What does it sound like?:
1997s ‘Ladies & Gentleman … We Are Floating In Space’ was, and always will be Spiritualized’s masterwork.
But 2018s ‘And Nothing Hurt’ came very close to usurping it, and this release maintains that knocking on the door.
There is an argument that ‘And Nothing Hurt’ could’ve been a double album with the wealth of material Jason Pierce had at his disposal. In the end it was a single album, and many of the disregarded demos form the basis of this album – and it shows, there is a nice continuum from the last album, but this is not a collection of tarted up left overs. Each track is a mini-epic, mini-masterpiece with a range of styles popping in and out – Stones, Stooges, Jazz, Country, Psychedelia, even a passing early solo John Lennon-ish moment (or at least that’s what I heard), plus the best song Bobby Gillespie never wrote (and will no doubt be miffed that Jason Pierce beat him to it). But this album is not about the sounds or the influences, it’s about how they’re corralled and personalized to create a unique whole that is undoubtedly Spiritualized. And it also has that trusted (or at least for me anyway) suspense of reality and entry into Spiritualized’s world.
The atmospheric building of opener “Always Together With You” draws you in, and you’re rooted almost trance like until closer “I’m Coming Home Again” peeps it’s last.
What does it all *mean*?
7 tracks across 44 minutes – only one dips below 4 minutes (and you want it to be longer), and like all great “long songs” you don’t notice the length – “The A Song (Laid In Your Arms)” is 7 minutes magnificently spent, and the closer “I’m Coming Home Again” clocks in at just under 10.
Highlights? Well, there are 7 of them and it just feels wrong to Spotify cherry pick them and separate them from their siblings. But it’s going to happen, so if I’m pushed I would highlight “Always Together With You”, “Crazy” and “The Mainline Song” – but would also implore the listener to explore the other 4 tracks immediately after listening.
The double album idea? The twin albums take their names from the a line in the Kurt Vonnegut novel Slaughter House Five (“Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt”) – or so the ever reliable interweb informs me.
It’s also the title of a Moby album from 2018 – now being the same year as Spitualized’s ‘And Nothing Hurt’ may be a reason for choosing the 2 single albums route.
Would it work as a double?
There is enough commonality and theme and feeling to warrant it, but if it was done as a double album in 2018, I think it may suffer from DoubleAlbum-itis (50% Great, 30% Pretty Good, 20% Needs more work).
However, as 2 distinct releases (with each honed a stand alone release) and played back-to-back this has all the makings of a very fine double.
But it’s not a double album – what you have in your grubby little mits (or in your ears more correctly) is an album worthy of investigation, repeated listening and (hopefully) high acclaim when dullards like me start assembling lists in 7 months time.
Goes well with…
Floating in space
Release Date:
Now
Might suit people who like…
Getting lost in an album for 44 minutes
Always Together With You
Crazy
The Mainline Song
Ooh thanks for the review RD! I was a huge Spacemen/Spiritualized fan and then sort of just lost all interest – it all got quite samey IMO after Let It Come Down came out. But this sounds like a proper return to the imperial days
I’ve changed my mind about this Spiritualized album, it is good but I doubt it would get repeated plays. Trouble is I buy lots of albums* and some stuff after initial plays don’t get returned to.
*I buy too much and keep trying to cut back, music is always playing at Harkonnen Towers especially in the daytime. However too much good stuff gets forgotten.
I also enjoyed your review @Rigid-Digit, thank you.
“I buy too much ..” – that was Mrs D tells me, but how much is too much?
OK, I admit like yourself repeated plays are sometimes missed under the wealth of stuff to be listened to – but I think this one is a near the top returner (I will leave it hanging out of the shelf for a long while yet to remind me)
There are plenty of bands where I’ve found with the second purchase that I was better knowing the band by the one brilliant album (and L&GWAFIS is undoubtedly brilliant). Now you’re tempting me to give them another go. Are you prepared to be answerable to a big scary galoot with an abundance of underplayed CDs?
I had never heard Spiritualised when I attended an All Tomorrow’s Parties festival curated by Nick Cave up on a mountainside in the Victorian High Country.
A bit cliched to advise that I had just consumed “space fruit cake” and being hungry had an ample dose. Ladies and Gentlemen was played – choir, laser lights ,the whole shebang. It was breathtaking.
Some of Jay’s melodies can be a bit twee but overall it’s an impressive catalogue. I rate Songs in A and E so far mentioned in comments.
Thanks for the review – Everything Was Beautiful will be today’s soundtrack.
Quite fancy a bit of that. Loved “…floating in space”.
Between Spirit and Spooky Tooth, my copies of the double Lazer Guided Melodies and the Royal Albert Hall live double rarely get a spin. I’ve got the fantastically packaged L&G in it’s little medical CD box, and that’s been my only port of call for Jason’s experiments – I may be tempted to jump back on board by this release.
I enjoyed a brief postal-style correspondence with Jason Spaceman, back when he was out of Spacemen 3. I wrote him a fan letter, and he sent me back a long handwritten screed, some PR bumph, and some pin badges. All gorn, now, straw in the wind.
That was good of him.
Yes it was, although this was very early in his career and he probably didn’t get much fan mail! He wrote two sheets of A4, both sides. Mostly about books (which was what I wrote to him about – drug/weirdness recommendations). Rugby band, just down the road from me.
Probably why he responded – coz it was about books and not his music.
It was a chat-up technique I used at parties – I’d look quizically at some snooty tart and ask if she’d read so-and-so (usually some best-seller a gurl might have heard of) and she’d frown and say no, why, and I’d say because she reminded me of a character in it – the way she dressed, her hair – and in less than a minute she’d be talking enthusiastically to someone else and I’d be hunting for Twiglets between the empty bottles.
