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Vanishing Point

Primal Scream

1997

Buy At Rough Trade
Vanishing Point
Album Summary

Vanishing Point is the fifth studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was released on 7 July 1997 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Reprise Records. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. The album shows inspiration from genres such as dub, ambient, dance music, and krautrock, as well as bands such as Motörhead, Can, and the Stooges. It was the band's first album to feature Gary 'Mani' Mounfield on bass, formerly of the Stone Roses, although Marco Nelson played bass on "Burning Wheel", "Star", "If They Move, Kill 'Em'", and "Stuka".Other guest appearances on Vanishing Point include Augustus Pablo, Glen Matlock, and the Memphis Horns. Gillespie has described the album as an anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road-movie record. It is named after and inspired by the 1971 film Vanishing Point, especially the song "Kowalski", which is meant to be an alternative soundtrack of 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.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.82

Votes

11807

Genres

  • Rock
  • Indie

Reviews

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Jul 29 2021
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2

The most exciting part of listening to this album was enjoying a song and going to save it, and then realizing the album had ended and it was playing Primal Scream radio. Didn't enjoy this one much

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Aug 25 2022
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1

As if this project hasn't given me enough garbage from the UK in this lifetime, here's some nameless 90s shit that sounds like a mix of britpop and PS1 snowboarding game soundtrack. And it goes for ages. Pointless and useless. Fuck off. 1/5.

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Sep 11 2022
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5

If someone told me they hated this album i would completely get it, but i absolutely loved it!

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Jul 27 2021
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1

I hate this fucking album so much.

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Nov 17 2021
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5

Screamadelica, Vanishing Point, Echo Dek, XTRMNTR, Evil Heat are all great albums and just show how good of a band Primal Scream became at a certain moment. Re Vanishing Point: it is a bit like Darklands from the Jesus and Mary Chain - a really strong album but you automatically compare against Psychocandy. Likewise you compare Vanishing Point to Screamadelica, which is just hard to beat. So I will just give 4 stars but could (should?) have given 5.. .. ..oh no hold on: 5 after all :-)

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Jul 16 2021
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4

I had heard of Primal Scream but wasn't sure whether I knew any of their music. My expectation, just based on the name of the band, was loud, hard, driving rock and roll. Boy, was I wrong. This was a really pleasant surprise. Super interesting, adventurous and well done. Will definitely listen again. 4 stars.

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Sep 15 2021
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2

I don't know anything about this band but I know I a synch album when I hear one. Every track a vibe, never an anthem? No bangers just moods? This album was made to be background music. Well, it manages to be exactly that, unfortunately.

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Jun 29 2022
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5

super good, can’t tell what my favorite song was, some time between Star, Trainspotting, or Long Life yeah just all around 10/10

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Oct 12 2022
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5

I was bracing for a heavy metal or hard rock assault, but instead this was psychedelic and trippy. The songs are an eclectic brew that really drew me in. Surprises everywhere including some great horns, clarinet, harmonica with that trippy synth throughout. Definitely need to keep Primal Scream on my radar because I loved this.

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Nov 18 2022
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5

I'm a Primal Scream fan so this is loaded with bias. It's not their finest album but it is another excellent trippy journey. Stand out tracks - Burning Wheel - Star - Get Duffy - Kowalski - Trainspotting

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Apr 12 2021
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4

Wikipedia says the band's frontman described this album as an "anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road-movie record" and I think that's about as good a description as any I could come up with. I highly recommend this album to anybody who likes electronica, house, trip-hop, or similar

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Oct 14 2021
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4

Dubbed out skeletons of songs, mixed upside down and sideways. I love it, but this is deeply weird for a band of this profile. Taking the remixed template of screamadelica, but with a more industrial and dubbed out version. Noisy, spacey, groovy. I love it. Some 'real' songs (eg 'Medication', 'motorhead' cover), with some instrumentals (eg 'trainspotting')

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Nov 17 2021
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4

I only knew Screamadelica which is amazing. Glad I got to discover this one as well. It sounds very different, but I feel like that is what makes it so great for me.

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Oct 08 2021
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3

I am not nearly high enough to enjoy all of the sounds in this album. Too many distracting noises that my ND brain cannot process. Reverb and more reverb. Star belongs on a different album, where the hell did that even come from? Might enjoy if under the influence of shrooms or peyote or acid or might not. Yeah, prolly not. Got lost in Stuka and Trainspotting while someone else was driving, sorta frightening. Note to self: do not listen to this album while driving. I just couldn’t with Long Life. Unlikely to listen again, unless I find myself tripping balls.

