Spiritualized Biography by Jason Ankeny

Spiritualized Biography by Jason Ankeny
Formed from the ashes of the trance-rockers Spacemen 3, singer/guitarist Jason P

ierce's group Spiritualized did not break away from his prior band's trademark h
ypnotic minimalism; instead, they perfected it. Drawing on the continued influen
ce of the Velvet Underground, La Monte Young, and Steve Reich, Spiritualized sta
ked out a common ground between minimalism and lush symphonics -- while powered
by simple, repetitious motifs, their songs simultaneously blossomed into rich, s
himmering sonic panoramas inspired by the majestic studio wizardry of Phil Spect
or and Brian Wilson. Such seeming contradictions were essential to the group's a
lchemy: while the infamous Spacemen 3 tag of "taking drugs to make music to take
drugs to" remained a cornerstone of their craft, at the same time Spiritualized
's very name acknowledged the existence of other forces, further reflected in th
eir heavy debt to gospel and soul music as well as an affinity for mantras and d
evotional hymns.
Although Spiritualized fully emerged after the acrimonious breakup of Spacemen 3
, in truth the band's roots extended back to the band's final LP, 1990's Recurri
ng. A Spacemen 3 album in name only, Recurring was split evenly between independ
ently recorded work from Pierce and estranged partner Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember;
as a result, while Kember's side presaged his eventual work with Spectrum, Pierc
e's half, recorded with most of the musicians who would later comprise Spiritual
ized (including guitarist Mark Refoy, bassist Willie B. Carruthers, and drummer
Jon Mattock), predated the orchestral drones that became the band's hallmark. Th
e first true Spiritualized single, a dramatic reading of the Troggs' "Anyway Tha
t You Want Me," was the final nail in the coffin -- reportedly, Kember was so in
censed by the Spacemen 3 logo which appeared on the disc's jacket that he disban
ded the group for good.
Lazer Guided Melodies In 1991, Spiritualized returned with a string of EPs -- Fe
el So Sad, Run/I Want You, and Smile/Sway -- before their long-awaited debut, La
zer Guided Melodies, finally appeared the following year. The masterful, blissed
-out result of Pierce's obsessive studio fine-tuning and endless remixing, the a
lbum was promoted by the band's slot on the high-profile Rollercoaster tour, whe
re they appeared with the Jesus and Mary Chain and Curve. An excellent limited-e
dition live document, Fucked Up Inside, followed in 1993, trailed by another EP,
Electric Mainline, later in the year.
Pure Phase In 1995, Spiritualized -- now a trio consisting of Pierce, keyboardis
t/guitarist Kate Radley, and bassist Sean Cook -- issued Pure Phase, a heady, de
nse production which boasted separate mixes from each stereo channel. With 1997'
s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, Pierce deliberately jettisoned
many of the band's usual points of departure, including drones, tremolos, and ph
ase tones; recorded with new drummer Damon Reece, it featured a cameo appearance
from legendary New Orleans pianist Dr. John on one track, while Memphis studio
legend Jim Dickinson appeared on another. Other guests included the Balanescu Qu
artet (also featured on Pure Phase), the London Community Gospel Choir, and Spri
ng Heel Jack. The two-disc Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997 live album followed
in late 1998.
Let It Come Down The following year, Pierce gutted Spiritualized's lineup, firin
g Cook, Reece, and Mike Mooney, who formed Lupine Howl soon after their dismissa
l; Radley apparently left soon after she married Verve frontman and solo artist
Richard Ashcroft. Only saxophonist Ray Dickaty and sometime keyboardist Thighpau
lsandra (aka Tim Lewis) remained in the band. Pierce began writing and recording
material for the next Spiritualized album at George Martin's Air Studios and re
cruited percussionist Tom Edwards, bassist Martin Shallards, Echoboy drummer Kev
Bales, and guitarist Dogan, from Julian Cope's band, for the sessions. The new
album, Let It Come Down, which featured an even lusher, more involved sound than
Ladies and Gentlemen, was released in mid-2001. The follow-up, 2003's Amazing G
race, was more of a back-to-basics record. Songs in A and E arrived in spring 20
08. In 2010, the band embarked on a tour performing Ladies and Gentlemen ... in
its entirety, writing new songs influenced by that album -- as well as by the Be
ach Boys and Peter Brtzmann -- while they were on the road. Pierce and company la
id the songs down at studios in Los Angeles, Wales and Reykjavik over the course
of two years; the results, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, were released in March 2012
.

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Spiritualized Biography by Jason Ankeny

Formed from the ashes of the trance-rockers Spacemen 3, singer/guitarist Jason P

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