The Primitives – Pure

Some copies are autographed on the front cover & rear cover.

One of the greatest albums I own. All the songs on it, would have been suitable for release as a single.

Many will object "Pure" is a bit of a downer, considering the energy and effort put into the group's 1988 debut masterpiece. While most songs here do heavily rely on "Lovely's" melodic sensibilities, "Pure" is by no means a flop - on contrary, it's more mature. There is some entrapment along the way though - to start with, for some reason the album includes one of the group's transitional songs, the excellent "Way Behind Me" (available also on later editions of "Lovely"). The song itself doesn't affect the mood of the whole album but for "Pure", The Primitives should have left it a sweet obscurity rather than exploiting its bonus potential on both albums equally.

Secondly, while earlier Primitives leaned heavily towards The Ramones with their own sense of innovation, on "Pure" some pieces can very easily be confused with the likes of Spacemen 3/Sonic Boom, The House Of Love and The Jesus & Mary Chain respecfully, due to its frequent use of psychedelic/dreamy guitar textures - the presence of Cocteau Twins is also evident in "Summer Rain"; a listener can very easily get confused, expecting Liz Fraser to start singing any second after the guitar intro, which by default is all Robin Guthrie's trademark sound. At the time, due to any such impressions, "Pure" very possibly suffered a great deal (the group's line-up change also contributed to any inconsistency), but it is by no means a plagiarist or weak record aiming at indie scene's then-actual trends (most notably the Shoegaze scene of the late 80s).

It still has raw energy, shares optimism and melancholy and dream-like qualities of a good pop record - Tracy's vocals are smooth, with occasional leads by one of her bandmates (strangely not credited anwhere), giving the whole structure more strength from basic punk-ish simplicity chords. As time goes by, many will sadly (and unfairly) underestimate The Primitives' legacy due to their lonesome top 10 success of "Crash", but the group should be explored from their whole lot of three albums' worth. "Pure" being the second, lost in the middle, where its many numbers shine with a decent light - most notably "Secrets", "Shine", "Sick Of It" or "Keep Me In Mind" to name a few. The CD version includes four extra numbers, each a delicious guitar-led pop candy - "Noose", the stunning "beat version" of "All the Way Down" (which even dares tackling Madchester's shores), a cover of Lou Reed's "I'll Be Your Mirror" and the closing number "I Almost Touched You".

An honest, recommended listen.