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Feb 09 2024
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2

Pretty sleepy album but I didn't hate it. Pretty forgettable. Not sure what qualifies this album to be a must hear. Probably some insane back story that isn't immediately recognizable at face value just from listening to it - which in my opinion should remove a record from qualifying but who am I to say? Ain't my list.

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Feb 05 2021
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1

Not good. Lead just kinda talks during the songs, not in a spoken word or rap way, but just lazy not singing. Would be better fully instrumental, as some songs almost were.

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Jul 21 2021
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5

Like this album. One of their best...

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Jul 08 2021
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5

- strong variety of emotion and energy. from energetic Kowalski to mellow Star to introverted Burning Wheel. - strong production value - Personally loved the album, so many likes.

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Jun 16 2022
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5

As good as I remembered, most excellent!

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Aug 06 2023
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5

Damn I had a really nice review written out here song for song and then my browser updated :( Anyways this album uses some crazy different instruments to enhance the psychedelia of this album. Between the melodica, the sitar, the sax, and trumpet it sounds genre-bending but not at the same time. Long life sounds like solo Thom Yorke. Absolutely adore. The instrumentals alone give this a 5/5 for me. It is the best kind of strange. Definitely an album to listen to in one sitting. My fav type of album. Kept trying to find a reason to not give this a 5 but this album makes me feel like I'm on drugs. Now I want to take all the drugs and listen to it.

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Jun 28 2024
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4

Vanishing Point I fucking loved this when it came out. I remember buying it in Woolworths (don’t look for it, it’s not there anymore) in Totton on my lunch break from my part time job, in that sweet sweet summer between A-Levels and Uni. I likely bought a slice of Pizza from Baker’s Oven on the way back to work too. It seems quite intertwined with Fat of the Land in my memory - just looked it up, Fat of the Land was released the week before this. What a time to be 17 years old. I haven’t listened to it in a while but it still holds up for the most part. Burning Wheel is great, starting with that swirling melange of sounds before a psychedelic groove emerges with the bass, guitar and organ, before it the turns into a shuffling dance/rock tune. Get Duffy definitely feels like a piece of 60s/70s soundtrack music in a good way, which makes sense with Vanishing Point the film being a key influence on the album. I bought the Kowalski single when it came out, and it still sounds great, Mani’s rumbling bass is superb at creating a sense of unease and paranoia, as does the fact that it is more a series of incantations and samples rather than a set of lyrics. At the time I loved Star, and although I still like the essence of the words, the lyrics do sound clunky now. Musically it’s still great though, particularly the melodica hook and the horns. I love the little guitar parts in If They Move Kill Em, again it feels quite soundtrack, with a load of sounds and textures jammed into it, but it works as it has a strong sense of momentum. There’s enough interesting stuff happening musically with Out of the Void to keep it going, and the groove/rhythm is good, but it feels a long, even if it’s only 4 minutes. Far too many 90s doorbell chimes in Stuka, but again I like the slippery, dubby spacey groove built around the bass. I don’t think Medication or Motörhead work that well. The former harks back to the Stonesey stuff on Give Out But Don’t Give Up but it feels very leaden footed, there isn’t that sense of looseness and groove that the song needs and that is preset on the rest of the album. Motörhead probably just isn’t that great a song outside of the Motörhead bubble, but works slightly better than Medication, fitting the druggy/comedown vibe a bit better. Trainspotting brings things back to the woozy soundtrack feel, this time with 90s telephone chimes, but it is way too long and the electric piano is a bit too 90s lounge pastiche, although the guitar right at the end is nice. It’s probably the weakest of the instrumental grooves. Long Life is great, despite the dodgy vocal. It definitely has a Kraftwerk vibe to the synths and I like the swirling, echoey feel. A suitably spacey end to the album. It’s definitely a very loose record, with all it’s instrumentals and the lack of concise and well defined songs, but I think that’s to it’s benefit, as it seems to be going for cinematically inspired feel, groove and sonic textures in varying styles, out of which songs and tunes emerge, rather than a coherent set of songs with one particular influence, like the previous album. It also definitely sags towards the end, from Medication to Trainspotting, before picking back up with Long Life. It may not be a perfect album, but I do like it a lot, I admire the idea behind it and the overall woozy, loose, trippy sound. Way better than a 3, but not a 5, cogito ergo sum its a 4. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Jul 05 2024
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4

spacey electronic krautrock/dub tracks with neo-psychedelica vibes that is pretty chill and laid back for the most part. Somewhat ambient but still moves forward with a solid groove.

