The Perfect Prescription

Last updated

The Perfect Prescription
Spacemen 3 - Perfect Prescription.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1987
RecordedV.H.F. in Rugby
Genre Neo-psychedelia [1]
Length45:39
Label Glass (original UK release)
Fire (various UK reissues)
Genius Records (original US release)
Taang! (1996 US reissue)
Producer Sonic Boom & Jason
Spacemen 3 chronology
Transparent Radiation
(1986)
The Perfect Prescription
(1987)
Performance
(1988)
Alternative cover
Spacemenlg.jpg
1996 re-release

The music becomes progressively more orchestral and serene until the high of the trip, represented by "Ecstasy Symphony"/"Transparent Radiation (Flashback)," moving on to the moment of realisation where the high has faded and the comedown ensues, represented by the harsh opening guitar chords in "Things'll Never Be the Same." Coming down is represented in the blues-based "Come Down Easy," while the potentially fatal effects of an overdose are portrayed in the final track, "Call the Doctor." The music was written by the band, except "Transparent Radiation," which is a Red Krayola cover from the 1967 album The Parable of Arable Land . The band also borrows heavily from the gospel standard "In My Time of Dying" in "Come Down Easy," and it pays homage to Lou Reed in "Ode to Street Hassle."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Take Me to the Other Side" 4:40
2."Walkin' with Jesus" 5:03
3."Ode to Street Hassle" 3:54
4."Ecstasy Symphony" 1:54
5."Transparent Radiation (Flashback)" Frederick Barthelme, Steve Cunningham, Mayo Thompson 9:03
6."Feel So Good" 5:24
7."Things'll Never Be the Same" 5:58
8."Come Down Easy" 6:42
9."Call the Doctor" 3:45
1989 re-issue (Fire Refire CD6)

Adds b-sides from the "Take Me to the Other Side" single as bonus tracks:

No.TitleLength
10."Soul 1"5:41
11."That's Just Fine"6:50
1995 re-issue (Genius Records CD)

Adds two tracks from the "Walkin' With Jesus" single and the Transparent Radiation EP as bonus tracks:

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Starship" MC5, Sun Ra, Kember, Pierce11:01
10."Rollercoaster" Roky Erickson, Tommy Hall17:01
1996 re-issue (Taang! Records CD)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Soul 1" 5:41
10."That's Just Fine" 6:50
11."Starship"MC5, Sun Ra, Kember, Pierce11:01
12."Ecstasy" 9:08

Personnel

Spacemen 3
Additional personnel

Liner notes

The vinyl edition of The Perfect Prescription includes liner notes by author R. Hunter Gibson:

"'The Perfect Prescription' is an album that will be left out of the rock 'n' roll readers, just as the great texts bid Bo Diddley throw down his cloak for the quickstep of Eddie Cochran.
If there has ever been an untrumpeted classic, here it is. An arcane, apocryphal document, this record, in late '80s UK, was telegraphing a message of unconcerned hope in a world hypnotised by guilt-ridden social work rock. Here, more than anywhere, Spacemen 3 have a vested interest in absolutely nothing.
It is revolutionary and militant where most angry young rock is liberal at best. It is extreme and accurate. Like 'Aftermath' it captures every aspect of the age that would later be analysed. As the unassuming soundtrack of a country breaking down and a world breaking up, its very nature means that it has been ignored.
Spacemen 3, like all the great rock 'n' rollers, from Arthur Parker to Paul Gauguin, are revolutionary; this is their great manifesto, striding free from the pharmacy raid of their debut armed with the keys of the musical medicine cabinet. When we left off things would never be the same. But the other side of the locked door, well, it's like the white one in the story.
If 'Sound of Confusion' denied the wider stretches of the sense in favour of the immediately, roughly sensual, this script panned out from some suburban global village Viet vet subculture into a poppyfield undersown with righteous paranoia. And still the smell of burning rubber on trash yankee wheels thickens the air ...
What goes on? Get the answer if you want it."

Forged Prescriptions

Forged Prescriptions
Studio album by
Released2003 (2003)
Genre Neo-psychedelia
Label Space Age Recordings
Spacemen 3 chronology
Playing with Fire
(1999)
Forged Prescriptions
(2003)
How the Blues Should've Turned Out
(2005)

Forged Prescriptions is a compilation album by Spacemen 3 released on Space Age Recordings in 2003. It contains alternate and demo versions of songs from The Perfect Prescription, and some previously unreleased tracks.

