Well this slipped under my radar for over 3 decades: a video for the 12"!

[www.youtube.com]

One of Jagger's better songs. We can only wonder how some of his songs would have turned out if they'd been recorded by the Stones. It would also be interesting to hear 'Say You Will', or some of his other songs, covered by a contemporary artist.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2019-12-09 11:22 by MrTurner.

One of the few redeemable songs from that dreadful album. Jagger has a knack of finding the worst [possible collaborATOrs for solo projects.

Great song! Maybe my favorite solo Jagger song.

Maybe PC would have met a better fate if this had been the single instead of the awful "Let's Work". But then again, maybe we wouldn't have the Stones today.

I also like "Throwaway".

Nice little song...never heard it before.

Lyrically the verses are pretty good. The chorus is cheesy and really sappy. It’s real pop all the way through. Now Party Doll and Kowtow are easily my favorites on that album.

The opening always reminds me of "Do It Again" by The Beach Boys. Beck's guitar solo is nice. Mick's lyrics veer toward the greeting card schmaltzy side a bit. It's certainly better than "Let's Work" or "War Baby" and it came off better than "Catch As Catch Can," but I'll take the other tracks any day. For ballads, "Party Doll" would be my choice for the great one on here.

PC is actually a somewhat underrated album in my opinion, I liked it a lot better than the oftentimes clangy, noisy StB which was the better known record at the time.
Two songs I don't like, however, are at the end of side one and of side two, what was Mick thinking? Attempts at 80's style prog or something?
At least one advantage of the commercial flop that PC was, is that we have the Stones still around today.

"Primitive Cool" is definitely pop prog-influenced, but it's not that far removed from "Terrifying" if you think about it. I always thought the song worked well.

"War Baby" tries to echo "Gimme Shelter" lyrically and recall "You Can't Always Get What You Want" with the Harrison College Choir intro. While the choir are put to better use there than on "Let's Work," it just never jells for me. It sounded like Mick was trying hard to craft a "Brothers in Arms" style number with somber lyrics and music to match. The use of sound effects (shades of Roger Waters) didn't help. The Chieftains carrying on from "Party Doll" into "War Baby" was a nice touch, but the song just felt a bit too contrived to really come off successfully. Still, as an effort to break out of the mode, it isn't terrible.

As it stands, PRIMITIVE COOL is still easily my second favorite Mick album.

Wow...a new low having two Jagger solo tune threads posted at the same time - with no rumours/updates on the new album and/or tour understandable I guess.

As for this tune, the clean production and synth/strings don't help at all - might have been better as either pure acoustic, or with some ballsy rock and roll backup. And the lyrics...lol. All in all, reeks of '80's.
As for the album itself , bought the cassette and tried to like it, but to no avail...when the lead single is Lets Work, hard to get past that.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Rocky Dijon
"Primitive Cool" is definitely pop prog-influenced, but it's not that far removed from "Terrifying" if you think about it. I always thought the song worked well.

"War Baby" tries to echo "Gimme Shelter" lyrically and recall "You Can't Always Get What You Want" with the Harrison College Choir intro. While the choir are put to better use there than on "Let's Work," it just never jells for me. It sounded like Mick was trying hard to craft a "Brothers in Arms" style number with somber lyrics and music to match. The use of sound effects (shades of Roger Waters) didn't help. The Chieftains carrying on from "Party Doll" into "War Baby" was a nice touch, but the song just felt a bit too contrived to really come off successfully. Still, as an effort to break out of the mode, it isn't terrible.

As it stands, PRIMITIVE COOL is still easily my second favorite Mick album.

I always found Primitive Cool to be unworthy of being even a B-side. It's incredibly chookey. War Baby is embarrassing - who cares if the lyrics tie into Gimme Shelter (I remember reading that thinking THE SONG STILL SUCKS)? The song sucks! Party Doll is horrible as well.

This LP would've been much better as an EP:
Throwaway
Say You Will
Peace For The Wicked
Kow Tow

.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2019-12-09 01:40 by SomeGuy.

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GasLightStreet

I always found Primitive Cool to be unworthy of being even a B-side. It's incredibly chookey. War Baby is embarrassing - who cares if the lyrics tie into Gimme Shelter (I remember reading that thinking THE SONG STILL SUCKS)? The song sucks! Party Doll is horrible as well.

This LP would've been much better as an EP:
Throwaway
Say You Will
Peace For The Wicked
Kow Tow

"Throwaway" and "Kowtow" are terrific. I've never warmed to "Say You Will." I've always found it sort of embarrassing. I'm not a fan of "War Baby." However, your unenlightened and entirely unacceptable personal opinion of "Primitive Cool" and "Party Doll" means I now have to take the Christmas card my wife was mailing you out of the mailbox and burn it in the fireplace. That hurts considering I wasted both a card and a Marvin Gaye commemorative stamp. Perhaps Hairball will have room for you for dinner on Christmas. You've soiled my linen for the last time.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-12-09 03:21 by SomeGuy.

Just plain awful.

If Mick had ditched the Stones to pursue a second career in, say, ballet dancing, I could’ve accepted it. I would’ve bought tickets and politely applauded even if his performance was bad. Because no matter how badly he flopped as a dancer it would be preferable to him disgracing himself on records like Primitive Cool. At least that’s how I used to think.

But today I’m able to accept Mick Jagger the solo artist. And much to my surprise I even seem to have some affection for him, partly thanks to this thread. This thread reminded me that ‘Primitive Cool’ was not only the title of the album but a song of its own, a fact I had forgotten. Morbid curiosity getting the better of me, I listened to it this morning despite having a severe hangover (lost a lot of money in Hong Kong yesterday) and knowing this wouldn’t be a cure for it. Well, it certainly didn’t cure my hangover but it didn’t make it any worse either. I actually laughed, resignedly (is that the right word?), because it was good in parts and bad in parts and although I could never truly like this music it was all so much water under the bridge. It’s the same with ‘Let’s Work’ and ‘Say You Will’ and etc. – you just gotta laugh.