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Jul 05 2024
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4

Very cool, eclectic, always changing up the point of view. The instrumental tracks are especially interesting. It all feels a bit calculated at times, but no shade if the effect is this solid.

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Aug 16 2024
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4

Dubbed out skeletons of songs, mixed upside down and sideways. I love it, but this is deeply weird for a band of this profile. Taking the remixed template of Screamadelica, but with a more industrial and dubbed out version. Noisy, spacey, groovy. I love it. Only a few 'real' songs (eg 'Medication', 'Motorhead' cover), with some instrumentals (eg 'Trainspotting') or songs that may as well be instrumentals. Not a lot here that you would sing around a campfire with an acoustic guitar, but primal Scream were never great songwriters. But they can build an awesome vibe. This really reminds me of the On-U industrial dub records that I used to listen to in the 80s (African Head Charge, Tackhead, Keith LeBlanc, etc). Interestingly, Primal Scream released a dub version of this album (Echo Dek) remixed by Adrian Sherwood from On-U.

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Jul 08 2021
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3

A curiously enjoyable sound, definitely worth saving

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Apr 08 2021
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2

I already reviewed Screamadelica this week, and it was enough. This is a weaker version of the same. Dreary indie rockers play derivative psychedelia. I'm sure it was an amazing soundtrack to doing drugs in fields in the 1990s, but it hasn't aged that well.

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Sep 10 2021
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2

While I'm not a huge fan of the electronic music, some of their hybrid electronic-rock works. The grooves are pretty decent and I can appreciate what they are going for here. Some if it is also pretty bad. Kowalski is pretty fun. So is "If They Move, Kill 'Em". Star is terrible. The rest is somewhere in the middle. Mixed bag of a record that ends up being less than the sum of its parts.

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Dec 10 2020
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1

I know I listened to it....but can't remember anything about it today. This is "just another 90s style album" to me.

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Jul 27 2021
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1

I did not get into this album. It had some beats but I would not describe them as good beats. I started skipping through the songs.

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Jul 20 2022
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1

All experimental filler noise, zero substance

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Mar 12 2021
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5

I don't remember many vocals. Nice background music with a early chill electronic sound.

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Aug 06 2021
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5

Precisava muito escutar de verdade

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Feb 19 2023
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5

Fascinating album, new to me. Number of music styles is amazing, is this Primal Screams' Sandinista? With the dub of Stuka as best song. Even better: the link at YouTube had additional B-sides, Jesus sounds like Velvet Underground and would have been great VU song. And the Stranglers cover of 96 tears was fun.

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Jun 09 2023
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5

Bobby Gillespie is a genius. There is so much variety and experimentation here and it’s all superb. The drums are hypnotic under the accompanying instrumentation, with poetically pointed lyrics overtop.

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Aug 06 2023
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5

The first 2 songs were awesome to listen to on the beach. Then it definitely picks up starting at the third song I can't tell what type of genre this is but is quite cool Star is awesome. That is an instant add to a playlist Stuka is trippy as hell. The end with headphones on is wild Medication is completely different than the rest it sounds like the Strokes right in the middle of the album Trainspotting has an awesome build up into some really nice groovy guitar then into some sort of weird harmonoca This album is out of control I love it

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Aug 20 2023
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5

been on a bit of a downer on the scream recently as i've come to the realisation that Bobby Gillespie is a bit of a bell end. always kind of knew it but i read his book and he proper gives it the big i am about being right on and makes out like he's some enlightened being when really he's a ned who will take what he can and shaft people along the way, like his former band mates. revisiting this album though has calmed those feelings and replaced them with the question of how the fuck do a bunch of glaswegian bag heads come up with something like this? when you look at the screams back catalogue they've hopped genre almost every album and done it successfully. as much as i think he's a lucky chancer he must have something about him to have made the albums they've made.

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Nov 05 2023
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5

Need to relisten not sure how I missed this first time around

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Nov 09 2023
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5

Absolutely fell in love with this band

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Dec 07 2023
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5

A great record in my opinion. It mixes the psychedelic sounds of spacemen 3 with electronic elements and creates a very unique vibe

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Dec 08 2023
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5

Incredible. Always loved this album, love the way they are never afraid to experiment on their albums.

