Eventually, Mulder rings to tell me that we’ve got
reasonable tickets, closer to the stage than the March show at Rod Laver Arena, but about
10 rows higher. Now the wait comes to
see how quickly that show sells out before obtaining tickets, this time for
just the two of us, for a second and any other subsequent shows.
Needing something to take the edge off, and mindful of the
repetitive nature of my work today, I decided to inhabit the world of J. Spaceman
(aka Jason Pierce).
(# 556) Spaceman 3 – Performance
(1988)
Pierce formed Spaceman 3 along with Peter Kember and
specialised in an hypnotic form of psychedelica that incorporated drones in
practically every track. Tracks were
invariably on the long and slow side but left a lot of room for variation
ranging from light to touch pieces to incredibly loud guitar epics, kind of an
English version of what Sun O))) were to eventually master. Performance is a live recording that
showcased loud guitars on almost every track.
The first three tracks, Mary –Anne, Come Together and Things’ll Never Be
The Same lock together so tightly that they practically form a suite. Other tracks provided an indication of what was to come with Pierce’s next band,
Spiritualized; the epic 7 minute Rollercoaster appears to contain the seeds for
that band’s live extravaganza Electric Mainline whilst the quieter, organ led
Walkin’ With Jesus was to be transferred to their set in its entirety.
(# 557) Spiritualized
– Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997 (released 1998)
Pierce and Kember split acrimoniously during 1990 and the
former remerged with Spiritualized.
Their initial albums, Lazer Guided Melodies and Pure Phase were received
well by the English music press but it was their third album, the epic, Ladies
And Gentlemen We Are Walking In Space that garnered worldwide plaudits and even
a gold record. Then this live album was
released that contained the highlights of all three albums and effectively made
them redundant.
This is one of my favourite live albums of all time and just
about the only one I can think of that seems to exist as a full blown artistic
statement, as fully formed , structured and thought out than the most intricate
of studio albums. The opening 20 minutes
is nothing short of spectacular. An
intro based on the hymn O Happy Day gives way to a noise storm that leads into Lazer’s
delicate Shine A Light. A looping Pink
Floydish electronic collage heralds the start of Pure Phase’s Electric
Mainline, an instrumental that keeps accelerating so that, by its end, the listener
is exhausted only for the intense 3 minute rush of Electricity to completely finish
the job. From there the album and performance is dominated by Ladies And Gentlemen
tracks although Walkin’ With Jesus fits nicely into the mix. On the run home a crunching Come Together
(not the Spaceman 3 track I think) makes way for a 10 minute I think I’m Love and
its 16 minute cousin Cop Shoot Cop complete with strings. The show ends on a perfect note with a full
on O Happy Day employing the band along with the string section and the 19
person London Community Gospel Choir. In
some respects the album is too perfect; I keep unrealistically measuring all Spiritualized
albums against this instead of appreciating them for their own merits.
By the time this has ended Mulder has rung back and announced
we’ve got tickets to a second Springsteen show.
I hope for a third show but it doesn’t materialise. But I’m content. I’ve heard one of my favourite live
performances and I’ve tickets to see my favourite live performer. Life is grand (and, for once, I know what
album I’m playing first tomorrow).
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