Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

It's fairly unlikely you'd have made it here without ever having heard of Jason's previous incarnation. So here you go, talk away...

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Shinesalight
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Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Shinesalight »

Missed out on getting this on E-Bay the other day:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 500wt_1204

The seller has now got in touch with me offering me a second chance opportunity as the original winner did not realise it is NOT the spinning cover wheel version. I now have the chance to "Buy It Now" at £11.51 plus P & P. Was wondering if this is a ggod price or shall I hold out for the spinning cover version myself (which seems to go for upwards of £30)?

Decisions, decisions.... :? :roll:
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Broc
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Broc »

Personally I'd save those pennies and go for the spinning version.

I got the non-spinning one for £5 at a fair around 1997 before getting the spinning one a few years ago. If I'd got the spinning one first I wouldn't bother with the other. You'll still want the spinning one after this :)

Here's one for £30 in NM condition

http://www.discogs.com/buy/Vinyl/Sonic- ... bp_rel_det
mh
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by mh »

Do you want it for the music or for ownership of the artefact? Personally I'd go for both; get the standard edition now if you can't find a wheel copy (it's an awesome LP), plus you'll have one to play to death and one to keep in good nick for the collection.
Hofstadter
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Hofstadter »

As much as I love sp3 and spz, I had never delved into the world of Spectrum/EAR... until yesterday. I was at my local record store early in the morning before work with the intention of finally buying the LGM reissue. My eyes had been on it since they got in a few weeks ago, and I finally had saved some money to get it... unfortunately (well not really), my eyes also came across Spectrum. Bam, done, I knew instantly I was getting that instead.

It was a pretty stressful day and I was feeling like shit by the time I got home. Waited for my mom to go to sleep, stepped outside, smoked some , went to my room, turned the lights off, laid down on the floor, and threw Spectrum on.

Wow. Unbelievable. Can't quite put it into words, but I'll try.

So otherworldly and ethereal. Like floating through so much emotion. Part of what made it so powerful was definitely the contrast between the softer, ghostly sounds, like the vocals and the almost violent, aggressive guitars at times. Not to mention the lyrics.

As for the record itself - this was the Vinilissimo reissue. The cover is the pink, yellow, blue and black wheel, and on top of that is the transparent and black wheel, which spins. The inside cover has on one side another pink, yellow, blue, and black circle (this time the colors are in stripes instead of radiating out), and on top of that is another translucent and black spinning wheel, but here the black is in wavy lines. The other side is a large picture of Pete.

The vinyl itself is nice and sturdy. It sounded great to me, but it was playing to virgin ears, so I obviously can't compare to other pressings/if it sounds the way it should. There was very minor surface noise on a few tracks (a pop or a hiss here or there... very minor though). If anything it just made it feel like it was a slightly older record, giving it just a little bit of character (as stupid as that might sound).

I just figured I'd give all of that detail on this particular release since it seems like some people have come across it/were wondering about the reissues. I'll post a link to this in the reissues thread.
Hofstadter
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Hofstadter »

Forgot to mention - Help Me Please is immediately a highlight for me. It totally floored me. I was just not mentally prepared. Almost brought to tears.
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Laz69 »

If you were blown away by Sonic's bedut, just wait until you hear Soul Kiss... it will take your breath away! :D
KingHarry
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by KingHarry »

Highs Lows for me is PK's best solo lp.

Released to zero PR. My concentration had lapsed around that time - I didn't even know it'd been released, until I heard possibly Peel playing And Then I Just Drifted Away. One of my top 5 Spectrum songs.
olan
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by olan »

KingHarry wrote:Highs Lows for me is PK's best solo lp.

Released to zero PR. My concentration had lapsed around that time - I didn't even know it'd been released, until I heard possibly Peel playing And Then I Just Drifted Away. One of my top 5 Spectrum songs.
I love all the Spectrum albums but at this point in time I'ld agree with Your Highness. I also really enjoy Forever Alien which seems to be very under appreciated.
jadams501
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by jadams501 »

Another vote for Highs Lows as Pete's best solo LP. They all have their charms, but Forever Alien is weighed down by several experiments that are interesting but a little too mad scientist for their own good.

