hated rocks in particular when they reviewed the single.

That album may not be perfect but I don't think it's as bad as NME & Co claimed at the time.

The new album is a return to stonesy stuff isn't it? hmmm. I'm not sure thats a great idea though, they've spent years trying to get rid of that image. Still lets wait and see what it sounds like before judging. After all Evil Heat was just a rehash of xtrmntr(their best album IMO)

At least the Scream aren't just content releasing clones of Screamadelica which I'm sure the press would've preferred.

'nuff said?

that don't remember screamadelica.

they were only 11 when xtrmntr was released.

Their management had arranged for Luton Airport to remain open longer than usual so the band could fly in after playing in Dublin. Apparently Luton wasn't "rock 'n' roll" enough, and the band refused to make the trip. They were banned from appearing on the show for the next three years.

Say no more. Oh wait...

"He’s just Michael Hutchence with a better record collection and a worse voice, you know, hehe."
Edwyn Collins speaking of Bobby Gillespie

pash, did you ever write the bobby/alex from blur slash? that sounds totally horrifying.

HOWEVER: that OMM live review made me want to put my fist thru the monitor screen in front of me- christ! so many lazy rock'n'roll cliches... someone got paid to write that heap of sphincter-fellating old todge?

I wish it was.

bollocks. the new single sounds like xtrmnr-era prml scrm going rock, with a mandolin, and as such is absolutely fucking wonderful. irritatingly, it disappeared from the iTunes music store (UK) just as i was trying to buy it, and now won't come back. fuckers.

The rest are largely dud, particularly "Give Out But Don't Give Up"

Where can I hear this new single??? Did the BBC play it? Is it on their official website?

i remember buying that in HMV in blackpool the day it came out. there's a truly beautiful pedal-steel song on it. god damn, now you've made me want to hunt through 1,000-odd records to find it. must ... go ... to ... bed ...

it was briefly on iTunes tonight but disappeared. a hunt in the usual places should reveal some really piss-poor radio rips.

(not that i want anyone thinking i just drove round and round a roundabout listening to it. although, thinking about it, that would be kinda fun ...)

It was never released. It was supposed to be on the Holland album

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxpost

despite them being my fave band ever for some time, i have been fearful approaching their recent stuff. LOVE for 'dixie-narco' ep.

god i feel old suddenly ! xtrmntr is by far my favourite prml album (vanishing point is ok, screamadelica and devil whatever, a bit boring... give out and this latest one, are absolutely uninteresting).

Based on the photos from last month's appearance at the Isle Of Skye fest:

1. Kevin Shields is showing up again
2. Bobby cut his hair (when his hair gets shorter the albums get better)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/242/517585691_7395aa3b5c.jpg

Some things never change.

Bobby got introduced by Warren Ellis at ATP as "former Jesus and Mary Chain drummer Bobby Gillespie" - I'm sure he appreciated 20+ years of work being ignored :)

man, I didn't even recognise him! i though he was Ian McCullough when looking at the thumbnails.

Still a twat.

Shields looks good, he looks really good; he's lost a bit of weight recently. saw him a few months ago, he was doing sound for... uhhh, what is the name of that band. Rog's little brother's other band. this is really helpful I know.

ha ha, I agree with yr assessment of hairlenght to album quality, though - as usually it is indicative of drugs consumption.

Story at the end of this blog post needs more attention.

no. no, it does not.

"...All those fucking anoraks with their retarded girlfriends."

That's Boaby off Stephen Pastel's Christmas card list then

More Light = classic, IMO. I think if you must have one of their post-XTRMNTR albums, then make it that one - up there with their best stuff for me.

yup

feel like it was slept on

Without a doubt, but there was a lot of great stuff out in 2013... still, the first two tracks on the LP alone are fantastic. Seriously, any lapsed Primals fans shout give it a spin.

Er, shout=should.

more light is great.

i rate vanishing point and XTRMNTR particularly - kill all hippies!!

album ends well too imo

man shoot speed kill light, i remember reading someone diss that on some thread and thought...what!!

https://www.nme.com/news/music/primal-scream-61-1278117

I'm not sure I've ever seen this picture or story before, which is obviously beyond classic.

One of my Boab skits was inspired by that very photograph. God knows what thread is was on though.

I defer to your greater knowledge of Boaby.

Somewhere in here maybe?: The Bobby Gillespie Bullshit game

No, not in there, they're scattered around all over the place, more or less whenever Bob or Primal Scream are mentioned - and sometimes without them even being mentioned.

Hahahahaha...

