Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

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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TheWarmth
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Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by TheWarmth »

I'm starting to wonder. Is he twiddling away in search of unattainable perfection, Kevin Shields style, or has he not even begun working on it? This summer he told me that it wouldn't be out until 2011, but I wasn't comfortable pressing him for details. Now I sort of wish I had.
jadams501
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by jadams501 »

He's been promising for so many years that I've pretty much given up on it.
Broc
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Broc »

I wonder is he struggling to find perfection or just struggling to come up with the goods.

I find it baffling that Sonic can continue playing tracks from about 25 years ago and have no desire to create new (Spectrum) material.

His last Spectrum compositions were instrumentals – Mary, Razzle Dazzle Mind & Over and Over- and while they’re all good I’m dying to hear some more material with vocals.

I have no major desire for another Spiritualized album but would kill for a Spectrum one.

I know Randall from Fuxa and Mind Expansion Records was behind the early mentions of “On the Wings of Mercury” but that website seems stuck in limbo too at the moment. And then there was the old news about a coloured vinyl release of the Captain Memphis Indian Giver record but that never happened.

Most frustrating….
natty
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by natty »

Broc wrote:I wonder is he struggling to find perfection or just struggling to come up with the goods.

I find it baffling that Sonic can continue playing tracks from about 25 years ago and have no desire to create new (Spectrum) material.

His last Spectrum compositions were instrumentals – Mary, Razzle Dazzle Mind & Over and Over- and while they’re all good I’m dying to hear some more material with vocals.

I have no major desire for another Spiritualized album but would kill for a Spectrum one.

I know Randall from Fuxa and Mind Expansion Records was behind the early mentions of “On the Wings of Mercury” but that website seems stuck in limbo too at the moment. And then there was the old news about a coloured vinyl release of the Captain Memphis Indian Giver record but that never happened.

Most frustrating….
This, mate.
Mussels
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Mussels »

Hmmm ... haven't thought about a Spectrum album, because all I know that Petey is blowing hot air (just killing us slowly) with his statements and announcements of a forthcoming album. It'll be other 'projects' that get in the way i.e. - producing MGMT and the such ... He is just delaying his inevitable news that he doesn't have the skills and musicianship? of Jason Pierce (his feared nemesis). Jason has surpassed him in all respects and it was Sonic that called Jason ' lazy ' - what irony. :oops:
Mr Slang
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Mr Slang »

I spoke to Sonic at the labour club in Northampton in 2006 where he was doing a spacelines dj set and he said that the new album would surface the following year....
I don't know if anyone else here remembers a section in the melody maker around the time that 'True love will find you in the end' was released, Each week they'd ask various artists to name songs that shaped their lives, Sonic listed a dozen cool tracks, one of which was Lee Scratch Perry's 'Roast fish & Cornbread' in which Sonic described LSP as mooching around and living off past glories.......
Ironic indeed.
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by runcible »

What about the fact that he is working with other bands on their material? People might not care for the MGMT album here - I'm not overly keen - but it was very well received and his input was highly valued by the band. The guy is constantly working. It's a no win situation - if he played a Spectrum set with only new songs people would complain about the lack of Spacemen stuff, and vice versa. I saw him on the Forever Alien tour and he played mostly songs from that album, but I heard people ask him why he didn't do 'the old stuff'. Now his set consists of that and it's the other way round.
olan
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by olan »

runcible wrote:What about the fact that he is working with other bands on their material? People might not care for the MGMT album here - I'm not overly keen - but it was very well received and his input was highly valued by the band. The guy is constantly working. It's a no win situation - if he played a Spectrum set with only new songs people would complain about the lack of Spacemen stuff, and vice versa. I saw him on the Forever Alien tour and he played mostly songs from that album, but I heard people ask him why he didn't do 'the old stuff'. Now his set consists of that and it's the other way round.
Mark, I saw a couple of the shows on the Forever Alien tour. Like the album (which is not universally liked hereabouts), I thought the shows were amazing, and for me benefitted from the refreshed setlist. Trying to keep the punters happy at gigs is a trade off though. The casual punter wants the "hits", the hardcore want the new/obscure stuff, which is true for every established band. Toss into the mix the fact that some will say "shit" to a gig that others thought was a brilliant show. But, what I don't quite see is how this (or producing, or playing keyboards with Stereolab or whatever else) delays the album for so long though.

