2019-07-01_Uncut_UK

48 • UNCUT • JULY 2019

ARCHIVE

PRIMALSCREAM

Maximum Rock’n’Roll: The Singles

SONY

7/10

Unrepentantlyrockistveterans’

two-disc anthology

Giventhedevotionalfervour

withwhichPrimalScream

haveservedrock’n’roll’s

cause,it’seasytoforget

theystartedlifenotas

self-styledrebelsinthrallto

theStones,T.RexandNewYorkDolls,butas

C86devotees.It’sbeena longjourneyfrom

jangle-popB-side“VelocityGirl”to“100%Or

Nothing”,a NewOrdersimulacrumfeaturing

Haim,from2016.Andif this31-trackcareer

arcdemonstratesanything,it’stheband’s

chameleonicnous.Clearly,oneperson’s

zeitgeist-scentingadaptabilityis another’s

shamelessbandwagoneering,butallthese

singleshavea peculiarresonance:“We’re

here,now,”is theScream’smessage.So,

baggyacidpopis seenoffbytheevergreen

“Loaded”,“ComeTogether”and“Higher

ThanTheSun”trilogy;thegrislyyet

persistent“Rocks”serves1994’stroubled

GiveOutButDon’tGiveUpandthefine

“Kowalski”theirspeed-freakroad-movie

period,whilethreetracksmemorialisethe

millenniallyanxiousXTRMNTR. Elsewhere,

themandolin-brandishing“CountryGirl”and

“Dolls(SweetRock’n’Roll)”dubiouslyrepfor

theStonesandBowierespectively,but2008’s

“Uptown”successfullywranglesa kindof

defiantlyexhausted,soul-funkbanger.It’s

hardtoimagineanyScreamfannotowning

everyoneofthesetracksinsomeiteration,but

it’sa celebration.Andonlya churlwouldn’t

wantinonthat.

Extras:None.SHARON O’CONNELL

PRINCE

Originals WARNER BROS.

8/10

Thrilling,eye-openingsetofdemos

from the PurpleOne

Prince’sambitions

alwaysexceededthose

ofyouraveragepopstar.

A prodigioustalentand

inexorablydriventomake

musicallhours,healso

imaginedhimselfasa svengali,taking

protégésandgroupsunderhiswingand

writingforthem,too– inhisimperialphase,

acrossthefirsttwo-thirdsofthe’80s,this

wouldincludeSheilaE,TheTime,Vanity6,

AppoloniaandTheFamily.Atthesame

time,hiscareerintheascendant,Prince

wasbeingtappedtowriteforothersaswell

• TheBangles,KennyRogersand,lateron,
  Martika.Originalscollects 15 ofPrince’s
  studiodemosfromoverthatperiod.If you’re
  a Princebootlegfreakyou’llknowmostofit
  already,butif notit’sa greatintroductionto
  hiswritingforoutsideproductions.Often,
  therealrevelationis howcloselyperformers
  hewtohisdemos– “ManicMonday”is given
  extrapopsheenbyTheBangles,butthe
  song’shappy-sad,psych-tintedmelancholy
  is alreadythere;SheilaE maygive“The
  GlamorousLife”hyperactiveenergy,but
  Prince’soriginalstillfloodsthesensorium
  withspeedyjoy.Occasionally,thingsgotvery
  fuckingweird:Vanity6’s“MakeUp”is Soft
  CellandCybotronrutting in a dark alleyway.
  Extras:None.
  JON DALE

AMERICAis hometoplenty

ofdistinctive,site-specific

musicfestivals– BurningMan,

Coachella,Lollapalooza– but

nonearequiteaslinkedto

theirhomeenvironmentasthe

NewOrleansJazz& HeritageFestival.Startedin

1970,“JazzFest”,asit’sknown,quicklystarted

topreserveartformsthatlookedasif theywere

goingintoextinction,makinguseofthecity’s

grandoldvenuesandoutdoorarenas.It’snot

immunetothepressuresofcommercialism–

recentheadlinershaveincludedBonJovi,The

Strokes,KidRockandFleetwoodMac– butthis

well-annotatedfive-discboxsetconcentrateson

themoredistinctivelyN’Awlins-ishperformers

who’veplayedthefestival’sbandstandsoverthe

past 50 years.

Eachdiscis broadlythemed– jazz,R&B,

gospel,zydeco,funk– but,intrueCrescent

Citystyle,thereis a hugeamountofoverlap.For

instance,DirtyDozenBrassBand’s“Blackbird

Special”,recordedin2004,startsasa pieceof

jitterypunkfunk,mutatesintoanuptempo

big-bandgroove,andendsingloriouschaos.

It’sa reminderthatthecityis bestknownas

thehomeofcollectiveimprovisation,where

everyonesolosatonce,andtherearesome

fineexamplesthroughoutthiscompby

theOriginalLibertyJazzBandanda

particularlyraucousPreservationHall

JazzBand.Thiscollectivechaosalso

imbuesothergenres:check out a 1976

recordingofTheZion

Harmonizershollering

throughtwogospel

classics,ora frenetic 1994

performancebyRaymond

MylesandtheGospel

SoulChildren.

DiscOneis themost

“traditional”selection,

featuringa tribalMardis

GrasIndianchantbythe

GoldenEagles,alongwith

recordingsof“BasinStreet

Blues”and“RoyalGarden

Blues” that both sound as

iftheywererecordedinthe1920s,andsome

finesessionsfromNewOrleansnativesDonald

HarrisonJr andTerenceBlanchard.

DiscTwoswitchesthefocustothecity’s

pleasinglyrough-edgedR&B:a furiouslyfunky

1974 recordingofProfessorLonghairseeshim

backedbyDrJohnandmembersofTheMeters,

whiletherearesomethrillingperformancesby

SnooksEaglin(a blindguitaristfromthecity)

andveteranbluesmanEarlKing.Elsewhere,

DrJohnemergesagaintoracethroughthecity’s

musicalhistoryina 2001medley,whileanother

CrescentCitylegend,gentlemancroonerAllen

Toussaint,cropsupseveraltimes:inanIrma

Thomasversionofhissong“RulerOfMyHeart”,

induetswithChampionJackDupreeandBonnie

Raitt,andperforminghisownanthem“YesWe

CanCan”in2009.

Thecollectiondoesincludea fairbitof

drearilycompetentpubblues,buteven

heretherearesomegloriousmoments.Van

MorrisonsoundalikeAndersOsborne’s“Back

OnDumaine”is a revelation,asis a joyously

unhinged 1976 trackbytheblindboogie-woogie

pianistHenryButler.Andthezydeconumbers

reallydomakeyouwanttobooka ticketto

Louisiana next April to hear more...JOHN LEWIS

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Jazz Fest: The NewOrleansJazz& Heritage Festival

SMITHSONIANFOLkWAYS

7/1 0

Crescent City’s finest chronicled across five discs

the specialist

Professor

Longhair, 1971

Irma Thomas

John MessInA, BURT sTeeL