Vanishing Point

Vanishing Point
Studio album by Primal Scream
Released	July 7, 1997
Genre	Alternative
Length	53:31
Label	Creation Records Sire US
Producer	Primal Scream, Brendan Lynch, Andrew Weatherall
Professional reviews
Allmusic link The Austin Chronicle link Robert Christgau (B+) link Entertainment Weekly (A)[1] Rolling Stone RS 764/765 Spin (8/10) 9/97, pp.157-158 Q October 2000
Primal Scream chronology
Give Out But Don't Give Up (1994) Vanishing Point (1997) Echo Dek (1997)

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."^[2] 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.^[2] The entire album was written and recorded in two months and mixed an additional month.^[2] On their cover of "Motorhead," Gillespie sung the first verse through a Darth Vader mask.^[3] 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.^[3] 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.^[3]

Gillespie has described the album as "an anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road movie record!"^[2]

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."^[3]

Guests on Vanishing Point include Augustus Pablo, Glen Matlock, and The Memphis Horns.

Tony, a character from E4's Skins (TV Series), says that this is his favourite Primal Scream album.^[4]

Track listing

1. "Burning Wheel" – 7:06
2. "Get Duffy" – 4:09
3. "Kowalski" – 5:50 (Gillespie/Innes/Young/Duffy/Mounfield)
4. "Star" – 4:24
5. "If They Move, Kill 'Em" – 3:01
6. "Out of the Void" – 3:59
7. "Stuka" – 5:36
8. "Medication" – 3:52
9. "Motörhead" – 3:38 (Lemmy)
10. "Trainspotting" – 8:07
11. "Long Life" – 3:49

All songs written by Gillespie/Innes/Young/Duffy, unless noted.

Personnel

Band

• Robert Young
• Bobby Gillespie
• Andrew Innes
• Martin Duffy
• Gary 'Mani' Mounfield
• Paul Mulreany

Guests

• Marco Nelson - bass guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 7
• Augustus Pablo - melodica on track 4
• Glen Matlock - bass guitar on track 8
• Pandit Dinesh - tablas on tracks 4 and 6
• Duncan Mackay - trumpet on tracks 2 and 5
• Jim Hunt - saxophone on tracks 2 and 5
• Wayne Jackson - trumpet on track 4
• Andrew Love - saxophone on track 4
• Ian Dixon - bass clarinet on track 2
• Paul Harte - harmonica on track 8, "droog synthesizer" on track 9

References