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The History Men
PRIMAL SCREAM
EDINBURGH, VENUE
THE CURSE of Biddy Baxter strikes again. Not many people know this, but
popular culture has never been the same since evil police hating thugs
smashed up the Blue Peter garden. Though their action was an anti
Percy Thrower gesture the neds unwittingly disturbed the Blue
Peter time capsule unsettling its weirdy '60s contents and releasing
clouds of potentially lethal vibe gas. Now the Vietnam war is being
replayed on every British street corner and centre partings and backward
guitars are de rigeur for aspiring pop groups.
Which brings us to Primal Scream. They'll balk atthe revivalist tag, and
in a sense they're right. There's nothing more '80s than a strongly
marketable image coupled with a historically tested pop sound. If it was
fine for Sky Saxon then it's dandyf or Primal Scream goes the logic,
which is OK if you don't mind the fact that your bubblegum's been in
someone else's mouth.
But they are good at it. A live surprise is that, unlike most of their
contemporaries, the Primals can play their songs with a minimal amount
of fussing. In short, they don't shamble. Neither do they communicate
very much, Bobby Gillespie's sole utterance being a mumbled Pete
Townsend credit before their opening song, a surprisingly effective
funeral parlour version of The Who's 'So Sad About Us'.
Picture that and you've got the Primal sound taped, guitars alternate
between jangling and sounding fuzzy, the drums content themselves with a
single plodding beat, while the vocals sing sha la Ia lee. Popular
lyrical couplets include the idea of motion, going round and round, or
even down, down. these being the authentic concerns of the drug crazed
teenager. Shirts are spotty, trousers are tight, boots are pointy.
Though they didn't have any oil based slide displays featuring nudey
women, there were kaleidoscopic glimpses of the Buzzcocks, which gave
slight relief from the hardcore trippery as well as a glimpse of how pop
got itself into such a mess. As a happening this was misnamed. As a trip
it didn't travel far. Like the second generation mod bands Primal Scream
have a fine sense of pophistory which will satisfythe very young and the
very lazy. Me? I prefer the 50s.
Alastair McKay
Originally appeared in NME 10 Oct 1987.
Copyright © NME.
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