I have a passion sweet Lord... and it just won't go away
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I have a passion sweet Lord... and it just won't go away www.spacemen3.co.uk | main | words | faqs | spacemen 3 faq |
Hold
on – Peter and Jason were born on the same day?
What
records did they release?
I heard that they took a lot of drugs…
Have there been any other released since they broke
up?
Which records should I get first?
I heard a song by Spacemen 3, and it sure sounded
familiar…
What are the members of Spacemen 3 doing now?
Spacemen
3 were a Rugby, UK, based band, formed in 1982, and who split in 1990. Their
sound progressed throughout the lifetime of the band, with the only constant
being an adherence to their manifesto of “hypnomonotony”-
songs based around drones, often with no more than two chords. Broadly speaking,
early recordings were heavy, guitar-based affairs, mid-period became sparser and
more keyboard led, while later work was quite diverse. For reasons that will
become obvious if you read on.
Peter
Kember (b. 19 November 1965) and Jason Pierce (b. 19 November 1965), both
natives of Rugby. As well as being Spacemen 3’s songwriters, Kember and Pierce
were the only members common to all line-ups of the band. They met at Rugby art
college – Peter had gone there specifically to meet other musicians and form a
band. Jason was already in a group called Indian Scalp, but it wasn’t long
after they met that they formed Spacemen 3.
Hold
on – Peter and Jason were born on the same day?
Yes,
really. Quite something, isn’t it? Apparently, a couple of other Spacemen
share a birthday, but I can’t remember which right now.
Quite
a few people…
Nicholas “Natty”
(sometimes “Gnatty”) Brooker – drums.
Pete “Bassman”
Bain – bass. Bet you didn’t guess that.
Sterling “Rosco”
Roswell – drums.
Will
Carruthers –
bass.
Jonny Mattock –
drums. Yes, three drummers in quick succession.
Mark Refoy –
guitar.
That’s
just the regular guys who were part of a “proper” band line-up. There were
other short-term members, including Tim Morris (drums - apparently quite popular
to have in your band at the time, as his home had a large practice area, and who
left before anything was recorded) and Steve Evans (guitar).
What
records did they release?
Spacemen
3 debuted with the album “Sound Of Confusion” (Glass, 1986), which is pretty
much straight ahead guitar pounding, influenced by The Stooges and MC5. This was
followed by “The Perfect Prescription” (Glass, 1987), an astounding
progression and an album of great variety and depth. “Performance” (Glass,
1988) was a contractual obligation live album, but is none the worse for that.
“Playing With Fire” (Fire, 1989) marked a breakthrough of sorts – while
never what you would call famous, the band would at least be familiar to readers
of the NME and Melody Maker from this point onwards. “Playing With Fire” is
often quite harsh, yet sounds truly spiritual. It also marks the first time that
the growing divide between Peter and Jason is made clear, as they are credited
separately for their compositions, with only one Kember/Pierce song included.
“Recurring” (Fire, 1991) was released after the band had split, and is quite
literally an album of two halves, with side one Peter’s songs and side two
Jason’s.
The
band also released six singles – “Walkin’ With Jesus” (Glass, 1986),
“Transparent Radiation” (Glass 1987), “Take Me To The Other Side”
(Glass, 1988), “Revolution” (Fire, 1988), “Hypnotized” (Fire, 1989) and
“Big City” (Fire, 1991).
I heard that they took a lot of drugs…
You
could say that. Many interviews with the band (and Pete in particular) focused
around their quite open heroin use. But important though this is to an
understanding of Spacemen 3, it was emphasised quite disproportionately to the
music – presumably because the interviewers could scarcely believe that anyone
would be so honest and unapologetic about such a subject. Part of the Spacemen
manifesto was to act as documentors of their lives, and if their lives included
heroin, so would their songs. “The Perfect Prescription” in particular
describes the highs and lows of a chemical lifestyle, and is not afraid to be
honest about either.
However,
in almost every occasion, songs that may have been influenced by drugs could
equally well describe feelings about life in general and thus resonate with a
far wider audience – a fact that was not lost on the Spacemen. Thus, to label
songs like “Walkin’ With Jesus” and “Take Me To The Other Side” as
drugs songs may not be strictly inaccurate, but does overlook the far-reaching
emotions they evoke. Moreover, the press never seemed to get over the
sensational gift they had been handed early on, and rarely discussed anything
other than drugs in interviews throughout the band’s life.
So
yes, they took a lot of drugs. And it’s not something that should be ignored.
But there is far, far more to the band and their music than that.
