Primal Scream are planning to reissue a new version of their debut album.
Frontman Bobby Gillespie has discovered a newfound appreciation for 1987’s ‘Sonic Flower Groove’ while working on his memoir ‘Utopian Ashes’, and because there’s still elements of the record he’d like to change, the group are discussing releasing a revised version of the record.
Asked if revisiting the album for his book had made him reappraise it, he told Uncut magazine: “Yes, definitely, definitely.
“I wrote a lot about that record and the experience of recording it – we recorded it twice – and our inexperience.
“I re-listened to the record a lot and had a new respect for it. We’re maybe going to reissue it.
“We’ll add two songs – there’s ‘Black Star Carnival’, which was a B-side, and also this unreleased track called ‘Tomorrow Ends Today’. It sounds like it could have been on the first Stone Roses record.
“I’m going to re-sequence the album and do a new record sleeve.
“At that point, everyone had the ‘80s drum sound – the Bunnymen, The Smiths, everybody.
“So, it would be good if we take the 80s drum sound off it and maybe we could add some harmonies, because when I listen to it now, I think, ‘Why didn’t we do harmonies there?’
“So we might tinker with it, maybe we won’t. But ‘Tomorrow Ends Today’ sounds like a single. Why did we leave it off the album? It’s so good!
“The first side just runs like a dream – bang, bang, bang, bang. For some reason, we f***** it up.”
The ‘Swastika Eyes’ hitmaker worries the group have become “overfamiliar”.
Asked what people expect from a Primal Scream record, he said: “I actually don’t know any more… We’ve made 11 studio albums but I think we’re known for the 90s stuff, from ‘Screamadelica’ to ‘Vanishing Point’ and ‘XTRMNTR’.
“It’s hard because we’ve been going for so long. Maybe we’re overfamiliar?”