Pure Phase

Spiritualized

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  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #105,507 in Music (See Bestsellers 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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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

'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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unrecognized gem of Brit acid rock, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

There's not much that can be said about Pure Phase, except that you have to hear it. J. Spaceman spent years to follow up Spiritualized's debut with this album, and his time was well spent. The album manages to place steady rockers (Medication, These Blues) next to sweet ballads (Slide Song, Let it Flow, All of my Tears), but it never sounds forced or out of place. The second half of the album shows more diversity and songs like Feel like Goin Home evoke Jason Pierce's drone-centric days of Spacemen 3. Lay Back in the Sun is an all out, balls to the wall anthem to chemically induced space outs. Those crazy Brits are sometimes a quite pretentious bunch (see Oasis, the Verve), but Spiritualized manage to avoid those pitfalls and put out plain good music.