PRIMAL SCREAM Vinyl & CDs

Review: Primal Scream's first new album in eight years, via BMG, following 2016's Chaosmosis, featuring the lead single 'Love Insurrection' which is currently doing the rounds. It's produced by David Holmes and includes cover art by Jim Lambie. The recording process began in 2019, with Bobby Gillespie initially crafting lyrics solo on an acoustic guitar. Encouraged by producer Holmes, the band recorded across Belfast, London and Los Angeles. Gillespie describes the album as embodying a theme of conflict and resilience, inspired by the Glaswegian term "come ahead," which signifies a defiant spirit. The album marks Primal Scream's first release since the passing of longtime member Martin Duffy in 2022. Come Ahead promises to blend the band's trademark evolution with fresh, bold sounds.

Review: Produced by David Holmes, who last worked with the band on 2013's More Light, the 11-track album represents a fresh chapter for the Scottish rock veterans, as well as their first new material in eight years. Bobby Gillespie is reportedly approached this record differently, crafting lyrics before music for the first time and relying on an acoustic guitar during the songwriting process. Gillespie describes the album as a reflection on conflictiboth internal and externalitinged with compassion. The title, a Glaswegian term, embodies the fierce and confident spirit of Glasgow, suggesting a defiant stance against adversity. The album's lead single, 'Love Insurrection,' previews this audacious energy. Come Ahead is the band's first release since the death of Martin Duffy in 2022. Duffy, a longtime collaborator, had contributed to every album since Screamadelica, though he had become estranged from the band over a rights dispute. Primal Scream, originally formed in 1982 by Gillespie and Jim Beattie, have continuously evolved from their indie pop roots into psychedelic, garage rock, dance music and then rock 'n' roll, making Come Ahead a compelling addition to their diverse discography.

Review: Perennially indie-dance favs Primal Scream might be best known for albums like the seminal Screamadelica but did you know they wrote an album that never was? Reverberations (Travelling In Time)' is just that - a debut that wasn't a debut. It lasts just 35 minutes but has 16 perfectly formed pop tunes on it, 11 of them previously unreleased BBC session recordings, and the final five are tunes from their earliest singles on Creation Records. Here the record is pressed up on translucent blue vinyl in limited quantities and includes newly commissioned artwork and a large format booklet with extra context.

Review: You are sure to have your favourite Primal Scream tracks but did you know there was a whole selection of them recorded early on that never ended up getting realised as once intended. Well now you can get your hands on them in an array of CD and vinyl forms. This is a limited gatefold version of Reverberations (Travelling In Time) which has 16 perfectly formed pop nuggets. Five of the tunes are from singles released early in their careers and the other 11 tunes are previously unreleased BBC session recordings that all perfectly captures what many believe to be a crucial era for one of the UK's most important groups.

Review: This cutely entitled Demodelica double album brings together a load of different versions of classic cuts from Primal Schemas Screamadelica album, which itself has been the subject of a big anniversary reissue this year. All of the 16 tracks here are previously unreleased demo versions that offer a real insight into how the final album came together. The works in progress versions are just as interesting and the whole thing comes with some new notes from Jon Savage. Whether it's the rawness of 'I'm Comin' Down' (Isle Of Dogs Home Studio) or the intensity of 'Movin' On Up' (Hackney Studio demo), fans will be keen to hear this one.

Review: In 1991 the UK is in a very different place to the one it occupies today. One thing that hasn't changed in the 30 years between then and now, though, is how incredibly, unbelievably good Primal Scream's Screamadelica was. And still is.

It might have been the studio mastery brought to the mix by the late, great Andrew Weatherall. Perhaps it hit the nail on the head of a year when the country's rock and dance scenes finally met somewhere on the outskirts of Blackburn, or along the M25. Maybe, just maybe, it's because the tracks themselves are just great. Whatever your personal take, this album should be on everyone's shelves. From the hedonism of 'Loaded' to the pseudo-rave euphoria of 'Come Together', and the self love of 'Movin' On Up' always inspires, the record is of its time but resonates through the ages.

Review: Primal Scream's Dixie-Narco EP was released in 1992 and is an often rather overlooked gem from the band's output in the early 90s. It was laid down at Memphis's Ardent Studios and was an experimental continuation of the sounds they had explored on their legendary Screamadelica album. Everything form country blues to acid house to rock gets distilled across the four tunes, and there is even a rare Dennis Wilson cover included. The EP has long been out of print and very hard to find but thanks to this special Record Store Day reissue - a first since 1992 - fans can now add it to their collection.

Review: Ian Weatherall and Duncan Gray's Sons Of Slough project has done plenty of tinkering in the intersection between club and dub music, and somewhere between all that Scottish rock perennials Primal Scream often find their own comfortable nook to stretch out. As such, this 12" seems like a natural course of events, even if it came about through the pure whimsy of a day-dreaming muso (Weatherall) wondering what would happen if an obscure bonus track got stripped down and sent through the echo chamber. Bobby Gillespie was into the idea, and this record was the end result. One for all Balearic head nodders and soundsystem meditators alike.