Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music

Last updated

Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music
Dreamweapon An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music.jpg
Live album by
Released1990
Genre Drone music
Length77:43 (2004 re-issue)
Label Fierce
Spacemen 3 chronology
Playing with Fire
(1989)
Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music
(1990)
Recurring
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music is a 1990 live album by Spacemen 3.

Contents

Overview

The title track is from a live performance at Watermans Arts Centre in Brentford, London, on August 19, 1988. Peter Kember, Jason Pierce, Will Carruthers, and Steve Evans played. The piece was inspired by drone music, with a text from La Monte Young in the liner notes. [2] The composition is a lengthy drone in the key of A. It was recorded in the foyer of a cinema as an audience waited for a screening of the film Wings of Desire ; crowd noise and public-address announcements are audible. A brief melodic fragment from the improvisation was re-used as the basis for the song "Honey" from the group's 1989 album Playing With Fire .

The liner notes for this track credit Pat Fish, a.k.a. the Jazz Butcher, with "joint rolling." [3]

The other track on the original vinyl release "Ecstasy in Slow Motion" is a studio performance from 1987 which only features Pete Kember. It does not feature on the original CD. "Spacemen Jam", which appears on subsequent reissues, is Peter Kember and an unknown second guitarist, possibly Jason Pierce. Jason is credited in the sleeve notes on the Sympathy for the Record Industry reissue. The track on the vinyl release plays backwards- from the centre outwards.

The album's title Dreamweapon is the creation of Angus MacLise, the original drummer for the Velvet Underground.

The Guardian printed an extract from Will Carruthers' memoir about his recollection of the recording of the album. [4]

Track listing

Original release (Fierce)
No.TitleLength
1."An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music (Full-Length Version)"44:21
2."Ecstasy in Slow Motion"9:26

CD copies contain only "An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music (Full Length Version)"

1993 re-issue (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
No.TitleLength
1."An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music (Full-Length Version)"44:20
2."Ecstasy in Slow Motion"9:26
3."Spacemen Jam"15:42
2004 re-issue (Space Age Recordings)
No.TitleLength
1."An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music (Full-Length Version)"44:20
2."Ecstasy Live Intro Theme"8:15
3."Ecstasy in Slow Motion"9:26
4."Spacemen Jam"15:42

Related Research Articles

<i>The Offspring</i> (album) 1989 studio album by the Offspring

The Offspring is the debut studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on June 15, 1989, by Nemesis Records. After being out of print for years, the album was re-released by Nitro and Epitaph Records in 1995 with a different album cover. Both the re-releases on the two respective labels are nearly identical. The Offspring has rarely played any songs from this album live since the Ignition tour finished in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spacemen 3</span> English alternative rock band

Spacemen 3 were an English rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman. Their music is known for its brand of "trance-like neo-psychedelia" consisting of heavily distorted guitar, synthesizers, and minimal chord or tempo changes.

<i>The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited</i> 1987 EP by Metallica

The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited is the first extended play by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 21, 1987, by Elektra Records. It consists of covers of late-'70s and early-'80s new wave of British heavy metal bands and punk rock music rehearsed in Lars Ulrich's soundproofed garage and then recorded in Los Angeles over the course of six days. It is the group's first release following the death of bassist Cliff Burton and the first to feature his successor, Jason Newsted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiritualized</span> English space rock band

Spiritualized are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce, formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centered on Pierce, Doggen Foster (guitar) and Kevin Bales with revolving bassists and keyboard players. The band's current bassist, James Stelfox, has been playing with the band since 2012.

Drone music, drone-based music, or simply drone, is a minimalist genre of music that emphasizes the use of sustained sounds, notes, or tone clusters called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy compositions featuring relatively slight harmonic variations. La Monte Young, one of its 1960s originators, defined it in 2000 as "the sustained tone branch of minimalism". Music containing drones can be found in many regional traditions across Asia, Australia, and Europe, but the genre label is generally reserved for music originating with the Western classical tradition. Elements of drone music have been incorporated in diverse genres such as rock, ambient, and electronic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watermans Arts Centre</span> Art centre located in Brentford, England

Watermans Art Centre is a combined arts centre. It is located in Brentford, England alongside the banks of the River Thames overlooking Kew Gardens in West London, England.

<i>Joan Baez in Concert</i> 1962 live album by Joan Baez

Joan Baez in Concert is a live album taken from Joan Baez's 1962 concert tours. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

<i>Sound of Confusion</i> 1986 studio album by Spacemen 3

Sound of Confusion is the first studio album by space rock group Spacemen 3, released in July 1986 on Glass Records. Four of the seven songs are cover versions; "Hey Man" combines the melody of Amen with the lyrics of Fixin' to Die Blues by Bukka White, "Rollercoaster", originally by the 13th Floor Elevators, "Mary Anne" by Juicy Lucy and "Little Doll" by The Stooges. The closing track "O.D. Catastrophe" clearly references the vocal melody of "T.V. Eye" by The Stooges, with an early version of the song even being titled "T.V. Catastrophe".

