Pure Phase

Spiritualized | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 28, 1995)
• Original Release Date: March 28, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B000002VUG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,201 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's been three years since the debut album by Spiritualized, but Pure Phase is worth the wait. Guitarist/vocalist Jason Pierce combines touches of gospel, the classical minimalism of Steve Reich and Terry Riley, and the swirling guitar rock of his old band, Spacemen 3. The result is lazy, melodic jams such as "Medication" and "Electric Mainline" that have a transcendent power somewhere between a religious revival meeting and a really good acid trip. --Jim DeRogatis

Product Description

1995's Pure Phase was Spiritualized's eagerly awaited second album. Pure Phase showcases both a more symphonic sound as well as a dreamy rock grandeur. Think of Brian Wilson and La Monte Young recording together and you'll have a good idea of the Spiritualized totality. Pure Phase is both beautiful and innovative; more than just psychedelic, it's celestial. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music from heaven!, October 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Pure Phase (Audio CD)

I love all of the Spiritualized albums; this is the first one I bought and the one that really turned me on to the band. This album probably has the most variety of any of their efforts, from the dreamy ("The Slide Song") to the cacaphonous and ironic ("Medication," which is their best overall song, in my opinion, with stunning guitar work and cool lyrics). It's a trip from start to finish--without ingesting a single illicit substance.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the new modernism...?, June 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Pure Phase (Audio CD)

'Pure Phase' is a less tuneful, more minimalistic record than its predecessor 'Lazer Guided Melodies' but not yet as dark and introspective as its follow up 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space'. More than this though, 'Pure Phase' represents a unique musical accomplishment for Jason Pierce and his stargazing compatriots... The tracks are diverse and yet cohesive in approach and effect, they are carefully orchestrated soundscapes, as well as pop songs. 'All of My Tears' is a great example of Pierce's modern approach to songwriting. A refined version of 'So Hot' first released by Spacemen 3, the track is not so much a simple chord progression as it is a slow system of movement, aware of its own aural space. The lyrics are as stripped down as the melody itself, only hinting at and counterpointing the story told within the mix itself. The quivering violin which underlines the piece hangs on to two notes and struggles to become a cohesive melody line, it strikes as the sound of a tearful composure, an emotional concept realized through the simple physics of time and movement that are given such unprecedented authority here... Most importantly, though it seems to be a well integrated form of modernism, it does not project that foul stench of intellectualism. It is quite simply beautiful... A brilliant and vital record.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, challenging record, December 22, 2006

By 

Devan (Astoria, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pure Phase (Audio CD)

I'm still trying to figure this one out. This 1995 record by Spiritualized falls into a category which has become so convoluted by anal-retentive critics that I have decided to invent my own moniker for said music: Nyquil Rock. If you are unable to count sheep, just slip this disc into the changer and prepare to be lulled to sleep. Is that a good thing? Hell yes.

The reason I can't sum up what "Pure Phase" is all about is because it's so tangled and backass-wards that you can't go by what it conveys on a song-by-song basis. Instrumentation either comes out of nowhere or lingers for so long that you find yourself wobbling on your heels (warning: do not listen to this while standing up and most importantly not while driving. I nearly steered off the road and ran into a ditch because of "Pure Phase"). The lyrics are meant to delve into drug use and altered states of mind, but to be honest they don't matter when you first listen to the album. The vocals swoop in and out like mere whispers or low, harmonious chants, so you can barely hear what is being said. It's almost as if the voices themselves are instruments (a la "Loveless").

I must say that I like "Pure Phase" if only because it's so hard to place. As disjointed it may be, you can't say it doesn't hold surprises. It will have you drifting to sleep one minute and then BOOM!--some horrible racket of noise will jolt you from your coma. I suppose it's the composition that carries the record's concept more than its lyrics, because maybe that's what it's like to be addicted to a mind-altering substance. When you think about it it's frightening, because if the high felt as soothing as the tracks which spill from your speakers, could you imagine how hard it would be trying to quit? However, I still think "Thirteenth Step" by A Perfect Circle deals with this issue in a more coherent manner. If I haven't made it clear by this point I'll say it again: "Pure Phase" is not accesible.

I recommend this to you, the reader, if you want to solve the musical equivalent of a puzzle. You won't be able to dance, party, drive, have sex or bang your head to it, but if you lie down and put on "Pure Phase" by Spiritualized, you will either find yourself floating or waking up the next morning and thinking to yourself, "What the hell did I just hear? I want to hear it again!" It's one of those records that will redeem itself time and time again. For that it earns my praise.