The fact is that there has been 1 ep in the last decade (lets not bring the various Spectrum and.. releases into it). The new album has been talked of seriously since Spectrum started gigging again seriously in 2008. It does not surprise me that he is playing a greatest hits set given that the bulk of his material is at least 10 years old. Lets not forget that the Spacemen played War Sucks as part of Revolution, as did early incarnations of Spectrum. OK, so lineup changes can't help, but it would be great if he would simply get into the studio and finish the LP FFS. If the Spectrum and Captain Memphis and War Sucks releases are anything to go by, the new album should be great, if I live long enough to hear it........
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by runcible »

All granted although I don't know a Spacemen version of War Sucks. I know it was in the fold at the time as I have lyric sheets from then but I don't recall ever having heard a recording.

He's certainly been slack about finishing the album which I think even he'd admit but I know he hasn't been sitting about doing nothing. The last 2 years have been very hectic in terms of DJ'ing and producing.

The bottom is line I also wish he'd finish it but I'm not counting the days!
niamhm
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by niamhm »

runcible wrote:All granted although I don't know a Spacemen version of War Sucks. I know it was in the fold at the time as I have lyric sheets from then but I don't recall ever having heard a recording.

He's certainly been slack about finishing the album which I think even he'd admit but I know he hasn't been sitting about doing nothing. The last 2 years have been very hectic in terms of DJ'ing and producing.

The bottom is line I also wish he'd finish it but I'm not counting the days!
theirs a little bit tucked onto the end of Revolution on the Live Chronicles Vol. 1 ,1991 I think.
Tyger
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Tyger »

The Spacemen segued into War Sucks from Revolution sometimes (or at least Sonic recited the lyrics over it), I think it survives on some live recordings, will dig around unless someone else beats me to it.

Fact still remains, Sonic is like Shields in that you just can't push the guy, though you do start to wonder then if anything will ever happen, or if we will get another EP in 5 years time of remakes and perhaps another Red Crayola cover :)

Still, he is busy indeed, and at least he hasn't promised to remaster a seminal album by his mate's band, when it's taken him 2 years and counting to sort out his own :wink:
Tyger
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Tyger »

Ah praps it was with Spectrum live, yeah
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by porkchop »

I'm aware of ,though not heard,tracks that have been recorded both in the states and in UK..over the years..and again..producing...gigging..mixing..having a life outside all that as well...no excuses mind you but...hopefully he'll finish it someday....

Just sign up for his mailing list...he'll drop a line every now and then...to say what he's up to. last one mentioned work on the new Cheval Sombre record...which, if it's anything like the first....it'll be great.
Kurious Oranj
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Kurious Oranj »

yeah it's kinda depressing seeing that he's just playing mediocre covers of his old tunes over and over instead of making a new album.
Mussels
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Mussels »

Quite frankly, I think he is drawing a blank and doesn't know how to proceed forward ...
He's just using the guise of producing and touring as an excuse to lead us astray to the fact that he has nothing in the pipeline.
Pretty sad in fact ... :oops:
runcible
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by runcible »

Mussels wrote:Quite frankly, I think he is drawing a blank and doesn't know how to proceed forward ...
He's just using the guise of producing and touring as an excuse to lead us astray to the fact that he has nothing in the pipeline.
Pretty sad in fact ... :oops:
Yeah, that's a great idea - constantly travel back and forth to the USA working with and producing bands, throw in a bit of DJ'ing too, but then get a band together and play a greatest hits live show in order to fool people into thinking you have a new album lined up. Right? :roll:

I'd say he's worked pretty hard in 2010 and is really enjoying himself.
Mussels
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Mussels »

Runcible,
Are you Sonic's PR (public relations/marketing)man ? Your doing a good job promoting his image and work habits while deflecting his lack of talent. So, I guess for the past 13 years Sonic has been producing, touring and the such that a proper album is therefore ... lacking ?