Primal Scream Announce Give Out But Don't Give Up: The Original Memphis Recordings

Following the recent discovery of these tracks in a box lurking in Andrew Innes’ basement, Primal Scream will release the original studio recordings from Memphis, the tracks that eventually became their 1994 album ‘Give Out But Don’t Give Up’.

Teaming up with iconic producer Tom Dowd and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section of David Hood and Roger Hawkins at Ardent Studios in Memphis, the resulting recordings from those sessions showcase a more country soul, rock’n’roll side to a band.

Dowd’s production, coupled with the merging of the slick rhythm section of the band, led to the creation of nine tracks that run the gamut between blues, gospel and brilliant songwriting, available for the first time.

“I felt we went down there with such good intent, but somehow we lost our way afterwards,” Bobby Gillespie admits. “There’s definitely a lesson to be learned about how creativity can go down the wrong track. We’re a band that constantly keeps moving and doesn’t look back, but, for years, I felt bad about us going to Memphis and not doing what we set out to do. Hearing these songs after all this time has made everything all right again. I feel redeemed.”

After their breakout album ‘Screamadelica’ (1991), Primal Scream relocated to Memphis in 1993 to record what would become ‘Give Out But Don’t Give Up’.

Once the band and Creation Records’ boss Alan McGee heard the recordings, however, they were both confused and underwhelmed. Their inner punks got the better of them and they brought producer George Drakoulias onboard to overhaul the recordings, with the band replacing, guitar, bass and drum parts over several sessions in the ensuing weeks until they were left with what became ‘Give Out But Don’t Give Up’.

CD1 – Tom Dowd album mix
Jailbird
Rocks
Call on Me
Everybody Needs Somebody
Sad and Blue
Big Jet Plane
Free
Jesus
(I’m Gonna) Cry Myself Blind

CD2 – Ardent Outtakes
Billy / To Love Somebody
Memphis Groove (Improvised Song Jam)
Sad And Blue (Early Rehearsal Jam)
Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Trying To Get To You
Big Jet Plane (Early Rehearsal Jam / Tom Dowd Instructions)
Free (Bobby Vocal / Full Band Rehearsal Jam)
Everybody Needs Somebody (Alternative Recording)
Country Guitar
Jailbird Guitar
Jesus (Monitor Mix )
Funky Jam (Original Recording)
Free (Early Rehearsal Sitar /Piano / Bobby Vocal)
Call On Me (Monitor Mix)
Cry Myself Blind (Monitor Mix)
All I Have To Do Is Dream

I would listen to this

So would I to see how it compares, but even though this album has some moments that aren't actually all that bad, I'm glad they got it out of their system in order to make Vanishing Point and XTRMNTR.

yeah I'm into hearing this. But far as I can tell, Big Jet Plane, Sad & Blue, I'll Be There for You (left out above?), Everybody Needs Somebody - these are all Tom Dowd versions on the original anyway.

In other words, the good tracks on the original are the remixed ones.

Their inner punks got the better of them so they brought in the Black Crowes' producer.

the Ardent tracks produced by Weatherall on Dixie-Narco are better than the Ardent tracks produced by Dowd, but tbf the band weren't 94% smacked out of their minds the first time around

This was the era i recall they were called 'Dance Traitors'.

Dixie Narco tracks are great

This was the era i recall they were called 'Dance Traitors'.

― piscesx, Monday, August 20, 2018 8:55 PM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, I remember reviews of this being not particularly kind. It's depressing that 'Rocks' was such a big hit for them - it's not really representative of what this band is best at, and if that was someone's first exposure to the band, they could be forgiven for getting the wrong idea. Fans of the band from the earliest material may have been a little less surprised at the style they adopted, and the Screamadelica fans were definitely cold on the album.

Also, this was the first album after that tour with Depeche Mode wasn't it? Or were they touring on this LP at the time?

Alternative press release: "Desperate, they returned to the studio where they produced the only track that had any impact in the US but were so half-assed owing to them being smacked-out that the record label (Sony having controlling share of Creation by then) farmed them out to a bunch of remixers and the final record was unliked and re-releasing it now would be a waste of time and money. So here's this."

xpost -- They opened the second US go round of that Depeche tour cycle, in 1994, so they were touring the album.

Ah yeah, that's right! For some reason I'd got it into my head that the LP was released in the back half of '94, rather than at the beginning.

Primal Scream at their messiest meets Depeche Mode at their messiest.

And to top it all off the opening act for them both was Stabbing Westward

One of the bios of the time - possibly Grant Fleming's - tells of Duffy not being in his room the morning after a show, and the tour manager's panic -- nobody had been with him the night before, no-one knew what locals may have led him "astray" - and having to give up and get the rest of the band on to the next town.

