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1[[quoteright:351:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sp3-2.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:351:Left to right: Pete Kember, Nick Brooker, Pete Bain, Jason Pierce]]
3
4->''"Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to."''
5->--Their motto, also the name of a later compilation
6
7Spacemen 3 are the band [[{{Music/Spiritualized}} Jason Pierce was in]] [[BreakupBreakout before he became famous]].
8
9Of course, it's a bit more complex than that. Spacemen 3 were an English AlternativeRock[=/=]PsychedelicRock band active between 1982 and 1991. The band had a largely rotating lineup centered around core members Jason "J. Spaceman" Pierce and Peter "Sonic Boom" Kember. Notably enough, its last lineup included future Spiritualized members Will Carruthers, Jonny Mattock and Mark Refoy.
10
11The band was known for its fanatical focus on minimalism and psychedelia, adopting the motto "taking drugs to make music to take drugs to" (later the name of a compilation). Their sound was based around droning guitars, feedback, monotonous rhythms, CreepyMonotone vocals and [[EpicRocking extended song lengths]]. Pierce and Kember shared an affinity for {{Shout Out}}s to their favourite musicians in both song titles, lyrics and interviews, with names cited as influences including The Music/VelvetUnderground, Music/TheStooges, Music/{{MC5}}, Music/CaptainBeefheart, Music/{{Kraftwerk}}, Music/The13thFloorElevators, The Electric Prunes, various blues and gospel acts (Music/MuddyWaters, Music/BoDiddley, the Staple Singers and John Lee Hooker) and the production techniques of Joe Meek, [[Music/TheBeachBoys Brian Wilson]] and Delia Derbyshire.
12
13The band disbanded in 1991 amid worsening tensions between Pierce and Kember. Their last album, ''Recurring'', reflected this, with the two sides being recorded by the two separately in different studios. Pierce has since gone on to popularity, acclaim and success with Music/{{Spiritualized}}, while Kember founded Spectrum, worked as a producer for acts such as Music/{{MGMT}}, [[Music/AnimalCollective Panda Bear]] and Music/BeachHouse and did... [[strike:pretty much fuck all]] weird drone music with [[Music/MyBloodyValentine Kevin Shields]] (as [[FunWithAcronyms Experimental Audio Research]]).
14
15Opinions on Spacemen 3 tend to be split a few ways. Either: they are just as good as, better than or worse than {{Music/Spiritualized}}. There's also the issue of their love of extreme repetition and long jamming.
16
17Discography:
18* ''Sound of Confusion'' (1986)
19* ''The Perfect Prescription'' (1987)
20* ''Playing with Fire'' (1989)
21* ''Dreamweapon'' (1990)
22* ''Recurring'' (1991)
23* ''Translucent Flashbacks'' (1995) (compilation of B-sides and rarities)
24* ''Singles'' (1995)
25
26Tropes:
27* AuthorAppeal: Most of their songs and titles revolve around medication, drugs, various moods and Christian symbolism.
28* ConceptAlbum: the sequence of tracks on ''The Perfect Prescription'' trace the trajectory of a trip: excited/nervous anticipation, then from Coming On to Peaking; followed by blissed-out torpor, onset of disconcerting symptoms...and finally, a plea to "Call the Doctor" ("'cause I think I had too much, babe")
29* CoverVersion: "Rollercoaster" by Music/The13thFloorElevators, "Mary Anne" by Juicy Lucy, "Little Doll" by Music/TheStooges, [[Music/KickOutTheJams "Starship"]] by Music/{{MC5}}, "Transparent Radiation" by Red Krayola, "When Tomorrow Hits" by Music/{{Mudhoney}}.
30* DistinctDoubleAlbum: Thanks to the above-mentioned CreativeDifferences, their final album ''Recurring'' is a Distinct Single Album; each side essentially a Spectrum and a Music/{{Spiritualized}} EP respectively.
31* DoubleEntendre: Non-sexual example with "Hey Man".
32-->'' 'Ey man, 'eeeey man, 'eeeey maaaan, 'eeey man, 'eeeey maaan...''
33* EpicRocking: "Rollercoaster", "OD Catastrophe", "Rollercoaster", "Transparent Radiation", "Things'll Never Be the Same", "Come Down Easy", "How Does It Feel?", "Suicide", "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)", "Sometimes", "Billy Whizz/Blue 1", "Starship", "Ecstasy Symphony" (the full 9-minute version included on ''Translucent Flashbacks'') and "Transparent Radiation (Flashback)". Taken to its logical conclusion with "An Evening Of Contemporary Sitar Music" on ''Dreamweapon'' - a ''forty-three-minute'' song consisting of one chord repeating over and over and over and over again.
34* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Original bass player Pete The Bassman Baines.
35* ICannotSelfTerminate: "Lord, Can You Hear Me?"
36-->''Lord, help me out\
37I'd take my life, but I'm in doubt\
38Just where my soul will lie''
39* IcarusAllusion: "Walkin' With Jesus"
40-->''Jesus, please meet me at the centre of the Earth\
41'Cause these wings are gonna fail me and I could have done me worse''
42* RedemptionRejection: An amicably mutual example in "Walkin' With Jesus."
43-->''I walk with Jesus and He would say\
44"Oh, you poor child, you ain't comin' to Me, no way\
45You found heaven on Earth, gonna burn for your sins"\
46But I think I'm in good company down here with all my friends''
47* ShoutOut:
48** "Ode To [[Music/LouReed Street Hassle]]"
49** "Music/{{Suicide|Band}}"
50** "OD Catastrophe" is basically "[[Music/TheStooges TV]] [[Music/FunHouseAlbum Eye]]" with slightly different lyrics.
51* [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth One Chord And The Truth]]: "Revolution"
52-->'''Will Carruthers:''' "Just play one note," Sonic had advised us as we travelled down to the M1. "Keep it simple. One note. No fancy stuff." By "fancy stuff" he meant two notes.
53* WatchItStoned
54* {{Word Salad Title}}s: Frequently, with probably the best example being "Feelin' Just Fine (Head Full of Shit)".
55** This could be a weird ShoutOut to Music/TheYardbirds' "Heart Full of Soul".

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