As Screamadelica turns 30

We Wanna Be Free

We look back at Primal Scream’s magnum opus at 30 – the last word on dancefloor-ready neopsychedelia whose influence is still felt today

Words: Lewis Wade

‘We wanna be free to do what we wanna do / And we wanna get loaded and we wanna have a good time!’ So demands Peter Fonda in the intro to Loaded, in a speech far more famous than the film it came from (The Wild Angels, not Easy Rider), succinctly setting out the late 60s counterculture stall. And this was precisely the hedonistic vibe that The Stone Roses had catapulted into the mainstream a year earlier in 1989 with their self-titled debut, hinting at a style that the fledgling Primal Scream had been struggling to find in their early years. Released a full 18 months before Screamadelica, Loaded was the first taste of what was to become the defining document (alongside The Stone Roses) of the neo-psychedelic movement that dominated British alternative music in the late 80s and early 90s. Now, 30 years on, it’s clear why this album was a watershed moment; from its iconic acid-dappled cover art, through the house-inspired production of the late Andrew Weatherall, to the kaleidoscopic exuberance that bleeds through each glorious song. Before this album, Primal Scream were grasping for an identity. Despite helping to inspire the C86 jangle-pop sound with their waifish, underrated Velocity Girl in 1986, the band had switched line-ups and experimented with different styles over two poorly received albums. But Bobby Gillespie’s omnivorous musical appetite and willingness to incorporate anything going is what gives Screamadelica its uniquely jumbled flavour (not unlike The Avalanches’ Since I Left You, though they needed over 1000 samples to do it, not just bongos, ecstasy and a working knowledge of mid-80s Chicago house). The album opens with Movin’ on Up – unashamedly cribbing from The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil – which provides one of the few links to past and future Primal Scream with the searing hard-rock guitars, but the prominence of gospel singers, the electronic production and Gillespie’s light touch vocals are the first signs that this is a different beast. The psychedelia is immediately dialled up on the cover of Slip Inside This House, with whirling sitars sitting next to a syrupy Amen break. And then Don’t Fight It, Feel It runs dangerously close to the vapid dance music of the era that paired interchangeable soul singers with pseudo-transcendent electronics, but is saved by Weatherall’s Midas touch and the thrilling Italo-house piano that enters midway through. These three songs are very different, but they represent the album perfectly in their marriages of dance and rock, along with so much more. Gillespie is a less prominent vocal presence throughout the album (sometimes not appearing at all), frequently ceding the floor to the many experimental flourishes; the pitched-down orchestra plus haunted yodelling of Inner Flight; the shrill, overbearing saxophone of I’m Comin’ Down; the corny/cosmic psychedelia of Come Together (which gestates for almost five minutes before the uplifting chorus comes in); the spooky accordion of Shine Like Stars. It gives the album an inclusive, cohesive feel, ideal for the sense of collective hedonism and creative freedom that permeates and defines Screamadelica. By the time Screamadelica won the inaugural Mercury Prize in 1992, the burgeoning movement was over, the dance elements to be subsumed into the harder rave scene of the 90s and the rock elements to provide the seeds that Britpop would soon take up and ride to chart domination for the rest of the decade. Tellingly, the band never attempted another album that sounds like this one, perhaps appreciating the unique, lightning-in-a-bottle magic at play here. But its influence has been strongly felt both at home and abroad; Scottish indie was brilliant in the 80s (Orange Juice, The Associates, Aztec Camera etc), but the parameters were fairly narrow until Primal Scream opened the door to funk, house, electronic etc. This openness continued in great 00s bands like Life Without Buildings and Franz Ferdinand and is still felt today in Django Django and even Young Fathers. Outside Scotland, Daft Punk have praised Screamadelica’s brilliance and Mark Ronson cites the album as the one that got him into indie, informing his production style to this day. Solar Power, the first single from Lorde’s most recent album, is clearly indebted to Loaded, so much so that she contacted Gillespie to get his approval. Lorde claims she’d never even heard of Primal Scream, all the more evidence that the band’s influence has seeped into international musical culture, though perhaps lacking the recognition. For a brief moment, rock, acid-house, psychedelia and more congealed into a gleeful genre-less gloop that focused more on vibes than posturing, an unabashed desire for joy that wouldn’t be seen again until the internet started to break down genre borders in the late 00s. It couldn’t happen again, and it would be foolish to attempt, but Screamadelica is the culmination of that moment and a potent gateway drug to experience those feelings again.

