Primal Scream's 1991 album Screamadelica earned classic status with a seamless mixture of live instruments and programmed machines that captured the moods and attitudes of the era almost perfectly. So perfectly that it's hard to imagine that the band did anything as mundane as recording demos, working through early attempts at songs, or tentatively putting new ideas down on tape. They did, though, and some of the results are captured on Demodelica. Ranging from snippets of vocal takes, full-band run-throughs, and early ...
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Primal Scream's 1991 album Screamadelica earned classic status with a seamless mixture of live instruments and programmed machines that captured the moods and attitudes of the era almost perfectly. So perfectly that it's hard to imagine that the band did anything as mundane as recording demos, working through early attempts at songs, or tentatively putting new ideas down on tape. They did, though, and some of the results are captured on Demodelica. Ranging from snippets of vocal takes, full-band run-throughs, and early mixes, it's a fascinating glimpse of how the album might have sounded had the job of putting it all together and giving it that extra kiss of brilliance hadn't been farmed out to Andrew Weatherall, the Orb, and Jimmy Miller. There's a handful of songs that sound close to finished but for the mixing, and it's fun hearing the group ramble through a halting version of "Movin' On Up" powered by a simple drum loop and minus all the sparkle that was added later, and the version of "Come Together," with strings and a vocal choir, shows what a crack band they were at the time. Along with these almost-finished, pre-mix versions of the songs, the set has a number of tunes presented both in demo and later, studio form, and it's educational to hear what is gained and lost in the process. "I'm Coming Down" moves from a noisy, almost-swinging blues ballad to a looped, space cowboy lament that's only about 1/3 as atmospheric as it is on the album. They were definitely wise to lop off the screaming guitar solo, but even in this unfinished state, the band were making a giant leap past the accepted indie norm. Other tracks show directions and sounds that were lost in the final mix, like the rubbery strut of the studio mix of "Shine Like Stars" and the Jackie Mittoo-esque organ stabs that punctuate "Higher Than the Sun," while the demo mix of "Don't Fight It, Feel It" has a loose, giddy feel that's lost in the precision of the final album mix. The lo-fi, super sunny mix of non-album EP track "Screamadelica" is a nice addition too. It all makes for a fine reissue that will satisfy the curiosity of anyone wondering just how the band arrived at perfection. It should also serve to quell the doubters who give all the credit to the mixers and remixers, since the music here that doesn't have their collective fingerprints all over it is pretty darn good, In fact, the next step might be to construct a complete Screamadelica out of these early, unmixed takes. Even if that never happens, fans of the band and the album should be sure to check out the vital piece of the story that's unveiled here for the first time. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi
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