The Fat Angel Sings

The Primitives are an English indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single “Crash”. Formed in 1984, disbanded in 1992 and reformed in 2009, the band’s two constant members throughout their recording career have been vocalist Tracy Tracy and guitarist Paul Court. Drummer Tig Williams has been a constant member since 1987. Often described as an indie pop or indie rock band, The Primitives’ musical style can also be seen as straddling power pop, new wave and post-punk. The band’s early singles were released on their own Lazy Records imprint. In late 1987, they signed the label over to RCA Records, who released the band’s material from then until their split.

Singer Kieron, guitarist Paul Court, bassist Steve Dullaghan, and drummer Pete Tweedie; after a handful of gigs Kieron was replaced by vocalist Tracy Tracy, a peroxide-blonde bombshell whose presence inspired a more melodic approach, which earned the group inevitable comparisons to Blondie. The Primitives’ debut single, “Thru the Flowers,” appeared on their own Lazy label in 1986 and was quickly followed by radio sessions for Janice Long, Andy Kershaw, and John Peel. Their second effort, “Really Stupid,” preceded the band’s first European tour, with “Stop Killing Me” appearing in early 1987. Tweedie was dismissed from the group (allegedly for mistreating Tracy’s cats) prior to the Primitives’ signing to RCA.

First released in 1988, “Lovely” is the debut album by the english indie pop group the Primitives.

Prime-era Primitives had a fantastic run, mixing cheery, twee-ish early 1990s guitar pop with a dark Velvet Underground crosscurrent. It’s scary-easy to fall in love with Tracy Tracy’s laconic yet insistent harmonies, showcased to full effect on “Haunted”. Backed by the swirling jangle of Paul Court’s layered guitars, this sonic high-wire act plays like priceless china teetering on a high shelf, just waiting to drop.

The album features the international hit single ‘ which was a top ten hit in both the UK and the US the timeless song has gone on to be covered by artists including Johnny Marr, Belle and Sebastian, the Vibrators, and the Wonder Stuff other highlights on the album include the singles ‘Out Of Reach’, Reach’,‘ Thru the Flowers’ and ‘Ocean Blue’ The Primitives are an English indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single “Crash”. The Primitives’ sound pretty much defines the lighter side of British pop in the late ’80s: straight-ahead pop melodies, tinged with a bit of Manchester danceability and shoegazer experimentation. Some of the Primitives’ more “pop” songs are a bit too straightforward and bland, but the majority of Lovely is well-written enough to make up for the occasional lapse into plainness.

The album is at its best when the band departs from its pop sound — the Jesus and Mary Chain-inspired noise of “Spacehead” and “Stop Killing Me,” or the Eastern-sounding “Shadow,” with its sitar and backwards vocals, stand out as some of the more artistically worthwhile tracks. The Primitives, however, are more about writing hooky pop songs than making great artistic strides; Lovely’s most memorable tracks are built around P.J. Court’s simple, jangly guitar lines and Tracey’s sweet, melodic vocals. If one can look past the fact that their brand of Brit-pop sounds a bit dated, the Primitives are a consistently exciting listen.

The band were described in Melody Maker as ‘…the perfect band who have made the perfect single.

The band were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, The Soup Dragons and The Wedding Present. Their major rivals within the ‘blonde pop’ scene were Transvision Vamp and The Darling Buds. They received valuable publicity when The Smiths singer Morrissey was photographed wearing a Primitives t-shirt.

The band’s early singles were released on their own Lazy Records imprint. In late 1987, they signed the label over to RCA, who released the band’s material from then until their split.

On “Pure”, the Primitives churn out typical late-’80s pop mixed with a little Manchester influence. Focusing on catchy hooks, jangly guitars, and Tracy’s sweet, melodic voice, the band creates solid pop songs, such as “Sick of It” and “Dizzy Heights.” But it’s the songs where the band experiments and moves away from its traditional sound that stand out. On “Shine,” and “I Almost Touched You,” guitarist P.J. Court takes over lead vocals, and the band explores a more psychedelic-influenced sound that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Stone Roses album. Unfortunately, there are only a few tracks like this on “Pure”. The majority of the record is devoted to straight pop songs that, while enjoyable, begin to blend together in places.

First released in 1989, “Pure” was the second album by the Coventry based English indie pop group The Primitives. The band’s second album was preceded by three singles – “Way Behind Me”, “Modern Rock” , “Sick of It” and “Secrets”,

The album was recorded as the follow up to their break out debut album ‘ and features more of the signature indie pop sound the band had become known for stand out tracks include the singles ‘Way Behind Me’, Me’,‘ Sick Of It’, and ‘ along with the more experimental tracks such as ‘ and ‘All The Way Down’

In 1990, the band did a co-headlining tour of the US with The Sugarcubes as well as a short tour of Japan

By the time of their third album, 1991’s “Galore”, the Primitives found themselves out of step with the times and almost completely out of fashion. Their brand of cheery, simple pop came off as a little quaint by then and even though it’s likely their most consistent album, it’s also the one that marked the end of their initial run. Featuring a batch of very clean, very hooky songs that had a touch of Madchester in them, the Ian Broudie-produced “Galore” shows that even though they had changed dramatically since their noisy beginnings, their skill at crafting brilliant guitar pop was still intact.

Two of the album’s singles are classic Primitives pop, with “Lead Me Astray” featuring one of Tracy Tracy’s better vocals. “Earth Thing,” the third single, was a little bit of a stretch with its heavily baggy guitar riffing, but even its of-the-moment production doesn’t sound too bad. The rest of the album is made up of bright and cheerful pop that may have been a little too unadventurous for the times, but was never less than lovely. The album’s best songs, like the dreamy ballad “Empathise” and the folk-rocky “Smile,” even show some new directions that the Primitives could have explored a little more if this hadn’t been their last album. Even though it’s a forgotten piece of a small catalogue, and wasn’t even released in the U.S., “Galore” is something of a hidden gem that fans of well-crafted, well-preserved ’90s guitar pop would do well to check out.

“Galore” was the final album released by English indie pop group The Primitives during their original years together.

The Album release features 12 tracks filled with the signature hooky indie pop sound the group had become known for highlights include ‘You Are The Way’, Way’, ‘Earth Thing’, and the final single the band released before reuniting in 2009 ‘Lead Me Astray’

After nearly 18 years of dormancy, The Primitives re-formed, with new bassist Raphael Moore

Albums:

• Lovely (1988)
• Pure (1989)
• Galore (1991)
• Echoes and Rhymes (2012)
• Spin-O-Rama (2014)

EPs:

• Never Kill A Secret EP (2011)
• New Thrills EP (2017)