Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band performed throughout 1982-1984, but their career did not take off until Gillespie left his position as drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain. The band were a key part of the mid-1980s indie pop movement called the C86 scene, but eventually moved away from their more jangly sound, taking on more psychedelic and then garage rock influences, before incorporating a dance music element to their sound. Their 1991 album Screamadelica broke the band into the mainstream.
Links To Peel[]
Peel was a fan of Primal Scream when they were part of the C86 scene and invited them to record sessions for his show in 1985 and 1986. When they started to use more psychedelic sounds and dance elements to their music. However, he somehow lost interest in them and by the mid-90s, he was quoted saying that the band was not his cup of tea.[1] In 1997, Peel started to show interest in the band again and started playing tracks from them:
"The other day, I was driving around listening to the radio, amongst other things, and this came up, and I thought, that's really good, and then at the end they said, "That's Primal Scream," and I always thought to meself, I didn't really like Primal Scream apart from the first couple of singles, but there are some good tracks on the new LP: probably in the charts by now, but that doesn't matter a great deal, I don't think." [2]
During Peel's lifetime, the band's long-term core members of Bobby Gillespie (previously Wake, Jesus And Mary Chain), Andrew Innes and Robert Young were joined at various points by notable names from other bands featured by the DJ, including long-time members Martin Duffy (Felt), Mani (Stone Roses) and Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine). In 1991, Primal Scream's breakthrough 'Screamadelica' LP featured contributions from Jah Wobble (previously Public Image Limited, Alex Paterson (Orb) and producer Andrew Weatherall (subsequently Sabres Of Paradise).
Sessions []
Primal Scream Peel Session 1985
- Two sessions only. Available on Reverberations (Traveling In Time): BBC Radio Sessions & Creation Singles 1985-86 LP, CD, 2023 (Young Tiki).
- Bobby Gillespie also played bass on the only session by the Wake (in 1983) and drums on the first two by Jesus And Mary Chain (1984, 1985). Primal Scream co-founder Jim Beattie also one session with Adventures In Stereo (1997).
1. Recorded: 1985-12-01. First Broadcast: 10 December 1985. Repeated: The Peel Tapes Vol.3, 08 January 1986
- Crystal Crescent / Aftermath / Subterranean / I Love You
2. Recorded: 1986-05-06. First Broadcast: 14 May 1986. Repeated: 28 May 1986
- Tomorrow Ends Today / Leaves / Bewitched And Bewildered
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1985 Festive Fifty: It Happens #44
- 1986 Festive Fifty: Velocity Girl #04
- 1991 Festive Fifty: Higher Than The Sun (Orb Version) #11
Other Shows Played[]
(The list below was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is incomplete. Please add further information if known.)
Primal Scream - It Happens
- 1985
- 30 September 1985 (BBC World Service): It Happens (v/a LP - Different For Domeheads) Creation
- 16 October 1985: It Happens (7" - All Fall Down) Creation CRE 017
- 16 December 1985: It Happens (7" - All Fall Down) Creation CRE 017 FF#44
- 1986
- 03 February 1986: It Happens (7" - All Fall Down) Creation
- 22 April 1986: Crystal Crescent (7") Creation
- 28 April 1986 (BBC World Service): Crystal Crescent (7") Creation
- 13 May 1986: Crystal Crescent (7") Creation
- 17 May 1986 (BFBS): Crystal Crescent (7") Creation
- 21 May 1986: Velocity Girl (7" - Crystal Crescent) Creation CRE 026
- 31 May 1986 (BFBS): Velocity Girl (12" - Crystal Crescent) Creation CRE 026 T
- 16 June 1986: Velocity Girl (7" - Crystal Crescent) Creation
- 25 June 1986: Velocity Girl (7" - Crystal Crescent) Creation
- 30 December 1986: Velocity Girl FF#04
- 1987
- 16 June 1987: Gentle Tuesday (7") Elevation
- 07 September 1987: Imperial (7") Elevation
- September 1987 (BBC World Service): Imperial (7") Elevation
Primal Scream - Velocity Girl
- 1989
- 11 April 1989: Velocity Girl (7" - Crystal Crescent) Creation
- 19 July 1989: You're Just Too Dark To Care (12" - Ivy Ivy Ivy) Creation
- 10 August 1989: You're Just Too Dark To Care (b/w 12" - Ivy Ivy Ivy) Creation CRE 067 T
- 02 September 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 114 (BFBS)): 'You're Just Too Dark To Care (LP-Primal Scream)' (Creation)
- 02 September 1989 (BFBS): Ivy Ivy Ivy (b/w 12" - Ivy Ivy Ivy) Creation CRE 067 T
- 1990
- 14 February 1990: Loaded (7") Creation
- 20 February 1990: Loaded (7") Creation
- February 1990 (BBC Radio East Anglia): Loaded (single) Creation
Primal Scream - Higher Than the Sun
- 1991
- 18 May 1991: Higher Than The Sun (Orb version) (Creation)
- 19 May 1991: Higher Than The Sun (American Spring Mix) (12") Creation
- 31 May 1991 (BFBS): Higher Than The Sun (Orb version) (Creation)
- 02 June 1991: Higher Than The Sun (Orb version) (Creation)
- 1993
- Peel Late Spring 1993: Higher Than The Sun (Orb version) Creation
- 28 May 1993: Higher Than The Sun (Orb version) (Creation) 1991 Phantom Fifty #11
- 1994
- 02 December 1994: Crystal Crescent (12 inch ) Creation Records
- 1996
- 22 July 1996: Velocity Girl (Janice Long session from July 1986) (John Peel's Classic Sessions)
- 1997
- 28 April 1997: Kowalski (single) Creation
- 30 April 1997: Kowalski (single) Creation
- 01 May 1997: Kowalski (single) Creation
- 16 July 1997: Long Life (album - Vanishing Point) Creation
- 25 July 1997 (BFBS): 'Long Life (2x12"-Vanishing Point)' (Creation)
- 2000
- 18 January 2000: Kill All Hippies (LP-Xtrmntr) (Creation)
- 19 January 2000: Accelerator (LP-Xtrmntr) (Creation)
- 20 January 2000: Pills (LP-Xtrmntr) (Creation)
- 25 January 2000: MBV Arkestra (If They Move, Kill Them) (LP-Xtrmntr) (Creation)
- 30 January 2000 (BFBS): I'm Five Years Ahead Of My Time (LP-Xtrmntr) (Creation)
- 03 February 2000 (Radio Eins): Kill All Hippies (LP-Xtrmntr) (Creation)
- 14 March 2000: JP: "As you can tell, we're now in Glasgow. We have two favourite bars in Glasgow. We've been in the first and we're now in the second and unfortunately, I can't pronounce the name of the one we're in because it's in the Gaelic ... a fellow in a kilt has just gone by, which you don't see that often oddly enough. We checked out of the hotel in Newcastle and we were sharing the hotel with Primal Scream. The embarrassing thing being that a couple of them were at the reception when I went in, and of course I don't really know 'em (chuckles). It was only because someone had said to me outside 'Are you here to see Primal Scream?', which I obviously wasn't. So there you go, we have brushed, almost rubbed shoulders with the greats." Pills (LP-'Xtrmntr') Creation
- 2004
- 29 December 2004 (Rob Da Bank): 'Velocity Girl (7"-Crystal Crescent)' (Creation)