Although
there’s quite a lot of stuff about this on the record, it should be noted that
hardly any of it comes from Jason. As such, no one can claim to give an
authoritative answer.
Peter
and Jason had clearly been growing apart musically for some time. “Playing
With Fire” is clearly divided into Peter and Jason’s songs, and they sound
very different to each other, especially sequenced as they are next to each
other. Peter has said that the sole Kember/Pierce credit on the album, for
“Suicide”, was something he disputed, but accepted to get the album
released. There was clearly discontent amongst the main players as early as
1988.
After
“Playing With Fire”, Peter made a solo album, “Spectrum” (although it
wasn’t too divorced from the Spacemen camp, featuring as it did contributions
from the rest of the band, including Jason). But the promotion of the album
included adverts saying it was from the “founder member/leader of Spacemen
3”. Although there is no suggestion that Peter was responsible or even
sympathetic to his billing as “leader” of the Spacemen, it was still there
in black and white.
Work
was by now being undertaken on “Recurring”, but it would seem that Peter was
taking some time completing his tracks. Added to which, Jason and Peter were no
longer getting on very well, Peter was being touted as then “leader” of the
band, Peter’s place as spokesman for the band was beginning to rankle, and…
Jason decided to make a record with the rest of Spacemen 3. Without telling
Peter. When Peter found out, he immediately quit the band, effectively ending
it. And then the recriminations began, and it all got very unpleasant.
It
should be noted that one perspective on this, backed up by more than one former
Spaceman, is not as clear cut as Jason walking off with the rest of the band.
This view has it that Spacemen 3 had not operated as a unit for some time, and
that as such, the band cannot be seen to have been together anyway – members
had drifted off. When Jason, frustrated with the inaction, wanted to tour again,
he simply asked the musicians he had worked with most recently if they wanted to
take part, and they did. Jason said at the time that he didn’t see
Spiritualized as a replacement for Spacemen 3, and that the Spacemen may well
tour again. Although it was not to be.
However
innocent (or otherwise) Jason was in making the first Spiritualized single in
these circumstances, the consequences were inevitable. Peter could hardly act in
any other way to that which he did. Peter’s annoyance was increased by
Spiritualized adverts that featured the Spacemen 3 logo, but to be fair to
Jason, he probably had as much control over this as Peter did when he was billed
as “leader” of the Spacemen.
Many
people also claim that the influence of Jason’s girlfriend, Kate Radley, was
an important factor, although these accusations seem to imply that Jason is not
in charge of his own decisions – not very likely considering the man’s
history – and are often more than a touch misogynistic.
That
was a long answer, wasn’t it? Please don’t think that the break up was the
defining moment of the band, however it is sometimes painted. Go and listen to
“Feel So Good”. That’s better, isn’t it?
Have there been any other released since they broke
up?
Oh
goodness, yes. Far more than were released when they were together. And far too
many to list here. You need to check out a good discography. Thankfully,
there’s one here.
Which records should I get first?
Of
course, there are many different opinions about this, but as a general
consensus…
Probably
the best starting place is “Playing With Fire”. It’s quite accessible,
includes the Spacemen 3 song that non-fans stand the most chance of having heard
(“Revolution”), contains some of Peter and Jason’s best songs, and for
recent Spiritualized fans, includes the original version of “Lord Can You Hear
Me?” The currently available reissue on Space Age Recordings is superb value,
and includes a bonus disc of demos, as well as extra tracks and live versions.
And there’s no doubt that it is a superb album.
“The
Perfect Prescription” is often touted as the best Spacemen 3 album, and
features the height of Kember/Pierce collaboration. They are in perfect harmony
throughout, particularly on “Feel So Good”, the only time they share lead
vocal duties.
“Recurring”
is not representative of the classic Spacemen sound, but Jason’s side is the
closest Spacemen 3 material to that he would later make with Spiritualized. If
you’ve come to Spacemen 3 via Spiritualized, especially from “Lazer Guided
Melodies”, this would be a wise choice.
Many
people also recommend some of the non-“core” albums, such as “Taking Drugs
To Make Music To Take Drugs To” (an early Spacemen 3 demo tape) and
“Translucent Flashbacks” (a compilation of the Glass singles). While both
are superb, absolute newcomers should really start with one of the “regular”
albums. The author of this FAQ would humbly suggest that “The Perfect
Prescription” is the best album, not only by Spacemen 3, but by anyone, ever.
I heard a song by Spacemen 3, and it sure sounded
familiar…
That’s
because they were influenced by many, many artists, and weren’t afraid to show
it. Some of their songs were cover versions, others were credited re-writes,
whereas some, in a long-running tradition in rock music, were, to be frank,
appropriated from other sources and passed off as their own.
