It seems that my last post about BBC4's Primal Scream documentary on the making of Screamadelica generated a mixed response.
Martyn wrote 'Love it. Best blog yet.' Thanks Martyn. The cheque's in the post.
Alistair, who has released a slew of self-released CD-Rs, commented 'You seem to have similar feelnigs to me about Screamadelica – it's a remix album from which we were mercifully spared the originals (mostly). The only album I had any real time for was XTRMNTR which has a lot to do with [My Bloody Valentine's] Kevin Shields's production on the relevant tracks.'
But the best comments came from Ian, with whom I clearly hit a bit of a nerve. Here's his views, warts and all.
'How can anyone who likes non-mainstream music hate The Stone Roses? And resist Nirvana? But love Erasure? Why do I read anything you write?'
And on Screamadelica: 'Lucky that they were in the right place at the right time to release this album? How many psych indie bands were scratching about at the same time lacking the vision to make the zeitgeistian leap Bobby and his boys did?
'I don't recall anyone else taking the same chance in giving so much control to a producer and thus creating what will remain a classic album. I saw them play it six months ago at Earl's Court and having seen a few of these ATP classic album replays, this was without a doubt the most enthusiastic and reverential crowd I've ever seen for any album re-hash. This album for me and many others judging by that crowd, was the catalyst for a leap from rock to “druggy” musical tastes and therefore massively important for changing many previously closed attitudes to various musical genres. Not many albums soundtrack a period for so many people as Screamadelica clearly did, and shouldn't be sniffed at for doing so.
'Weatherall is obviously massively influential on the album but afterwards look at XTRMNTR (their best album by far) to see that they weren't spaced out so far as not to learn and develop from their time with a techno producer like Weatherall. Forget the Stones tribute album afterwards [Give Out But Don't Give Up], biggest pile of shite they ever did but an intentional effort to lose transitory fans.
'I love Primal Scream and I'll see you round the back of the building 5pm Friday to sort this out.'
Gulp.
Vinyl Corner
A couple of recent 7" purchases that have finally found their way into my shiny new iPod.
The first is '23' by the brilliantly-named Death Dub, which appears to date from 2006 but looked like a new release in Rough Trade East. The helpful Rough Trade notes identified it as the project of Touch Recording artist BJ Nilsen and Joachim Nordwall, and '23' was described as an exploration of their interests in dub and industrial noise. Meanwhile the label stuck this squarely into the Rough Trade 'Industrial / free jazz' category.
The industrial connection I get. The artwork, such as it's simple one-sided sleeve insert is, has a design reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle and the usage of the number 23 sticks this work in with the William S. Burroughs-influenced fraternity that dominated industrial music in the late Seventies. The dub connection I don't get. I was expecting some sort of heavyweight Godflesh-style abrasive dub style, and not the murky, impenetrable bass-heavy swamp that this track represents. Even the 'version' on the B-side carries nary a whiff of anything I'd associate with dub. Well, as for free jazz, I don't hear that here at all.
Still, I like the edgy, dark sonic immersiveness that this represents, and listening on headphones reveals lots going on within both the original track and the version. And also, in John Peel style, it sounds great at the wrong speed too.
I mentioned '3 A.M. Eternal' by The KLF in my last post, and I recently happened upon a 7" version in a tiny Luxembourg treasure trove of a record shop that I've mentioned before. '3 A.M. Eternal' was The KLF's first really successful single, but the version presented here isn't the original; that was released in 1989 as a proper dance music 12" and is supposedly not a pop track like this ultimately was. I don't have the means / inclination to track that original down, but all reports suggest that it's a brilliant track.
Looking back, I never really liked this track as much as 'What Time Is Love?' and 'Last Train To Trancentral', the singles that appeared either side of this. This seemed something of a novelty with all that fake Mu-Mu mythology sprinkled all over it. Listening to the main single version today feels pretty nostalgic and it has a deep quality to it, like 808 State's seminal 'Pacific State' thanks to the inclusion of some frozen-in-time saxophone. The B-side, the Guns Of Mu-Mu edit, has an early house feel, with a proper 4/4 beat and a liquid bassline that predates the derivative garage low-end by a good few years.
