Spacemen 3 - classic or unutterably shite?

I mean, if I knew what you were on about, I might not be so quick to splash with the first inane comment that entered my head since they seem to go down about as well as a pork scratching as Bar Mitzvah.

You are firing my enthusiasm for Spacemen though, so it's not all doom and gloom.

That story about the heart attack is true by the way.

I ask because it seems to upset you on the ocassions I have mentioned music in relation to external stimuli, which I and everyone I know has always taken as pretty much a normal combination - be it getting crazy or driving a car, or just fucking dancing.

+ Are you gonna tell me what a troll is or wot?

And anyway there's no one answer to "what do you listen to music for" besides "because I enjoy it". After that it's all down to what the individual song/album does for me, if you want to check out some reviews I can mail you a portfolio with some lovely reasons.

i thought it was marcello as well.

"wasting your time giving a shit what rockstars do in their spare time or in particular picking one activity (drug taking)"

No-one's wasting their time here except you typing out that crap (and you know it to be crap too kid) and me typing out a response to it.

. . .

"becoming so preoccupied with it's effects on music when in reality there's absolutely no way of ever proving it's been involved."

Who is preoccupied with rock stars and drugs? I think perhaps it might be your good self, since you seem to be in such denial about the role drugs play in creative processes, particularly music. I'm not trying to 'prove' anything nor do I have any interest in doing so. I don't care one iota who does what but when something becomes an aspect to a subject of interest, whther you like it or not, you or anyone would be foolish and ignorant to ignore or disregard such an aspect.

. . .

"I think this point is still lost on you though since you persist with other red herrings like the above."

What red herring are you referring too old chap? The story I supplied - I think it was just for the purposes of being amused, not as a profound explanation of the interpretive necessity when listening to Spacemen.

Perhaps you should post your portfolio of reviews to clarify the point for me.

Similarly classic is Ned's first post on this old thread, which just had me laughing my breakfast out of my nose in a most inelegant fashion. Old threads just keep on giving.

I don't really agree with Ned's comment but I do agree it's awesome and it STANDS THE TEST OF TIME and stuff! Yes.

As for the comments above about American post-rock and jazz--Sorry, but Talk Talk and Bark Psychosis were way bigger British influences than Spacemen 3. Which isn't to say they were primary influences. I'll take Slint over Spacemen 3 any hour of the day, and so would many Thrill Jockey people, I bet.

To me, your post doesn't do their songwriting justice. They were also really into sound and had a lot of cool things going on on their records, tone-wise. I don't know if I like the post-Perfect Prescription records so much.

I was going to say that they had more of a sense of humor than the Killers, too, but actually the Killers are quite amusing (intentionally so, I think).

Y'all might want to reread the comment a bit, which while hyperbolic is not claiming S3 influenced *all* bands vaguely or clearly labeled post-rock, and does not automatically deny the potential influence of those two (very fine) bands at all.

And another thing--they sucked away attention from Sundial, who deserved it more.

I think the tribute songs were a part of the intentionally stoopid humor in their music along with the drug stuff and the God stuff. They weren't really serious about how their music was intended "for all the fucked up children of the world."

Great, great great band. And certainly a bit ridiculous on some level, but its not as if their referents weren't also.

One night when I was pretty drunk and living in a large loft space I played the Sound of Confusion very loud and it all just clicked. I think they are the band that took me the longest to "get" and probably the biggest 180 degree shift in opinion I've ever had.

I was in the same class as Jason Pierce at school and I can assure you it wasn't a public one!

Jason is usually quite humble in interviews, you're probably thinking of Sonic, who used to regularly glamourize drugs in interviews (to the point that 85% of the dialogue was centred around drugs).

playing with fire is pretty remarkable when you consider how heavily the earlier stuff hung off everyone they were ripping off. it actually does transcend all that. how do they possibly get 'i believe it' to sound so... i dunno, how do you get that much rushing momentum out of two organ notes?

it's all classic though, really. i used to put that 18-minute long version of 'rollercoaster' on repeat and stare at the wall for hours.

the vox conti is one of my favourite sounding organs. these clever bastards had some pretty sweet gear

how do you get that much rushing momentum out of two organ notes?