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Feb 09 2024
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5

An alternative soundtrack to the movie. It feels like it fits better.

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Feb 19 2024
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5

This was probably the only era of this album that me and my dad could agree on. He loved the film "Vanishing Point" and it was great to see him engage with the album. And it's still just great, really unlike anything else at the time, and Primal Scream finding the confidence to do whatever the hell they wanted. Thanks, Bobby.

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Mar 06 2024
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5

I love the grunge! They must be an inspiration for the Gorrillaz.

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Mar 24 2024
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5

Primal Scream's weed record. This one sounds more Bristol than Glasgow, which fits the Scream much better their prior record's Black Crowes and rail whiskey energy

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Jun 12 2024
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5

I understand the influence this had on Gorillaz now

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Oct 03 2024
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5

I was really surprised by this. It was a fun groove to have on this morning while I worked, not at all what I expected. I think I'll be returning to this album for sure, and maybe look into other albums by Primal Scream if they're like this.

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Oct 04 2024
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5

Love this album. I've said it before but, 1997 pivotal year

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Sep 03 2020
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4

a lot better than I thought! Added it to my favs.

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Sep 25 2020
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4

I'm uncertain of the artistic direction here, but I do always like psychedelia, and these are some certifiably weird songs. Especially because one moment the base of the song is reggae/dub and the next second it's noise rock.

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Mar 10 2021
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4

Really good. Oddly reminded me of Prince, just in the experimental nature of it.

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Jul 22 2021
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4

Me gustó la mezcla de instrumental con voces. Me da una buena sensación, a veces me relaja lo cual parece extraño con el sonido de este álbum. Siento que me gustaron todas casi en un mismo nivel, pero nomás por comentar "Star" y "Get Duffy" me gustaron más y "Know Your Rights" muy hipnótica. 9/10.

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Jul 22 2021
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4

Sí gustó su amalgama psocodelica, trippopiana, industrial. Stuka y if they move kille them mis favs.

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Apr 05 2021
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4

Bra ändå, lyssnade inte på hela så detta kanske är generöst... men gillar bandet

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Mar 14 2021
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4

One or two tracks (Get Duffy being one) aren’t great but other than that this is an excellent Scream album and I forgot how good it was - always at their best when Andrew Weatherall was at the helm

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Mar 14 2021
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4

An immersive mix of psychedelic rock and pop.

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Jun 10 2021
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4

Outside the box. Late night raining in the city. John Wick 4 soundtrack? Last song AMAZING. Listened 3 times in a row.

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Jun 06 2021
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4

This is a good mix of rock and some electronic music on some of the tracks. It's a long album but I like it. I had never heard the band before so extra credit for the introduction.

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Aug 05 2021
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4

Yes, groovy, digging it. Half euphoric "Screamadelica", half gritty jittery "XTRMNTR", and coming between those two albums, makes perfect sense! Fave track - "If They Move, Kill 'Em"

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Aug 06 2021
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4

Enjoyed this, not full throttle but good BG music

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Aug 27 2021
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4

I did not listen to this album for fear that I may like them too much and post a glowing review of a band that on the outset seems to mimic the presentation of the worst band ever, Oasis, which I also secretly like. ...but that was in 2021. And now, 3 years later I've finally listened to this and ...wow, I was kinda surprised... Perhaps this album got me yearning for a little less digital technology in my life and longing for a time when Guy Ritchie made fun and exciting movies. Vanishing Point is a throwback for sure, but it embodied some of the things from the 90's I wish we had more of today. The whirring of analog production, less-than-perfect experimentation and musical white space. And yes, these tracks could easily have been integrated into some British gangster flick with Michael Gambon and Vinnie Jones.

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Sep 16 2021
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4

Nice! I was worried I wasn't going to like this one based on the Wikipedia description but was pleasantly surprised by the level of musicianship and atmosphere creation going on here.

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Oct 27 2021
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4

Very interesting album - definitely going to listen to more.

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Oct 27 2021
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4

Great psychadelic 90s pick. Favorites: Burning Wheel, Kowalski, Star

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Dec 03 2021
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4

Pretty cool! Couple weird, but very neat tracks.

