Geekonumerology! You can join in too, and correct any mistakes or omissions I've made, or better still, add your own numbers! You could...count the number of band members Jason has sacked! The number of musicians Kate Radley slept with whilst in Spiritualized! The number of times where Jason has mumbled something other than 'cheers' or 'thanks' during a live gig! Key: LGM = Laser Guided Melodies, FUI = Fucked Up Inside, PP = Pure Phase, LAGWAFIS = Ladies and Gentlemen… LARAH = Live at the Royal Albert Hall, AG = Amazing Grace, CWVI and II = Complete Works Volumes I and II.
0 – Number of Spiritualized single, or lead EP tracks, that have not been on ANY Spiritualized LP. CWVI and II have wiped up all officially released non-LP tracks, but even before that EVERY single and 90% of EP tracks released ended up in one form or another on their LPs (surprisingly, most Spiritualized tracks have appeared on at least two LPs, some on three or more LPs! (‘Electric Mainline’ for instance on PP, FUI, LARAH, CWVI).
2 – Number of Pierce authored-songs released on Spacemen 3 records but [at the time of writing] NEVER performed or recorded by any Spiritualized line-up. This excludes cover versions/blatant plagiarism (e.g. 'OD Catastrophe', 'Suicide') and titles “arr. Kember/Pierce” ('May the Circle be[remain] Unbroken'):
Billy Whizz/Blue 1 (from Recurring)
Come Down Softly to My Soul (from Playing with Fire)
3 – Number of songs – covers or original compositions - performed live by Spiritualized that have never been released by the band in any format:
'Codeine' (Buffy St Marie, 1990/91).
'Harmony' (1990/91) (Refoy/Pierce – although Refoy’s section has surfaced on the second Slipstream CD),
'I Am What I Am' (played live in 1998, recorded in Radio Session January, 1998, originally destined for ‘Amazing Grace’ then went walkies).
3 - Number of tracks from Spiritualized LPs that have never been played live [to my knowledge]:
Spread your Wings [Pure Phase]
The 12 Steps [Let it Come Down]
The Straight and the Narrow [Let it Come Down]
N.B. [1] 'Symphony Space', 'Pure Phase', 'Electric Phase' have more-or-less (or actually) been played 'live', as intro music and/or segue tracks [2] 'Didn't Mean to Hurt You', 'Do It All Over Again' (live in 1999 and on Radio session 2001). [3]. ‘The Power and the Glory’ was played loosely in 2001 as the ‘intro’ to ‘On Fire’, but by 2002 the intro was totally different. Every single other LP track has been played live, or as part of a medley.
5 - Number of Spiritualized tracks – off the top of my head - which could be described as 'pseudo-cover versions' and/or strongly derivative…
[NB — $26 did a more expanded thread covering this exact subject quite a while back. I'd disagree with some of the links/riffs he suggested that Jason had 'borrowed' from, but for the most part, he was very comprehensive and accurate, and it may be worth ol' $26 adding this section]
I've got:
- Run ('borrows' chorus from Reed/Cale's 'Run, Run, Run' and J.J.Cale's 'Call me the Breeze')
- Take your Time (takes the riff from Martin Rev's 'Metatron' and repeats it to the climax of the song)
- Take Good Care of It (Kraftwerk's 'Autobahn' riff, slowed, in G)
- Ladies and Gentlemen, we are Floating in Space (it's based on the D, A/C#, B, A, G, F#m, G, A cycle of Pachelbel's 'Canon', and the original ‘Elvis version’ of the song obviously borrows the lyrics from '(Can't Help) Falling in Love with You'
-This Little Life of Mine (borrows the lyrics from trad. 'This Little Light of Mine', the riffs from two Loop songs, 'Arc-Lite (Sonar)' [probably the best Loop song ever] and one other track from their 1990 CD ‘A Gilded Eternity’
7 – Number of cover versions performed and/or recorded by Spiritualized:
Anyway That You Want Me (The Troggs) (performed and recorded)
Why Don't You Smile Now? (Reed/Cale/Vance/Phillips) (performed and recorded)
Codeine (Buffy St Marie) (performed)
Born, Never Asked (Laurie Anderson) (performed and recorded)
The 'X-Files' Theme (Mark Snow) (recorded only)
Rocket USA (Rev/Vega) (performed and recorded – but live only)
Oh Happy Day (Doddridge/Rimbault/Hawkins) (performed and recorded)
N.b. Just to clarify a common misconception about ‘Oh Happy Day’: it was NOT originally written OR composed by Edwin Hawkins/The Edwin Hawkins Singers. The words/lyrics are by Philip Doddridge (1702-1751) whilst the refrain:
Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray, and live rejoicing every day
Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away.
Is by Edward Rimbault (published 1854). The song was originally intended to be used at the confirmation of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s children. At best, Hawkins can claim an arrangement credit, and credit for spiritualizing (that’s actually a real word) and popularising the song. He is, however, the (shorthand) copyright holder in most sheet music/recordings.
11 - Number of Spacemen 3 songs performed and/or recorded by Spiritualized since 1990 (bear in mind the total number of Spacemen 3 songs, and this number amounts to a high percentage):
Drive/Feel So Sad (from Recurring)
These Blues (originally recorded for Recurring)
Hypnotized (from Recurring)
Sometimes (from Recurring)
Lord, Can You Hear Me? (from Playing with Fire)
So Hot [Wash Away All of My Tears] (from Playing with Fire)
Feelin’ Just Fine [Head Full of Shit] (from Recurring)
Take Me To The Other Side (from Perfect Prescription)
Walkin’ with Jesus (from Perfect Prescription)
Things’ll Never Be The Same (from Perfect Prescription)
Feel So Good (from Perfect Prescription)
11 – Number of consecutive years, without a break, that ‘Electric Mainline’ has been played live as part of the standard Spiritualized set. It was first played at Glastonbury Festival 1992 during ‘Shine a Light’ as ‘Clear Light/Clear Rush’, the name that stuck (e.g. Glastonbury 1993; Fucked Up Inside) until it was renamed ‘Electric Mainline’ autumn 1993) and last played on US and UK Amazing Grace promotional tours in 2003. Electric Mainline is also one the most regularly played Radio session track, first in 1993 (MRS), 1998 (MAH), several times in 2002 (US sessions) and most recently in 2003 (KEXP, Seattle).
12 - Number of years that 'Shine a Light' has been played live (with only one break in Spring to November 2003, when it returned to the standard set list). It was first played in 1992.
‘Take Your Time’ and ‘Walkin with Jesus’ are the other oldest songs in the current (2003/2004) set-list. Both have been played by every single incarnation of the ‘band’, ‘Take Your Time’ was first performed as far back as 1990, ‘Walkin’ With Jesus’ was first played (outside of a Spacemen 3 gig) by Spiritualized in 1991. Both TYT and WWJ have been a regular part of their sets in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 an 2004. Technically, Pierce has performed ‘Walkin with Jesus (Sound of Confusion)’ almost every year since 1984: that’s just scary.
Personal preference: number of tracks performed live, or recorded in session, which (IMO) are far superior to studio recorded versions:
+ These Blues (only up until 1991 — NOT the post 1994 version)
+ Feel So Sad [Drive/Feel So Sad]
+ Angel Sigh
+ If I Were With Her Now
+ Shine a Light
+ 200 Bars (1991, 1992, 1993, 1998)
+ Medication
+ Take Good Care of It
+ Rated X
+ Let it Flow (1993 - 1995 or 2001 versions)
Still awake?
