| Vanishing Point | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Primal Scream | ||||
| Released | 7 July 1997 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, electronica, acid house | |||
| Length | 53:31 | |||
| Label | Creation Records Sire US |
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| Producer | Primal Scream, Brendan Lynch, Andrew Weatherall | |||
| Primal Scream chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [2] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+)[3] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.3/10)[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A)[5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| Spin | (8/10)[7] |
| Q | [8] |
Vanishing Point is a 1997 album by Primal Scream. It is named after and inspired by the 1971 film Vanishing Point, especially the song "Kowalski", which is meant to be an alternative soundtrack to 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."[9] Vanishing Point shows inspiration from dub, ambient music, dance, krautrock and other genres, as well as individual bands such as Motörhead, Can, and The Stooges. It was the first album to feature the band's new bass player Gary 'Mani' Mounfield, formerly of The Stone Roses.
The album was recorded with the aid of two portable eight-track recording studios at the band's Chalk Farm rehearsal rooms where it was also written.[9] The entire album was written and recorded in two months and mixed an additional month.[9] On their cover of "Motorhead," Gillespie sung the first verse through a Darth Vader mask.[10] 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," said Gillespie in an interview.[10] 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.[10] The album was seen by critics as a return to form after 1994's underwhelming Give Out But Don't Give Up. Vanishing Point went back to the sounds of their magnum opus, Screamadelica which was praised for its fusion of Rock & Roll and the early Acid House dance scene, something which at the time had never been done before.
Gillespie has described the album as "an anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road movie record!"[9]
Author Irvine Welsh scripted the video for the album's first single, "Kowalski" and 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."[10]
Guests on Vanishing Point include Augustus Pablo, Glen Matlock, and The Memphis Horns.
Contents |
All songs written by Gillespie/Innes/Young/Duffy, unless noted.
A two-CD edition of Vanishing Point was released as part of a deluxe series consisting of their fourth through eighth albums. The first disc includes original album with five bonus tracks; the second includes an additional nine B-sides, remixes and tracks released only on singles.
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