Spiritualized Question

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Yeah....i just wanted to know if Pure Phase is a good album?
it's the only one by them that i don't have.
well that and the live one's.
so is it any good?
is it?
huh?
huh?
yeah...........

― Dude (The Yellow Dart), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

it's better than "ladies & gentlement"

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

It's the one I've listened to the least I think. And that even includes Let It Come Down!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:26 (twenty-two years ago)

My other question.. are all those people on the latest series of Spiritualized singles the band members? or just random people?

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Dude", the answer to your question(s) is: just find it really cheap used and buy it. Because it's very commonly found cheap and used.

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:43 (twenty-two years ago)

They are indeed the band members if they're the closeups you're talking about (also reproduced on the website/in the album art).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:43 (twenty-two years ago)

why do they look like guys who auditioned for Jesus Jones back in 1988?

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I tell you those KROQ 1990 hairstyles will be back in fashion any day now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 04:02 (twenty-two years ago)

those guys all look like assholes. good album though.

― Dude (The Yellow Dart), Friday, 16 January 2004 06:57 (twenty-two years ago)

It's my favorite album jason pierce has made, but my opinions on him are generally pretty unpopular. I can't get through 10 minutes of "ladies and gentlemen...".

― Greg M, Saturday, 17 January 2004 01:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I think of all their records "Pure Phase" has the most consistent, unified sound, there are some very specific techniques used throughout the record that really hold it together. I also think that it's the last record where Pierce was still really fascinated with drones and real sonic experimentation - mixing the drums in a real weird way, heavy effects on everything, a big washy buzz all over the songs - in that respect it sounds very unique. After Pure Phase he went for a recording approach that I think is much more straight-ahead, and much more obvious in citing its precedents (Spector and Elvis in particular, with maybe some Sun Ra thrown in for the "free jazz" stuff).

― Shakey Mo Collier, Saturday, 17 January 2004 01:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I find "Ladies and Gentlemen" to be the only record by Spiritualized I go back to listen to. I don't get all the hatorade for that record. Sure, it's a long, grandiose record that "rocks" for the first six songs, but really hits it right thereafter, until maybe the minute range of "Cop Shoot Cop" reaches double digits if I'm impatient. And I'm a sucker for Wilsonesque harmonized choirs. (Sorry, Elvis T)

Granted, I think "Lazer Guide Melodies" needs a good dusting and uncovering.

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 17 January 2004 01:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Where's Spacewoman Kate these days, un-ilxxored or something?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Saturday, 17 January 2004 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Pure Phase is my fave SPZ album, and one of my fave albums ever, in fact. I know I'm in the minority on this one, but what can I say -- I dig the drone. It's probably their most "un-rock" album. There are a lot of long instrumental passages, parts with only a few notes building and repeating for several minutes ... it's further from verse/chorus/verse than anything else SPZ have done.

Also, you've gotta dig a record that has two completely different mixes playing simultaneously for 70 minutes.

Again, you've gotta take this as the minority opinion -- "Let it Come Down" is my second favourite SPZ album

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 17 January 2004 02:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Where's Spacewoman Kate these days, un-ilxxored or something?

Still Mrs. Richard Ashcroft as far as I know.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Saturday, 17 January 2004 06:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait a minute, so "Dude" is saying it's a good album just a few posts after he's asking if it's a good album??

― Sean (Sean), Saturday, 17 January 2004 07:50 (twenty-two years ago)

He's talking about the brand new one.

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 17 January 2004 08:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember a lot of talk around the time that 'Pure Phase' was released that Pierce had made two radically different mixes of the album *in mono* and had synced both mixes up together to make the album.
So, instead of having a stereo mix you get two (supposedly) different mono mixes, one in the left channel and one in the right.
It's a cool idea, not sure if it's actually the case though.

― mzui, Saturday, 17 January 2004 08:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude, there is certainly no good reason why this should be the one and only Spz record you don't have.

I listened to Pure Phase just this week and was reminded that their records were once actually genuinely compelling.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Saturday, 17 January 2004 09:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Still Mrs. Richard Ashcroft as far as I know.

Hahah! Um, not THAT Kate. HSA's Kate. Unless there was some sort of faceoff between Kates and they swapped consorts or something.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 17 January 2004 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Pure Phase is my second favourite SPZ album after Lazer Guided Melodies - it evokes for me happy memories of lying on the floor, tripping my bonce off, at a SPZ gig in Leicester student's union in 1993/4. Sure beats LAGWAFIS anyway.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Saturday, 17 January 2004 16:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah Ladies and Gentlemen really is the best. I'm a fan of the orchestral over the Spacemen 3ish stuff any day.

