Spiritualized

Got an email from Light In The Attic yesterday they're releasing a compilation of Acetone, a band which appearantly comes recommended by J Spaceman. Personally, I've never heard of 'm. Anyone here know Acetone? Are they any good?

https://lightintheattic.net/releases/3197-1992-2001

Acetone are the shit! I already ordered this. I love them. Everything they released is great. Their guitarist, Mark Lightcap, is incredible. Highly recommended.

Can you compare them to another band, as in 'they sound a bit like...'?

Yeah Acetone are superb. Buy buy buy

Check out this old thread for my thoughts on the band

http://spiritualized.band/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9081

Comparisons? Hmmm. Well, I can't really think of any band that sounds like them. Their first album, Cindy, is pretty scuzzy, kinda slacker-ish California indie rock stuff. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but now I really like it, primarily because they did that one album in that style and then completely abandoned it: They took a major left turn with their second release, which was a covers album of country songs called I Guess I Would, which is excellent. It signaled the direction they'd go with the minimal, slow, quiet and beautiful material on If You Only Knew and Acetone, both great albums, but Acetone (which came out on Neil Young's Vapor Records, reportedly due to J. Spaceman's recommendation) is a little better. Their final album, York Blvd., is more uptempo with a lot of fuzzed out guitars and it's spectacular.

I saw them live a few times. They just never managed to develop much of a fan base. I saw them probably three or four months before Richie Lee, the singer/bassist, committed suicide. They played a small club in Chicago called Schubas. I was really psyched to see them because York Blvd. was so good. They played a great set, but there were probably no more than 15 people watching them. They weren't headlining.

Thanks for the response you guys. I will check 'm out!

Agree that it's really hard to pin down a band to compare them to. And it's not like they're a wildly experimental band or anything. Just they've just got a very particular style.

Cindy would be the one to start with. Sublime from top to bottom. I like the later ones, but they can feel a bit relentlessly slow and quiet sometimes. Like slowcore country or something

I never did get round to getting York Blvd, y'know

angelsighs wrote:Cindy would be the one to start with. Sublime from top to bottom. I like the later ones, but they can feel a bit relentlessly slow and quiet sometimes. Like slowcore country or something

I never did get round to getting York Blvd, y'know

York Blvd. is closer in style to Cindy than their slower, mellow material. It's really wonderful and, as I said before, much more uptempo than the albums they released after Cindy. The arrangements are more adventurous, too. You HAVE to get that album. I'll send it to you via Dropbox or whatever if you want.

Is the tracklist of the LITA release a good one?

I also bought the LITA release. I had York Blvd. on the the turntable all week when I got that email. Acetone opened up at my first Spiritualized show in 1997 at Lupo's in Providence. Does anyone remember the Spiritualized polos they were selling on that tour? I still have mine.

And speaking of LITA, they have been on fire lately. Being from the Mile High City, I had to get their Tumbleweed Records compilation despite already owning every album Tumbleweed put out.

beaker73 wrote:Is the tracklist of the LITA release a good one?

Kinda hard to say considering there are 9 unreleased songs on it (out of 16 total). They're calling it an anthology, but I feel like that's not quite accurate. It's definitely an odd release, but I'm down because I'm psyched to hear the unreleased material. If you're uninitiated, you may want to start with one of the studio albums. Try York Blvd. for more uptempo material or Acetone for mellower stuff.

TheWarmth wrote:

angelsighs wrote:Cindy would be the one to start with. Sublime from top to bottom. I like the later ones, but they can feel a bit relentlessly slow and quiet sometimes. Like slowcore country or something

I never did get round to getting York Blvd, y'know

York Blvd. is closer in style to Cindy than their slower, mellow material. It's really wonderful and, as I said before, much more uptempo than the albums they released after Cindy. The arrangements are more adventurous, too. You HAVE to get that album. I'll send it to you via Dropbox or whatever if you want.

yes please! A dropbox would be much appreciated. I'll message you

Cindy and York Blvd. are both incredible albums. Highly recommended - I think my copy of York Blvd. was sent from you originally Warmth...

Don't recall hearing the country album though. That sounds interesting.

angelsighs wrote:

TheWarmth wrote:

angelsighs wrote:Cindy would be the one to start with. Sublime from top to bottom. I like the later ones, but they can feel a bit relentlessly slow and quiet sometimes. Like slowcore country or something

I never did get round to getting York Blvd, y'know

York Blvd. is closer in style to Cindy than their slower, mellow material. It's really wonderful and, as I said before, much more uptempo than the albums they released after Cindy. The arrangements are more adventurous, too. You HAVE to get that album. I'll send it to you via Dropbox or whatever if you want.

yes please! A dropbox would be much appreciated. I'll message you

Oooh, I would love a dropbox of that, too. So far I've managed to check out Acetone and If You Only Knew. Especially the S/t one sounds really good to these ears. Now to find a vinyl copy. Can't find one on discogs, says the last one to be sold there was in 2015!

York Blvd.:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j67g1scsljr5 ... ZiOka?dl=0

Thnx mate!

