A collection of early Primal Scream session and studio tracks to try to answer one of the essential Indie conundrums. Why was their debut album Sonic Flower Groove so utterly flat and disposable when the earliest incarnation of that band was definitely a proposition, despite sporting the weakest sound ever to grace the dank stages of the Indie circuit.
I didn't buy Sonic Flower Groove when it was released, despite being of a natural disposition to do so. I was an Indie kid essentially and did purchase the debut albums from The Mighty Lemon Drops and The Weather Prophets at round about the same time. Similar propositions.
I think I sensed the record wasn't up to scratch and saw the band playing in Hampton Wick with my sister at the time of its release. They really weren't much good despite clearly believing they were God's Chelsea Booted Gifts in their own heads. My sister and I saw them prancing around the venue like actual stars before the gig with Alan McGee and the rest of the Creation entourage.
They were not the nicest people Gillespie ot McGee, and their self regard that evening was hugely palpable and at this point misjudged. They talked the talk but the band could not walk the walk, as they proved later in the evning, at least at this point of their gestation. They wanted to achieve and maintain a paradox. To project the '67 magic of The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Love while also embodying the poise of Joy Division, the defiance of The Pop Group and the menace of the Velvets and the Altamont Stones. It wasn't going to happen as much as they wanted it to. They weren't good enough musicians yet.They were still fans first and foremost. It would take them until 1990 and Screamadelica to realise their vision properly and on vinyl and as a live proposition.
Reverberations is worthy of release. These versions of their early set lists are far closer to their early fragile sweetness than Sonic Flower Groove was for sure. What do you get ? Gillespie flouncing around in a flowery or polkadotted blouse and singing out of tune, (deliberately or otherwise, it isn't always clear). Jim Beattie deciding whether he wants to be Roger McGuinn, Johnny Echols or Keith Richard in his head on any particular number. The rest of the band trying to fight their way out of a paper bag. And faliing generally. But failing fairly nobly. The spirit was mire than illing. The flesh was sumply weak. They were insect royalty.
I like Reverberations. But then I always loved The Byrds, Love, Buffalo Springfield and the Nuggets bands. It's a sizable and important part of my record collection. It's nice to see Primal Scream come to terms with their early brittle wonder ,,, and failure. And want to have it out there in the marketplace, Plenty will enjoy this record. For some it remains their favourite version of the band. I mught be in that faction.
Didn't know about this. As a floppy-haired C86 kid, their early records were key listening at the time. I did buy Sonic Flower Groove when it came out, but mostly out of loyalty. Never really liked it or played it that much. Saw them a few months earlier, just after finishing my finals, at a strange venue in Leeds where the stage was on top of the bar. Bobby Gillespie stormed off after an argument with one of the band....and that was that. Never really got into their later iterations, and my love of C86 type bands kind of petered out.
ReplyDeleteI think Bobby spent quite a lot of his adult life storming around. He's a very odd fellow. I think this collection is a lot better than Sonic Flower Groove. I don't mind them later on. I really liked Vanishing Point. Did sell my vinyl copy of Screamadelica becaue I got tired of his voice on it.
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