SPIRITUALIZED - "Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space"
SPIRITUALIZED
“Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space”
Dedicated - June 16, 1997
As you advance in age anniversaries seem to occur with ever-increasing frequency, often with surprise recognition of the passing of time. Could that have really happened that long ago? Such was the case last week when I was reminded that it had been twenty-five years since the release of Spiritualized’s seminal, “Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space.” For Spiritualized mastermind, Jason Pierce, this effort found the psychedelia that fueled his previous group, Spacemen 3 (whose, “The Perfect Prescription” is another pal worth revisiting and who proudly lived the ethos, “Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to”), slightly diluted with ample portions of ambient influence and gospel ambition. The result is the perfect landing spot after the expansive successes of, ”Lazer Guided Melodies,” and “Pure Phase,” with “Ladies and Gentlemen,” arriving as a fully realized dissertation on heartache and hard drugs from the furthest reaches of the hemispheres. “Come Together” is a churning rocker that benefits both from horns and a building conclusive crescendo while, “All Of My Thoughts,” could lead a listener to tears before the cacophony of driving guitars, keyboards and strings shake them off the cheeks. Pierce was steadfast to indulge his every whim in creating his masterpiece, employing the Balanescu Quartet and The London Community Gospel Choir and the result is a rarity that lives up to hype and legacy. Every note of “Ladies and Gentlemen…” resounds today and it truly holds together ideally as a singular piece (though the suitably titled first single, “Electricity,” was a personal stand-alone favorite of mine during DJ sets and, “Broken Heart,” is simply a beautiful song. Period). The final seventeen-minute sonic pastiche, “Cop Shoot Cop,” for which Pierce traveled to Memphis to record a piano part and vocal by the legendary, Dr. John, is the aural equivalent of a cinematic work ending with a blast that ties all of the storylines together in a simultaneously confusing and crystal clear conclusion. The type of ending that immediately makes you want to start over from the beginning and search for clues. I envy anyone who has never heard, “Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space,” for the treat that awaits them.
Standouts: “Electricity,” Come Together,” Cop Shoot Cop”
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