Martyn wrote 'Love it. Best blog yet.' Thanks Martyn. The cheque's in the post.
Alistair, who has released a slew of self-released CD-Rs, commented 'You seem to have similar feelnigs to me about Screamadelica – it's a remix album from which we were mercifully spared the originals (mostly). The only album I had any real time for was XTRMNTR which has a lot to do with [My Bloody Valentine's] Kevin Shields's production on the relevant tracks.'
But the best comments came from Ian, with whom I clearly hit a bit of a nerve. Here's his views, warts and all.
'How can anyone who likes non-mainstream music hate The Stone Roses? And resist Nirvana? But love Erasure? Why do I read anything you write?'
And on Screamadelica: 'Lucky that they were in the right place at the right time to release this album? How many psych indie bands were scratching about at the same time lacking the vision to make the zeitgeistian leap Bobby and his boys did?
'I don't recall anyone else taking the same chance in giving so much control to a producer and thus creating what will remain a classic album. I saw them play it six months ago at Earl's Court and having seen a few of these ATP classic album replays, this was without a doubt the most enthusiastic and reverential crowd I've ever seen for any album re-hash. This album for me and many others judging by that crowd, was the catalyst for a leap from rock to “druggy” musical tastes and therefore massively important for changing many previously closed attitudes to various musical genres. Not many albums soundtrack a period for so many people as Screamadelica clearly did, and shouldn't be sniffed at for doing so.
'Weatherall is obviously massively influential on the album but afterwards look at XTRMNTR (their best album by far) to see that they weren't spaced out so far as not to learn and develop from their time with a techno producer like Weatherall. Forget the Stones tribute album afterwards [Give Out But Don't Give Up], biggest pile of shite they ever did but an intentional effort to lose transitory fans.
'I love Primal Scream and I'll see you round the back of the building 5pm Friday to sort this out.'
Gulp.
Vinyl Corner
A couple of recent 7" purchases that have finally found their way into my shiny new iPod.
The first is '23' by the brilliantly-named Death Dub, which appears to date from 2006 but looked like a new release in Rough Trade East. The helpful Rough Trade notes identified it as the project of Touch Recording artist BJ Nilsen and Joachim Nordwall, and '23' was described as an exploration of their interests in dub and industrial noise. Meanwhile the label stuck this squarely into the Rough Trade 'Industrial / free jazz' category.
The industrial connection I get. The artwork, such as it's simple one-sided sleeve insert is, has a design reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle and the usage of the number 23 sticks this work in with the William S. Burroughs-influenced fraternity that dominated industrial music in the late Seventies. The dub connection I don't get. I was expecting some sort of heavyweight Godflesh-style abrasive dub style, and not the murky, impenetrable bass-heavy swamp that this track represents. Even the 'version' on the B-side carries nary a whiff of anything I'd associate with dub. Well, as for free jazz, I don't hear that here at all.
Still, I like the edgy, dark sonic immersiveness that this represents, and listening on headphones reveals lots going on within both the original track and the version. And also, in John Peel style, it sounds great at the wrong speed too.
I mentioned '3 A.M. Eternal' by The KLF in my last post, and I recently happened upon a 7" version in a tiny Luxembourg treasure trove of a record shop that I've mentioned before. '3 A.M. Eternal' was The KLF's first really successful single, but the version presented here isn't the original; that was released in 1989 as a proper dance music 12" and is supposedly not a pop track like this ultimately was. I don't have the means / inclination to track that original down, but all reports suggest that it's a brilliant track.
Looking back, I never really liked this track as much as 'What Time Is Love?' and 'Last Train To Trancentral', the singles that appeared either side of this. This seemed something of a novelty with all that fake Mu-Mu mythology sprinkled all over it. Listening to the main single version today feels pretty nostalgic and it has a deep quality to it, like 808 State's seminal 'Pacific State' thanks to the inclusion of some frozen-in-time saxophone. The B-side, the Guns Of Mu-Mu edit, has an early house feel, with a proper 4/4 beat and a liquid bassline that predates the derivative garage low-end by a good few years.
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