Spacemen 3 were an English neo-psychedelic space rock band formed in 1984 … Read Full Bio ↴Spacemen 3 were an English neo-psychedelic space rock band formed in 1984 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Jason Pierce (a.k.a. J. Spaceman) and Peter Kember (a.k.a. Sonic Boom). Their first album, Sound of Confusion (1986), was not successful commercially, but it attracted a loyal fan base. Its follow-up, 1987's Perfect Prescription, is a concept album mirroring the highs and lows of a drug trip. It expanded the group's core of fans and is generally considered their masterpiece.

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.

I Believe It
Spacemen 3 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh Lord
Ah, you know I believe it
To my soul
Ah, to my soul
To my soul
Oh Lord

Yeah, I believe it in the mornin'

Oh, so early in the mornin'
And I believe it in the evenin?'
Oh, so late in the evenin'

From Friday night through to Sunday morn
When the sun comes up until the first sight of dawn
Oh, Lord
Take me higher

Oh, take me higher Lord
Take me higher
Oh, come on now Lord

Jesus died for my sins
Lord, look at the state I'm in
Look alright, but Im fucked within
Can't go through this all again

Lord, Jesus
Gotta help me

Find my way
Find my way

Overall Meaning

The opening line of "I Believe It" by Spacemen 3 expresses an unyielding faith in a higher power. The repetition of "oh Lord" emphasizes the conviction and sincerity of the singer's belief in God. The belief is not just in the mind, but down to the soul, as the lyricist claims. The repetition of "to my soul" emphasizes the deep-rooted and authentic nature of the belief. The singer believes in God both in the morning, and in the evening. The song implies a constant state of belief.

The lyrics in the third verse turn towards the weekend, from Friday night until Sunday morning. The lines express a need for transcendence and aim towards a higher plane of existence. The singer asks God to take them higher, speaking to a desire for something beyond just belief, but to experience transcendence. The last verse suggests an existential crisis as the singer admits to being "fucked within." They express a need for help from God to "find their way." The final line seems to express a desire for a path, asking God to help them find their way.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh Lord
Starting with a prayer of faith

Ah, you know I believe it
Expressing confidence in the beliefs

To my soul
Believing with the core essence of oneself

Yeah, I believe it in the mornin'
Believing in the morning, the start of a new day

Oh, so early in the mornin'
Believing in the morning, being the first one to believe

And I believe it in the evenin'?
Believing in the evening, when the day ends

Oh, so late in the evenin'
Believing in the evening, even if it's late

From Friday night through to Sunday morn
Believing throughout the weekend, Friday night until Sunday morning

When the sun comes up until the first sight of dawn
Believing from sunrise to the moment dawn is visible

Take me higher
Asking for a higher state of being

Oh, take me higher Lord
Requesting for a higher spiritual elevation