The Ballad of Richie Lee from Amazing Grace is about their singer and bass player who overdosed 2001.

I'd also reiterate my comments elsewhere that people need to get hold of the Acetone EP (not to be confused with the Acetone s/t LP) . Sublime stuff including the track 'Cindy'

nicholas wrote:The Ballad of Richie Lee from Amazing Grace is about their singer and bass player who overdosed 2001.

Aha, ok, I was wondering about that.

Thanks for all input on this band. I'm really liking what I've heard so far. It's great to discover new - well, at least to me - music like this!

Just got into this band thanks to this thread, and I'd just like to point out that a case of York Blvd LPs must have just been found or something, because there's a bunch of them for cheap on eBay. Just got my copy, and it's a nice pressing.

Seems Yorke Blvd is pretty easy to find new, I ordered one yesterday through amazon.de, for a regular price. Can't wait to spin it...

Came here fully expecting to start a new thread, but it's really nice to find fellow Acetone fans especially on here.

I just received my copy and found out the disc 1 doesn't sit right on my turntable and the record is turning slow. Weirdly the other side plays find and the other disc plays fine too, so I'm suspecting the surface in the middle of side B is messed up somehow. Of course I'll email LITA but was wondering if anyone was having a same/similar issue.

I really like Acetone and will be indulging in this new release. They were due to support Spiritualized on the 1998 leg of LAGWAFIS tour at the Glasgow Barrowlands. However, at the gig the MC announced that one of them had failed a visa requirement and we got The Crystal Method instead. Not too shabby a replacement and it was hilarious to watch a mad fuckhead lose the plot very loudly at the front of the stage while they played.

As time goes by I'm more and more gutted they didn't make it over.

argh forgot this was coming out. that's more of my hard earned required!

is any one going to bother with the accompanying book? it sounds a bit strange.

TheWarmth wrote:York Blvd.:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j67g1scsljr5 ... ZiOka?dl=0

Any chance you could resubmit that link? Please?

Yeah, I'll re-up York Blvd. later tonight.

I got the comp and the book in the mail the other day. Interestingly, whoever put together the comp didn't include any of the heavier or more uptempo Acetone material, which I felt like was kindof a weird thing to do. It's almost as if he/they decided they only like the mellow side of the band. It's still enjoyable, of course, but I feel like it doesn't represent all sides of the band. I'm about 50 pages into the book and it's wonderful. Lightcap's musical background is fascinating.

KappaTI wrote:Just got into this band thanks to this thread, and I'd just like to point out that a case of York Blvd LPs must have just been found or something, because there's a bunch of them for cheap on eBay. Just got my copy, and it's a nice pressing.

Huge thanks for the tip. I think three of my friends purchased copies and I got another one for myself.

TheWarmth wrote:

KappaTI wrote:Just got into this band thanks to this thread, and I'd just like to point out that a case of York Blvd LPs must have just been found or something, because there's a bunch of them for cheap on eBay. Just got my copy, and it's a nice pressing.

Huge thanks for the tip. I think three of my friends purchased copies and I got another one for myself.

I just bought one. Were yours around $17.76 or thereabouts?

$17.76 plus free shipping. An absolute steal. The only vinyl copy on Discogs is $90.

Here's York Blvd.:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1xlvbxtjjunc ... yhOwa?dl=0

TheWarmth wrote:Yeah, I'll re-up York Blvd. later tonight.

I got the comp and the book in the mail the other day. Interestingly, whoever put together the comp didn't include any of the heavier or more uptempo Acetone material, which I felt like was kindof a weird thing to do. It's almost as if he/they decided they only like the mellow side of the band. It's still enjoyable, of course, but I feel like it doesn't represent all sides of the band. I'm about 50 pages into the book and it's wonderful. Lightcap's musical background is fascinating.

maybe the louder ones would have been too jarring and ruined the flow?

It is strange that this album is a hybrid of an anthology and a rarities collection. But I'm definitely happy that the unreleased tracks are on there, so I can hear some new Acetone. It's also great to see the band being mentioned in the press and that this release is giving them some attention. There's a full pager with an interview with Lightcap in the new issue of Shindig.

Any chance you can scan the Shindig interview? I searched, but didn't see it online. I recently listened to the album by Spinout, which is the garage rock band that all three of the Acetone guys were in pre-Acetone (with an additional lead singer). Pretty interesting stuff. Lightcap goes nuts on wah-wah guitar. Worth checking out. You can find it on YouTube.

Also, I've been looked at the Acetone singles/EPs on Discogs that I don't own and now I want to buy them all for the bonus tracks. I don't suppose anyone here might have all of those bonus tracks already? There are covers of "Don't Talk" (Beach Boys) and a Link Wray song on the Pinch EP.

I didn't buy the Shindig unfortunately- I just read it in the newsagents

I've got the 'Final Say' single which has a couple of b sides. I can upload it if needed

I think I have The Final Say single, too. That song is so killer. Should have been on the comp.