Amongst
the Spacemen songs that may have rung a few bells are the following:
“Losing Touch With
My Mind” – Peter has said that the bassline is a straight rip-off of that
from “Citadel” from the Rolling Stones’ “Their Satanic Majesties
Request”. Can’t actually hear this myself.
“Hey Man” –
many of the lyrics are adapted from “Fixin’ To Die Blues”, written by
Bukka White,
but recorded by many artists. There is a version on Bob Dylan’s self-titled
debut album, which
contains at least one other source of Spacemen inspiration, so they would
definitely have heard it, but the most likely origin is White’s
recording.
“Rollercoaster”
– a cover of a Thirteenth Floor Elevators song, from their album "The
Psychedelic Sounds Of The Thirteenth Floor Elevators". Many Spacemen fans adore the
Elevators, and far be it from me to upset them… but the Spacemen 3 versions of
“Rollercoaster” piss over every Elevators version I’ve heard from some
considerable height.
“Mary Anne” – a
cover of the song “Just One Time” by Jucy Lucy. Jucy Lucy were formed by
Glen Campbell (not the famous one), who had previously been in The
Misunderstood.
“Little Doll” –
a cover of a Stooges song.
“O. D.
Catastrophe” – Peter wrote the music for this while still at school. After
hitching up with Jason, the latter sung the lyrics to the Stooges’ “T.V.
Eye” over the top – the song was even known as “T. V. Catastrophe” for
some time. The lyrics were developed somewhat by the time the song was recorded
for “Sound Of Confusion”, but are still so close to “T.V. Eye” that at
least one reviewer of a Spacemen 3 gig assumed it was simply a cover – the
music is not identical, but neither is it dissimilar.
“Ode To Street Hassle” – The melody is taken from "Street Hassle" by Lou Reed, from the album of the same name.
“Transparent
Radiation” – a cover of a song by The Red Crayola, contemporaries of the
Elevators. The most well known and widely available Crayola version is on their
album “The Parable Of Arable Land”, but the version that influenced the
Spacemen 3 reading is taken from the International Artists compilation album
“Epitaph For A Legend”.
“Come Down Easy”
– a pretty blatant rip-off of “In My Time Of Dying”, most probably
inspired by the version on Bob Dylan’s self-titled debut album. Although
Dylan claims the song as his own, it is far older, deriving from a Blind
Willie Johnson song called "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed". This
original version doesn't contain the line "Well well well / So I can
die easy", which was present by the time the song was recorded by Josh
White, the version that was the likely inspiration for Led Zeppelin's
version. And Zeppelin claim it as their own too! Dylan, Zeppelin and
Spacemen 3 - you liars! Still one of the best Spacemen 3 songs.
“Call The Doctor”
– included as a curiosity… J.J. Cale has a song of the same name on his album
"Naturally", which also includes “They Call Me The Breeze”, which Jason later used as the
basis for “Run” on the first Spiritualized album. Despite this, the actual
content of the Spacemen 3 song is genuine Kember/Pierce.
“Starship” – an
adaptation of a Sun Ra/MC5 composition, that features on the MC5 album “Kick
Out The Jams”.
“Soul 1” – not
directly taken from any one source, as far as I know, but is intended to evoke
the sound of Stax records. And does it pretty well.
“Come Together”
– a cover of an MC5 song, again from “Kick Out The Jams”.
“Revolution” –
Peter was miffed that some people had accused him of stealing the music from an
MC5 song called “Black To Comm” for “O.D.
Catastrophe”. Although he was a huge MC5 fan, he hadn’t heard this song. It
was obvious that, by the time he wrote “Revolution”, he had – the basic
riff is very similar. Some of the lyrics are adapted from the opening speech on
“Kick Out The Jams”, the opening ascending chords are very close to those of
"Come Together", and if you want to stretch a point, the opening
exclamation of “Look out!” could be a steal from the Stooge’s “Loose”.
“Suicide” – as
Peter would say before playing this song live, “This song is dedicated to
Martin Rev and Alan Vega – Suicide”. Suicide were another big influence on
the Spacemen, and this musical tribute evokes the haunting Suicide sound. Peter
has said that it is based on the Suicide song
“Mr Ray”, but it sounds more like the live version on "Live at
CBGB'S, NYC, 25 May 1978" (a bootleg included on the recent Blast First
reissue of the first Suicide album) than the
one on the second Suicide LP.
“Che” – a song
from the first Suicide album, augmented by some new lyrics by Peter.
