#01 / FUCKED UP INSIDE, SPIRITUALIZED

I discovered Spiritualized somewhat accidentally while fast-forwarding the weekly video tape recordings I made of MTV Europe's 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation. The video to Let It Flow (view here) features regular intervals of pulsating, and vibrating camera shots which caught my eye—especially in fast forward. Rewinding to see what was going on (I got disillusioned with the amount of German hardcore on the shows and became impatient), I discovered one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. I purchased it's parent album, Pure Phase, the following day, housed in a glow-in-the-dark plastic case. My love affair with Spiritualized—and their packaging—had begun.

I became obsessed with the record, and I had to see them live. As it turned out, I only saw them live—their blazing static searchlights shone from behind them for the entire show, directly at the audience, leaving a band of silhouettes performing. They opened, as I believe they have always done so, in a climbing rumble of experimental clatter, peaking in the stunning yet serene opening of Shine A Light (Laser Guided Melodies). Fixated with owning recordings of gigs I attended, I left knowing I needed—needed—a recording of that night. I had never heard anything like it before. I never found a recording but I got the next best thing.

My cousin James, gave me a copy of Spiritualized's pre-Pure Phase mail-order-only album Fucked Up Inside. To this day I've never heard a live album so capture the live experience of a band I've seen, and I became content that while I would never find a copy of my own Leeds Met Uni show, I could relive something pretty close, with killer silver-embossed artwork to boot.

Stand Out Track: Take Good Care of It [mp3, right click save]

Make the jump for video references.

Buy (used): Amazon

References:

120 Minutes, Interview with Jason Pierce

Let It Flow, Spiritualized