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.
Transparent Radiation
Spacemen 3 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uttering words about the turning tide, and
She slowly furnishes my continuous ride
Towards insanitary bits of hide
Hair quite long and lavender-dyed
Split nostrils are green open wide
Velvet breasts with crimson legs astride
Uttering words about a turning tide
Transparent radiation
Transparent radiation
Oh, radiation
Transparent radiation
My liquid head open to the rain
I walk through a bushel and a peck of grain
I hear in my ear a hurricane
And speak to the man about a train
Touch with my hand an aeroplane
Eyes wide open on the coast of Maine
Red signs outside which I contain
Some sensuality that I can't explain, ah
Some sensuality that I can't explain
Transparent radiation
Transparent radiation
Oh, radiation
Transparent radiation
Tables bearing the fruits of Lent
Styrofoam people quite violent
Clear light blowing right out of my tent
Ozone over our continent
Expert men not knowing what they meant
They all eat babies for nourishment
Funny bird with her forehead bent
Slogans tell me that I can rent
Ah, yes they tell me that I can rent
Transparent radiation
Transparent radiation
Oh, radiation
Transparent radiation
Uttering words about a turning tide
Some sensuality that I can't explain
Transparent radiation
Transparent radiation
Oh, radiation
Transparent radiation
Ozone over our continent
Yes they're tellin' me that I can rent
Transparent radiation
Oh, radiation
The song begins with the singer meeting a selfless man, who speaks to him about a turning tide. The singer is then introduced to a woman with long, lavender-dyed hair, split nostrils, and velvet breasts with crimson legs astride. She also speaks of this turning tide and wonders if the singer can ever provide transparent radiation. The second verse sees the singer describing the sensations he feels as his "liquid head" is open to the rain. He walks through a bushel and a peck of grain, hears a hurricane, and speaks to a man about a train. He touches an aeroplane and sees red signs with sensuality that he can't explain. In the third verse, the singer describes "tables bearing the fruits of Lent", "Styrofoam people quite violent", and "clear light blowing right out of my tent". There is ozone over their continent and expert men who don't know what they meant. They all eat babies for nourishment and there is a funny bird with her forehead bent. Slogans tell him that he can rent, likely referring to the commodification of everything in modern society.
Line by Line Meaning
Selfless man slip by my side
A kind and giving person joins me in my journey
Uttering words about the turning tide, and
Talking to me about the changing circumstances and what they signify
She slowly furnishes my continuous ride
Her company keeps me going on this journey
Towards insanitary bits of hide
Moving towards unpleasant and dirty places
Hair quite long and lavender-dyed
Her hair is long and dyed in lavender color
Split nostrils are green open wide
Her nostrils are spread wide apart and appear green in color
Velvet breasts with crimson legs astride
Her voluptuous body is accentuated by velvet breasts and crimson legs positioned in a certain way
And she asks me can I ever provide
She questions whether I can ever fulfill her expectations
My liquid head open to the rain
My mind is receptive to new ideas and experiences
I walk through a bushel and a peck of grain
I traverse through fields of crops and abundance
I hear in my ear a hurricane
The sound of fierce winds ring in my ears
And speak to the man about a train
I talk to someone about taking a train
Touch with my hand an aeroplane
I touch and feel the surface of an airplane
Eyes wide open on the coast of Maine
My eyes are wide open while standing on the coast of Maine state
Red signs outside which I contain
I am fenced in by red signs with unclear message
Some sensuality that I can't explain, ah
I feel some sexual desires that I can't understand or articulate
Tables bearing the fruits of Lent
There are tables with offerings of fruits and food associated with Lent
Styrofoam people quite violent
There are people made of Styrofoam who appear aggressive
Clear light blowing right out of my tent
I experience a bright light emanating from my tent
Ozone over our continent
There is a layer of ozone over our continent
Expert men not knowing what they meant
People with knowledge and experience are unsure of the meaning of things
They all eat babies for nourishment
They resort to immoral and unethical practices for sustenance
Funny bird with her forehead bent
A bird with a curved forehead looks peculiar and amusing
Slogans tell me that I can rent
Advertisements and slogans promise me that I can rent something
Ah, yes they tell me that I can rent
Reiterating the fact that I am being told I can rent something
Writer(s): Artie Wayne, Alan O'day Copyright: Sashay Music
Contributed by Daniel H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@joshuanielsen4753
There are plenty of Spacemen-inspired bands today, but no one will ever compare to the original.
Case in point
@kilimmosh
Saw them on my 18th birthday in '88 in Switzerland, maybe 2/3 of the people at the gig had come from my place. Some were so drunk they were stagediving and so they walked off 3-4 songs in. I was sent backstage to apologise, explain and negotiate their return. "Oh, ok, we just couldn't understand what was going on...". So in the end we ended up talking the entire night and they were kind enough to invite me and a friend to hitch a ride with them for the next leg of the tour in Berlin, we couldn't because of visas, but a very memorable birthday all the same :) A friend of mine has done artwork for Sonic Boom in the last decade and apparently he still remembers that night very well.
@brubeck1
still to this day i not heard anything quite like them .
@joeyc5743
This was originally performed by Red Krayola, in case you didn't know.
@blacksaxmusic
The Brian Jonestown Massacre are the next evolution from these guys,,, Anton doesn't really hide it either
@p.salzba2209
Tell us a little bit more about some of those bands... I wanna know
@loushark6722
My favorite song of theirs.
@ruthdixon7807
even when attempting garage rock spacemen 3 were never in much of a hurry.
@willowufgood261
The red crayola
@thenintendogamer9318
Fantastic this is a seminal LP