Samples e tracks che hanno influenzato “Screamadelica”, disco-gioiello dei Primal Scream

di Skatèna

My brightest star’s my inner light
Let it guide me
Experience and innocence bleed inside me
Hallucinogens can open me or untie me
I drift in inner space free of time
I find a higher state of grace in my mind

Il 23 settembre 1991 nel Regno Unito usciva Screamadelica (Creation Records), il terzo album dei Primal Scream (nome scelto in onore dell’omonimo saggio dello psicologo Arthur Janov), uno dei migliori dischi degli anni ’90, un vero gioiello in cui il rock si fonde alla perfezione con l’acid house e il dub dei club.

Con questo capolavoro i Primal Scream si allontanarono dalle loro tipiche sonorità indie rock traendo ispirazione dalla scena musicale house che stava prendendo piede sempre più in quegli anni: infatti la band arruolò Dj Andrew Weatherall, anche se l’album contiene una vasta gamma di altri generi, tra cui gospel e dub.

La copertina di Screamadelica è stata realizzata dall’artista Paul Cannell, scomparso nel 2005. Fu tra le dieci copertine degli album scelti dalla Royal Mail per una serie di Classic Album Covers, francobolli emessi nel gennaio 2010.

Qui sotto, l’official video di Higher Than The Sun, che nell’album è presente in una doppia versione: la prima è un trip-hop cibernetico (cit: ondarock); la seconda è una sinfonia dub in due parti, che vede al basso Jah Wobble:

Quella che segue, invece, è la playlist che raccoglie le tracce che hanno influenzato Screamadelica:

Per approfondimenti, invito a consultare il sito creation-records.com, da cui ho estrapolato quanto segue:

Listen to the samples and influences of Screamadelica

MC5 – Rocket Reducer No.62

A big influence on the band and features the line “Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa”

The Emotions – I Don’t Want To Lose Your Love

That vocal sampled on Loaded.

The Beatles – Hey Bulldog

The closing sample on Don’t Fight It, Feel It.

The Orb – Little Fluffy Clouds

They produced Higher Than The Sun and supported Primal Scream throughout the era including the 1991 tour, Glastonbury ‘92 and the Miners Benefit gig at Sheffield Arena the same year.

The 13th Floor Elevators – Slip Inside This House

Original version taken from the 1967 album Easter Everywhere and later covered by Primal Scream for a compilation album in 1990, later added to Screamadelica.

Curtis Mayfield – No Thing On Me (Cocaine Song)

Mayfield’s “Superfly” was a huge influence at this time, you can hear the vibe from this track on Screamadelica.

Sheer Taft – Cascades (Hypnotone Remix)

Hypnotone produced Slip Inside This House whilst Sheer Taft did a remix of Come Together. Both were Creation Records labelmates with Primal Scream at the time.

Alan Lomax – Whoa Buck

Sampled on Inner Flight.

Brian Eno – The Great Pretender

Sampled for Inner Flight.

Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (Club Mix)

The first track mixed by Andrew Weatherall just months before he created Loaded, a collaboration with Paul Oakenfold.

Big Star – Thirteen

Big Star had a huge influence on Primal Scream in general beyond the scope of Screamadelica, but it’s probably important to include a track here because it was almost certainly due to the Big Star influence that the band opted to record at Ardent Studios for Dixie-Narco. Bobby also selected this one for his Select C90 mixtape around ’92.

The Meters – Stay Away

The inspiration for much of the guitar and organ on Loaded.

The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil

Live version of Loaded at the time was extended to include the chant from this song.

Suicide – Dream Baby Dream

Influence for Shine Like Stars.

The Stooges – No Fun

The Primal’s covered this track on the Screamadelica tour, usually the closing track of their live set.

Jr Walkers & The All Stars – (I’m A) Road Runner

For the line “I’m gonna love the life I live, I’m gonna live the life I love”.

Young-Holt Unlimited – Wah Wah Man

Sampled on Higher Than The Sun.

Tony Cook & The Party People – On The Floor (Rockit)

Not strictly an influence on the album, but this was the track that inspired the Screamadelica tune on the Dixie Narco EP.

Sly & The Family Stone – Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey

Primal Scream covered this on the Screamadelica tour.

Faces – Glad And Sorry

When the band were recording Damaged, Henry made a remark that the solo should sound somewhat Faces-esque and ended up recording the solo himself built around that idea. In addition, Bobby often ad-libbed the lyrics from this over the end of Damaged live (you can hear it on the Hollywood Palladium recording on the Screamadelica box set).

Dr John – Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya

Sampled on Inner Flight

Can – Yoo Doo Right

Inspiration for the lyric “I was blind, now I can see, you made a believer out of me”.

John Lennon – Cold Turkey

Another track the band covered on their Screamadelica tour.

The Stylistics – I’m Stone In Love With You

According to an article in Mojo from April 1994, Bobby would listen to this every morning before heading to the studio. The title lyric would find its way into the end of Damaged.

James Carr – The Dark End Of The Street

One of BobbyGillespie’s favourite tracks of all-time, this was soundchecked numerous times on the Screamadelica tour. The influence of James Carr is obvious on Dixie-Narco for sure.

Sister Sledge – We Are Family

Often ad-libbed into live performances of Screamadelica. Despite its “uncool” status at the time, a lot of disco influence found its way onto Screamadelica with Chic constantly being name dropped in interviews from the time period.

George McRae – Rock Your Baby

An influence on Shine Like Stars. In Bobby’s words; “Actually, I always thought our song ‘Shine Like Stars’ was like a George McCrae song. I mean, I could imagine him doing it like that, but not us. We can’t play like that, unfortunately.”

John Coltrane – A Love Supreme Part 1, Acknowledgement

The spiritual chant of “a love supreme” found its way into the improvised covers outro of Higher Than The Sun on at least a few occasions during the Screamadelica tour. It wasn’t until later albums that the jazz influence really crept in, but you can hear it in tracks like I’m Coming Down.

Primal Scream – I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have

The original recording Andrew Weatherall remixed to create Loaded.