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.
Sometimes
Spacemen 3 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I’ve got the world and you, babe, in my hand
But most of all, I dream that I had it all, had it all the time
All the time
Sometimes you know the days they seem so very long
Sometimes my love for everything it seems so strong
But most of all, I dream that I had it all, had it all the time
Sometimes it feels like heaven when you’re in my arms
Sometimes you know I try so hard to do you no harm
But most of all I dream that I had it all, had it all the time
All the time
All the time… [x8]
The lyrics to Spacemen 3's "Sometimes" suggests a sense of internal conflict and inconsistency within the singer's emotions and desires. The opening line "Sometimes I feel I’m pulling on a rope of sand" illustrates a feeling of futility and suggests that the singer's efforts are not leading to anything substantial. They then discuss their conflicting emotions towards the world and those close to them: "Sometimes I’ve got the world and you, babe, in my hand/ But most of all, I dream that I had it all, had it all the time". This suggests that while they may feel in control at certain moments, they ultimately yearn for a sense of completeness or satisfaction that they cannot seem to obtain.
The repetition of the line "But most of all, I dream that I had it all, had it all the time/All the time" emphasizes that this desire for complete fulfillment is a constant throughout the singer's experiences. The verses continue to flip-flop between this sense of longing and occasional moments of peace or happiness: "Sometimes you know the days they seem so very long/ Sometimes my love for everything it seems so strong/ Sometimes it feels like heaven when you’re in my arms/ Sometimes you know I try so hard to do you no harm".
Overall, the lyrics to "Sometimes" paint a picture of a person who is struggling to reconcile their conflicting emotions and desires. The sense of longing for something elusive combined with moments of contentment and peace suggest that the singer is searching for a sense of purpose or meaning that is not always easy to find.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel I’m pulling on a rope of sand
Occasionally, I sense that I am working hard to achieve something that is impossible and futile.
Sometimes I’ve got the world and you, babe, in my hand
At times, I feel like I have complete control over everything, including you, my love.
But most of all, I dream that I had it all, had it all the time
Above all else, I yearn for a life where I have everything I want, constantly and consistently.
Sometimes you know the days they seem so very long
On occasion, the passing of time feels painfully slow, making the day seem never-ending.
Sometimes my love for everything it seems so strong
At times, my affection for everything and everyone in my life feels overwhelmingly powerful.
Sometimes it feels like heaven when you’re in my arms
Occasionally, having you in my embrace feels so blissful, it's as if I'm in heaven.
Sometimes you know I try so hard to do you no harm
At times, I put in significant effort to ensure that I don't cause you any harm or pain.
But most of all I dream that I had it all, had it all the time
Above all else, I yearn for a life where I have everything I want, constantly and consistently.
All the time… [x8]
Repeatedly, I envision a life where I have all the things I desire and need, without any exceptions.
Contributed by Julia N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.