The Primevals are a Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 rock group

Rock Band

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

 formed in 1983, who were influenced by the MC5

MC5

The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...

, The Stooges

The Stooges

The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...

, Captain Beefheart

Captain Beefheart

Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...

, Pharoah Sanders

Pharoah Sanders

Pharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...

, The Gun Club, The Cramps

The Cramps

The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...

 and 1960s US

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 garage rock

Garage rock

Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...

.

History

Formed in 1983, the original line-up was Michael Rooney (vocals), Tom Rafferty (guitar), Malcolm McDonald (bass), Kevin Key (guitar), and Rhod Burnett (drums). Their first release was the self-financed "Where Are You?" single in 1984, produced by McDonald, after which they were signed by French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 independent label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 New Rose. Their first release for the label was the mini-LP

Mini-LP

A Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...

 Eternal Hotfire. A further single followed before Gordon left, to be replaced by Malcolm McDonald. They recorded a session for John Peel

John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

's BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

 show in 1985, which was released as an EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 in 1987. Rafferty left before the band recorded Sound Hole (New Rose 1986) with McDonald handling all guitar duties as the band built up a following in continental Europe, with a further album following for New Rose in 1987 (Live a Little). Gordon Goudie was recruited as rhythm guitarist in 1986. In late 1987 there was a further line-up change with Burnett and McDonald leaving, the remaining members recruiting Richard Mazda

Richard Mazda

Richard Mazda is a record producer, writer and musician. In later life he also became an actor and director.-Music career:Mazda was one of the co-founders of Poole punk/mod band Tours, singing and playing lead guitar. They signed to Virgin Records in 1979 after selling large quantities of their...

 (guitar) and Paul Bridges (drums). A live album was released in 1989 on the DDT label, but the band split up.

The Primevals reformed for a time in 1990 and in 1997 with the Rooney. McDonald, Honeyman and Bridges line-up which lasted 13 years.An anthology of their work, On The Red Eye, for the New Rose record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, was released in November 2005 on LastCall Records. 2007 saw the first all new recordings since 1990, with the release of the album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, There Is No Other Life and This Is It, on the band's own label 'Triple Wide'. Another album of new material (Disinhibitor) was released in October 2010, prior to McDonald leaving the group for a third time, citing "musical differences" as a reason for his departure

John Honeyman, together with original Primevals member Tom Rafferty, also performed under the name The Beat Poets, recording two tracks for the compilation album

Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

, Fast 'n' Bulbous - A Tribute To Captain Beefheart

Fast 'n' Bulbous - A Tribute to Captain Beefheart

Fast 'n' Bulbous - A Tribute To Captain Beefheart was an album released by Imaginary Records in the UK in 1988, consisting of contemporary artists performing cover versions of songs by Captain Beefheart.-Track listing:...

.

Current members

• Michael Rooney - vocals, harmonica, alto sax, guitar
• John Honeyman - bass, vocals
• Paul Bridges - drums

Albums

• Eternal Hotfire (1985), New Rose
• Sound Hole (1986), New Rose
• Live a Little (1987), New Rose - early copies came with a free single "Diamonds, Furcoat, Champagne"
• Neon Oven - Live at the Rex, Paris (1989), DDT
• Dig (1990), Nibelung
• There Is No Other Life and This Is It (2007), Triple Wide
• Disinhibitor (2010), Triple Wide - initial copies with bonus live CD

Compilations:

• Chicken Factory (1987), Greasy Pop
• On the Red Eye (2005), LastCall

Singles, EPs

• "Where Are You?" (1984), Raucous
• "Living In Hell" (1985), New Rose
• Elixir of Life EP (1986), New Rose
• The Peel Sessions (18.9.85) EP (1987), Strange Fruit
  Strange Fruit Records
  Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions....
  
  
• "Heya" (1987), New Rose - UK Indie #34
• "Fertile Mind" (1988), New Rose

Splits:

• Club Beatroot Part Two (1997), Flotsam & Jetsam: "I Want" (split with Swelling Meg)