Playing with Fire (Spacemen 3 album)

Last updated

Playing with Fire
Spacemen 3 Playing with Fire Original Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released27 February 1989
Genre
Length46:45
Label Fire (original UK release)
Bomp! (original US release)
Rough Trade (Germany)
Hitch-Hyke (Greece)
Space Age Recordings (2001 UK reissue)
Taang! (2009 US reissue)
Spacemen 3 chronology
Performance
(1988)
Playing with Fire
(1989)
Recurring
(1991)
Alternative cover
Spacemen 3 - Playing With Fire.jpg
When Taang! Records reissued the album on CD in 1994, the white background of the original was changed for a fiery interpretation. Later CD reissues have restored the original artwork.

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.

Contents

In a similar musical borrowing to those on the band's prior albums, the song "Revolution" bears more than a passing resemblance to "Black to Comm" by the MC5.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
NME 8+12/10 [5]
Record Mirror 4/5 [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
Select 5/5 [8]
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 9/10 [10]

Playing with Fire was featured in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [11] Stereogum placed "Revolution" at twentieth in their list of the "31 Essential Shoegaze Tracks". [1]

Track listing

Original release (Fire FIRELP16)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Honey" Peter Kember 3:00
2."Come Down Softly to My Soul" Jason Pierce 3:46
3."How Does It Feel?"Kember7:58
4."I Believe It"Kember3:20
5."Revolution"Kember5:56
6."Let Me Down Gently"Kember4:30
7."So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)"Pierce2:38
8."Suicide"Pierce, Kember11:03
9."Lord Can You Hear Me?"Pierce4:34
2001 reissue (Space Age Recordings)
Disc 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Honey"Kember3:00
2."Come Down Softly to My Soul"Pierce3:46
3."How Does It Feel?"Kember7:58
4."I Believe It"Kember3:20
5."Revolution"Kember5:56
6."Let Me Down Gently"Kember4:30
7."So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)"Pierce2:38
8."Suicide"Pierce, Kember11:03
9."Lord Can You Hear Me?"Pierce4:34
10."Suicide (Live)"Pierce, Kember12:25
11."Repeater (How Does It Feel?) (Live)"Kember5:31
12."Chè" Martin Rev, Alan Vega, Kember4:31
13."May the Circle Be Unbroken"Traditional arr. Pierce3:46
Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Honey (Demo)"Kember3:24
2."Let Me Down Gently (Drum Mix)"Kember4:51
3."How Does It Feel? (Alternative Version)"Kember8:25
4."Suicide (Alternate Mix)"Pierce, Kember11:51
5."Lord Can You Hear Me? (Demo Vocal)"Pierce4:41
6."I Believe It (Alternate Mix)"Kember3:20
7."Chè (Maracas Mix)"Rev, Vega, Kember4:38
8."Any Way That You Want Me (Demo)" Chip Taylor 3:21
9."Girl on Fire (Demo)"Phil Parfitt2:06

Related Research Articles

<i>The Band</i> (album) 1969 studio album by the Band

The Band is the second studio album by the Canadian-American rock band the Band, released on September 22, 1969. It is also known as The Brown Album. According to Rob Bowman's liner notes for the 2000 reissue, The Band has been viewed as a concept album, with the songs focusing on people, places and traditions associated with an older version of Americana. Thus, the songs on this album draw on historic themes for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "King Harvest " and "Jawbone".

<i>Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the debut studio album album by the American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on November 9, 1976, by Shelter Records. The album was recorded and mixed at the Shelter Studio in Hollywood, California.

<i>Lazer Guided Melodies</i> 1992 studio album by Spiritualized

Lazer Guided Melodies is the debut studio album by English space rock band Spiritualized. The album was recorded by the inaugural line up of the band, consisting of Jason Pierce, Mark Refoy (guitars), Will Carruthers (bass), Jonny Mattock (drums) and Kate Radley (keyboards) from 1990 to 1991, and mixed by Pierce in London in January 1992. The album was first released on Dedicated Records in March 1992, on cassette, Compact Disc and Vinyl.

<i>Cypress Hill</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Cypress Hill

Cypress Hill is the debut studio album by the American hip hop group Cypress Hill. It was released on August 13, 1991, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album were held at Image Recording Studios in Los Angeles from August 1990 to May 1991. The production of the album was handled by DJ Muggs. The album was critically and commercially successful proving to be a major success for the group. Receiving major air-play on urban radio and college radio helped the album's popularity. The album went Double platinum in the U.S. with over 2 million units sold. The album is broken down track-by-track by Cypress Hill in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique published in 2007, 16 years after the album release.

<i>Face to Face</i> (The Kinks album) 1966 studio album by the Kinks

Face to Face is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released on 28 October 1966. The album marked a shift from the hard-driving style of beat music that had catapulted the group to international acclaim in 1964, instead drawing heavily from baroque pop and music hall. It is their first album consisting entirely of Ray Davies compositions, and has also been regarded by critics as one of rock's first concept albums. Davies' blossoming songwriting style became increasingly observational and satirical, commenting on English culture, social class and the music industry.

<i>The Stooges</i> (album) 1969 debut album by the Stooges

The Stooges is the debut studio album by American rock band the Stooges, released on August 5, 1969 by Elektra Records. Considered a landmark proto-punk release, the album peaked at number 106 on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The tracks "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "1969" were released as singles; "1969" was featured on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs" at number 35. In 2020, it was ranked number 488 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

<i>Pink Flag</i> 1977 studio album by Wire

Pink Flag is the debut album by the English rock band Wire, released in December 1977. The album was critically acclaimed on release, and has since been highly influential; today it is regarded as a landmark in the development of post-punk music.

