Loaded (Primal Scream song)

Last updated

"Loaded"
Primal Scream - Loaded.jpg
Single by Primal Scream
from the album Screamadelica
B-side
  • "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have"
  • "Ramblin' Rose" (live)
Released19 February 1990 (1990-02-19) [1]
Genre
Length7:01
Label Creation
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Andrew Weatherall
Primal Scream singles chronology
"Ivy Ivy Ivy"
(1988)		"Loaded"
(1990)		"Come Together"
(1990)

"Loaded" is a song by Scottish rock band Primal Scream, released on 19 February 1990 as the lead single from their third studio album Screamadelica (1991). Mixed and produced by Andrew Weatherall, it is a remix of an earlier song titled "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have". In 2014, NME placed the song at number 59 in its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". [8]

Contents

Inspiration and composition

Primal Scream first became aware of Andrew Weatherall after he published a favourable review of their eponymous second album in the Boys Own fanzine. [9] Having subsequently met him at an acid house party at which he was DJing and become friends through various later meetings, it was suggested that he should remix "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have" from the album, work for which he was to receive a fee of £500. [9] [10]

Weatherall's first attempt, which he later described as basically just having "slung a kick drum under the original", [10] was judged by the band to have been too reverential to the source material and was rejected. Guitarist Andrew Innes instructed Weatherall to instead "just fucking destroy it". [9] His subsequent attempt abandoned all of the original track with the exception of a seven-second sample. [10]

At the start of the song, Weatherall added an audio sample of Frank Maxwell and Peter Fonda from the film The Wild Angels . [11]

  • Just what is it that you want to do?
  • We wanna be free
  • We wanna be free to do what we wanna do
  • And we wanna get loaded
  • And we wanna have a good time
  • That's what we're gonna do
  • (No way baby, let's go!)
  • We're gonna have a good time
  • We're gonna have a party

The rest of the song is constructed from the parts of "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have", with a vocal sample from the Emotions' "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", and a drum loop from an Italian bootleg remix of Edie Brickell's song "What I Am", plus Bobby Gillespie singing a line from Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues". [10]

Gillespie said in 1990 that he views "Loaded" as a dub record which is "closer to the sort of radical reconstructions that Jamaican producers like Joe Gibbs used to do with reggae songs in 1973 or 1974 than anything," adding: "Hopefully people will realise it has a different angle to something the Mondays or the Roses might do. I don't think we can be accused of jumping on any bandwagon. It's not like we're The Wonder Stuff." [12]

Single release

The single was released in February 1990, 18 months before the arrival of Screamadelica in October 1991. It was around 3 minutes shorter than the album version.

Upon the song's release, music journalist Push of Melody Maker wrote that, as "former darlings of indie rock", Primal scream "may lose some deities with their new house-orientated single 'Loaded', but Primal leader Bobby Gillespie is determined to use the dance floor groove to put some excitement back into the charts." [12] Gillespie described "Loaded" as "a great track, probably one of the best records we've ever put out. I'm not even bothered about how our fans react to it. We lost some of our original following over the last LP, but we also gained a lot of others who'd never been into the band before and I'd be daft not to expect the same sort of thing to happen again." [12] The song received over 7,500 advance orders, an achievement credited to its popularity at clubs and raves, rather than airplay or press coverage; as Gillespie said, "It's the first time that anything like that has ever happened to us. With 'Loaded', we're playing a totally different ball game." [12]

"Loaded" reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the group's first UK top 40 hit and garnering them a first appearance on television chart show Top of the Pops . [9] The single features a remix from regular Weatherall collaborator Terry Farley whose version reincorporates part of the original vocal from "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have". The 7-inch B-side is a Pat Collier remix of the source track, "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have".

In the Netherlands, a novelty-type mash-up of "Loaded" and "Sympathy for the Devil", made and performed by two radio DJs, became a minor hit. [13]

Legacy

Muzik magazine listed the song as one of the 50 most influential dance records of all time, describing it as "unquestionably the finest indie dance record ever ... something akin to "Sympathy for the Devil" for the E generation". [4] In 2022, it was included in the list "The story of NME in 70 (mostly) seminal songs": Mark Beaumont wrote that with this "majestic" song, "worlds of indie and dance most gloriously collided". [14] Simon Reynolds credits the track's funkiness to Weatherall, "who transformed what was originally a bluesy ballad into a house music update of 'Sympathy for the Devil.'" [7] Lisa Verrico of Vox said in 1994, "When DJ Andy Weatherall turned Primal Scream's 'I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have' into 'Loaded', he did more than create clubland's ultimate anthem. At a time when House music threatened to expose rock'n'roll as middle-aged, he showed British guitar bands how to be hip. 'Loaded' got Primal Scream out of an indie rut and launched today's multi-million-pound remix industry." [15] In 2024 Sveriges Radio P3 (Swedish national radio) put Loaded on place 170 in their list of World's 300 best songs.