― David Allen (David Allen), Saturday, 17 January 2004 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I understand what he's saying, but at the same time I've always wondered why this is a big deal, since every stereo album is made up of two radically different mixes in mono, when you get right down to it.

― dlp9001, Saturday, 17 January 2004 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Dammit, I've forgotten my login so I can't reappear and whump some arse for that, Barrus and Raggett!

It's my third favourite SPZ album, after Lazer Guided Melodies and Volume One. (Which are probably actually pretty much tied, so I guess that makes it my second favourite.)

It's Spiritualized at their most experimental and, most well, space-y. If you're a fan of their Lazer Floyd Classic-Rock-By-Numbers latter stuff, it won't make much sense, but to me, it seems the one most spiritually attuned towards Sonic Boom's aesthetic.

― the spaceship fleet, Saturday, 17 January 2004 23:11 (twenty-two years ago)

(Will this one work, dammit?)

Come on! It's a Spz thread! It was on 22 posts! That's worth re-materialising for!

― HRH Queen Kate (kate), Saturday, 17 January 2004 23:17 (twenty-two years ago)

if you're a real sucker for the pierce sound, and want to hear as many variations on it as possible, then it might be worth your money. i've always been of the opinion that "lazer guided..." and "ladies and gents..." are the only spiritualized albums worth getting. "pure phase" isn't awful in the way that the last 2 have been awful, but I think the 1st and 3rd records capture what's best about spiritualized from both ends of the spectrum - the quiter ambient stuff, and the grand-orchestrated stuff. "pure phase" is an enjoyable enough listen, but i think you've heard pierce's best stuff already.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Saturday, 17 January 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

"let it flow" is one of their very tracks.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 17 January 2004 23:38 (twenty-two years ago)

very best!

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 17 January 2004 23:38 (twenty-two years ago)

eight months pass...

holy shit - has anyone else heard the BBC Evening Sessions on this "Amazing Grace" 12"? I think I like this better than anything on the "Amazing Grace" LP proper - just weird, almost rhythmless, oceanic swells of sound, gorgeous horns and guitars spiralling all over the place, a very thick, floating sound, no vocals on the first side at all. Totally re-worked, long versions of the Star Spangled Banner/Amazing Grace, On Fire, Do it All Over Again, Come Together. Man, he's still got it.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 28 September 2004 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I've only heard SSB/AG and Do It All Over Again. I don't like the latter as much as the album version ... but "Amazing Grace" is indeed stunning. It pulls off the "free jazz-y noise and squawks somehow careening into an actual tune" trick 100x better than "Cop Shoot Cop".

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 28 September 2004 23:12 (twenty-one years ago)

the original version of "Do It All Over Again" is gorgeous, probably the best thing on that whole "Let it Come Down" album - and yes, I don't like the 12" version *quite* as much either, but it's great in its own way and is of a piece with the other stuff on the single. It's like one big long flowing river of free-forming melodies that occasionally coalesce into snippets of "actual" songs - a vocal line here, a horn burst there, but really it bares almost no resemblance to the original. I think he even sticks in some lyrics from one of the other songs on "Let it Come Down"...?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 28 September 2004 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

'recurring' is finally being reissued, now i can discard my cassette copy. sonic's side was much better than jason's side wasn't it, i've always cheered for sonic boom because his hair is like mine and for those snack cakes. 'let it come down' made me hate spiritualized, let's spend truckloads to cover up the fact that we're out of ideas.

― keith m (keithmcl), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you know if Playing with Fire's coming out again too? I too need to replace a rubbish quality tape version!

― M Carty (mj_c), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Both the Recurring and Playing With Fire reissues are available from Space Age right now (they sound great!)

― Gator Magoon (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 16:22 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

Just found the glow-in-the-dark special edition copy of this album for a buck!

― Evan, Saturday, 5 September 2009 02:29 (sixteen years ago)

Pure Phase that is... if it wasn't clear.

― Evan, Saturday, 5 September 2009 02:29 (sixteen years ago)

three years pass...

A little vid I created yesterday when I took a walk in the park.

― Graveyard Poet, Sunday, 10 March 2013 22:20 (thirteen years ago)

A little vid I created yesterday when I took a walk in the park.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9LuJ4WZs-0

― Graveyard Poet, Sunday, 10 March 2013 22:35 (thirteen years ago)

― buzza, Sunday, 10 March 2013 22:42 (thirteen years ago)

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