In his liner notes, Spacemen 3 member Sonic Boom says this release presents the album's songs in their "full guitar laden versions with all the layers of beautifully streamlined guitar—considered by us to be too hard to replicate live and therefore reduced for the original release."

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."Things'll Never Be the Same"5:54
2."Walking with Jesus"5:12
3."Come Down Easy (Demo Version)"6:02
4."Transparent Radiation (Single Version)"4:12
5."Ode to Street Hassle"4:45
6."Call the Doctor"4:11
7."Ecstasy Symphony"9:06
8."Feel So Good"5:28
9."Soul 1"5:44
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."Transparent Radiation (Demo Version) (cover of "Transparent Radiation" by Red Krayola)"7:52
2."Come Down Easy"6:43
3."Walking with Jesus (Demo Version)"3:58
4."Things'll Never Be the Same (Demo Version)"5:54
5."We Sell Soul" (previously unreleased, cover of "Don't Fall Down" by The 13th Floor Elevators)4:56
6."Starship (Demo Version)" (previously unreleased, cover of "Starship" by MC5)5:01
7."Take Me to the Other Side (Demo Version)"3:50
8."Velvet Jam" (previously unreleased)4:46
9."I Want You Right Now" (previously unreleased)6:10

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spacemen 3</span> English rock band (1982–1991)

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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Pierce</span> English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jason Andrew Pierce is an English musician. Currently the frontman and sole permanent member of the band Spiritualized, he previously co-fronted the alternative rock band Spacemen 3 with Peter Kember from 1982 until 1991. He has worked under the name J. Spaceman.

<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>Performance</i> (Spacemen 3 album) 1988 live album by Spacemen 3

Performance is the first live album from Spacemen 3, documenting a set from the Perfect Prescription tour. It was recorded on February 6, 1988, at De Melkweg, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

<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> English musician and record producer (born 1965)

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.

<i>Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997</i> 1998 live album by Spiritualized

Royal Albert Hall October 10, 1997 is a live album by the English space rock group Spiritualized, recorded during an October show at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of their 1997 tour of the United Kingdom. The album was released in late 1998.

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

<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.

<i>The Parable of Arable Land</i> 1967 studio album by Red Krayola (with the Familiar Ugly)

The Parable of Arable Land is the first studio album by the Red Crayola, released in June 1967 on record label International Artists. The album features notable instrumental cameos by label mate and 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson.

<i>Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music</i> 1990 live album by Spacemen 3

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

<i>Translucent Flashbacks – The Singles</i> 1995 compilation album by Spacemen 3

Translucent Flashbacks is a compilation album released in 1995 that combines the first three Spacemen 3 singles and their B-sides. The singles, which were released on Glass Records between 1986 and 1988, are "Walkin' With Jesus", the Transparent Radiation EP and "Take Me To The Other Side".

<i>Transparent Radiation</i> 1987 EP by Spacemen 3

Transparent Radiation is an EP by the British alternative rock band Spacemen 3. It was released in July 1987 on 12-inch vinyl. The title track is a cover version of a Red Krayola song on The Parable of Arable Land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me to the Other Side</span> 1988 single by Spacemen 3

"Take Me to the Other Side" is the second single from the English alternative rock band Spacemen 3. It was recorded at VHF studios in Rugby, Warwickshire, and released in July 1988 as a 12" single.

<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>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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sour Truth</span>

The Sour Truth is a collaboration between English musicians Stanley Belton as Black Market Karma and Peter Kember as Sonic Boom. It was released on 16 August 2023 by Flower Power Records, premiering through the online magazine God Is in the TV. It is available as a 10-inch transparent vinyl record, limited to 500 copies.

References

  1. Terich, Jeff (2 July 2015). "10 Essential Neo-Psychedelia Albums". Treble. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "The Perfect Prescription – Spacemen 3". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  3. Perry, Tom (5 November 2009). "Album Review: Spacemen 3 – The Perfect Prescription (reissue)". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  4. Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Spacemen 3". The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books. pp.  1415–1416. ISBN   1-84195-615-5.
  5. Perry, Andrew (December 2009). "Spacemen 3: The Perfect Prescription". Mojo . No. 193.
  6. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Spacemen 3". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p.  1062. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.
  7. Lindhart, Alexander Lloyd (28 October 2003). "Spacemen 3: Forged Prescriptions Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  8. Mathers, Ian (21 November 2013). "Spacemen 3: Sound of Confusion / The Perfect Prescription / Performance". PopMatters . Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. Kendall, Matt (December 2009). "The Perfect Prescription | Spacemen 3". Record Collector . No. 369. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s - Page 6". Pitchfork .