Screamadelica was first released on 21 Sep 1991 via Creation Records; three special releases via Sony Music are due to celebrate the 30th anniversary, two on 17 Sep and one 15 Oct

Walk This Way

By 2030, Edinburgh plans to have a net-zero carbon footprint. One way to help the city achieve this is by choosing to meet friends by foot, wheel or bike. Viktoriia Telfer and Ana Alexander did just that on a recent trip to the Edinburgh Climate Festival

Interview: Jamie Dunn

Dean Village Content creators Viktoriia Telfer (@viktoriiadiaries) and Ana Alexander (@ana.is.fun) live in different parts of Edinburgh but took the opportunity to meet each other halfway by attending Edinburgh Climate Festival at Leith Links, with Viktoriia travelling from Dean Village and Ana from the city centre.

We caught up with Viktoriia to hear about her highlights from her half of the journey and the benefits of getting out on foot and meeting a friend halfway. this and yet again, prove that Edinburgh is a very green city and you don’t need a car to get around, as long as you have some time to walk, wheel or cycle.

Did you get any food or drink on your route?

The Skinny: Where did you decide to meet Ana? Viktoriia Telfer: We initially thought about the Shore in Leith, but weren’t quite sure where exactly. The Shore is famous for authentic cafes and shops with lots of culture and good food! We ended up picking Toast, a medium-size cafe with all-day food, wine, pastries and ice cream – nothing too complicated, just a very nice place to meet with pals. If you sit outside you get to enjoy the life of the Shore and the view over the water on a good day. This is exactly what we did before it started raining and we had to go inside. Yep, on the way to the Shore I grabbed a green smoothie at Grams, one of my favourite places to have a healthy brunch or lunch at. At Toast, Ana and I had some amazing hummus and another green juice.

While walking back I discovered a new (perhaps not that new, but it was for me) location of Mimi’s Bakery on Comely Bank Road to grab their amazing brownies for me and my husband for when I arrived home.

After lunch, you went on to the Edinburgh Climate Festival. How was it?

How did you choose your route? I really love the western part of central Edinburgh, especially Dean Village, so it was a very easy decision for me to start from there. Plus you get to see how the architecture changes as you make your way to Leith.

I made sure I could go through Stockbridge so I could pop into a few independent shops like Druid, Aetla and I.J. Mellis. After that I spent the majority of my time on the Water of Leith walkway which is the best getaway right in the heart of Edinburgh – lots of greenery and you can cross the whole city following this route. Does any other city have that? I am not sure. The event was much bigger than I expected! I was happy to see so much diversity and enthusiasm from everyone who had a stall. Kids were having the time of their life joining different workshops while adults were listening to some inspiring folk about our greener future. It was good to see some familiar local brands, bakeries and lots of students who care about the future of Edinburgh and our planet overall.

What, for you, were the benefits of meeting halfway?

Did anything surprise you on your journey? Pouring rain when I least expected it, and the actual length of my route. I love walking and I am generally very active, although this route was about 5km one way and then another 5km back. You can see the map in my Instagram Highlights. Don’t be put off by [the distance] though, you can cut it short at any point and turn back, picking a circle route back to the West End or Modern One, where I later finished my journey.

It is not often that I walk all the way to Leith, so it was really nice to do Exploring Edinburgh by foot is never boring and every single time you will find something new. I would say that I know Edinburgh pretty well, but walks like these make you notice tiny little details, new additions or hidden gems that you would never notice from the car. It doesn’t matter if you lived in this city for decades or moved recently, you will always see more every time you go out. Mark my words! Follow Viktoriia Telfer's journey @viktoriiadiaries To find out more about the health and environmental benefits of the City of Edinburgh Council's Meet Me Halfway campaign, as well as ideas for your own journey, head to edinburgh.gov.uk/meetmehalfway

Edinburgh Climate Festival

“It doesn’t matter if you lived in this city for decades or moved recently, you will always see more every time you go out”