TheWarmth wrote:Here's York Blvd.:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1xlvbxtjjunc ... yhOwa?dl=0

Hey there, just a quick one to say thanks very much for this.

I've ordered the Pinch single on CD, it was nice and cheap. I'll upload the tracks when it arrives
There's also a Come On 7" with some b sides but I can't seem to find that for sale

here's the Pinch B sides, hope it works okay

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ol9flzytaetv ... I-0Ka?dl=0

I'm Branded (F.L. Wray, Sr.) 2:15
Don't Talk (Brian Wilson) 3:50

angelsighs wrote:here's the Pinch B sides, hope it works okay

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ol9flzytaetv ... I-0Ka?dl=0

I'm Branded (F.L. Wray, Sr.) 2:15
Don't Talk (Brian Wilson) 3:50

Thank you so much for this! Could you also upload Final Say b-sides?

I must say I'm enjoying this comp a lot. It was strange indeed how they selected songs that don't fully represent this band. Hope there was enough interest/sales that there are more Acetone comp/reissues on the horizon.

suskind wrote: Thank you so much for this! Could you also upload Final Say b-sides?

I must say I'm enjoying this comp a lot. It was strange indeed how they selected songs that don't fully represent this band. Hope there was enough interest/sales that there are more Acetone comp/reissues on the horizon.

yep no worries here's the Final Say B sides. I can also upload the Acetone EP if needed.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/icqim78ljdp4 ... adUSa?dl=0

yesterday I found this nice little interview on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiy_cbSb4eY

Much appreciated

Yes! Thank you very much for sharing!

Thanks for the links. I'll grab those tracks this weekend.

I'm almost done with the Acetone book. It's a wonderful read, but the heroin elements are so depressing. Our man Pierce is in it a bit and I was surprised to learn that he basically lived with Richie Lee while he was working on L&G in LA.

Curious if anyone who has just recently gotten into Acetone has any thoughts now that you've had some time to dive in. I finished the book, Hadley, Lee, Lightcap, and loved it. Definitely recommended.

I am almost done with the book and it is really good. Loved the interviews with the Spaceman and the stories about the 1993 tour with the Verve as they played the Fox Theater in Boulder on that tour for $4.20. I have pulled out all of the records again and they have not left my turntable. If anyone is in the L.A. area, Hadley, Lightcap along with Senon Williams, Jason Yates and Hope Sandoval are playing the music of Acetone on November 15 at Zebulon. I wish I could be there for that.

shamefully I still haven't checked this out. seems to be a lot of albums coming out recently and struggling to keep up. I think a trip to the shops may be on the cards this weekend.

TheWarmth wrote:Curious if anyone who has just recently gotten into Acetone has any thoughts now that you've had some time to dive in. I finished the book, Hadley, Lee, Lightcap, and loved it. Definitely recommended.

I've been listening to Acetone fairly regurarly ever since I discovered them this summer. And I'm a better person for it
Their music fits the niche in my taste between the verve/spritualized and the alt.country I also like. The vibe of the no come down ep by the verve mashed up with jj cale.
Anyhow, great band with great music and thank you very much to all here who helped me get into them!

Curious if anyone knows about Mark Lightcap?

I've just messaged him on Fakebook, he looks a lot like an older version of a kid who was in my Boy Scout troop in the 80s.

Would be cool if it was indeed that kid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8K4PKGU45k

"Mark Lightcap began working for Mike Kelley Studio in 2005 and was the head of fabrication until it closed in 2013. Lightcap discusses the process behind Kandors (2007-11), an extraordinary series of miniature cities included in the late artist's retrospective exhibition."

davedecay wrote:Curious if anyone knows about Mark Lightcap?

I've just messaged him on Fakebook, he looks a lot like an older version of a kid who was in my Boy Scout troop in the 80s.

Would be cool if it was indeed that kid.

Let me know if he responds. He's got to have a stockpile of solo recordings and other interesting stuff. I'd love to hear it.

He did respond, just a quick message.

Dave fuckin' G---: far out! How's it goin' there old man?

Tell Mark that his guitar playing in Acetone is absolutely sublime. 'the dog's bollocks' as we say over here!

just found out that the surviving members of Acetone played a show in LA last November to celebrate the release of the compilation!
Hope Sandoval sang a few songs but mostly Mark did vocal duties.

setlist etc here

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/hope-sando ... -15-years/

I really want to dig out my old photo of Mark in our Boy Scout troop. It's buried in a big box of photos, alas.

https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/events/ro ... ds-acetone

the surviving members of Acetone are appearing at Rough Trade East next Friday for Q&A etc

Acetone drummer and guitarist are reunited on new song. It's actually more of a groove than a song per se but you can definitely tell it's them.

https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2022/03/28 ... -lightcap/

I’ve just listened to this, and I agree, that slow paced thing is definitely them.

I played a bunch of Acetone recently, that self-titled album is perfect for the incoming warmer weather (despite the snow in NE Scotland this morning)

More music featuring both ex Acetone alumni, quite improv based

https://theecstasyofgold.bandcamp.com/album/volume-one