I’ve not written enough about Nick Godfrey and what he’s doing with Precious Recordings of London. These sessions are a testament to how important radio is as a means of exposure to bands trying to get their music heard far and wide. It’s always been a struggle to make it in an industry packed with traps and pitfalls, and even more so in this day and age with the rise of AI and corporates and streaming companies who are trying to bleed bands for as much as they can get and pay them next to nothing. BBC Radio Scotland should be ashamed of recent announcements ending several shows that have given space and exposure to hundreds of local bands over the years.
The Primevals, The Best of the BBC Sessions is the 6th full length album release from Precious, a label which has released many sessions over the last few years including a a whole host of Scottish bands from The Twinsets to bis, Close Lobsters to BMX Bandits, and The Motorcycle Boy to Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes and plenty more. With these twelve tracks from The Primevals it’s very much a case of precious by name and precious by nature, a great account of why The Primevals were, are and always will be one of Glasgows finest exports, excelling in their art as purveyors of the highest quality garage rock.
These songs are collected from a series of Radio One sessions from five broadcasts on shows helmed by John Peel, Janice Long and Andy Kershaw between 1985 and 1987 and paint a picture of a band at the peak of the powers, I say this bet we are just a year on from Michael Rooney & Co releasing the brilliant I Am the Man-Wulf to prove that great songwriters and musicians never lose that prowess. The songs across these tracks stand the test of time displaying a real raw passion and powerful ardour, from the opening bars of Spiritual through to it’s t conclusion,through a passionate delivery of a fervent Saint Jack to side one’s blistering closer Fertile Mind and it’s unfortunately all too relevant “man’s inhumanity to man” line there’s nary a chance to breathe. A intense and urgent Fire and Clay opens the second side with some mighty fine harmonica parts, from a 1985 Janice Long session, and the whole thing wraps up the sombre slow burn of Bleedin’ Black. Don’t just listen to these songs, buy the record for some great pictures of the band and sleeve notes from Michael Rooney.
Check out more of the Precious releases on their Bandcamp page.