Where Duffy was already at the venue, having crawled inside a riser and passed out after playing, remaining asleep not only through Depeche Mode's set, but also being packed up by Depeche's crew, shipped through the night, and arising well-rested when roadies unpacked him at bump-in.

Funnily enough the Wombles were at their messiest at the same time.

I still haven't heard the original Memphis recordings of Give Out But Don't Give Up yet, but I listened to the version as released in 1994 last night and - while it's no Screamadelica, Vanishing Point or XTRMNTR, and it sounds like a very confused record - I thought that there's actually quite a lot that's enjoyable about the record. I mustn't have heard the record for well over a decade or two.

lol these original Memphis recordings are kind of a hilarious nothingburger. Like yeah you can see what they were going for but they really just couldn't quite do it. Lots of farting about doing half-assed covers not particularly well, and the "original versions" are mostly just super-cleanly recorded/stripped down arrangements without all the (often bad) bells and whistles stuck on after the fact.

I do have a morbid fascination with this album and find it kinda funny/entertaining how badly they fucked this up - they had a budget, tons of great collaborators, a pretty good (if muddled) idea, a great studio to work in, but they couldn't get the songs and performances together.

Your problem is you don't like black music.

o rly

You'd get it if you followed sports especially basketball.

(xp) That's the reason Bob gave why UK rock critics didn't like the album, so it must be true.

our wee Boaby wouldna lie to us now

pls let’s not talk about our wee boabies itt, this is a family thread

Are the spoken word bits on "Kill All Hippies" a sample from somewhere?

Out of the Blue dir. Dennis Hopper 1980

p weird, bleak movie, sort of a hippie meditation on their generational failings and punk as the response

I fucking love that track

so good

I have just discovered "XTRMNTR" today and I'm super impressed.

! probably their best record

‘shoot speed kill light’ is so good

It is.

I literally just heard Screamadelica two weeks ago and have known XTRMNTR for twenty years. It’s a disorienting thing.

Wow.

I’ve always thought of XTRMNTR as the inverse of Screamadelica. They’re structured very similarly.

Agreed. From multiple mixes of the same song to radical remixes of tunes from the last record.

Bobby's Insta always delivers: https://www.instagram.com/primalscreamofficial/

https://www.facebook.com/ThurstonMooreOfficial/photos/a.164674653592590/3598726446854043/?type=3 (hope this works)

Damn. It’s a funny photo!

https://imgur.com/gallery/rlmYUzr

https://imgur.com/gallery/rlmYUzr

Ugh, sorry

You can't embed a web page, it has to be an image


https://i.imgur.com/Os99C7S.jpg

Yo Bobby G!!!!!!!!🤘🔥❤️@primalscreamofficial Witnessed blinding gig last nite by @thurstonmoore58 @cafeotodalston TM & James Shredwards straffing on twin guitar sonic attack whilst our darling @googoogiegoo anchored the sound w/ stone solid bass rhythms allowing the boys to fly around her ( sonically speaking ! ) freely safe in the knowledge they had a safe place to land again after their psyche zonked astral ( guitar ) adventure's - all needle frequency angular solos spiralling into hypnotic drones which sucked out our skulls and spewed out our brains and it felt real good, lemme tell you people. It was a Zoom only type affair so only fifteen of us lucky ones got to see it in the flesh. Such a blast to see a proper r & r band play again and it sure did blast away de ol' lockdown blues. 🎸⭐️🎸 Photograph by Brother @jamesendeacott

pic has got a lot of "day release from Monster Mansion" energy.

Hilarious

Siri show me 'an almost transcendental lack of self-awareness' please. (From Bobby Gillespie's book). pic.twitter.com/EB0tGFmc7O

— ⚫Neil Kulkarni (@KaptainKulk) May 13, 2022

He's beyond parody but I'm going to keep on trying.

lol I think all the music hacks who encouraged him for decades should bear some responsibility for his condition. Someone from literature-twitter pointed out that the Kipling quote is wrong!

All Boaby knows about Kipling is that he makes exceedingly good cakes.

That truly is something else.

Really sad to read how they treated Martin Duffy

Primal Scream really don’t come out well from this. https://t.co/9GZGirdgiT

— Michael Hann (@MichaelAHann) June 7, 2023

Really sad to read how they treated Martin Duffy

Primal Scream really don’t come out well from this. https://t.co/9GZGirdgiT

— Michael Hann (@MichaelAHann) June 7, 2023

Not sure how that double posted

why was this pdf posted to this particular site? (dafts...)????

