Spiritualized --- Live At Royal Albert Hall 10/10/97 2xCD

It's not that I dislike Spiritualized's recorded output --- I really like it. 'Like' is the operative word. When listening to, say, "Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space" (an excellent record), I don't experience the flat-out amazement that I get listening to "Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To". But this record changed that. Flat-out rock and roll music. If LAGWAFIS was Spiritualized Motown, shiny and polished, this is Spiritualized Dischord, raw and calculating. Jason Spacemen's drug ruminations apparently sound much better live than on record (witness 'Medication'). And "Walkin' With Jesus", one of my favorite S3 nuggets, is reborn as a four-minute pop song. Now, I'm aware of how horrible that sounds. Jason may sell his soul to Volkswagen, but he still ain't no corporate rock whore. It's a "pop song" in length and melody only, the free-jazz saxs and intact lyrics will insure that it stays off any Modern Rock playlist for the next few decades. The first disc seems more rockin' than the second, which is the home of the gospel/orchestral numbers (Oh Happy Day and Broken Heart, respectively), the requisite rave-up (Cop Shoot Cop, which is still pretty damn nifty) and a cool-VU style version of "I Think I'm In Love". This really belongs alongside "Perfect Prescription" and "Electric Mainline" in yr collection, folks.

(Arista/Dedicated)

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Michael Keegan
2.3.1999