Also love the Spectrum album -- Angel and Rock 'n' Roll is Killing My Life are particular favorites, it's the missing link between Playing With Fire and Recurring. Soul Kiss has great tracks as well but I tend to skip a lot of the instrumentals. Highs Lows gels as a complete work the most, I'd say.
TheWarmth
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by TheWarmth »

Yes, Highs, Lows & Heavenly Blows is my favorite, too. I agree that there are too many instrumentals that don't really go anywhere on Soul Kiss (well, maybe I'm reading a bit into your post, jadams, but I think we're on the same page).
mh
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by mh »

Also voting for Highs, Lows. I'd bought the single and LP as they came out (got lucky I guess, it seems people had trouble finding it even then) and - joy! - a few years ago picked it up on CD at an incredibly reasonable price. The shop owner obviously had no idea what he was sitting on - lucky again.

The only negative thing I could say about it is that there could be a little more variety in style on side 2, but that's really just a minor niggle - the songs do work very well as they are.

I've no time for Forever Alien; that side of Pete's work just leaves me cold. I tried but it didn't do it for me.
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by shalloboi »

'highs lows...' has always been my favourite of pete's releases. the songs are wonderful and the ambience is amazing. it's always been one of my favourite early morning records- i do a lot of commuting in the pre-7am hours and it's always been perfect for that.

i, like a million other people it seems, have been chasing a reasonably-priced copy of this LP for years. the closest i've come is finding one for about $84. i'm really hoping for a reissue in the near future.
runcible
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by runcible »

The problem with Highs Lows is that is was deleted during the tour which was planned to support its release. I saw a fantastic date at The Venue in East London but even by then all copies had been pre-ordered and sold. I was doing a lot of business with Pete back then and he was embarrassed that he had no copies of the album to sell me as there simply weren't any. Silvertone pulled the plug prior to the actual release it seems but pressed up and sold the minimum they had to, and that was that. The result was an album that was deleted the moment it was released. Very odd.
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by davedecay »

when my daughter was very young, but old enough to play CDs in her green Sony boombox, she would often listen to Highs, Lows... out of thousands of discs on my wall shelves.
helterskelter
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by helterskelter »

it's my fav Spectrum release - by far, followed by the solo lp.

Runcible - you don't know if there has been any progress on the reissues idea do you? I know it is not always straightforward but progress on this eems to be soooooooooooooo slow or dare i say a new lp - I did hear a whisper that they were recording this month though - fingers crossed
Ian
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Ian »

I would love to join in all of the Highs, Lows… praising, really I would. The first four tracks are superb. But then… it just washes out. I don’t mind the remaining tracks, but they sound unfinished, and are rather interchangeable. When I listen to it, I start off thinking that it’s better than I remember, but by the end I’m underwhelmed.

Soul Kiss, on the other hand, is the real deal. I still maintain that it is the best post-Spacemen album made by either of our main men. Which reminds me of something I don’t think I’ve ever got around to articulating before – as far as I’m concerned, it is a Spacemen 3 album. It’s got the sound, the mood, the understanding. If Recurring counts, I don’t see why this shouldn’t. The same applies to Spectrum, as well as Laser Guided Melodies and Pure Phase. For me, Spacemen 3 fade out some time shortly after Soul Kiss and Pure Phase… Not to say that I don’t rate anything after, far from it, but it’s a different era for Peter and Jason after those albums.
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Broc
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Broc »

Yeah I'm in the Highs,Lows+Blows camp. I think it's his most consistent LP. I adore most of Soul Kiss but yeah agree about some of the instrumentals near the end. And I've only heard the vinyl LP version, not the 15 minute Drunk Suite on the CD. Some of Sonic's best Spectrum work is on Soul Kiss though, stuff like Lord I Don't Even Know My Name, Neon Sigh and Touch The Stars are sublime.

