Amazing Grace

 

20 years ago Jason Pierce aka Spiritualized released their fifth album Amazing Grace probably one of his most underrated albums in his career. I came back to this album when he announced a remastered version to release early next year. You can find variations of his space-rock in tradition of Spacemen 3 as well as soul and gospel influenced songs. A perfect balance of spaced out rock in combination of traditional ballads were new and great decades ago. It is great to hear these songs again after a long time and I have to say that this album should have more credits than it had. Not only a sentimental trip back to the old days - more an experience of how much time he was ahead.

Walking With Jesus

 

                                        

Pete Kember and Jason Pierce formed in the early 80's Spacemen 3 and brought back (neo-)psychedelia to our ears. Starting on their first album with covers by 13th Floor Elevators, The Stooges and Juicy Lucy to find their own psychedelia road on their second album The Perfect Prescription in 1987. They said about their concept album it is "a vision of a drug trip from inception to its blasted conclusion, highs and lows fully intact.". This is a very good description how to describe their sound. Trained by psychedelic heroes from the past both transformed it in a unique sound other bands live on this sound until today. Songs between Walking With Jesus a song with two chords and almost close to a perfect song and Take Me To The Other Side a psychedelic song starting slowly and turning to a feedback orgy. Probably one of the best second albums ever.

Spacemen 3 - Walking With Jesus

Monday's Long Song

 

Almost 30 years ago Jason Pierce formed Spiritualized after the split of Spacemen 3 and released their debut Lazer Guided Music. I have to admit that I had a spot on Spiritualized with their epic Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space and digging deeper into their spaced out sound I came to their debut and I can say nothing more that from this time on I love the kind of their unique and never boring sound. A classic album that will be re-released on vinyl during the next weeks. A must have.

Spiritualized - Shine A Light 

And Nothing Hurt

Jason Pierce aka former Spaceman 3 and now Spiritualized released a new album these days. And it filled just what I expected: Some semi-acoustic love songs like The Morning After and punpers like A Perfect Miracle or On The Sunshine where he puts out his guitar and takes us to a ride into space-rock, jazzy heaven. You ought to listen to this songs loud so that you can hear the the greatness of this songs between traditional songwriting and spaced out feed-back sound. Not the music that gets into your ears and stay at your attention but if you listen several times you will listen to an album Pierce worked for years to deserve it to us.

Spiritualized - The Morning After

Spiritualized - On The Sunshine