BP could use a man like you ... :cry:
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by PopeJez »

I think we've heard quite a bit from Sonic. No record, granted, but some great looking vinyl and the Captain Memphis record has some real career highlights. Neither Sonic or Jason are prolific. Doesn't mean I don't value what they produce.
runcible
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by runcible »

Mussels wrote:Runcible,
Are you Sonic's PR (public relations/marketing)man ? Your doing a good job promoting his image and work habits while deflecting his lack of talent. So, I guess for the past 13 years Sonic has been producing, touring and the such that a proper album is therefore ... lacking ?

BP could use a man like you ... :cry:
Far from it. I just think to endlessly moan about something that hasn't appeared and then come to the conclusion that the musician responsible is lacking talent because of the delay, despite that musician actually working most of the time, is simplifying things to a ridiculous degree.
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by TheWarmth »

Just for the record, I never meant to imply in my original post that I think Pete is lazy. I understand that he works hard, but after so many years it really seems like there has to be some reason why the album hasn't surfaced. I know he keeps busy, but certainly not too busy to find time to work on his own record. There haven't been any E.A.R. releases in awhile, either, have there? In an attempt to keep things positive here, I really would love to hear a new Spectrum album and that was the impetus behind my post.
runcible
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by runcible »

I agree it's frustrating - I would love to hear a new Spectrum album. I just think linking its non-appearance to Pete's 'lack of talent' is a little silly. Which isn't what you did by the way Paul...
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by davedecay »

nowt against PK - but if Jason almost died & managed to get an album out... ?

everyone gets the same number of hours in a day: 24.

i can't blame my lack of artwork output on anyone but myself.
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by Already There »

davedecay wrote:nowt against PK - but if Jason almost died & managed to get an album out... ?

everyone gets the same number of hours in a day: 24.

i can't blame my lack of artwork output on anyone but myself.
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by kromosapiens »

I also would like to hear a new album by Spectrum or EAR

but linking the fact that nothing new by PK is out to a lack of creativity is certainly silly to a high degree

hey what are you??, Sonic's girlfriend/wife for saying to him he's not being responsible on mantaining his career level or something like that?? :?

ey folks, we are all humans with "high and LOWS " and if you are so much in the needing of more neo psych music.. well, do it yourself!!! or are you not human/man enough to create something by your own instead of saying bullshit about a great artist who has almost given his life to MUSIC... besides the fact that most of us owe him a lot of spiritual blisses

cheers from North Lima, Perú

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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by The Breeze »

I like the unexpected element to what Pete does. We all know if Jason announces a new album it is likely to be some more of the similar fantastic stuff but Sonic - Captain Memphis WTF? An inspired move in my view, The Old Cow Died and Johnny Ace are now woven into our music history as beautiful curio gems for latter generations to be inspired by. I'm not really that bothered about getting another Highs, Lows when Mary is getting so well honed. It's a goddamn symphony stretched over 30 years!

I've been drinking champagne.I think Pete makes good decisions based on musical aspirations.
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Re: Will there be a new Spectrum album ... ever?

Post by mojo filters »

The Breeze wrote:I like the unexpected element to what Pete does. We all know if Jason announces a new album it is likely to be some more of the similar fantastic stuff but Sonic - Captain Memphis WTF? An inspired move in my view, The Old Cow Died and Johnny Ace are now woven into our music history as beautiful curio gems for latter generations to be inspired by. I'm not really that bothered about getting another Highs, Lows when Mary is getting so well honed. It's a goddamn symphony stretched over 30 years!

I've been drinking champagne.I think Pete makes good decisions based on musical aspirations.
I totally agree - I loved the Johnny Ace reference, possibly cause I been a massive Paul Simon fan for as long as I can remember ('Hearts & Bones" is the album but he played it live each time I to get to a gig since the), and 'Mary' is an inspired track that bodes well for a future release.

But let's not kid ourselves....
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