I watched the French movie FULL TIME yesterday. The protagonist is a hotel maid who at one point has to power-wash one room's bathroom walls because they're covered in a guest's feces. The guest is described as "the Scottish rock star" and my instantaneous mental reaction was, Wow, I wonder what inspired the screenwriter to take such a shot at Bobby Gillespie?

Sadly I think that might be a reference to Gerry Rafferty.

Backup option: John Martyn.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/feb/17/gerry-rafferty-in-hiding

Sorry if this has been asked elsewhere, but does anyone know why the Weatherhall mix of "Come Together" is no longer streaming?

are there any other Primal Scream songs that aren’t streaming?

never mind, I just checked and it is still on streaming

The Farley Mix is -- not the Weatherhall mix though. It got replaced on Loaded (at least in the US).

https://i.ibb.co/dxskXyk/IMG-7268.jpg

well, the internet hates me. Good thing I got a CD. Weird.

The Weatherall / original album version (with Jesse Jackson samples) has been replaced with the Farley version on the album in YouTube Music. The Weatherall version does not appear to be on the service at all.

Actually, I guess the American release always had the Farley mix? I only ever owned the first Creation CD release.

Yeah that is correct.

On the American pressings of the album, the Terry Farley mix of "Come Together" was featured in place of the original UK mix.

I should have specified I was referring to YouTube Music (US)

Bullshit your way outta this one, Boabs

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/dec/11/london-venue-appalled-by-antisemitic-imagery-allegedly-screened-at-primal-scream-gig

Images of the destruction in Gaza were also shown on screen. The video concluded with the words: “Our government is complicit in genocide.”

I mean, if eg it comes out that any of the political figures were British or any elements of the Union flag also appeared on eyes, the initial statement probably covers it without need for bullshit

Lots of stars ‘n stripes, a fair few union flags, the Star element of the eye graphic is clearly established as specifically representing the flag of Israel and the current genocide being conducted by its government, in collusion with those of the US and UK, not jewishness as a concept. It’s fair for an individual gig-goer who couldn’t read the montage to take one element as anti-semitic, but it’s a failure of the Graun to be unable to parse a (n incredibly unsubtle) piece of visual media.

More like bullshit your way outta this one, Guardian.

Boab's not very subtle at all, lol. but drawing parallels between two different genocidal ethnostates is not antisemitic, imo

My main takeaway there was what a weird and terrible live version of the track.

as if the fucking venue didn't have a clue who they were booking and were completely taken by surprise and aghast at what transpired. As if it isn't already bad enough that 99% of our parliament is already owned by the genocidal Zionist lobby. Nothing is ever enough for these fuckers.

and lol also what a shite band!

From a locked twitter account:

"The one time I saw Primal Scream, they were so awful that Mani appeared outside the front of the venue as everyone was leaving and apologised. RIP Mani"

They used to be p good live imo but that looks abysmal. The tour where they had Kevin Shields playing with them was p fire.

I think the only time I saw them was at Reading Festival in 1998, but they were pretty good that night. tbf I was in a bit of an elevated mood at the time

it was actually Reading 2000

Saw them headlining a festival in 2013 and doing a half hour slot at another in 2023. The 2013 slot I'd argue was a good time for them as More Light was pretty damn good.

The only time I ever saw them was supporting the Butthole Surfers at the end of the 80s, pretty poor as I recall but no symbols involved. Look we'd all miss Boaby if he wasn't there!

I was extremely impressionable at that age but I thought they were incredible live c1998-2000. Saw them at a Minehead ATP a few years later - not sure if Mani was still with them at that point but either way I lost interest very quickly.

Is that Paul Simonon playing with them at the Roundhouse?

i can't support primal scream displaying the symbol of the fringe religious group 'raelism' (which is confusingly responsible for a bunch of weird public art installations here)

their new bassist is apparently phil mossman, former lcd soundsystem member

james murphy worked on xtrmntr i believe, like one track or something.

idk about james but phil mossman is on "blood money" and "keep your dreams", and tim goldsworthy helped mix the latter

the former* rather

story as best as i can piece it together is that murphy, goldsworthy and mossman were working on the david holmes album bow down to the exit sign, which overlapped with and were in the same studio as primal scream's sessions for "blood money" and "keep your dreams", which were produced by holmes. that was how goldsworthy and mossman ended up on xtrmntr. murphy seems to have been around those primal scream sessions at least but wasn't credited with anything? those david holmes sessions were also where mossman met murphy and agreed to join lcd soundsystem

An alternative headline:

https://louderthanwar.com/primal-scream-targeted-by-same-pro-israel-groups-that-pursued-kneecap-as-bob-vylan-sues-over-antisemitism-slur