Spectrum

Oh god of man and slime

so just how is that Captain Memphis thing?...it seems to have been roundly ignored, which is odd given the whos, the whats and the wheres of the project...

so just how is that Captain Memphis thing?

It's OK. It's got a great rural, falling-apart sound to it.

I forget just how brutal of a rhythm guitarist Sonic can be. Great show last night and finally happy to see "How You Satisfy Me" in the set list.

Yes, this was great at ATP as well. Also did "Revolution," which surprised me. Hadn't heard that one the last couple times he's been through Austin. Is he playing "Revolution" at every show?

s he playing "Revolution" at every show?

I think so. The set list went something like:

Mary
Transparent Radiation
Set Me Free
How You Satisfy Me
When Tomorrow Hits
Revolution
War Sucks (Red Krayola cover)
Suicide

(think I'm missing a couple though)

Yeah, that looks almost exactly like the ATP setlist.

War Sucks (Red Krayola cover)

AWESOME

Here's a small clip. Wish there was some stage lighting...

After seeing Spectrum in a larger hall with a decent sound system I now appreciate how Sonic makes those minute changes on amps in the middle of the songs. I've always suspected that the most important effect pedal in Spacemen 3 are the volume and tone controls on the amp and it's great to be able to hear that.

Guess there's something to that Whizzer box that Neil Young uses.

Evie Sands - "I Can't Let Go"

This is from the One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds, Lost & Found box set.

I mention this because about 80% of the prime melodies of Spectrum's "How You Satisfy Me" (all the good ones) come directly from this song.

Currently tracing the origins of "I Can't Let Go"

ok, allmusic is timing out like crazy so I'll copy and post here

I CAN'T LET GO

Al Gorgoni/Chip Taylor

Song Review by Richie Unterberger
"I Can't Let Go" was one of several excellent pop-rock hits for the Hollies in the mid-1960s, making #2 in Britain, though it wasn't so big in the US, stopping just outside the Top Forty. Like many fine British Invasion recordings, it was actually a cover of a song that had originated in the Brill Building songwriting factory. As first recorded in a non-hit single in late 1965 by Evie Sands, "I Can't Let Go" was a fine blend of soul, pop, and the Brill Building. It started with a low throbbing bass line, the girl group element coming in with some backup woman vocals. The song is rather like the kind of pop-soul being ground out at Motown at the time, but with a somewhat more mature sensual perspective. Sands had quite a low voice for a woman singer, at least on the verses, where she sang with a fetching yet adult vulnerability. On the chorus, though, she exhibited some extraordinary range, going into a real high whooping note at the end. It would have been a quite worthy hit single, but it wasn't, leaving the path clear for the Hollies to cover the song when the group's guitarist Tony Hicks came across it in the office of renowned British music publisher Dick James. The Hollies actually stuck pretty close to Sands's arrangement, except for making it more guitar-oriented, upping the tempo a little, and adding some busier and brasher British Invasion harmonies. Graham Nash took the high harmony part on the chorus, singing so high in fact that Paul McCartney reportedly mistook it for a trumpet. On both versions, the main body of the song was effectively broken up by a mini-bridge of sorts where the throbbing low bass guitar of the intro returns, and the singers vocalize tensely about being unable to say goodbye. On the Hollies' version, this is followed by a characteristically ringing guitar break. Another neat touch on the Hollies' version is how a couple of catchy, sharply descending chords follow the repeated singing of the title phrase on the fadeout. The song would be revived in 1980 by Linda Ronstadt on her album Mad Love.

Haven't heard The Hollies' version yet. I need to take care of that.

So, uh, Spectrum at Sonic Cathedral on Friday - anyone else going?

The full band line up has been really really good on the recent tour. (So long as it doesn't take them 2 hours to set up again, as per usual.)

wow - i would love to see them again

They're on in Oxford tonight, except I forgot, and now I can't go. http://www.wegottickets.com/event/44202 for Oxford, anyhow.

I can't remember if what I saw last year (Sonic Boom + full band) was billed as Spectrum or S. Boom.

By which I mean, is it likely to be the same band to what I saw last summer at the Sonic Cathedrals stage at Truck festival, or a different band? The set last year started off very nicely with a big throbbing synth number, but I liked the full band tracks less.

That Oxford set which I was not at was reportedly a) ace and b) full of Spacemen 3 songs. Oh well...

