Riot City Blues [ENHANCED] [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Primal Scream

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2006)
• Original Release Date: August 22, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000GRTQXY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #84,517 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
In 1994, Primal Scream took all the momentum behind its era-defining 1991 masterpiece, Screamadelica, and pissed it away with an addled disc of secondhand Stones riffs called Give Out But Don't Give Up. It was a career disaster that still gets the British band plenty of ink on worst-of lists, which makes it all the more insane that the group would want to revisit the scene on Riot City Blues. Working with guests such as the Kills' Alison Mosshart, the Bad Seeds' Warren Ellis and Echo & the Bunnymen's Will Seargeant, Primal Scream turns a blind eye to the mind-melting electronics of its most recent releases, Xtrmntr and Evil Heat, and instead settles into a laughable retro-rock groove highlighted by cliché-ridden songs such as "Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar," "Nitty Gritty" and "We're Gonna Boogie." The good news is that the album is not a complete disaster. The ridiculous lyrics and honking harmonicas will admittedly find good homes on innumerable roadhouse jukeboxes. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2008 --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Their Best, But Pretty Good, August 22, 2006

By	svgtom (USA) - See all my reviews

Fans seem to be split on this album. Overall I really like it. I wouldn't call it a throwback to earlier Primal Scream albums but it's definitely got that flavor. If you like the first single, Country Girl, then you'll probably like the rest of the album.

One thing that should be noted is that the Bonus Tracks listed on Amazon and the CD itself are incorrect. The actual tracks are Gimme Some Truth, Country Girl (live), and Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar (live). Stone Ya To The Bone is not on the album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome album!, April 17, 2007

By	J. floyd (pac nw) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been waiting for Primal Scream to make an album like Riot City Blues and they finally did it. They tried couple of times before with their second self-titled cd and Give Out But Don't Give Up cd but couldn't pull it off with consistency. I wish Riot City Blues was a double album though because the songs are so good. I think every song on this cd is great. It's just a fun cd to listen to and these guys can really play their instruments. This album is a mixture of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Country music, Glam rock, pyschedelic, etc. Unfortunantely, Primal Scream is so good at making futuristic, electronic, intense garage-rock that most fans love(including me) that they might not like this style of music; but they just need to accept these songs for what they are because they are amazing. I hope the boys continue in making this style of music but knowing them, they're going to go back to making XTRMNTR and Evil Heat type of songs to please their fans. I urge Primal Scream to continue on making all kinds of music for music sake, not to sell cds but the music business is all about money so we will have to wait and see. No matter what though, Primal Scream will always be one of my favorite bands and it's too bad they are not popular in the U.S. because they are truly amazing and I just love their rebel image.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Under-appreciated, September 25, 2008

By	fungo (Toronto, ON CA) - See all my reviews

The negatives that dog this band always amaze me. (See the 'official' Amazon review on this page, for an example.) Anything but the most casual listen would confirm that Primal Scream are without doubt THE hottest, most butt-kicking rock band in the world today. And Riot City Blues is possibly their strongest effort to date.

Perception is everything. Some people still think PS sold out when they stopped being punk. Or that they were too laid-back in their Screamadelica psychedelic period. Or that they cloned the Stones with Give Out But Don't Give Up. Cloned??? They made those aging gasbags look like the pathetic has-beens they really are. The Stones only WISH they could sound this fresh, hot and downright clever.

When it comes to Riot City Blues, many listeners will be deceived by the extra-loud heavy-metal sound. But just stop and read through all the lyrics. These are amazingly intelligent songs. Some, like the deceptively bouncy Country Girl and the more overt 99th Floor tend towards the cynical. But this isn't just nihilism; it's intelligent comment. Poetry, even. And always redeemed by incredibly soulful singing from Gillespie and infectiously melodic composition. Not to mention a deep-down integrity; these guys are singing to please themselves, not to net a bigger paycheck, or to please some music-industry dweeb.

If I had to list the most important albums of the 21st Century so far, Riot City Blues would be very high on the list. And if I were listing the most important bands (not to mention the most under-appreciated by snooty, pretentious critics, who can't really remember what rock 'n' roll was all about), Primal Scream would be a strong contender for top spot.