Playing With Fire (1989) expanded on the psychedelic and drone themes of the earlier albums; its second single, "Revolution" reached #1 on the UK indie charts. But soon after, a combination of personnel changes, drug problems and intra-band tension (especially between Kember and Pierce) began to break the band apart. Recurring, released in 1991, was their last proper album, though its recording reflected the split between Pierce and Kember as each recorded their own side of the album in different studios, with a cover of Mudhoney's 'When Tomorrow Hits' to separate them (Mudhoney would later return the favour with a cover of Spacemen 3's 'Revolution'). It was their most popular record, but by its release Kember and Pierce had already formed new bands, Spectrum,were self described "noise experimentation" and Spiritualized, respectively. The final conflict that contributed to the split was Pierce's decision to release a cover of The Troggs' 'Any Way That You Want Me', as the first Spiritualized single, which Kember had been wanting to cover for years.
From the outset Spacemen 3 had a very defined set of aesthetic principles. They based almost their entire sound on their own concept of minimalism—droning guitars, feedback, as few chords as possible, pounding drums—with their motto “Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to”. Their minimalism bled into their stage show as well. Sitting down to play their guitars and covered in the spinning colours of a cheap psychedelic light show, their stage “act” was very anti-performance. Another striking aspect of Spacemen 3 was their willingness to cover and share their influences. Song titles, lyrics and interviews were peppered with references to bands and artists they believed shared their “minimal is maximal” aesthetic. The Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, The Stooges, MC5, early Captain Beefheart, out-there jazz legend Sun Ra, Silver Apples, garage punk of the 1960s such as the 13th Floor Elevators, Red Krayola, and the Electric Prunes; the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and other surf bands; ’80s rockabilly groups The Cramps, the Gun Club, Tav Falco; blues and gospel acts like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, the Staple Singers and John Lee Hooker; and the production techniques of Joe Meek, Brian Wilson and Delia Derbyshire were just some of the names mentioned by the band.
Since the break-up there have been a stream of semi-legitimate albums, early demos and live recordings, many of which have been issued by the Kember-affiliated Space Age Recordings. Highlights include Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music, a 45 minute drone piece performed in front of a live audience, Forged Prescriptions, a collection of Perfect Prescription demos and alternate versions (Kember claims in the liner notes that the alternate versions reproduce the layers of guitars they recorded but later removed because they felt they'd never be able to reproduce them live), and the band's singles compilation, which is perhaps the best introduction to the breadth of their work.
In 1998, a tribute album was released on Rocket Girl, which included tracks by Mogwai and Low. Kember’s Spectrum has toured under the banner “Songs the Spacemen Taught Us”, while Pierce routinely includes their songs in his Spiritualized set. In 2004, US journalist Erik Morse published his account of the band’s life and work, Dreamweapon: Spacemen 3 and the Birth of Spiritualized.
Members of the band went on to form Spiritualized, the Darkside and Spectrum (AKA Sonic Boom). Spiritualized carry on, to critical acclaim, though they have largely discarded the dark psychedelic edge. Sonic has also been on the road, playing gigs in London and occasional tours in the US as E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research), which features synthesizers heavily. The Darkside split, while Rosco (AKA Sterling Roswell) went on to form the Sterling Roswell Blues Band and now is currently in The Gimps.
Billy Whiz/Blue 1
Spacemen 3 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She introduced me to Billy Whizz
Said he had a lot to do
But I don’t recon that he got it done
Lord I fucked with Mary Anne
I think I whispered in her ear
I can see for miles and miles
I don’t even open my eyes
Met up with Mary Anne
She introduced me to Billy Whizz
Said he had a lot of fun
But after a while it all turned blue
Lord I floated for a while
Frozen hand and frozen tounge
I can see for miles and miles
I don’t even open my eyes
I don’t even open my eyes
Gonna wake up in the mornin’
I cry alone
I cry alone
I’m on fire
I’m on fire
I’m on fire
The lyrics to Spacemen 3's song "Billy Whiz/Blue 1" evoke a sense of being lost and disconnected. The singer meets up with Mary Anne, who introduces him to Billy Whizz. Billy Whizz is said to have a lot to do, but the singer doesn't believe that he gets it all done. After this encounter, the singer explores his consciousness through drugs and sleep deprivation. He claims to be able to "see for miles and miles" without even opening his eyes. But as the night wears on, he feels more and more disconnected and "blue." The last lines of the song suggest that he will wake up alone, feeling lonely and maybe even in pain.
The song's lyrics explore themes of alienation, disconnection, and drug use. The singer tries to escape his reality but ultimately feels more lost than ever. The driving beat of the song, combined with the hazy, dreamlike lyrics, creates a sense of being lost in time and space. The repeated phrase "I don't even open my eyes" highlights the idea that the singer is disengaged from reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Met up with Mary Anne
I saw Mary Anne
She introduced me to Billy Whizz
She made me meet Billy Whizz
Said he had a lot to do
She told me Billy Whizz had a lot of things to do
But I don’t recon that he got it done
But I don't think he did it
Lord I fucked with Mary Anne
I had sex with Mary Anne
I think I whispered in her ear
I remember whispering in her ear
I can see for miles and miles
I can see very far
I don’t even open my eyes
I don't need to open my eyes
Met up with Mary Anne
I saw Mary Anne again
She introduced me to Billy Whizz
She made me meet Billy Whizz again
Said he had a lot of fun
She told me Billy Whizz had a lot of fun
But after a while it all turned blue
But it turned bad later on
Lord I floated for a while
I felt like I was floating for some time
Frozen hand and frozen tounge
I couldn't move my hands or my tongue
Gonna wake up in the mornin’
I'm going to wake up in the morning
I cry alone
I will cry alone
I’m on fire
I feel like I'm on fire
Contributed by Miles V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.