8.
Primal Scream- Screamadelica
I debated putting this on here, because it’s so standard classic, and so much has been written about this record. It clearly defines a time that was very specific in England that merged rock & roll with dance culture and rave culture and the ecstasy movement, and so much came out of that time. But this is a document of that, and I think the story behind this record is more intriguing than anything. Here’s this band that was doing ostensibly psychedelic-infused rock & roll. And the notion that they would take these songs and hand them to a producer who would modify them or mutate them into these sort of dance opuses is so forward-thinking and exciting and vital and so counter to anything else that was happening, and not what you would imagine taking these kinds of songs and shifting them into. It’s an incredible kind of one-time thing that is not to be repeated. And that record has everything. It has pure beauty; songs that you want to listen to when it’s Sunday morning and you’re hung over and wistful. And then there are things on there where you want to be in the middle of a dancefloor with a group of people and lose yourself. The gospel elements on the record I think are really beautiful and really soulful. It’s extremely powerful, and it’s long been a favourite of mine.
They’re a band that I’m always intrigued by. Certainly their early records I really love, but this one really stands out. I actually really like EXTRMNTR, the one with ‘Kill All Hippies’ on. I think that’s the last great record that they made. And I don’t know if that record gets as much attention as it deserves. It also feels like them trying to reinvent themselves again, and I admire them for their constant sense of reinvention and exploration, which has obviously been a staple since Screamadelica. But yeah, Screamadelica really does stand out on its own.