“May The Circle Be
Unbroken” – a gospel song, performed by many artists over the years, perhaps
most famously the Carter Family. The Spacemen 3 version is based on a 1960 recording by The
Staple Singers, and is practically a note-by-note and sound-by-sound copy.
Jason’s wistful vocals still manage to make it one of the most effective
Spacemen 3 recordings, which must be seen as a credit to his “X-factor” and
to the talent of Pop Staples.
“Any Way That You
Want Me” – cover of a song by Chip Taylor, popularised by The
Troggs.
“Girl On Fire”
– cover of a song by The Perfect Disaster, who were contemporaries and friends
of Spacemen 3. The Perfect Disaster’s Josephine Wiggs (later to be a member of
The Breeders) plays on the Spacemen version.
“I Love You” –
some of the lyrics are lifted from Bob Marley’s “Duppy Conqueror”, while
the basic structure is based on Marley’s “Mr. Brown”. It is also
reminiscent of The Troggs’ “Wild Thing”, so it may be no coincidence that
both feature flute solos.
"Set Me Free (Reprise)" - the line "Your eyes, it's a day's work just to look into them" is lifted from "It Tango" by Laurie Anderson, found on her "Big Science" album.
“When Tomorrow
Hits” – a cover of the Mudhoney song, from their album “Mudhoney”.
“It’s Alright”
– written by Bo Diddley, it's likely that the Spacemen 3 version is inspired
by the cover by the Rolling Stones from their 1965 album "Out Of Our
Heads".
“We Sell Soul” – bit of a strange one, this. It's sort-of a cover of "We Sell Soul" by The Spades, a group who transformed into the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. The Elevators took the germ of the song and remade it as "Don't Fall Down". The Spacemen version mixes the two, but owes more to the latter version than the former.
“Velvet Jam” – a jam in the style of the Velvet Underground. The VU themselves jammed in a not dissimilar style, and a version has since been released called "Booker T Jam". The Spacemen 3 track was known by bootleggers as "Velvet/Booker T Jam" before its official release.
“I Want You Right
Now” – instrumental version of the Troggs' "I Want You", via the
MC5 version on "Kick Out The Jams".
“Bo
Diddley Jam” – a jam in the style of Bo Diddley, not taken from any of
his songs exactly, but utilising the famous Diddley rhythm.
What are the members of Spacemen 3 doing now?
Peter
Kember has released several Spectrum albums and many more experimental ones
under the E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research) banner. He still lives in Rugby,
has moved well away from the mainstream, has dropped of the radar of many, but
is still widely respected. His passion for electronic music has dominated much
of his recent work. You can keep up to date with his current activities at his
official website.
Jason
Pierce is the creative force and only remaining founder member of Spiritualized,
who have gained huge critical acclaim and commercial success that eclipsed
anything Spacemen 3 could have dreamt of. He still plays the occasional Spacemen
3 song live, and his band have an official website here.
Pete
Bain was the driving force of The Darkside for a few years after leaving
Spacemen 3, after which he formed Alphastone who released four albums. Although
that band has also run its course, new material is promised soon.
Sterling Roswell was also a member of The Darkside, moving from drums to keyboards. He has released a couple of singles with an album promised soon – more details here.
Natty
Brooker has kept a low musical profile since leaving the Spacemen, although he has
performed as part of The Guaranteed Ugly and has collaborated with Will
Carruthers.
Will
himself was one of the first to leave Spiritualized. He again lives in Rugby,
and has released a lovely solo album aided by Kevin Cowan, amongst others. His
website has more info, as well as tracks for download.
Jonny
Mattock has been involved in many projects since leaving Spiritualized.
Currently, he runs an occasional club night, Elevate, with Mark Refoy.
As
well as Elevate, Mark is currently in two bands. Slipstream have been going
since Mark left Spiritualized and have released several albums, while the
Sunshine Valley Dance Club feature Mark alongside Vanessa and Andy from
Ultrasound. Both bands have websites, here and here.
Timbuk 3 - the future was so bright, apparently, that they had to wear shades. Did they ever have another hit?
Sugababes Three - that's the third album from the Sugababes. Which, to be fair, is pretty good.
Alabama 3 - although there are some superficial similarities...
3 Mustaphas 3 - quite a different proposition, but their live ads peppered the back pages of the music press in the late 80s, giving a brief moment of excitement followed by disappointment for Spacemen fans on the lookout for gigs.
Alternative 3 - as fellow Spacemen devotee Chris Barrus recently reminded us, this was actually a space-age global conspiracy.