''Sonic Flower Groove'' is the debut studio album by Scottish
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drum ...
Mayo Thompson
Mayo Thompson (born February 26, 1944 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the experimental rock band Red Krayola.
Background
His formal education includes Garden of Arts Kin ...
of
Red Krayola
The Red Krayola (originally Red Crayola) is an American avant rock band from Houston, Texas formed in 1966 by the trio of singer/guitarist Mayo Thompson, drummer Frederick Barthelme, and bassist Steve Cunningham.
The group were part of the 19 ...
was the producer of the album, after work with
Stephen Street
Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths, The Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album '' Viva Hate'' following the ...
did not please the band.Green, Jim; Aswad, Jem & Neate, Wilson Primal Scream , ''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'', retrieved 2010-07-04 Musically, ''Sonic Flower Groove'' features psychedelic, Byrdsy
jangle pop
Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song " Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the g ...
, being the only Primal Scream album to feature founding member Jim Beattie (credited as Jim Navajo).
The album sold well enough to reach number 62 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
, but performed poorly by major-label standards.Strong, Martin C. (2002) "The Great Rock Discography (6th edition)", Canongate, The disappointment was a major reason for the original Primal Scream splitting up shortly after ''Sonic Flower Groove'', leaving vocalist
Bobby Gillespie
Robert "Bobby" Gillespie (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer, founding member, and primary lyricist of the alternative rock band Primal Scream. He was als ...
and the guitar duo of
Andrew Innes
Andrew Colin Innes (born 16 May 1962 in Glasgow) is a Scottish-born, London-based musician. He is best known for being the rhythm guitarist in Scottish rock band Primal Scream.
Biography Early years
While in high school in 1978, Innes was the ...
At the time of its release, critical reception was mixed. ''Underground'' called it "a real gem of a debut album" and "one that's sure to top all the polls come the end of the year", but others were less impressed. ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' were impressed with "Gentle Tuesday" but said "the rest is not pop. It is dandelion fluff", stating that the album was "swamped with problems" with "no songs, just a dusty pile of dull leftovers".
A later
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
review called it "one goofy headscratcher of a release, the sound of a band that didn't quite know exactly what to do yet trying to record a big-budget (of sorts) debut album and ending up with little more than a pristine but dull photocopy of ''
Turn! Turn! Turn!
"Turn! Turn! Turn!", or "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)", is a song written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s and first recorded in 1959. The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the fin ...
Evening Times
The ''Glasgow Times'' is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Called ''The Evening Times'' from 1876, it was rebranded as the ''Glasgow Times'' on 4 December 2019.Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drum ...
*
Bobby Gillespie
Robert "Bobby" Gillespie (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer, founding member, and primary lyricist of the alternative rock band Primal Scream. He was als ...
– lead and backing vocals
* Jim Navajo – 12-string electric guitar
*
Robert Young Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob, or Bobby Young may refer to:
Academics
* R. A. Young (Robert Arthur Young, 1871–1959), British physician
* Robert J. C. Young (born 1950), British cultural critic and historian
* Robert J. Young (born 1942), Canadian h ...
– bass guitar
*
Andrew Innes
Andrew Colin Innes (born 16 May 1962 in Glasgow) is a Scottish-born, London-based musician. He is best known for being the rhythm guitarist in Scottish rock band Primal Scream.
Biography Early years
While in high school in 1978, Innes was the ...
– rhythm guitar
;Additional personnel
* Dave Morgan – drums
* Gavin Skinner – drums
* Martin Duffy – piano
* Frank Sweeney – viola
;Technical
* Pat Collier – engineering
*Helen Backhouse - design
*
Andrew Catlin
Andrew Catlin is an English photographer, artist, director, cinematographer and filmmaker. His work has been widely published, and is included in numerous collections, books, exhibitions and archives.
History
Catlin grew up intrigued by both ar ...