Impressive blend of styles
This was one of the best albums of 1991, at least as rated by the critics. The music certainly represents a breathtaking array of influences, styles and textures that is well enough integrated for a cohesive musical statement.

Movin' On Up is a soulful slab of rock with lovely female vocals, whilst the next two are psychedelic trance-dance pieces. Slip Inside This House being more straight-forward tribal dance whilst Don't Fight It Feel It is a trippy, trancey number with quirky burbling synths.

Higher Than The Sun is a slower number with atmospheric soundscapes whilst Inner Flight is even slower and more ambient with some dreamy vocals. Come Together is a mid tempo rhythmic track built around a male vocal speech followed later by oneiric female vocals.

The tribal rhythms reappear on the long track Loaded with its mildly amusing spoken intro, appealing melody line, voice samples and bursts of sound. A drastic change in sound and tempo comes with the gentle ballad Damaged, firmly in the rock tradition with great guitars and sensitive piano.

The next one, I'm Coming Down, is even slower and more laid-back with mournful sax, an apt description of the process named in the title. The penultimate track, Higher Than The Sun: A Dub Symphony, contains more atmospheric sounds and spacious vocals than the earlier version, and the album concludes with Shine Like Stars, a shimmering slow psychedelic number.

It's very difficult not to compare this album with psychedelic masterpieces from the past, like Love's Forever Changes, the 1960s psychedelia of the Stones, Beatles, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland. Fans of Screamadelica should definitely also investigate the work of the ambient tribal house UK band Astralasia.

Influential, yes. Good? No
I can appreciate Screamadelica's influence and its place in musical history, but influential does not always equal good.

At first, I thought this album was completely awful. However, repeated listens have softened my view on Screamdelica. It is not awful, not by any stretch of the imagination. But neither is it good. It's just kinda....blah. You can play this CD softly while entertaining friends and it will offend no one. But no one will ask you, "Who is this? This is great!"

Onto the tracks:

Movin' On Up - Sounds like a warmed-over version of George Michael's "Freedom". I did like the guitar stabs throughout, though.

Slip Inside This House - Let the dance party begin. I have a feeling this one would have thinned the dance floor, however. But it wouldn't have cleared it altogether, so points in its favor.

Don't Fight It, Feel It - I WILL fight it! I'm sure it was ahead of its time in '91, but now it sounds like any techno/house number I can hear in any Bally's JazzerFunk exercise class. Influential? Sure. Dated? Absolutely not. Good? Well, let's just say not my cup of tea.

Higher Than The Sun - Eh. Yes it's trippy and dazzling, but not especially moving. After a while the music loses all impact here and becomes background music. Pleasant, though.

Inner Flight - Should be called Inner Nap. This song does make terrific ambient music in the kids' room at night time, though. My two little ones were out like a LIGHT, so it's a nice children's aid.

Come Together - Too. Long. While I am a big fan of the concept of repetitive groove, there's nothing interesting about this track to begin with. It's light and airy and does not gain any power throughout. And it goes for 10 minutes. Give me the Stone Roses' "Fools Gold" every time.

Loaded - The Peter Fonda sample is awesome, and overall this is the best of the dance tracks on here. This is a different kind of bedroom song, and for all the right reasons.

Damaged - Best track on the record. Very cool and the guitars throughout are a fantastic touch.

I'm Comin' Down - We're back to the slow fade into the Background Music, made worse by that annoying sax.

Higher Than The Sun (A Dub Symphony In Two Parts) - One of the first 12-inch remixes, if I'm not mistaken. Either way, we're back to one of the precursors of house, "trip-hop", and that just isn't my thing.

Shine Like Stars - The album ends with a whimper. I appreciate the psychedelic feel the band was going far with this track (and most of the record), but it failed to move me.

I could never underestimate the enormous cultural influence this album had on music (bigger, in fact, than Nirvana's "Nevermind", which came out in the same year, I believe?). But was that influence for the greater musical good? I say no, and I also say "Screamdelica" doesn't even approach the greatness of the Stone Roses' first album. Oh well, to each his own.

But I will keep it as well for our next dinner party.

What an excellent album!
If you've only listened to the more recent Primal Scream albums (which are all decent to really good), you owe it to yourself to find a copy of Screamadelica. This is an early '90s gem that I only discovered towards the end of the 90's. Every track is interesting and will weather multiple listening sessions. Some standout tracks for me are "Higher than the Sun," and "Come Together." The latter is just a fantastic track - a classic "shaggin" track, some might say. Perhaps, perhaps not. However, I strongly urge all fans of great rock, great rock ALBUMS, to get your hands on this album - certainly available for a reasonable price at any decent Used CD store - or online!

more like Primal Whimper
my own fault for not researching it further, or at least listening to the tracks first. always wanted to check this band out, with a great name like that how bad could they be? sorry i asked. what a drippy, instantly-forgettable pile of mumbly drivel. psychedelic? omg hardly, unless you can trip on prozac and think jam bands are the coolest thing ever. I don't think i'll even re-sell it, it belongs in the trash.

if you aint got it get it.
Every track a gem.
this album came out in 1991. Every track still rides.