I don't think it's the same line up as at Truck last year. I think it's the Jason-alike that he had with him at the last London Sonic Cathedral shows - which was actually really good. (Would I say if they weren't? Erm... I have no judgement when it comes to Sonic but no, seriously, it was very enjoyable from a "sounds like Spacemen" POV.)

I have emailed Carruthers to see if he will be there, but he's ignoring me. Which probably means he'll slope in at the last minute, stand at the back and try to cadge drinks off me, heh heh. <3 <3 <3

Oh god, though, I heard the most awful rumour (well, for me, at least - some people may get very excited about this) about what SPECIAL GUESTS may be appearing with him.

For once, the special guests are NOT ULRICH SCHNAUSS... (hurrah!)

It's someone much more MICROPROG which should make me happy, but, erm...

Spectrum + MGMT on "Suicide"

whoah

Ugh, who documented that abomination.

I was hoping to erase MGMT from that night if it was at all possible.

Also, only 6 minutes? They played it for at least half an hour.

And again... "Finsbury Park"? Tufnell Park, more like! But then again, all of North London looks the same to me.

i saw the ropers cover this live once, seems like it sounded better than that.

Spectrum back in the states

Apr 23 2009
Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia

Apr 24 2009
Sonar Baltimore

Apr 26 2009
The Mercury Lounge New York

Apr 28 2009
Middle East Upstairs Boston

Apr 30 2009
The Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh

May 1 2009
The Dark Room Chicago

May 2 2009
Neumos Seattle

May 4 2009
Doug Fir Lounge Portland

May 6 2009
Coopers Nevada City

May 7 2009
Great American Music Hall San Francisco

May 8 2009
The Echo Los Angeles

May 11 2009
The Casbah San Diego

Did anyone go to the SF show at Great American last night? I have a partial setlist:

Mary
Transparent Radiation
Set Me Free
How You Satisfy Me
Che (so good!)
When Tomorrow Hits

They played a few more songs including the "War Sucks" cover and (I'm pretty sure) "Revolution", plus two encores, but to be honest I got kinda caught up in the drone and the visuals towards the end and lost track. It was my first time (finally) seeing Spectrum live and was surprised by how good they were. The sound was perfect and the band was really tight. The visuals would have been fantastic if maybe taken a little more seriously: some great 8-bit-style computer effects, a running cat silhouette, a flying owl, and lots of swirls...

Sounds like a pretty typical setlist. I remember seeing "Transparent Radiation," "How You Satisfy Me," "When Tomorrow Hits" and "Revolution" all three times I've seen Spectrum over the past two years or so. That's not to complain as you're right, they put on a great show. Very easy to zone out and lose track of time and drift away...

Did he play "Suicide" too? One of my favorite live moments.

saw him in williamsburg, very similar setlist to his opening slot for MBV last summer.

is the war sucks ep any good?

I ordered it a few weeks ago, hasn't arrived yet.

MGMT made an appearance at the Echo show joining in on "Suicide" and a cover of Devo's "Mongoloid" (!)

Spectrum playing live on WFMU right now.
http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/31616

Wow. I'm really surprised by the War Sucks EP. It's such a heavy, sleazy psychedelic rocker! I didn't know he still wanted to do stuff like this, at least not on record, but this EP kicks ass.

It's the new live band that he's got. They really kick it.

I'll say! It's a shame he's not on European mainland some more (he's gigging mostly in US and UK, right?), would love to see him perform this stuff. I saw him once in his Forever Alien period, but that was something entirely different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoJFpkQDgvs

this never fails me. shivers. (thanks so much for 'recurring' gerard, feels ages ago!)

I suppose this was inevitable

http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2008/05/sonic-boom-and-his-ems-synthi-aks.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matrixsynth/sets/72157604842778288/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/2458954891_e36aed1ef5.jpg

*drugs sold separately

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

omg want!

especially the toy putney - i think i want a toy putney more than life itself

New tour, single and album on the way... (NME link so the MGMT link is played up)

Spectrum, the band helmed by MGMT collaborator Pete 'Sonic Boom' Kember', have announced details of a UK and European tour for March and April.

Kember worked with MGMT on their forthcoming album 'Congratulations' after meeting Andrew Van Wyngarden and Ben Goldwasser in London last year. Both were big fans of Kember's previous band, legendary '80s drone-rockers Spacemen 3.

Spectrum, who release new single 'Words May Shatter' in April and a new album later in the year, will kick off the gig run at the Moho Live in Manchester on March 14.