Track listings

7-inch vinyl

  1. "Loaded" – 4:15
  2. "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have" – 4:45

12-inch vinyl (1) and CD

  1. "Loaded" – 7:00
  2. "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have" – 4:45
  3. "Ramblin' Rose" (live N.Y.C.) – 2:27

12-inch vinyl (2)

  1. "Loaded" (Terry Farley re-mix) – 5:59
  2. "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have" – 4:45
  3. "Ramblin' Rose" (live N.Y.C.) – 2:27

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Loaded"
Chart (1990)Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [16] 43
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [17] 27
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [1] 31
UK Singles (OCC) [18] 16
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [19] 19

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Loaded"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

In film

The song is played in The Favor and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. [21] It was also played at the beginning of the 2013 film The World's End and was included in its soundtrack. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primal Scream</span> Scottish rock band

Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Gillespie</span> Scottish Musician

Robert Gillespie is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer, founding member, primary lyricist, and sole continuous member of the alternative rock band Primal Scream. He was the drummer for The Jesus and Mary Chain in the mid-1980s, leaving after the release of the band's debut album Psychocandy, and was once the bassist for The Wake.

<i>Primal Scream</i> (Primal Scream album) 1989 studio album by Primal Scream

Primal Scream is the second studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was released on 4 September 1989 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Mercenary Records. Musically, it took a harder rock approach than their 1987 debut Sonic Flower Groove and did not achieve great success. However, the song "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have" was later remixed to provide the breakthrough single "Loaded", which appeared on their much celebrated third album Screamadelica.

<i>Screamadelica</i> 1991 studio album by Primal Scream

Screamadelica is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was first released on 23 September 1991 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and on 8 October 1991 in the United States by Sire Records. The album marked a significant departure from the band's early indie rock sound, drawing inspiration from the blossoming house music scene and associated drugs such as LSD and MDMA. Much of the album's production was handled by acid house DJ Andrew Weatherall and engineer Hugo Nicolson, who remixed original recordings made by the band into dance-oriented tracks.

<i>Give Out but Dont Give Up</i> 1994 studio album by Primal Scream

Give Out but Don't Give Up is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was released on 28 March 1994 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Sire Records. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. Musically, it marked a massive departure from the psychedelic sound of their previous studio album Screamadelica (1991) into one influenced by classic rock and blues music. Its cover photo is a cropped version of Troubled Waters by American photographer William Eggleston. Eggleston included the album in his 2017 Pitchfork list of "the Music That Made Him a Photography Legend."

<i>Vanishing Point</i> (Primal Scream album) 1997 studio album by Primal Scream

Vanishing Point is the fifth studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was released on 7 July 1997 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Reprise Records. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. The album shows inspiration from genres such as dub, ambient, dance music, and krautrock, as well as bands such as Motörhead, Can, and the Stooges. It was the band's first album to feature Gary 'Mani' Mounfield on bass, formerly of the Stone Roses, although Marco Nelson played bass on "Burning Wheel", "Star", "If They Move, Kill 'Em'", and "Stuka". Other guest appearances on Vanishing Point include Augustus Pablo, Glen Matlock, and the Memphis Horns.

<i>Evil Heat</i> 2002 studio album by Primal Scream

Evil Heat is the seventh studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was first released on 5 August 2002 in the United Kingdom by Columbia Records and on 26 November 2002 in the United States by Epic Records. It peaked at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart. Musically, its style forms a link between two of the band's previous albums: the aggressive protest of XTRMNTR (2000), and the acid house psychedelia of Screamadelica (1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Weatherall</span> English DJ, record producer, and remixer (1963–2020)

Andrew James Weatherall was an English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer. His career took him from being a DJ in the acid house movement of the late 1980s to being a remixer of tracks by Happy Mondays, New Order, Björk, the Orb, the Future Sound of London, My Bloody Valentine, Saint Etienne, Primal Scream, Moby and James.

<i>Morning Dove White</i> 1993 album by One Dove

Morning Dove White is the only studio album by Scottish electronic music group One Dove. It was originally released on Boy's Own Productions in 1993. The group primarily co-produced the album with Andrew Weatherall, with Stephen Hague later being recruited to assist with additional production and remixing.

<i>Dixie-Narco</i> (EP) 1992 EP by Primal Scream

Dixie-Narco is an extended play (EP) by Scottish rock band Primal Scream, released on 27 January 1992 through Creation Records. Its lead track is "Movin' On Up", originally released on the Screamadelica album. This was the only official Primal Scream release to contain the song "Screamadelica" until the song appeared on the 20th anniversary edition of the Screamadelica album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocks (song)</span> 1994 single by Primal Scream

"Rocks" is a song by the Scottish rock band Primal Scream that came out in 1994 with the release of Give Out But Don't Give Up, which was the group's fourth studio album. This track was the first indication of the band's evolution in musical genre, contrasting with the approaches utilized in Primal Scream's previous album, titled Screamadelica, which had gotten released in 1991 and featured dance-related leanings. "Rocks" featured a more bluesy hard rock approach akin to arena-friendly songs of the past, being inspired by British artists such as T. Rex, the Rolling Stones, and Faces.

Riot City Blues Tour is the first live DVD from Scottish band Primal Scream. The show was filmed in high-definition at the Hammersmith Apollo in London during the tour in support of their latest album, Riot City Blues. The sold-out concert occurred soon after the band received the Godlike Geniuses award from British music publication NME.

