Vanishing Point (Primal Scream album)

Vanishing Point is the fifth studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was released on 7 July 1997 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Reprise Records. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart.[1] The album shows inspiration from genres such as dub, ambient, dance music, and krautrock, as well as bands such as Motörhead, Can, and the Stooges. It was the band's first album to feature Gary 'Mani' Mounfield on bass, formerly of the Stone Roses, although Marco Nelson played bass on "Burning Wheel", "Star", "If They Move, Kill 'Em'", and "Stuka". Other guest appearances on Vanishing Point include Augustus Pablo, Glen Matlock, and the Memphis Horns.

Vanishing Point
Studio album by
Primal Scream
Released7 July 1997 (1997-07-07)
StudioChalk Farm Studios, London
Genre
Length53:31
Label
Producer
Primal Scream chronology
Give Out But Don't Give Up
(1994)		 Vanishing Point
(1997)		 Echo Dek
(1997)
Singles from Vanishing Point
  1. "Kowalski"
    Released: 5 May 1997
  2. "Star"
    Released: 16 June 1997
  3. "Burning Wheel"
    Released: 13 October 1997
  4. "If They Move, Kill 'Em"
    Released: 16 February 1998

Background

Gillespie has described the album as an anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road-movie record.[2] It is named after and inspired by the 1971 film Vanishing Point, especially the song "Kowalski", which is meant to be an alternative soundtrack of the movie. Lead singer Bobby Gillespie said, "The music in the film is hippy music, so we thought, 'Why not record some music that really reflects the mood of the film?' It's always been a favourite of the band, we love the air of paranoia and speed- freak righteousness. It's impossible to get hold of now, which is great! It's a pure underground film, rammed with claustrophobia."[2]

Recording

The album was written and recorded with the aid of two portable eight-track recording studios at the band's Chalk Farm rehearsal rooms.[2] The entire album was written and recorded in two months and mixed an additional month.[2] On their cover of "Motorhead", Gillespie sung the first verse through a Darth Vader mask.[3] According to an article, much of the album came from live improvisation and, "Then later on we'd layer other sounds and loops over the top, and the vocals," Gillespie said in an interview.[3] The track "If They Move, Kill 'Em" was originally to have included a sample from Sam Peckinpah's film The Wild Bunch (the song title is one of the earliest lines of dialogue spoken in the film), but it could not be cleared in time.[3]

Release

Vanishing Point was released on 7 July 1997 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Reprise Records. It is the fifth album by Primal Scream.

Author Irvine Welsh scripted the video for the album's first single, "Kowalski," which was directed by musician Douglas Hart. The video features a Dodge Challenger and super model Kate Moss beating up the band. Gillespie described the video as a cross between Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! and The Sweeney.[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA[5]
The Guardian[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
NME9/10[8]
Pitchfork8.3/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]
Spin8/10[12]
The Village VoiceB+[13]

Vanishing Point received positive reviews from critics, who welcomed it as a return to form after 1994's Give Out But Don't Give Up. NME named it the 4th best album of 1997.[14] In 2012, NME journalist Mark Beaumont ranked it as the band's fourth best album, calling it "a brilliant record for its statement of intent alone – it stamped in stone Primal Scream's mandate to never repeat themselves and consistently indulge their experimental spirit".[15] The album was also included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes, Robert Young, and Martin Duffy, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Burning Wheel" 7:06
2."Get Duffy" 4:09
3."Kowalski"Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes, Robert Young, Martin Duffy, Gary Mounfield5:50
4."Star" 4:24
5."If They Move, Kill 'Em" 3:01
6."Out of the Void" 3:59
7."Stuka" 5:36
8."Medication" 3:52
9."Motörhead"Lemmy Kilmister3:38
10."Trainspotting" 8:07
11."Long Life" 3:49

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[17]

Primal Scream

Production

  • Primal Scream – production (except 10)
  • Brendan Lynch – production (except 10)
  • Andrew Weatherall – production (10)
  • Max Hayes – engineering (except 10)
  • Tim Holmes – engineering (10)
  • George Shilling – mix engineering (2, 3, 11)

Guests
  • Marco Nelson – bass guitar (1, 4, 5, 7)
  • Augustus Pablo – melodica (4)
  • Glen Matlock – bass guitar (8)
  • Pandit Dinesh – tablas (4, 6)
  • Iain Dixon – bass clarinet (2)
  • Duncan Mackay – trumpet (2, 5)
  • Jim Hunt – saxophone (2, 5)
  • Wayne Jackson – trumpet (4)
  • Andrew Love – saxophone (4)
  • Paul Harte – harmonica (8), synthesizer (9)

Charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 64
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] 31
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 31
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 97
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] 23
Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] 2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 47
UK Albums (OCC)[1] 2
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26] 34

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[27] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  2. Kessler, Ted (3 May 1997). "Vortex, Drug & Rock n Roll". NME. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
  3. Perry, Andrew (June 1997). "Freeze!". Select. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Vanishing Point – Primal Scream". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. Browne, David (11 July 1997). "Vanishing Point". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  6. Garratt, Sheryl (27 June 1997). "Back to life". The Guardian.
  7. Masuo, Sandy (13 July 1997). "Primal Scream, 'Vanishing Point,' Reprise". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  8. Dalton, Stephen (5 July 1997). "Primal Scream – Vanishing Point". NME. Archived from the original on 15 October 2000. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  9. Wisdom, James P. (August 1997). "Primal Scream: Vanishing Point". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 17 May 2006. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  10. Cohen, Jason (7 July 1997). "Primal Scream: Vanishing Point". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 22 October 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  11. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Primal Scream". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 654. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. Hunter, James (September 1997). "Primal Scream: Vanishing Point". Spin. Vol. 13, no. 6. pp. 159–60. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  13. Christgau, Robert (21 April 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  14. "Albums And Tracks Of The Year: 1997". NME. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  15. Beaumont, Mark (10 January 2012). "Primal Scream – Rank The Albums". NME. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  16. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  17. "Primal Scream . Webadelica". Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
  18. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 224.
  19. "Austriancharts.at – Primal Scream – Vanishing Point" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  20. "Primal Scream: Vanishing Point" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Primal Scream – Vanishing Point" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  22. "Charts.nz – Primal Scream – Vanishing Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  23. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  24. "Swedishcharts.com – Primal Scream – Vanishing Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  25. "Swisscharts.com – Primal Scream – Vanishing Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  26. "Primal Scream Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  27. "Japanese album certifications – Primal Scream – Vanishing Point" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1997年7月 on the drop-down menu
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