Primal Scream - Riot City Blues

Label: Columbia
Catologue Number:82876831652
Format: CD
Date: 2006
Style: Indie Rock, The Rolling Stones
Rating: 0/10
Reviewer: Sidney James

Dear oh dear oh me, another beautiful relationship comes to an end, just because one of those involved can’t escape making the mistakes of the past. Bobby G you have really fucked me over. You have made 2 of the best albums by a UK act over the last 10 years (Vanishing Point & Exterminator) as well as a third (Evil Heat) which had moments of genius, but instead of using this as a blue print to make something sonically majestic and powerful you decide to go back to the bad old days of Ivy Ivy and Rocks. Back to the days when you were a laughing stock, because of your feeble Stones pastiche which you resurrect here.

To say Riot City Blues is rotten is an understatement. It’s the worst album I’ve bought and heard it years. If I was by a new band it would still be a steaming heap of retro clichéd rock bollocks. The fact it’s been released by a band who have pushed the boundaries of rock music makes it worse. The Scream have recently claimed that they are the best rock band in the world and could play anything and make it rock. Sheez! Riot City Blues rocks about as much as the coma ward in my local hospital.

With its horrible honky tonk pianos, worn out blues riffs Riot City Blues sounds like one of those rotten jams that Jools Holland has on Later. As for the lyrics, Bobby G has always been a man challenging for the most rock n roll clichés in one album. He actually sings “there's no sun in the sky, no love in my life/ since I lost my baby.” Shit even Ian Astbury didn’t sink as low on Electric as the lyrical quagmire that is Riot City Blues.

The fact that this album has been praised in some quarters of the press highlights another unrelated problem I have. The UK music press is full of retro obsessive cunts whose mouths have been firmly attached to the cocks of Oasis and what ever unchallenging “Indie” band with attitude is thrown up by the even bigger cunts that run the record industry.

Any way back to Riot City Blues, maybe its because Kevin Shields has left the band (not a good excuse) or that Primal Scream are on the wrong drugs but the album is stillborn only worthy to be listened to cretins who don’t realise music has progressed since 1974.

My advice is to avoid it like the plague and hope someone gives Bobby G some drugs that kill the Stones addiction once and for all.