<i>The Perfect Prescription</i>

The Perfect Prescription is the second studio album by British neo-psychedelic band Spacemen 3, released in 1987. It is a concept album, "a vision of a drug trip from inception to its blasted conclusion, highs and lows fully intact."

<i>Playing with Fire</i> (Spacemen 3 album) 1989 studio album by Spacemen 3

Playing with Fire is the third studio album by Spacemen 3, released in February 1989. The original CD version included two live bonus tracks recorded in the Netherlands, and an ensuing release on Taang! Records included two more b-sides from the "Revolution" single. A reissued version from 2001 has an entire extra disc of demos and rarities. The album was featured in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

<i>Recurring</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Spacemen 3

Recurring is the fourth and final Spacemen 3 studio album, released in early 1991 on Fire Records. The band had broken up prior to the release of the album. During the recording, the relations between band members had soured to the extent that the record is in two parts – the first side by Peter Kember, and the second by Jason Pierce.

Experimental Audio Research is an experimental music collective formed around Peter Kember, formerly of Spacemen 3. While Spacemen 3 were a relatively traditional rock and roll band with strong experimental leanings, E.A.R. is essentially a free improvisation project, creating instrumental music characterized by lengthy, droning textures and slowly evolving structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kember</span> Musical artist

Peter Kember, also known by his stage name Sonic Boom, is an English singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He was a founding member, vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist of alternative rock band Spacemen 3, lasting from 1982 until the band's dissolution in 1991. He is now based in Sintra, Portugal.

Will Carruthers is a musician, best known for playing bass in the influential alternative rock bands Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized.

<i>Vanity</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Eighteen Visions

Vanity is the fourth full-length studio album, and seventh overall release, by American metalcore band Eighteen Visions. It was their first album to feature a music video, which was for "You Broke Like Glass". It was the last album to feature guitarist Brandan Schieppati as he left immediately after the recording of the album to focus on Bleeding Through. The band toured for the album with a single guitarist, Keith Barney. As of 2007, the album has sold over 100,000 copies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flowers of Hell</span> Musical artist

The Flowers of Hell are a transatlantic experimental orchestra made up of a revolving line-up of 16 or so independent musicians based in Toronto and London. Their mostly instrumental sound builds bridges between classical music and post-rock, shoegaze, space rock and drone music, often resulting in their being described as an orchestral extension of the work of The Velvet Underground and Spacemen 3. They are led by synesthete composer Greg Jarvis. Much of their repertoire is an exploration of the timbre-to-shape synesthesia that causes Jarvis to involuntarily perceive all sounds as floating abstract visual forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big City (Spacemen 3 song)</span> 1991 single by Spacemen 3

"Big City" is the fifth and last single from the English alternative rock band Spacemen 3. It entered the UK charts at position #88. It was released in January 1991, shortly after the band split up, as a 7", 12" and CD single. The 7" contains a shorter version of the song than the 12". A remixed version was released separately. The 7" edit appears on the band's final album Recurring under the title "Big City ".

<i>The Flowers of Hell</i> (album) 2006 studio album by The Flowers of Hell

The Flowers Of Hell is the 2006 instrumental self-titled debut album from the experimental rock group The Flowers of Hell. It was largely recorded by Tim Holmes of Death In Vegas at the Contino Rooms in London. Peter ‘Sonic Boom’ Kember of Spacemen 3 mentored the band through its creation, mixed and performed on the track 'Through The F Hole', contributed a liner note poem to the Japanese CD version, and guest deejayed at the record's London release concert. Band leader Greg Jarvis has stated that the goal of the album was to build classical tangents from The Velvet Underground & Nico and the Spacemen 3 / early Spiritualized sound.

<i>Stand by Your Man</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Tammy Wynette

Stand by Your Man is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in January 1969 via Epic Records and contained 11 tracks. It was the fifth studio album of Wynette's career and was named for its title track. The title track became Wynette's signature song and most successful single of her career.

<i>Forever Alien</i> Album by Spectrum

Forever Alien is the third studio album by British space rock band Spectrum, a project led by Peter Kember under the pseudonym Sonic Boom. It was released in August 1997 by Space Age Records. After the band's preceding EP Songs for Owsley (1996) moved them away from guitar-oriented music and towards electronic music, Forever Alien furthered this approach considerably, as Kember aimed to create a predominately electronic album that sounded organic and analogue in style. The record is dominated by vintage analogue synthesizers, including the EMS VCS 3 and EMS Synthi AKS. Kember had become fascinated by the synths as he felt they presented him with more musical possibilities than guitars.

References

  1. Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music at AllMusic
  2. Spacemen 3, Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music, Sympathy for the Record Industry SFTRI 211, 1993 CD re-issue, liner notes
  3. "Spacemen 3 Discography". Theotherside1.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  4. "Spacemen 3: 'A monkey could play one note. But could a stoned monkey?'". TheGuardian.com . 26 September 2016.