Spacemen 3 - Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To

Featuring Sonic Boom a.k.a. Peter Kember (Spectrum / E.A.R.) and Jason Pierce (Spiritualized). Never has a record been so aptly titled, or so perfectly descriptive of a band's particular vision of the universe. For all that, the original appearance of Taking Drugs was in fact a bootleg on the semi-legendary / semi- notorious Father Yod imprint in 1990, later supplemented with contemporary outtakes and cuts for the Bomp reissue in 1994 and one further song for the Space Age version in 2000. The original seven tracks, dated January 1986 and the first recordings to feature Pete Bain on bass, are collectively known as the Northampton Demos, understandably named for the recording location in a studio outside said English city. Both Sonic and Pierce have been on record as long preferring these takes to the eventual versions that surfaced for the most part on Sound of Confusion. Certainly it's a fine set of performances, showing a definite step toward the more familiar sound of the group and away from the rougher takes on For All the Fucked Up Children of the World. The Sound of Confusion, aka Walkin' With Jesus, rips along with fierce energy, Pierce's singing and the rampaging, primitive wail and rumble of the band just wonderful. Losing Touch With My Mind takes things to an even higher level, a huge wallop of feedback and beat (Natty Brooker's drumming in particular delivers just what the doctor ordered), Pierce delivering the lines with a flat, cutting drawl. On the slightly lighter tip, Come Down Easy is more or less fully in place (aside from singing about it being 1986!), possessing a more upfront but less vocally distinct feel than the Perfect Prescription take. The tracks that surfaced on the later reissues come from a variety of different sessions, including the original take on Feel So Good and a good live version of Things'll Never Be the Same, one of several cuts featuring Brooker's drumming replacement Rosco.

2LP - Double LP on heavyweight 180 gram audiophile black vinyl in a wide spined sleeve with new artwork layout. Re-mastered by John Rivers at Woodbine Studios especially for vinyl release. Includes a bonus track not on the CD version and new artwork design.

Tracklist:

A1 2.35 (Version 1)
A2 Mary Anne
A3 Sound Of Confusion
A4 Losing Touch With My Mind
B1 A-Men
B2 That's Just Fine (Vocal Version)
B3 Come Down Easy
C1 Feel So Good
C2 2.35 (Feedback Version)
C3 Hey Man
C4 It's All Right
D1 2.35 (Version 2)
D2 Things'll Never Be The Same
D3 Transparent Radiation (Organ Version)
D4 Repeater (Demo)