<i>Psychocandy</i> 1985 studio album by the Jesus and Mary Chain

Psychocandy is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released in November 1985 on Blanco y Negro Records. The album is considered a landmark recording: its combination of guitar feedback and noise with traditional pop melody and structure proved influential on the forthcoming shoegaze genre and alternative rock in general.

<i>The Only Ones</i> (album) 1978 studio album by the Only Ones

The Only Ones is the debut studio album by English power pop band the Only Ones, released in April 1978 by Columbia Records. It was produced by the Only Ones themselves, with the assistance of Robert Ash and was mixed at Basing St., Escape and CBS.

<i>Another Music in a Different Kitchen</i> 1978 studio album by Buzzcocks

Another Music in a Different Kitchen is the first studio album by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in March 1978 by the United Artists record label. This was the third line-up of Buzzcocks, with the guitarist Pete Shelley singing following the departure of the original vocalist Howard Devoto and then the firing of the bass guitarist Garth Smith. The album includes the single "I Don't Mind", which reached number 55 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1978.

<i>The Modern Lovers</i> (album) 1976 studio album by the Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers is the debut studio album by American rock band the Modern Lovers. It was released on Beserkley Records in 1976, though the original tracks had been recorded in 1971 and 1972. Six of the original tracks were produced by John Cale.

<i>Nowhere</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Ride

Nowhere is the debut album by British shoegaze band Ride, released 15 October 1990. Rolling Stone called the album "a masterpiece", and online magazine Pitchfork called it "one of shoegazing's enduring moments".

<i>Junkyard</i> (album) 1982 studio album by the Birthday Party

Junkyard is the third studio album by Australian post-punk group the Birthday Party. It was released on 10 July 1982 through the label 4AD in the UK and through Missing Link Records in Australia. It was the group's last full-length studio recording. It has received critical acclaim.

<i>California</i> (American Music Club album) 1988 studio album by American Music Club

California is the third studio album by American indie rock band American Music Club. It was released on November 10, 1988 on Frontier Records.

<i>The Atomic Mr. Basie</i> 1958 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra

The Atomic Mr. Basie (originally called Basie, also known as E=MC2 and reissued in 1994 as The Complete Atomic Basie) is a 1958 album by Count Basie, featuring the song arrangements of Neal Hefti and the Count Basie Orchestra. Allmusic gave it 5 stars, reviewer Bruce Eder saying: "it took Basie's core audience and a lot of other people by surprise, as a bold, forward-looking statement within the context of a big-band recording." It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Will Fulford-Jones calling it "Basie's last great record." It was voted number 411 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).

<i>Fire of Love</i> (album) 1981 studio album by the Gun Club

Fire of Love is the debut album of the American rock band the Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records.

<i>1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die</i> 2005 Robert Dimery book

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the 1001 Before You Die series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics to be the most important, influential, and best in popular music between the 1950s and the 2010s. The book is edited by Robert Dimery, an English writer and editor who had previously worked for magazines such as Time Out and Vogue.

<i>D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle</i> 1978 album by Throbbing Gristle

D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle is the second studio album by English industrial band Throbbing Gristle. It was released in 1978 by their Industrial Records label.

<i>Live!</i> (Fela Kuti album) 1971 live album by Fela Ransome-Kuti and The Africa 70 with Ginger Baker

Live! is a live in-studio album recorded on July 25, 1971, by Fela Kuti's band Africa '70, with the addition of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker on two songs. It was released in 1971 by EMI in Africa and Europe and by Capitol/EMI in the United States and Canada. It was reissued on CD by Celluloid in 1987 and was reissued on CD in remastered form by Barclay with a bonus track from 1978.

<i>A Date with the Everly Brothers</i> 1960 studio album by the Everly Brothers

A Date with the Everly Brothers is the fourth studio album by American singing duo the Everly Brothers, released in 1960. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Pop albums charts and reached No. 3 in the UK.

References

  1. 1 2 Schonfeld, Zach (14 June 2017). "31 Essential Shoegaze Tracks". Stereogum . Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  2. Bonner, Michael (26 June 2015). "An interview with Spiritualized's Jason Pierce: "What we were doing... was morally and legally wrong"". Uncut . Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  3. Raggett, Ned. "Playing with Fire – Spacemen 3". AllMusic . Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  4. Male, Andrew (January 2022). "Galaxy Quest". Mojo . No. 338. p. 35.
  5. Kelly, Danny (25 February 1989). "Spacemen 3: Playing with Fire". NME . p. 31.
  6. Zeppelin, Geoff (18 March 1989). "Spacemen 3: Playing with Fire". Record Mirror . p. 39.
  7. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Spacemen 3". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  763–764. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Wilkinson, Roy (July 1999). "Spacemen 3: Playing with Fire". Select . No. 109. pp. 92–93.
  9. Cavanagh, David (25 February 1989). "Altered states". Sounds .
  10. Strauss, Neil (1995). "Spacemen 3". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 371–373. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  11. Shade, Chris (2006). "Spacemen 3: Playing with Fire". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 612. ISBN   978-0-7893-1371-3.