Album: Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Artist: Spiritualized
Spiritualized can trace a lineage back to space rock pioneers Pink Floyd, who pioneered this extraterrestrial form of psychedelia with tracks like Interstellar Overdrive and Astronomy Domine. Floyd's influence hangs heavy over the languid rhythms of Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, with some tracks paying a clear debt to the band in their pomp (compare No God Only Religion with Careful With That Axe, Eugene). Also added to the mix is a gospel choir, laconic Leonard Cohen lyrics, the wild psychedelic krautrock sound of Can and Velvet Underground atmospherics. Spiritualized's creative supremo Jason Pierce had already developed a cult following in the late 80s with Spacemen 3, partly thanks to the group's brilliant live shows that would contain Grateful Dead-style long guitar solos based around one chord. One of Spiritualized's early releases, Lazer Guided Melodies (1992), set the template for slow-building epics with the likes of Take Your Time, enhanced by the euphoria of a gospel choir. Pierce's ambition from the outset was "taking drugs to make music to take drugs to", and the dreamy, phased out lyrics of early masterpieces like Sway ensured he achieved this goal. What changed in the five years between Lazer Guided Melodies and this LP was Pierce's heartbreak at seeing his girlfriend, Kate Radley, leave him for Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft, a sadness that infused the title track ("All I want in life's a little bit of love to take the pain away"). Radley's voice is the one that announces with chilling calm, "Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space". The listless, dreamy atmosphere of the opening track is quickly shattered by Come Together, a heavy rock / gospel hybrid that pays a debt to Primal Scream.
One thing I remember from buying the album back in the late 90s, during the golden age of the CD, was the pharmaceutical packaging ("1 tablet 70min", "play once twice daily") and the sleeve notes written like a medicine label warning. This reinforces the idea of Pierce creating this music as a cosmic remedy for his broken heart. The homage to Elvis Presley on the title track is especially poignant ("only fools rush in") once you know the heartbreak Pierce was suffering while writing this album. I Think I'm In Love is one of my favourite tracks, especially that space jazz / harmonica opening and the lyrics that sound like someone in a drug-fuelled state having brief moments of clarity ("I think I can fly, probably just falling / I think I'm the life and soul, probably just snorting"). The wild abandon of All Of My Thoughts provides balance with the album's sweeter, quieter moments like Stay With Me and Home Of The Brave, but the most memorable of the languid tracks is Broken Heart. There's anger but also a profound sense of loneliness in the lyrics ("And I'm wasted all the time / I've gotta drink you right off of my mind"), an emotion enhanced by the strings. The sleepy serenity of Cool Waves is followed by the epic junkie jam, Cop Shoot Cop, boosted by the talents of Dr John on piano and backing vocals. Not only is this one of the best LPs of the 90s, but there's also a live version of the album (Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997) that's just as magical.
Born: Rugby, Warwickshire
Released: June 1997
Genre: Space Rock
Genre: Space Rock
Spiritualized can trace a lineage back to space rock pioneers Pink Floyd, who pioneered this extraterrestrial form of psychedelia with tracks like Interstellar Overdrive and Astronomy Domine. Floyd's influence hangs heavy over the languid rhythms of Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, with some tracks paying a clear debt to the band in their pomp (compare No God Only Religion with Careful With That Axe, Eugene). Also added to the mix is a gospel choir, laconic Leonard Cohen lyrics, the wild psychedelic krautrock sound of Can and Velvet Underground atmospherics. Spiritualized's creative supremo Jason Pierce had already developed a cult following in the late 80s with Spacemen 3, partly thanks to the group's brilliant live shows that would contain Grateful Dead-style long guitar solos based around one chord. One of Spiritualized's early releases, Lazer Guided Melodies (1992), set the template for slow-building epics with the likes of Take Your Time, enhanced by the euphoria of a gospel choir. Pierce's ambition from the outset was "taking drugs to make music to take drugs to", and the dreamy, phased out lyrics of early masterpieces like Sway ensured he achieved this goal. What changed in the five years between Lazer Guided Melodies and this LP was Pierce's heartbreak at seeing his girlfriend, Kate Radley, leave him for Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft, a sadness that infused the title track ("All I want in life's a little bit of love to take the pain away"). Radley's voice is the one that announces with chilling calm, "Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space". The listless, dreamy atmosphere of the opening track is quickly shattered by Come Together, a heavy rock / gospel hybrid that pays a debt to Primal Scream.
One thing I remember from buying the album back in the late 90s, during the golden age of the CD, was the pharmaceutical packaging ("1 tablet 70min", "play once twice daily") and the sleeve notes written like a medicine label warning. This reinforces the idea of Pierce creating this music as a cosmic remedy for his broken heart. The homage to Elvis Presley on the title track is especially poignant ("only fools rush in") once you know the heartbreak Pierce was suffering while writing this album. I Think I'm In Love is one of my favourite tracks, especially that space jazz / harmonica opening and the lyrics that sound like someone in a drug-fuelled state having brief moments of clarity ("I think I can fly, probably just falling / I think I'm the life and soul, probably just snorting"). The wild abandon of All Of My Thoughts provides balance with the album's sweeter, quieter moments like Stay With Me and Home Of The Brave, but the most memorable of the languid tracks is Broken Heart. There's anger but also a profound sense of loneliness in the lyrics ("And I'm wasted all the time / I've gotta drink you right off of my mind"), an emotion enhanced by the strings. The sleepy serenity of Cool Waves is followed by the epic junkie jam, Cop Shoot Cop, boosted by the talents of Dr John on piano and backing vocals. Not only is this one of the best LPs of the 90s, but there's also a live version of the album (Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997) that's just as magical.
Comments