Primal Scream - Give Out But Don't Give Up (Expanded Edition) (1994/2011)

What do you do when you redefine the parameters of modern music? If you're Primal Scream, you decide to head to Memphis to tap into the vein of Real American Music, a move that unintentionally mirrors U2's pilgrimage on Rattle & Hum but lacks the Irish supergroup's piousness. It's hard for Primal Scream to be self-righteous, not when they're singing about sleaze in an attempt to live up to their rock & roll dreams, but Give Out But Don't Give Up is hampered by the group's stylized idolization. Initially, the group planned to cut Give Out with Tom Dowd, the producer who helmed innumerable classics released on Atlantic Records, but the sessions were wan, so Creation head Alan McGee decided George Drakoulias the producer who was riding high on his work with the Black Crowes to punch up the tapes. Drakoulias made the sessions listenable bigger, bolder, and confident but he couldn't quite disguise that the record was misconceived at its core. Classic rock wasn't a foreign concept for Primal Scream "Movin' on Up" spun Stephen Stills into acid house but the group were pastiche artists, showing no mastery of song form or simple musical interaction. At this point, everything existed on the surface for Primal Scream, which is why they could turn out a lark like "Rocks" a Faces homage so potent, Rod Stewart would later cover it and be so pleased that this one song sounds good, they couldn't be bothered to make the rest of the record work. So, Give Out But Don't Give Up is a mess, a record that suggests it's on the verge of delivering a good time but winds up being a dirgey bummer.