Career
After six years in the band, Jim Beattie left Primal Scream in 1988. Two years later he formed Spirea X, the name taken from a Primal Scream b-side (an instrumental track that he had written), announcing "We"re going to do lieutenant.by having better songs, better melodies, better arrangements, better everything. By sheer force of ideas".
Jamie O"Donnell and Thomas McGurk joining Beattie, his girlfriend Judith Boyle, and Andy Kerr in 1991.
Debut European Parliament Chlorine Dream was released in April 1991, the title track inspired by the life of Brian Jones. This was followed up by and the album Fireblade Skies (the name taken from a volume of Arthur Rimbaud"s poetry), both in 1991.
Fireblade Skies met with positive critical reaction, Lime Lizard"s Nick Terry stating: "If Jim Beattie"s last longplaying endeavour, Primal Scream"s Sonic Flower Groove, was a thoroughly flawed masterpiece, he"s found his groove with Fireblade Skies". Beattie rejected comparisons with other bands of the era, stating "I don"t think we fit in anywhere, really", and "I don"t think we"re egotistical like Ride are.
I don"t need to be egotistical, because I"ve got the music to back it up".
The band was subsequently reduced to a duo of Beattie and Boyle, and were dropped by 4AD in 1992, the band splitting the following year. Beattie and Boyle resurfaced in 1994 with a new band, Adventures in Stereo.