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Feb 28 2022
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4

Very long, felt like a mix between rock and lift music

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Mar 10 2022
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4

Not at all what I expected, very interesting sound..mellow,frantic,discombobulated but fun…older boomer here always interested in new sounds…this is a keeper

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Mar 14 2022
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4

Guys really named their psychedelic rock band "Primal Scream". That's like naming a death metal band "Lollipop Wizards". Loved the songs that sounded like video game [MISSION LOADING] music (Get Duffy, If They Move Kill 'Em). I appreciate when an album doesn't sound the same all the way through. There's a lot of genres and sounds here - psychedelic rock, electronica, regular pop and something I can only describe as "Thom Yorke Goblin Music".

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Mar 27 2022
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4

A proper trip. I've never gelled with much other Primal Scream stuff, but this album is a stoned killer.

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Apr 17 2022
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4

This album is terrific. Nicely crafted sound, beautifully trippy, musically creative and diverse. The tonal shifts from song to song are sometimes pretty weird and extreme, but somehow it works. Fave Songs: Star, Motörhead, Long Life, Medication, If They Move, Kill 'Em, Stuka

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May 09 2022
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4

Pretty damn hott this album. Dance rock at it's best. I warmed to thus one more easily than Screamadelica, which still hasn't quite done it for me. But this album makes me want to try Screamadelica another spin see what I'm missing. Anyway Vanishing Point locks into some awesome dance grooves. Very enjoyable. 4 🌟

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May 15 2022
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4

This just plays like a soundtrack in my head...after a few rough albums this one has several tracks added to my list not including Trainspotting which was already under the obvious soundtrack list...

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Jun 02 2022
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4

não é um screamadelica mas tá valendo demais

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Jul 06 2022
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4

Well very nearly, 2 days before the 25th anniversary this comes up. Lovely. It does sort of feel its age to me this one, I guess because I lived through it and heard it lots at the time but not much since. This is the last Scream album I listened to in great detail. The 90s big beat style is front and centre. Medication is a hangover from when they thought they were the Rolling Stones and sounds a lot like 'Rocks', I can take or leave that one. Still, it's a very good album. The dub stuff is great, Long Life is great, Burning wheel is up there with the best things they've ever done, and Trainspotting stands up well, probably the one song on this album I have heard the most down the years in fact.

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Aug 01 2022
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4

This is a real revalation- of course I've heard these guys in passing but never really listened to this album. It's a real eclectic mix of style - not entirely original but I found this really enjoyable. Rock 'n roll and trip hop meets electronic industrial.

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Aug 22 2022
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4

This album is almost great. It features a mix of house, dub, rock, ambient, and experimental electronic music. Most of this is executed very well. However, there are moments on some of the more experimental pieces which don't quite work. It's as if they heard Aphex Twin and tried to do what he did without actually putting the time in to learn how. The elements are there, but the arrangement is not. Luckily, these moments are few and far between. Nevertheless, this band cannot be said to have picked a lane and stayed in it and their willingness to try something new makes this an album that is great in the background, but is also rewarded with a closer listening.

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Aug 28 2022
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4

Varying vibes throughout the album, some tracks with nice vocals and others more based on electronic rock which were quite nice

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Sep 07 2022
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4

When Primal scream went electronic. Has great groovy elements, with some weird noisy soundscapes. Some work perfect, like Burning wheel, others become too weird to my taste though. But a solid album in general!

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Sep 14 2022
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4

I can see this album being divisive, but I had a lot of fun with it. Although this would drive me crazy if I was stuck in traffic.

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Sep 23 2022
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4

With a name like Primal Scream, one might expect music that’s hard, nasty and brutish. Instead this album is melodic and flows easily from one song to the next, incorporating elements of dub and ambient music.

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Oct 10 2022
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4

C'est weird dans un bon sens, J'étais vraiment engagé dans l"albulm et l'écoute ne m'a pas du tout paru comme 1h de temps. 4

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Oct 12 2022
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4

I was expecting a band called Primal Scream to be screamier. They weren't! Mostly chill dance vibes here. The dance tracks are far better than the others. Star, a song with a message, is particularly on the nose and a little cringey. But overall, I enjoyed this. Groovy and sedate.

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Oct 12 2022
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4

I was afraid when I saw the album cover, but this album kept me invested with repeated listens.

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Oct 19 2022
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4

I don’t love the lead vocalist. The rest of the instrumentation is pretty cool Medication is a pretty standout song. This is one of those albums where I could see myself giving other albums by them a 5 but this just slightly missed that mark

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