<i>Beautiful Future</i> 2008 studio album by Primal Scream

Beautiful Future is the ninth studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was released on 21 July 2008 by B-Unique Records. It peaked at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart. It was promoted with the single "Can't Go Back", and was produced by Björn Yttling and Paul Epworth.

Hugo Nicolson is an English record producer and engineer, who has worked on records for artists including Primal Scream, Embrace, David Holmes, Shack, Julian Cope, and his sister, Claire Nicolson (musician) who also performs under the pseudonym 'Tiger Onezie'. Nicolson started working as a tape op at the Townhouse Studios and progressed to being an engineer and producer on a number of well-known albums. Nicolson played a key role on Primal Scream's Screamadelica album, working with Andrew Weatherall as co-producer and engineer, helping to remix the original recordings made by the band. Hugo engineered Grammy award winning artist Radiohead on their critically acclaimed record In Rainbows

<i>Screamadelica Live</i> 2011 live album / DVD by Primal Scream

Screamadelica Live is a live album by Scottish rock group Primal Scream, which was released in 2011 for Primal Scream's tour for the 20th anniversary for the 1991 album Screamadelica. The performance was filmed at the Olympia Grand Hall in London on 26 November 2010 and was released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray on 30 May 2011. This is the final Primal Scream album to feature Mani, who departed and reformed his previous band The Stone Roses in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 (song)</span> 2013 single by Primal Scream

"2013" is a song by the band Primal Scream. It was released as a single on 25 March 2013 as the first single off of the band's tenth album, More Light. Produced by David Holmes, the title of the song is a nod towards The Stooges' habit of naming tracks after their year of composition. The music video directed by Rei Nadal features scenes of taxidermy, sequin gimp masks, bondage, and psychiatric patients.

"Velocity Girl" is a song by British alternative rock band Primal Scream, originally released as the B-side to their second single, "Crystal Crescent", in 1986. The song has been noted for its influence in indie pop, with Pitchfork Media saying that it reduced "the pop song to its subatomic essence: quick, breezy, quirky, and above all, exquisitely small". The song was partly inspired by the actress, model and Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick.

"Come Together" is a song by Scottish rock band Primal Scream, released in August 1990 as the second single from their third studio album Screamadelica (1991). The song peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. The single versions of the song, mixed by Terry Farley, are radically different from the album version which was mixed by Andrew Weatherall. Whilst the Farley mix follows a standard pop song structure, Weatherall's extended album mix is more influenced by house music and dub mixes and features none of Bobby Gillespie's vocals. In the US, the single was released as a double A-side with the band's previous single "Loaded".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love (The Emotions song)</span> 1976 single by The Emotions

"I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" is a song recorded by R&B group the Emotions for their 1976 album, Flowers. It was released a single by Columbia Records, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

<i>Sympathy for Life</i> 2021 studio album by Parquet Courts

Sympathy for Life is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Parquet Courts. The album was released on October 22, 2021, on Rough Trade Records. Produced by Rodaidh McDonald and John Parish, the album was preceded by the singles, "Plant Life", "Walking at a Downtown Pace", "Black Widow Spider" and "Homo Sapien".

References

  1. 1 2 "Primal Scream – Loaded" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Brewster, Bill; Broughton, Frank (1999). Last Night a Dj Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. Headline Book Publishing. p. 347. ISBN   0-7472-6230-6. the supremely twisted remix, "Loaded," another key indie dance record.
  3. ↑ Savage, Jon (November 1990). "Boy's Club". Spin . Vol. 6, no. 8. p. 84. ISSN   0886-3032.
  4. 1 2 "50 Most Influential Dance Records of All Times Muzik Magazine". Listology.com. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Cornell, Jeff (16 March 2016). "25 Essential Rock Albums Turning 25 in 2016". Billboard . Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Stanley, Rod (2016). "Primal Scream - Screamadelica". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 674.
  7. 1 2 Reynolds, Simon (8 December 2007). "What ever happened to Britpop?". Salon. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Barker, Emily (31 January 2014). "The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time: 100-1". NME . Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 O'Hagan, Sean (23 February 2020). "Bobby Gillespie remembers Andrew Weatherall: 'He was a true bohemian'". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Savage, Mark (17 February 2020). "DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall dies". BBC News . Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "What is the sample at the start of Loaded by Primal Scream?". Radio X. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Push (10 March 1990). "Primal Scream: Spring Loaded". Melody Maker. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  13. ↑ Buffalo Bob and The Rinkelstars Sympathy For The Devil , retrieved 9 February 2023
  14. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (7 March 2022). "The Story of NME in 70 (mostly) Seminal Songs". NME . Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Verrico, Lisa (November 1994). "Andy Weatherall: Pick and Remix". Vox. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  16. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 14. 7 April 1990. p. IV.
  17. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Primal Scream" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  18. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  19. ↑ "Primal Scream Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  20. ↑ "British single certifications – Primal Scream – Loaded". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) - Soundtracks - IMDb . Retrieved 29 April 2024– via www.imdb.com.
  22. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – The World's End". AllMusic . Retrieved 14 March 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.