Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes have taken a bit of a kicking recently re Denise Johnson and Duffy and is a grim situation all round. I don’t know all the details, none of us probably ever will but let’s acknowledge Denise and Duffy’s contributions to this band.
I met Bobby once, I was crouching looking at CD’s in Fopp and the tightest jeans ever were suddenly in my vision, casting my head up I was looking at Booby Gillespie and a “alright Bobby’ from me got a an all right back as he leaned over me and picked up a CD. To make this story vaguely interesting let’s say it was Sonia’s Greatest Hits just for the joy of him having a dance and sing along to You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You.
If this album had been called Primal Scream and Andy Weatherall present Screamadelica not many would have argued as Primal Scream had hardly set the world on fire but bringing in Andy Weatherall as a producer was an inspired move adding a dance element to their indie leanings.
As soon as I hear Movin’ On Up’s intro I’m back to my youth remembering the good times, and it’s an inspired idea to bring in the choir, Slip Inside this House Bobby is buried deeper in the mix and Higher than the Sun is one of those songs to play on Sunday morning with a need to chill as its rhythms slowly sink into your skin, follow it up with I’m Comin’ Down.
Come Together I loved back in the day now I feel it could be halved to five, not ten minutes, but it does have a groove and I can’t fault the choir but I’d have brought them in earlier and Loaded is great on record but I cant shake the memory of Bobby dancing with maracas and some terrible miming on Top of the Pops and Damaged is the Scream doing the Stones, they would go there again, but its enjoyable enough.
Shine Like Stars ends the album on a trippy slowed out effect, a perfect ending.
Twenty-year-old me would have given this a ten, I’ve aged but it’s still a magnificent record.
8/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: Movin’ On Up
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