Primal Scream - Evil Heat

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 24 / 7 / 2002

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Review

The more good albums that a band produces, the bigger the pressure becomes for them to satisfy their demanding fans, who become increasingly full of expectations. In the case of the Scottish group Primal Scream the pressure is huge. You may remember the time Bobby Gillespie, hand in hand with Andrew Innes and Robert Young, first set off on their trip up to the top in the mid 80’s, or the time when their acclaimed, psychedelic masterpiece 'Screamadelica' came out in 1992. Their fans went mental then dancing to songs about freedom such as ‘Loaded’ and then chilled out with gentler numbers such as ‘Higher Then The Sun'. They followed this up in 1994 with the less appreciated, Stones influenced album ‘Give Out But Don’t Give Up’. Further twists in the Primal Scream tale came when they released their final two albums of the last century, ‘Vanishing Point’ and ‘Exterminator’. Finding new sounds, and then extending them out with various effects and in a dense musical style, happens to be something of an obsession with this band. Primal Scream's latest release, ‘Evil Heat’, definitely builds upon these last two albums, but the way in which they have approached things is, as always, new and original. The opening track, ‘Deep Hit Of Morning Sun’, will perhaps give you the best idea of how they have managed to do this. It tunes into your musical senses, letting off little light electric explosions in your brain, and feels almost hypnotic in style. ‘Miss Lucifer’, the next track, was released as a single in 5 different mixes. Its music flashes by in a speed of light around which Bobby shrieks "Shake it baby! Shake it baby! Phanter girl. Take her home. Hip to hip, bone to bone. Evil heat all night long!" Former Jesus and Mary Chain star Jim Reid has lent his voice to the detached sound of ‘Detroit’. His dimmed voice perfectly matches the bleakly dark music. Bobby is, however, everything but speechless on ‘Rise’, singing about the rottenness of society and injustice. Drumbeats dictate the rhythm with a tight accuracy but provide enough space for the rest of the musical instruments to slip in deftly. They, however, egotistically, stand out enough though to draw your attention. Primal Scream have always been interested in cover versions (‘Darklands’ by the Mary Chain, the MC5's ‘Kick Out The Jams’ etc) and haven't missed out with ‘Evil Heat’. ‘Some Velvet Morning’ was originally written by Lee Hazlewood who sang it in duet with Nancy Sinatra. Primal Scream have invited model Kate Moss to sing it with Bobby, electrified the song and given it a brand new and satisfying makeover. The instrumental song, ‘A Scanner Darkly’ blends together a number of sounds, but holds on to the main line in its very centre. The eleventh and also the last song, ‘Space Blues # 2’, is sung by keyboardist Martin Duffy. ‘On the Judgement Day, when your name is called and the ocean’s rise, and the mountain’s fall, will the blood of Christ sanctify your soul ?" he sings peacefully. Merciful music beats its way forward in a forgiving tone across this spiritual, as it would if you were taking grace, but in a last twist Duffy closes the album, also asking "Or will you follow Satan and a Hell below ?" Some people nostalgically say that Primal Scream’s music has changed, and it is not what it used to be. I could not think of a better compliment.

Track Listing:-

1 Deep Hit Of Morning Sun
2 Miss Lucifer
3 Autobahn 66
4 Detroit
5 Rise
6 The Lord Is My Shotgun
7 City
8 Some Velvet Morning
9 Skull X
10 A Scanner Darkly
11 Space Blues Number 2

Have a Listen:-