Always liked Say you will one of Micks better songs.

Primitive Cool remains to date the worst album of the 1980's. By any band. In any genre.

Mathijs

A very poppy song, but I've always liked it somehow.

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rbp
Just plain awful.

Yeah, what was he thinking?

really?

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Mathijs
Primitive Cool remains to date the worst album of the 1980's. By any band. In any genre.

Mathijs

SAVED by Dylan, KNOCKED OUT LOADED by Dylan, DOWN IN THE GROOVE by Dylan, DAVE DAVIES' self-titled album, GLAMOUR by Dave Davies, CHOSEN PEOPLE by Dave Davies, THINK VISUAL by The Kinks, UK JIVE by The Kinks, EYE OF THE ZOMBIE by John Fogerty, INXS' debut, UNDERNEATH THE COLOURS by INXS, BILL WYMAN's self-titled album, and SHE'S THE BOSS are all far worse, though most of these still have one or two tracks that are worthwhile. And yes, of course, there are many hundreds of others that are far worse.

Oh God, there's WILLIE AND THE POORBOYS from Bill...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-12-09 17:36 by Rocky Dijon.

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Rocky Dijon

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Mathijs
Primitive Cool remains to date the worst album of the 1980's. By any band. In any genre.

Mathijs

SAVED by Dylan, KNOCKED OUT LOADED by Dylan, DOWN IN THE GROOVE by Dylan, DAVE DAVIES' self-titled album, GLAMOUR by Dave Davies, CHOSEN PEOPLE by Dave Davies, THINK VISUAL by The Kinks, UK JIVE by The Kinks, EYE OF THE ZOMBIE by John Fogerty, INXS' debut, UNDERNEATH THE COLOURS by INXS, BILL WYMAN's self-titled album, and SHE'S THE BOSS are all far worse, though most of these still have one or two tracks that are worthwhile. And yes, of course, there are many hundreds of others that are far worse.

Oh God, there's WILLIE AND THE POORBOYS from Bill...

I like Think Visual

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DandelionPowderman

I like Think Visual

"Lost and Found" is classic Kinks and "Working at the Factory" is pretty good, but the album is really poorly mixed. The sound is dreadful and there's way too much filler. I'll stand by PRIMITIVE COOL.

And yes, I know opinions are subjective, but I'm about the only defender the album has!

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Rocky Dijon

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Mathijs
Primitive Cool remains to date the worst album of the 1980's. By any band. In any genre.

Mathijs

SAVED by Dylan, KNOCKED OUT LOADED by Dylan, DOWN IN THE GROOVE by Dylan, DAVE DAVIES' self-titled album, GLAMOUR by Dave Davies, CHOSEN PEOPLE by Dave Davies, THINK VISUAL by The Kinks, UK JIVE by The Kinks, EYE OF THE ZOMBIE by John Fogerty, INXS' debut, UNDERNEATH THE COLOURS by INXS, BILL WYMAN's self-titled album, and SHE'S THE BOSS are all far worse, though most of these still have one or two tracks that are worthwhile. And yes, of course, there are many hundreds of others that are far worse.

Oh God, there's WILLIE AND THE POORBOYS from Bill...

AMEN to all, Rocky! Although I must confess, I really like She's The Boss. I'm the weirdo who likes She's the Boss and Primitive Cool the best. I think because I don't miss the Stones when I listen to them. I take them as they are, as solo albums. but with Wandering Spirit, I find myself missing the Stones somehow, and it just pales, so that one oddly enough hasn't aged as well for me. Goddess in the Doorway and SuperHeavy were sold to my local used CD store years ago.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-12-09 18:31 by floodonthepage.

One of the worst albums in the eighties is Talk is Cheap,very very bad,not one single song is good on this album.
Just some riffs,almost without melody

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Rocky Dijon

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DandelionPowderman

I like Think Visual

"Lost and Found" is classic Kinks and "Working at the Factory" is pretty good, but the album is really poorly mixed. The sound is dreadful and there's way too much filler. I'll stand by PRIMITIVE COOL.

And yes, I know opinions are subjective, but I'm about the only defender the album has!

No, me too. An album with songs like THROWAWAY can´t be bad.

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harlem shuffle
One of the worst albums in the eighties is Talk is Cheap,very very bad,not one single song is good on this album.
Just some riffs,almost without melody

This is an amazing opinion.
Maybe, you should revisit and listen three times in row.
It took a while for me as well. I promise, it will grow...

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deardoctor

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harlem shuffle
One of the worst albums in the eighties is Talk is Cheap,very very bad,not one single song is good on this album.
Just some riffs,almost without melody

This is an amazing opinion.
Maybe, you should revisit and listen three times in row.
It took a while for me as well. I promise, it will grow...

He doesn't like people criticising Mick, so he just post weird stuff about Keith on autopilot. I'm sure he never even listened to TIC

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Mathijs
Primitive Cool remains to date the worst album of the 1980's. By any band. In any genre.

Mathijs

Its better than Look What the Cat Stepped In by Poison; he should have built the marketing campaign around that fact at the time

Actually I am a fan of She's the Boss and even half of Primitive Cool. Throwaway, Kow Tow, Party Doll, Say You Will..

She's the Boss is fun, funky and some good songwriting under the 80s gloss. Even revisited the "Running out of Luck" film recently (after watching McCartneys Broadstreet I had a hankerimg to view Micks music film aswell from the time).