When I was 17 or so I was much struck by Camus’ The Outsider, and I developed the habit of telling girls that if they really, really wanted to understand me they should read it. It turned out that they understood me only too well without having to go to the bother of reading it.
She made the right call.
This was in response to HP. However, on reflection, it applies to Thep as well.
You looking at my pint?
Hands off my twiglet, I saw it first, you varlet!
I loved Spacemen 3 and the early Spiritualised albums. As well as Lazer Guided Melodies I’d highly recommend the compilation The Complete Works: Volume One. I’ve never found the later stuff as compelling as their early records. Pete Kember’s post-Spacemen career is also well worth investigating as Spectrum/Sonic Boom/Experimental Audio Research. New to me is All Things Being Equal, Kember’s second album as Sonic Boom, released in 2020. From that album, ‘I Can See Light Bend’.
I second The Complete Works: Volume One. It’s a fine album, and has some great alternative/B-side stuff not on the main albums.
Along with Martin’s suggestions, I’d add the album All That Noise by Pete “Bassman” Bain’s post-Spacemen 3 band, The Darkside.
They played at one of my university end-of-term balls to an almost empty canteen, and finished their set with Revolution. I was transfixed (and very, very, drunk).
Here’s Guitar Voodoo:
Our favourite joke circa 1990
(attempts Yoda’s voice)- “leaving Spacemen 3 early leads to the Darkside.”
I’m probably similar to many people in that I love Spiritualized’s 90s albums but fell away from them after that.
I actually think Pure Phase is the best album, which I haven’t seen mentioned yet. To me, it sounded the most like a genuine, raw Spiritualized, without the lushness of Lazer Guided Melodies or the orchestral pomp of Ladies and Gentlemen. Those three albums, however, are a crowning achievement in 90s music. A fantastic run, with a great balance between massive progress on each album while still retaining a signature feel and sound and vision.
Of the post-Ladies and Gentlemen albums, I’ve found maybe five or six songs I like, but no single album I would listen to from start to end like that 90s trilogy.
They’ve all been recently remastered and pressed as half-speed mastered double vinyl sets, if anyone fancies that. I also only bought the first three.
I’ve heard terrible things about the pressing quality of those recent vinyl reissues. Haven’t listened myself so take that with a grain of salt, or perhaps a trip to the Steve Hoffman forums.
They suffer from what the We Buy Records podcast call “the GZ pressing lottery”. All except the very worst are usually recoverable with a wet clean.
“All except the very worst are usually recoverable with a wet clean.” – is this the records or the people on the podcast?
Spiritualized are one of those acts that I don’t think of as a vinyl act, but a CD act. Not sure why. I suppose their sound always seemed to suit clear and clinical, digital music. They always put a lot of effort into their CD covers as well. I still have the original Pure Phase that glows in the dark! I also have an unopened pill-box of Ladies and Gentlemen.
Lazer Guided Melodies was originally released on double 45 rpm 12″ for maximum vinyl wallop. In 1992!
Yes, I bought it, with the free limited 7″ single of Anyway That You Want Me b/w Why Don’t You Smile Now?
In 1991-2 a lot of CD-length albums started to appear on double vinyl where they might once have been squashed onto a single. This seemed to become policy when Columbia/CBS was bought by Sony – so eg. Fear of a Black Planet in 1990 went out as a single LP, whereas Apocalypse 91, a shorter album, went out as a double. A Japanese parent company not having any truck with crap sound quality? Possibly – the original Fear album is a travesty.
Yep. A 2LP Black Planet is in my “I wish they would” list.
I’m still kicking myself for not buying the 2013 double 3 Feet High & Rising. Cheapest copy on the ‘Cogs is £100.
A 2 LP FOABP would work very well – simply five tracks a side, job’s a good ‘un. And you could have a much-needed lie-down-in-a-darkened-room after side 3.
There was an American only radio promo version of FOABP released over 3 12″ discs plus a bonus track. Would love this!
https://www.discogs.com/release/429251-Public-Enemy-Fear-Of-A-Black-Planet-Terminator-X-DJ-Performance-Discs
I always struggled with Pure Phase as an album and rarely played it, much preferring Lazer Guided Melodies. With LAGWAFIS I only played on CD when it first came out, but looking back at the track listing it feels like it would have been a great 7 song single album rather than a 12 track double. I know his game has been played before, but for what it’s worth I’d get rid of All of my thoughts (never played live at the time), Stay with me (a previous B side), The individual (noise, and a previous B side), Broken Heart (the one you go to the bar for when they play it live) and No God (long instrumental, bit meh).
Yeah, I agree with your view on Ladies and Gentlemen. It was a bit long, and it felt it. By contrast, Pure Phase I think always sounded coherent and flowing, and I was always happy to wallow in it for the full 70 minutes or so.
I loved and still love Spacemen 3 – particularly ‘Playing With Fire’ – came out my first year at university and was a beautiful accompaniment to getting stoned (it was a great time for music to get stoned to). Seeing them live was joy.
I bought the early Spiritualized 12″ singles up to the release of the first album – lovely music. But after that, they just seemed to get a bit boring and bland. Lost the psych edge that Sonic Boom brought to their pairing.
Sonic Boom’s first solo album with the swirly cover was great, but he seemed to dwindle off into burbling electronic experimentation. By splitting up S3, it felt like the two leads lost something they could never recapture.
Macca and Lennon, innit?
Or Hooky and Barney.
Bazar and Van Day
Healy and Garner
etc
Burger Van Day was in the news yesterday, he lost his Thurrock seat to Labour by 20 votes.