Spiritualized - Volume Six Compilation
Volume Six is a fascinating compilation of seventeen UK-based alternative rock songs. Not only is this a CD, but it's a full color mini-book nearly an inch thick, full of in-depth details and reviews of the bands in question.
The bands and songs featured here are:
Spiritualized - Smiles
(c) - He Was
Ultra Vivid Scene - Cut Throat
Senseless Things - Keepsake
That Petrol Emotion - Catch A Fire
Björk - One Day
Saint Etienne - Fake '88
The The - Lip Tripping
Gallon Drunk - Keep Moving On
American Music Club - Love Connection NYC
Belly - White Belly
Killdozer - Working Hard Or Hardly Working
One Dove - Fallen
The Drum Club - One Tribe
Sheep On Drugs - 15 Minutes Of Fame
Fluke - Spacey
Unmen - Also With You
On the books side, there are 192 full color pages with in depth stories about the bands. These aren't just brief summaries of the CDs the band has put out. Instead, the author clearly knows the history of the band, its characters, and how it has changed over the years.
For example, the interview with Spiritualized explains, "But it seems only fair to level allegations of Brian Wilson-style gneius at Pierce since his band, Spiritualized, came to fruition last year with the succulently produced, gospel-soaked psychedelic masterpiece, 'Lazer Guided Melodies'. The album was the culimation of a career which began back in the mid-'80s with Spacemen 3, where he often appeared to occupy the henchman's sidecar on Sonic Boom's droning rock 'n' roll motor machine."
Fans of the bands featured on this CD set will get great, new photos of the band along with interesting tibdits about their music and inspirations.
On the music side, as with all these Volume sets, it is a mish-mash of music which can be intriguing to listen straight through. We have a live version of Smiles from Spiritualized which is smooth and lush to listen to. We have He Was from (c) which is a soft jazz. We get Cut Throad from Ultra Vivid Scene which has a lovely bass line and almost a middle eastern vibe to it. Then we get KillDozer's "Working Hard or Hardly Working" which is heavy metal and full of swearing. You probably want to make play lists out of this to arrange the music in a way that makes sense to you :).
What's neat, though, is that this is a snapshot in time, a look at what music was coming out, and you can come across bands that you've never heard of and enjoy immensely.
Highly recommended as a collector's item for people who adore one of these bands. You'll get material about them that you'll find nowhere else.
Buy Spiritualized - Volume Six Compilation from Amazon.com
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