 |  | Cool, hip and smooth long night with the Scream gang |  |
Vanishing Point is a great disc. As with all Primal Scream releases they wear their influences broadly and with distinct strokes. The background synthesized sounds are very much from a Hawkwind listening party in 1973. The beats totally modern. The guitars as crafted and to the point as ever. The vocals weave that Primal Scream druggy scene as perfectly as ever. They are in top form here, but I have a taste for all of their music in all it's forms, so at the top really does mean "at the top" of their game. I like the way they go from trippy 70s stylings to Satanic Majesties Request drum taps and finger pickings to the echoed and beat happy club sounds that are all the best of the Scream. Disonance is not a bad thing and when the Primal Scream uses this late 20th century musical technique it is to the advantage of the overall sound of the CD. Think smooth jazz and clubland neon dances, then you have Vanishing Point. HA! and the unrestrained joy of Medication and Motorhead as new century interpretations of 60's Seattle garage band rave-ups is dance crazy and a wonder to enjoy. And that is what makes Primal Scream so great, that they can move between genres in a flash and still be purely Primal Scream.
April 11, 2005And a damn sight better than their Rolling Stones "tribute" album that preceeded it, Vanishing Point is a return to what Primal Scream do best. A marriage of guitars, synths, twisted vocals, drugged out rhythms ( both fast and slow - you get the idea that some songs were recorded under the influence of speed, some while on heroin) and psychedelic production touches. One minor gripe: when I first popped this into my cd player, the opening track "Burning Wheel" caught my attention. "I've heard this chord sequence, these sounds, before." After listening a few times, I thought I'd thumb through the cd booklet and find sampling credits for Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" only to discover that this track is listed as a band composition. For shame!!!! Otherwise this is agreat cd. Highlights include the cover of "Motorhead", done as electronica, and the title track to "Trainspotting" ten-plus minutes of slowly unwinding, euphoria inducing, trance like psychedelia. A keeper, for sure.
February 9, 2005 | | one of the best albums of the 90's | |
This is the best produced recordof the 90's in my opinion, and surpasses the sum of its soul/jazz/dub/garage roots. Another reviewer called this "industrial garbage" - this person has obviously never heard industrial music - cold, digital, 4 on the floor sounding stuff. Vanishing Point is warm, analog, its noise is 3D and spectrasonic - and the bass is warm, and massive. i have listened to this record hundreds of times. An absolute classic. oh - and the late Augustus Pablo plays melodica on a track - awesome. The Scream's best record, and like I said, maybe the best record of the decade - (for reference, the 90's competition would be OK Computer, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, Orbital's Insides - off the top of my head)
June 29, 2004This CD was a bit of a disappointment for me. Dischordant bits often drag on and on. For those looking for a Screamadelica-style experience, this is not it. "Medication" (depite other reviews) is a good tune. But 1 out of however-many, is not a good ratio. I might not buy more Primal Scream CDs after this, which bums me out.
May 23, 2003This album tempts one to be fascist about their musical taste. I rarely comment on an album unless it is so good that I am driven to power up my laptop, fire up amazon.com, search for "primal scream" and choose to write a review. There's a lot of talent on this album, and it can appeal to the electronic/dance spinners as well as the "wall of sound/not quite industrial" new-wavers. Pick it up. It's very good.
December 31, 2002More reviews at Amazon.com ...
