The Film
1991 was a very important year in the music industry. It was a year of great tragedy and one of rebirth. The death of Freddie Mercury (who I still think was the greatest singer of all-time) was an unexpected kick in the gut; one could argue that it was the final nail in the coffin for the era of the "supergroup." It was also a year that witnessed the birth of a new movement - even if it had existed for years on college radio and in small venues.
Metallica found its second wind with its most successful release ever, and a small band from Seattle would emerge from the shadows and put a gun to the head of rock 'n' roll; playing a sick game of russian roulette. Nirvana's Nervermind changed everything -- until rap and hip-hop came along and put the movement out of its misery. On the other side of the pond, a group out of Scotland that had its roots with The Jesus and Mary Chain, would emerge and hit it big with Screamadelica. Primal Scream's Screamadelica Live brings it all back to 1991.
Notwithstanding some racist and idiotic politicians who support the boycott of specific literature and openly endorse terrorist groups, Scotland has produced a lot of interesting artists over the years. Between Jack Bruce, David Byrne, Bon Scott, Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC, KT Tunstall, Teenage Fanclub, Simple Minds, Annie Lennox, and Mark Knopfler, the Scots are well represented. Primal Scream existed for many years prior to the release of Screamadelica, but they never really hit it big. They abandoned their punk roots and found their niche with this collection of acid rock, techno, and psychadelic rock. Why they went back to their unsuccessful roots after this release is for them to explain, but they reunited in 2010 for the first live performance of the album in its entirety and what a splendid show it was.
Filmed at London's Olympia Theatre in 2010, the concert film captures the band on the 20th anniversary of their smash album and its clear that age hasn't slowed the lads down one bit. From the opening track "Movin' On Up," to their 1991 hit "Loaded," Primal Scream really offers up one hell of a good show. Backed by a great brass section and gospel choir, the band from Glasgow makes this one of the surprise concert release hits of 2011. Now only if I could get away with declaring The Proclaimers a terrorist group.
The Picture
The Sound
Eagle Rock likes to include multiple mixes on their concert Blu-ray releases and Screamadelica Live doesn't disappoint with three high quality soundtracks. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is good, but it never really blew my socks off. It is certainly clear and immersive sounding, but the vocals sound too far back in the mix for my tastes. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is actually slightly better with a more forward sounding presentation and a tighter low end.
The LPCM 2.0 mix gets the nod, however, thanks to a fuller sounding presentation that is more balanced and much closer to the action. Sometimes less is more.
The Extras
Screamadelica Live is a pretty long concert, but when you throw in the bonus content, it jumps to almost 208 minutes. That is unusually long for any concert Blu-ray, but it doesn't drag at all due to the addition of 9 additional tracks that were not included in the original show. There are at least three tracks that should have made the cut and fans will certainly rejoice at their inclusion in the bonus content.
The Classic Albums program which features a 58-minute documentary about the making of the album is very informative and certainly on par with some of the other documentaries that Eagle Rock has released on some of their more recent concert Blu-ray transfers. Nothing too extraordinary but fans will certainly get a lot out of it.
Final Thoughts
Primal Scream may have peaked with Screamadelica, but they did so with flair and produced one of the more memorable albums of 1991. Screamadelica Live revisits that success, hitting all of the right notes with solid image and sound quality. If you miss the early days of the alternative movement, this one may be right up your alley.
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