After conducting another targeted rummage through the BBC’s archival strongrooms, Precious Recordings takes us back through some of the life and times of Glasgow’s The Primevals — in John Peel, Andy Kershaw and Janice Long-commissioned session configurations.
Certainly, one of the gnarliest sounding compendiums put out by the label to date, this twelve-track vinyl affair (that is bolstered by an additional eight pieces on the tied-in Bandcamp download) documents the mid-’80s run of the still self-regenerating enterprise in raw yet steely stylings.
Unashamedly influenced by reverberations of an American psych ‘n’ roll and — to a lesser extent – Australian post-punk noir origin, rather than anything of a Celtic source, the core dozen vinyl cuts represent the band’s sleaze-smeared tropes in warts ‘n’ all fashion. Hence, we’re presented with lashings of slide and churn à la The Gun Club circa Fire Of Love (“Spiritual”, “Elixir Of Life” and “Saint Jack”); Iggy Pop-does-barroom-blues-sludge (“See That Skin”); garrulously galloping X-meets-Violent Femmes cowpunk (“Prairie Chain” and “Fire And Clay”); shades of Grant Hart’s most hallucinogenic noise-pop moments within Hüsker Dü (“Follow Her Down”); touches of Paisley Underground-tinged Americana (“One Sweet Drink” and “Burden Of The Debt”); and intriguing echoes of the atmospheric passages across The Birthday Party’s seminal swansong EPs (“Bleedin’ Black”).The remaining eight digital-only extras, drawn from an even wider pool of BBC studio tapings, offer further exemplars of the same dexterous cross-referencing, albeit with the balance even more heavily tipped in Jeffrey Lee Pierce-infused directions and with perhaps a little less unyielding focus as the well-chosen LP counterpart selections. That said though, the gloriously rousing gang singalong of “Heya” would have made for a great finale to the main assortment.
Much like the bIG*fLAME Peel Sessions round-up dispensed by Precious earlier this year, this considerately curated collection will have somewhat of a Marmite appeal, but for those with a palate already positively-attuned to the power of The Primevals, this is undoubtedly a rewarding public service rebroadcasting bundle.-Adrian-
