Rock n Roll is back in town
From the opening seconds of comeback single 'Country Girl', the writing was on the wall that this wasn't the electro sleaze and politically charged Primal Scream of recent years. Long before the mandolin outro entered, the spirit of The Stones and the Zep had been summoned and the next chapter of Primal Scream, the continuing rock n roll years, had begun. And for all its familiarity, it's a slice of classic rock that Keith, Jimmy and even Gram Parsons would have given a right vein for such is the simple genius and bluster the Scream have recreated.
And in case you thought the first song on the album was a one-off, the boogie woogie piano riff of 'Nitty Gritty' informs the listener that they are going to be exiled on Main Street for the duration. It's a no-brainer, simple lyric, handclapping and strutting guitar riff of a song and for anyone to criticise the Scream for taking such a route is surely missing out on the fun that album holds.
For all the lack of commercial success the last few albums have received, it's fair to say that the critical response to 'Vanishing Point', 'Xtrmntr' and to a lesser extent 'Evil Heat' was fulsome and Primal Scream were being lauded as one of the major innovators and risk takers in mainstream music, so the decision to return the amps to 11 and pack the political posturing away may have been surprising but crucially, not without reason.
Primal Scream suffered an undeserved backlash for an almighty bout of bad timing with pre 'Evil Heat' live shows featuring a song with the chorus of "Bomb the Pentagon", that was remade into 'Rise' after the September 11 attacks. The heat and flack the band took over one political statement may have greatly influenced their thinking to retrace their steps. Couple this to the exit of recent collaborator Kevin Shields, who is known for his effects and production techniques and even the fact that the Greatest Hits release would have enabled Primal Scream to return to their old hits and perhaps enthuse the band with a sense of rock n roll again, it's perhaps no surprise the chameleons of modern music took another turn.
For all there is a greater sense of fun and looseness on 'Riot City Blues', an element of danger and venom bubbles throughout 'When The Bomb Drops' a menacing track no doubt meant as a warning to an ex-friend with repercussions to come. This track and the following 'Little Death', with its Arabic intro and whispered vocals aside, the majority of the album focuses on Stooges like pummelling riffs and a dogged determination to have good times.
Now an elder statesman of rock and father of two, Bobby Gillespie enthuses each line with a belief and sincerity that informs the listener he believes in every single line and harmonica swagger of the record and to hell with the critics. He may not have spent his life on the Delta swamps, sold his soul to the devil or rode down Highway 66 as if his life depended on it but Bobby Gillespie makes you believe he did. Growing up in the drabness of 1970s Glasgow would make dreamers and believers out of any man and Bobby G is the living embodiment of his background.
With the almost obligatory closing track that borders on Gospel with its righteousness and uplifting female vocals, the album is perfectly closed, almost as if you can see the vinyl spinning out as the listener eagerly jumps up to flip sides back to the first side and start the rock n roll again.
And that's the album in a nutshell. It swaggers, it struts, it boogies, it does every rock and roll catchphrase in the book but it doesn't disappoint. Whether you want an authentic rock n roll record made of the time or you just want a fantastic rock n roll record is up to the individual but this is a fantastic record by one of Britain's truly classic bands.