Cosmic rockers Spiritualized have announced the Spaceman Reissue Program. The first stage involves new vinyl editions of their earliest four albums, with a fresh pressing of 1992’s Lazer Guided Melodies leading the way on April 23rd.
Founded in 1990 by Jason Pierce aka J. Spaceman, Spiritualized rose out of the wreckage of alternative rock band Spaceman 3. Now, as Pierce curates these reissues some twenty years later, he finds himself looking back on the disappointments of his previous project and the “huge freedom” he found with Spiritualized. As he explained in a statement,
“The last Spacemen 3 record was under-realized to me. When I listen back to that stuff it sounds like somebody finding their way. There was a lot of ideas but no way to put them into a space that would make them all work. So, there was a huge freedom forging over the last Spacemen 3 record and when Spiritualized started it was like, ‘OK it’s all yours. Go’…
We recorded the tracks in the studio near my flat which was a place where they predominantly recorded advertising jingles and it’s where we made all the Spacemen 3 records, but then the recordings were taken to Battery Studios in London, to explore a more professional way of making music… Once I approached that way of doing things I opened up a whole world and I was astounded that somebody could take those tracks and turn it into the record it became…”
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For its initial release, the Spaceman Reissue Program is going to back to where it all began with Spiritualized’s debut album Lazer Guided Melodies. The double LP will be pressed onto sturdy 180g vinyl and presented in a gatefold jacket with reworked art from Mark Farrow. A limited series of white discs will be available, and once those sell out there will be plenty more in standard black. Look for special LGM merch over at the band’s website, and pre-order the album now. Next up in the series are Pure Phase (1995), Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (1997) and Let It Come Down (2001), with release dates and additional information coming soon.
Spiritualized’s most recent LP was 2018’s And Nothing Hurt, which was one our 100 favorite albums of the 2010s.
Lazer Guided Melodies Artwork:
Lazer Guided Melodies Tracklist:
01. You Know It’s True
02. If I Were with Her Now
03. I Want You
04. Run
05. Smiles
06. Step into the Breeze
07. Symphony Space
08. Take Your Time
09. Shine a Light
10. Angel Sigh
11. Sway
12. 200 Bars
