It's odd in hindsight the Swervedriver were initially considered as part of the Shoegazing movement alongside Slowdive, Ride, Chapterhouse, Lush, Revolver et al. There are waves of guitar abuse and FX pedal manipulation, but it's an infinitely more muscular, aggressive, rock sound that they deal in.
'Never Lose That Feeling (Never Learn)' was a standalone single that came out between the first two albums - their debut, the awesome 'Raise' and follow-up 'Mezcal Head'. It was a near-twelve minute epic, stretched across one side of a 12", making something of a statement.
It gets straight into the action with drums and distortion-edged riffing, building up waves of feedback and skree. Once they've done with the song proper at the four minute mark, it's gloves-off and they take us for a ride through a slowed down section, dubbing-up the bass and applying waves of shimmering feedback. A sax appears through the fog of guitar, Steve Mackay-style, and blows up a storm over the undulations of the track's next six minutes of wide-open space.
Download Swervedriver 'Never Lose That Feeling (Never Learn)' (mp3) (Mediafire)
Available on the reissued version of 'Mezcal Head'
. Got my copy for a fiver.
Earth-shattering song; only wish they would've played the entire 12-minute version when I saw them live ('98). I always get satisfaction when a band renders the entire career of one of its biggest influences (in this case the Stooges, side 2 of Fun House specifically) obsolete with one song, and I think the Swervies just about did it here.
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