I got Highs,Lows+Blows on vinyl around six years ago for about UK£45 and it remains one of me best big-budget buys.
Ian wrote:I would love to join in all of the Highs, Lows… praising, really I would. The first four tracks are superb. But then… it just washes out. I don’t mind the remaining tracks, but they sound unfinished, and are rather interchangeable. When I listen to it, I start off thinking that it’s better than I remember, but by the end I’m underwhelmed.
Washes out? :shock: How about All Night Long and Don't Pass Me By? That's one of my favourite Spectrum songs!
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by Ian »

They're OK. I don't dislike them. They just don't excite me as much as the earlier part of the album. I think part of the problem is that the first few tracks sound more "finished", while the second half isn't quite there, This adds up to a feeling that Pete kinda lost energy towards the end. I'm sure this isn't the case, it's just the feeling I get from my listening experience. When I listen to Soul Kiss, it feels like an album where everything is completed to the same level, and where a lot of thought has gone into sequencing. I unreservedly love it.
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by sunray »

Ian wrote:When I listen to Soul Kiss, it feels like an album where everything is completed to the same level, and where a lot of thought has gone into sequencing. I unreservedly love it.
BOOM! Hit the nail on the head there Ian. For me, Soul Kiss is the closest thing to a perfect album that i'll ever hear. Every single tune equally given as much love, care and attention as any other one. In fact the only thing that stops it from being perfect is How You Satisfy Me :shock: I love it but it just doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. As for those who think the instrumentals are too long/go nowhere. Are you fucking mental? :wink: The way Phase Me Out Gently comes to it's conclusion (especially on cd where it goes on and on and on....) is heaven on Earth. :D 8)

All the Spectrum albums are worth picking up, although I remember buying Forever Alien when it was released and thinking he'd completely lost it! Listened to it about 2 years later and thought he was waaaaaay ahead of his time! :lol:
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KingHarry
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by KingHarry »

re How You Satisfy Me - I remember when the single came out - it was a massive stomper and seemed to confirm PK's new direction on the heels of the Big City and I Love You pristine pop of Recurring.
Seemed completely out of place from the rest of Soul Kiss.

Would love to hear a polished-up / reworked version of Sweet Running Water like he did to Take Your Time on Indian Giver.
jadams501
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by jadams501 »

KingHarry wrote:re How You Satisfy Me - I remember when the single came out - it was a massive stomper and seemed to confirm PK's new direction on the heels of the Big City and I Love You pristine pop of Recurring.
Seemed completely out of place from the rest of Soul Kiss.
That's how I feel about Hey Jane. I really like it but almost always listen to it separately from the rest of the album. How You Satisfy Me always gets Soul Kiss off to a good start, though, I think.
Ian wrote:I would love to join in all of the Highs, Lows… praising, really I would. The first four tracks are superb. But then… it just washes out. I don’t mind the remaining tracks, but they sound unfinished, and are rather interchangeable. When I listen to it, I start off thinking that it’s better than I remember, but by the end I’m underwhelmed.
For me the blissed out drifting off to sleep material is Sonic's greatest strength. I like Revolution plenty but listen to Let Me Down Gently ten times as often. Soul Kiss may be more thoughtfully constructed or painstakingly pored over, but I think Highs Lows plays to his strengths more. Particularly since his blissful material has fully crystallized classic pop sensibilities like Baby Don't You Worry. Plus, for some reason the music just feels slightly bolder and more confident than his earlier solo stuff. Love Soul Kiss though -- How You Satisfy Me, Lord I Don't Even Know My Name, To The Moon and Back, Neon Sigh, and Touch The Stars are all amazing tracks.

To me Pure Phase is already pretty distant from the Spacemen vibe and mentality. Highs Lows is the final bloom of that sound I think unless On The Wings of Mercury ever comes out.
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by pavstab »

Highs, Lows and Soul Kiss have recently made an appearance on Spotify for those unlucky enough not to own them.
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Re: Sonic Boom - Spectrum LP

Post by natty »

Soul Kiss is arguably the best post-Spacemen record by either of them. It's an amazing record.
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