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Rating:
This is not a simple band to describe.
This is not slapdash music.
This is GENIUS.
Genius that is musically embodied in one of the most diverse bands of the last 20 years.
Bobby Gillespie undoubtedly deserves credit as one of the most interesting musicians of recent years. A former collaborator of the Jesus and Mary Chain (with whom he collaborated on guitars for the first work), at the end of the '80s, he decided to form the group I'm reviewing now, Primal Scream.
We know them primarily for the first masterpiece "Screamadelica," one of the most influential albums of the '90s in every way, after two good records that I'm not well-acquainted with, like "Sonic Flower Groove" and a self-titled one.
When 1994 arrived, "Give Out But Don't Give Up" was released, already different from "Screamadelica," as it features a style between funky and Stones-esque rock'n'roll. This is one of the reasons why some criticisms like "this is the misstep of Gillespie and company" started to rain down. I distrust these criticisms and move on.
The door opens with "Jailbird" and "Rocks", the two most well-known songs at the time, where Bobby plays the Mick Jagger role so well that at a certain point, it feels like listening to a Stones record. But they also have an acoustic heart that doesn't stand still, and the next track, "(I'm Gonna) Cry Myself Blind", is proof of that. Sensational.
Notable is the cameo of George Clinton, one of the pioneers of funk, and Denise Johnson in "Funky Jam", which in my opinion is a bomb, a track suitable for being part of a summer blowout soundtrack. It is followed by the ballad, also acoustic, "Big Jet Plane", which demonstrates how this "heart" is relentless.
"Free" is perhaps the most intimate track of all, a seductive saxophone introduces the wonderful voice of Denise Johnson, and it's hard not to be captivated by it. "Call On Me" is closer to blues-rock than simple rock'n'roll.
The unaware of electronic Primal won't be disappointed when listening to the long "Struttin'", where the acid, dub, heavy sounds present in "Screamadelica" already emerge and will characterize the band's style again later on.
But I bet that for those unaware "Sad And Blue" will be another punch to the gut. An unprecedented gospel choir in a song also very much in the Jagger style, which performs its task admirably.
The title track is an authentic journey between funky and reggae, also featuring the vocal duet between Johnson and George Clinton. It's a kind of head-to-head moment with the overlap between the bass and the trumpet, perhaps one of the highest points of the album.
Closing the whole thing are two excellent ballads, "I'll Be There For You" and "Everybody Needs Somebody" (not a cover of the namesake song from "The Blues Brothers", eh!), taking a complete distance from '70s style rock.
Twelve years later, these inspirations would return in "Riot City Blues," according to Gillespie, but unfortunately, the impact, in my opinion, is not the same, as seen in "Country Girl," a song that is generally nothing special.
Trust me, it won't be "Evil Heat," it won't be "Vanishing Point," it won't be "XTRMNTR," it won't be any of those masterpieces that we justifiably adore, yet this record is truly beautiful. Listen to believe.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Jailbird (03:47)
Scratchin' like a tom cat
Got a monkey on my back
I'm gonna push and pull
And howl like wolf
And drive my cadillac
I've got medication, honey
I've got wings to fly
I've got horse hoof tea
To buzz you like a bee
Gonna blind the evil eye
Push and pull with me
Funky jammin' free
Walk it like you talk it, honey
Strut your funky stuff
Come on...
(Chorus)
I'm yours, you're mine
Gimme more of that Jailbird pie
I'm yours, you're mine
Gimme more of that Jailbird pie
I'm yours, you're mine
Gimme more of that Jailbird pie
I'm yours, you're mine
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Come in my kitchen
I've got hop head soup for grease
Just shake your hips
And let it rip
And let the spirit free
Ride on baby, ride on
Let your crazy horses loose
Give it all you got
When you're hot to trot
And wave bye bye to the blues
Shake it to the east
Shake it to the west
Shake it with the very one
That you love the best
Come on...
Repeat chorus
All right
I'm yours, you're mine
Gimme more of that Jailbird pie
I'm yours, you're mine
Gimme more of that Jailbird pie
02 Rocks (03:37)
Dealers keep dealin'
Thieves keep thievin'
Whores keep whorin'
Junkies keep scorin'
Trade is on the meat rack
Strip joints full of hunchbacks
Bitches keep a bitchin'
Clap just keeps itchin'
Ain't no use in prayin'
That's the way it's stayin', baby
Johnny ain't so crazy
He's always got a line for the ladies
(yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Chorus)
Get your rocks off
Get your rocks off, honey
Shake it now now
Get'em off downtown
Get your rocks off
Get you rocks off, honey
Shake it now now
Get'em off downtown
Creeps a keep crawlin'
Drunks a keep fallin'
Teasers keep a teasein'
Holy joes are preachin'
Cops just keep bustin'
Hustlers keep a hustlin'
Deathjust keeps knockin'
Souls are up for auction
Ain't no use in prayin'
That's the way it's stayin', baby
Johnny ain't so crazy
He's always got a line for the ladies
(yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Repeat chorus 2x and fade to end)
03 (I'm Gonna) Cry Myself Blind (04:30)
Nothin' last forever
It's so sad to lose your love
I've been crazy since you left me
I'm sorry for what I've done
Why did you go, why did you go
Have you ever had a broken heart
Have you ever lost your mind
Have you ever woke up screamin'
'Cause you're so lonely you could die
Why did you go, why did you go
I'm lonely baby
(Chorus)
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
I'm gonna cry myself blind
Cry, cry, cry
I'm gonna cry myself blind
Good times don't come easy
Dreams don't all come true
The world looks like a prison
When you're stingin' with the blues
Why did you go, why did you go
I'm gonna cry myself blind
(Repeat chorus 2x)
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry...
06 Free (05:30)
Got a sad destructive feelin' Creepin' through my soul When i'm awake and when I'm dreamin' Just won't leave me alone I know you've got another lover I know you've got something to hide You've been acting kind of nervous You can't look me in the eye I can tell, I can tell I can tell you're cheatin' me You're cheatin' me Cheat, cheat, you're cheatin' me Oohh, Baby, I'm free of you Oohh, Baby, Free of you Don't want you to touch me Don't you touch me Don't you touch me Everything is broken I believe in you no more Does she satisfy you, honey Does she make you feel alive I can't stand the though of you naked In someone else's arms Chorus (2x) I'm free of you I'm free of you I'm free of you Said I'm free of you I've got this sad destructive feelin' In my body, baby? You've been cheatin' on me You've been cheatin' on me You've been cheatin' on me I can tell, I can tell You've been cheatin' on me And now I'm free of you
07 Call on Me (03:50)
If you're broke down
and you're needin' a ride
If you're feelin'
more dead than alive
If you're hungry
and you're needin' a feast
If you wanna get drunk
every night of the week
call on me, baby
call on me, yeah, yeah, yeah
If you're lonely
you can hold me
call on me*
If you're bored
right out of your mind
If you're lookin'
for a partner in crime
If you're hung up
and you wanna get down
you wanna shake
your funky hips all around
* repeat
call, call, call on me
Baby, Baby, baby
won't you call on me
call, call, call on me
Baby, Baby, baby
won't you call on me**
**repeat twice
oh yeah
won't you call on me, baby
(baby, baby, baby)
(won't you call on me)
my, my, my
got to call on me, honey
(baby, baby, baby)
(won't you call on me)
yeah, yeah, yeah
won't you call on me, baby
(baby, baby, baby)
(won't you call on me)
my, my, my
got to call on me, honey
(baby, baby, baby)
(won't you call on me
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