Spectrum will play:

Manchester, Moho Live (March 14)
Sheffield, Harley (15)
Brighton, Freebutt (16)
London, Sonic Cathedral @ The Luminaire (17)
Utrecht, DB's Studio (19)
Diksmuide, 4AD Muzikeclub (20)
Rouen, Emporium Galorium (23)
Lyon, Le Sonic's (25)
Paris, Le Point Ephemere (26)
Lausanne, Theatre 2.21 (27)
Frankfurt, Nachtleben (29)
Koln, Sonic Ballroom (30)
Brussels, VK Club (31)
Turin, Spazio 211 (April 2)
Marseille, L'Embobineuse (3)

MGMT collaborator... so it's come to this.

It's the NME.

Utrecht, yay!

Diksmuide, 4AD Muzikeclub

...hold on.

Spectrum, the band helmed by MGMT collaborator Pete 'Sonic Boom' Kember'

Is this what the world is coming to...?

Buried under the lead in http://www.sonic-boom.info/news.php is this...

re-issues of the 1st 3 Sonic Boom/Spectrum discs....... starting with 'Sonic Boom Spectrum' on Space Age Records in March.

goddam, I get my hopes up for that new album every time this thread gets bumped..

New year, new tour

04/14 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar
04/15 – Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar
04/16 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
04/17 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
04/19 – Boston, MA – The Church
04/20 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
04/21 – Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
04/23 – San Francisco, CA – The Hemlock
04/24 – Oakland, CA – The New Parish
04/25 – San Jose, CA – The Blank Club
04/27 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
04/28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Troubadour
04/29 – Dallas, TX – Sons of Herman Hall
04/30 – Austin, TX – Austin Psych Fest

Posted as it's apparently a news story now: Do musicians ever deserve to be jeered off stage? Sonic Boom was treated to a hail of boos at Koko on Tuesday. His crime? Not being familiar to the young crowd

pearls before swine etc

Quite.

during the encore they joined each other on stage to perform the Spacemen 3 songs Hey Man and Amen.

um...

Hush now, you'll spoil the effect.

Diggin this review of the show last week

It says quite a lot about the changes in my lifestyle that once upon a time I'd go all the way to Northampton to see Spectrum, but now I can't even get myself up to Hackney. (But then again, ugh, Hackney.) I am glad that Sonic and especially Will are having a 4th or 5th resurrection. They're people who get the credit, but not the worldly rewards for their huge ~influence~.

Long interview with Sonic on the making of Soul Kiss (Glide Divine). Well worth reading...
http://dockellisrecords.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/soul-kiss-glide-divine-spectrums-timeless-masterpiece/

that was great, thanks.

that was a cracking read.

just found my cd copy of 'highs, lows and heavenly blows' .. totally forgot how good this album is.

sounds fantastic on headphones.

Spectrum at the Black Cat, Washington DC. on the 1997 Forever Alien tour. full show!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vNuNkyq6g

I wish I had bought that Soul Kiss (Glide Divine) gelatin-filled edition of the CD when I'd had the chance way back when

The gelatin in my copy pretty much evaporated after a while

I don't even have the case anymore - just the CD and it's pretty beaten up which is very unusual for my CDs. That album spent some time being the go to 'rock n' roll' element of the holy triumvirate. It saw some action, you could say.

I think there's still a bit left in mine xp

Well goddamn. Sonic revealed a bit of a new Spectrum song on his instagram. A new album/something on the way too.

Looking forward!

Got a link?

Searched for it this morning, not so easy!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8g0MDhhEf4/?igshid=1emf5njxknb9p

New album!
https://sonicboomspacemen3.bandcamp.com/album/all-things-being-equal-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFsppY8r1_4

yup, exciting! I posted it here but *crickets*
The Comprehensive Spectrum, E.A.R. and Sonic Boom Discography POLL

Ohh, great news! Have to say I'm really curious about this. I like 'Just Imagine' on first listen, way more of a call-back to the 'Spectrum' days than I expected!

That hideous album cover though 😅

It's vintage Sonic Boom and I'm really glad he's back by the sound of this!

Sonic produced this album by London-to-Portugal band Camila Fuchs, and I'm starting to really like it.
https://camilafuchs.bandcamp.com/album/kids-talk-sun

New album with extra tracks from last year, remixes, etc.:
https://sonicboomspacemen3.bandcamp.com/album/almost-nothing-is-nearly-enough

Looking forward to a listen!