The brilliance of Spacemen 3, in a nutshell.

and of course don't get me wrong, i don't think it's just the gear by any means. but it don't hurt

jim we should form 'the australian spacemen 3 show'.

haha

i'll have to get a bowl cut wig

getting bad haircuts to make music to get bad haircuts to

Can I be your tribute fan?

to answer that question i must pose my own: how do you feel about bowl-cuts??

so tell me, how do you feel about them?

Might have been posted elsewhere on ILX already but if not -- the first in a series of exhibitions dedicated to the art of Natty Brooker, who performed in the band early on, did artwork for them as well as early Spz and generally is a big part of the legacy of it all. Very sadly, he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer; the upcoming exhibitions are meant to celebrate his work and life. He won't be attending due to his health, but the LA opening this Saturday will feature the very cool Will Carruthers as host; prints are available for sale. Further openings in the future will be in New York, London, Berlin and Amsterdam. You can find more information here:

http://willcarruthers.blogspot.com/

http://losangeles.going.com/event-666993;Spacemen_3s_Natty_Brooker_Print_Show_Opening

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=236361510161

Ugly link there for the second one -- just go here instead

i tried getting into this band a few years ago, but just didn't feel it. and Loop is one of my all time favorite bands.

Hmm. Try again.

If you dig Loop, pick up a copy of The Sound of Confusion and play it really, REALLY fucking loud. 2:35, Mary Anne, O.D. Catastrophe. Blast the hell out of that shit. In a car if you can't do it at home. Should do the trick.

I'll try that. I think I may have only tried Perfect Prescription, Playing with Fire, and Dreamweapon.

I didn't hear the solo sonic LP until the reissue, hence my timeline confusion above (thanks for clarifying fh). A friend had a copy with the swirly thing on the front but I'm not sure he ever played it in my presence.

(2013 it says. lists Jason in the credits. And Jo wiggs)

yeah I remember seeing that pinwheel Spectrum LP at the record store but it was too pricey to take a chance on (I snagged the reissue and... it's not my favorite Sonic Boom work)

The only Sonic stuff that I'm fully on board with is Soul Kiss & Highs, Lows, Heavenly Blows. There are lots of other good things scattered across his releases but his range is pretty limited. There's a comp of singles and whatnot called What Came Before After that is pretty good.

I stumbled upon a huge wad of used EAR cds at the Amoeba in LA and I was SO STOKED. Worked my way through them and it was a bit of a slog. Mesmerized is the only one I kept.

Yeah that one is my fallback -- I do love the rest for different moods but Mesmerized just seemed to get Sonic's ability to embrace warm drift perfectly, not having to worry about creating songs as such.

Ned, I read and reread your Spacemen 3 reviews several times back in the day. I came to them through Spiritualized and Allmusic led the way. Thanks for that. In college I would stay up way too late devouring Allmusic.

You're most welcome! Glad to know that was a bridge to more.

the first song on that sonic boom spectrum album is so gorgeous and lonely, I think the cover of my vinyl copy had a cardboard roulette wheel you could spin

forever alien completely blew my mind at the time, I could not comprehend it, it sounded like sonic boom tried to record an album while several ufos were landing all around him

OMG, Forever Alien is an absolutely astonishing piece of work. It was just kinda... not where my mind was at when it came out, but it was an album I have revisted again and again, and realise just how formative Sonic Boom was, towards shaping everything I love in music. It's so slithery, and alien-sounding - there's this real kinda 80s mythology that synths are supposed to sound clinical and cold. (Actual Kraftwerk... does *not* sound cold, they can sound clinical, but their tone is very warm.) While Pete took the idea of "what if synths were a living alien intelligence" and ran with it!

