Spiritualized's Royal Albert Hall

Yes, his old group, Spacemen 3, was heavy into drug reference and imagery. They put out several albums with different versions of basically the same songs--albums with names like Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To and The Perfect Prescription. Though handy when courting slumber, these albums generally feature only a couple of standout tracks amid the joint-passing fare.

Not so with Spiritualized, with whom Pierce has made three acclaimed full-length records. Sure, there's plenty of bong-hit majesty to Pure Phase (1995), but Pierce now indulges his songwriting and arranging gifts as well. Like Spacemen, Spiritualized's songs get high; the difference is they also take off.

Royal Albert Hall, the group's recent live album, seems to be the record label's reward for the band's hitching a ride on the Radiohead tour. Nothing else explains the appearance of a string quartet, a horn section, and a choir, complete with director. Some songs, like the weepy coke-ballad "Home of the Brave," benefit from such interstellar backing. But "Broken Heart" and "I Think I'm in Love" nearly collapse under their own weight. Many formerly distinct songs melt into one long, glorious musical compound that would be better inhaled than listened to. Bizarrely, the live album catapults Spiritualized into a new sphere of respectability while simultaneously dragging the band backwards into its old chemical fog. The group even covers the Spacemen classic "Walking with Jesus," but Pierce sings it in a manner indistinguishable from the other tracks, submerging the original's raw immediacy in overcooked orchestration.

Sonically, Royal Albert Hall is unprecedented for a live album. Crowd noise is at a minimum, and the band's flawlessness comes through; they jam long, hard, and
stoned, like a British noise version of Miles Davis' early '70s jazz/rock orgy ensemble. With the right substances, they could put out albums forever. Problem is, they'd be poking at the same old vein, and who knows if there's enough room in there for them and David Gilmore. (Arista)

--Dan Silk

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