I'm so lucky I actually got to see him do that shit live when I first moved to the UK, because transporting the gear necessary to generate those sounds was so obviously never going to happen.

So much of the E.A.R. stuff is... patchy, but when it's good, it's amazing. I recently got out a load of E.A.R. records and started re-listening, because when I'm having a bout of really bad hyperacusis, they're one of the few things I can listen to that doesn't trigger it.

Hm, so out of curiosity, any particular difference between the two versions of Forged Prescriptions? There was that John Rivers-remastered version from two years back, besides the original back in 2003.

Didn't realize the different cover was supposed to be remastered. I know that when FP was initially released Sonic was involved and seemed rather proud of it. By the time the newer one came out things would have soured between Gerald Palmer and him, so I can't imagine Sonic had anything to do with it. And Space Age hasn't shown any particular inclination towards caring about sound quality.

It would be cool to compare them, but I suspect that the new cover and remastering are geared only toward selling the same album to the same people twice.

Suspected as much!

Anyway as long as we're all here, Sterling Roswell has a wonderfully titled Bandcamp site:

https://sterlingroswellvortexionvalveloopdecoderprojectresearchfacilty.bandcamp.com/

And among other things a new album just out (but Bandcamp Friday is about to happen so there's that):

https://sterlingroswellvortexionvalveloopdecoderprojectresearchfacilty.bandcamp.com/album/the-psychedelic-ubik

(Or maybe an old album. He's been adding a slew of stuff over the past few days.)

sonic boom on da BiS

https://beatsinspace.net/playlists/1060/

LOL, my dead husband (tm) loves Kraftwerk even more than I do!

Oh shit ziggy stroom aka nosedrip did the other set too, what a night of joy on BIS

Strong mojo uncle vibe to that BiS mix, thanks uncle pete

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvaf1-2Xnmw

Soundboard recording of their Kassel, Germany show in 1989, anyone? Via Henry Owings:

https://fromsmash.com/WsrnG.i30j-ft

NICE

Sounds fantastic! Quoting Elvis Telecom elsewhere about it:

This is a good upgrade from the recordings of this gig that are out there. At least a generation or two up from the version that's linked here. https://spacemen3.blogspot.com/2016/11/spacemen-3-spot-kassel-germany-1989-05.html (surprisingly the mega.nz link in the comments still works!)

BTW, if you download this bear in mind that “side 2” of the tape is first. The song order should be Rollercoaster / Transparent Radiation / Things’ll Never Be The Same / Take Me To The Other Side / Starship / Revolution / Suicide / Bo Diddley Jam / Mary Anne / Revolution

(And yes, "Revolution" appears twice -- as Dan Parmenter said on FB, "I seem to recall an interview w/Jason where he said that one of the things that annoyed him was Pete K's insistence on playing that song more than once in a set.")

lol (and thanks)

Also from Henry re the source of the recording:

It was from the collection of Jim Romeo who traded it back in the early 90s with the original recorder in Germany. I have so many tapes like this as well, but it wasn’t until I actually looked at the notation that this was basically straight from the master and it sat dormant until yesterday.

jesus this show is incedible

It is!

Truly something. German fellow on Bluesky says he remembered going to the club Spot in Kassel a lot, but sadly missed this show -- his friend went (and in fact was the opening DJ, or at least playing records over the PA) and said it was the loudest show he's ever experienced. Getting a taste of that through this recording has been amazing.

I split up the single file download of that 1989 show in Kassel and put it in the correct setlist order. Download here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fcXqd7_p-kazDl5EZhIKFPL0Lm2OrWZv

Damn i need to listen to this, i saw them two months earlier in March in Manchester at the Hacienda

xp THANK YOU

Fantastic set

Thanks Ned and ET!

Thank you! Needed something aggressive and repetitive to get through a task and it's working so far, great set and curation!