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"Playing With Fire" was my initiation into a space journey through the sound world of Spacemen 3, and I consider it their undisputed masterpiece, a work that unfolds like an intricate enigma of psychedelic sounds and cosmic visions. This experience manifests as a dreamlike journey, a sonic odyssey that twists through the folds of reality, boldly challenging earthly musical laws, dragging the listener into a lysergic and cosmic realm that dances beyond the boundaries of conventional logic. "Playing With Fire" is not just an album; it is a fiery sound spaceship, a portal to an experience that unfolds in a vortex of distorted sound perceptions.
The hypnotic effect of the music manifests as the weightless float under the effect of psychedelic substances, a sensation that insinuates from the inaugural track, "Honey." The notes intertwine in a kaleidoscope of sounds, a slow rhythm punctuated by organ, acoustic guitar, and bass, while the psychedelic voice envelops the listener, dragging them into a whirlwind of sound suggestions that dissolve into the folds of the cosmos.
"Come Down Softly to My Soul" a relaxed yet distorted melody, where keys, guitar, and bass dance in a celestial ballet. The reserved voices float like space echoes, weaving a hypnotic atmosphere that invites the listener to dive deep into the twisted dimension of Spacemen 3.
"How Does It Feel?" opens the doors to an almost transcendental experience, embodying the essence of their minimal language taken to the extreme with the live "Dreamweapon". Spoken words, twisting guitar lines, and alternating voices in a sound kaleidoscope lead to an emotional crescendo, amplified by the drums breaking onto the scene, transporting the listener into an even more distorted and labyrinthine dimension. The live version found on the CD reissue is even more hypnotic in its electric minimalism.
"I Believe It" emerges with the organ at the forefront, accompanied by space voices that contribute to creating a unique sound density, while "Revolution" is a disruptive track, a sound explosion that echoes the spirit of the Stooges and MC5. The flaming guitars blend with powerful drums, culminating in a sonic assault that overwhelms the listener in a whirlwind of emotions on the edge of the unknown.
"Let Me Down Gently" softens the atmosphere, returning to gentler tones with organ, bass, and sweetly sung voices in a psychedelic dance that caresses the listener in a distorted and surreal way.
"So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)" focuses on the fragility of the voice, while "Suicide" presents itself as a powerful wall of sound, a clear homage to the controlled chaos of the duo Alan Vega and Martin Rev. The final track, "Lord Can You Hear Me?", is a sidereal gospel played by Jason Pierce, an anthem that anticipates Spiritualized and dissolves into a vortex of distorted echoes.
"Playing With Fire" by Spacemen 3 is more than an album; it is a hallucinatory madness that embraces the cosmic infinite, defying rationality and leading the listener on a dizzying journey through the galaxies of the psyche. Thanks to their hallucinatory approach, Spacemen 3 have shaped a work that persists as a timeless psychedelic dream, a sonic odyssey that continues to dance among the stars of the mind.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Honey (03:01)
Honey, won’t you take me home tonight?
Honey, won’t you take me home tonight?
Honey, won’t you take me home tonight?
The night is warm and the starts are bright
Take my hand, baby
Hold me tight
Every move gonna feel so right
See the moon smiling through the night
I feel so good and my mood is right
Oh, honey, won’t you take me home tonight?
Honey, won’t you take me home tonight?
Feels so right
Feels so right
Honey, won’t you take me home tonight?
Feels so right
Feels so right
Listen to the wind whistling through
Surely ain’t nothin’ that we can’t do
Surely ain’t nothin’ that we can’t do
04 I Believe It (03:20)
Oh Lord
Ah, you know I believe it
To my soul
Ah, to my soul
To my soul
Oh Lord
Yeah, I believe it in the mornin’
Oh, so early in the mornin’
And I believe it in the evenin’
Oh, so late in the evenin’
From Friday night through to Sunday morn
When the sun comes up until the first sight of dawn
Oh, Lord
Take me higher
Oh, take me higher Lord
Take me higher
Oh, come on now Lord
Jesus died for my sins
Lord, look at the state I’m in
Look alright, but I’m fucked within
Can’t go through this all again
Lord – Jesus
Gotta help me
Find my way
Find my way
05 Revolution (05:57)
Spacemen 3 - Revolution Lyrics
Well look out
Well I’m sick
I’m so sick
Of a lot
of people
Tryin’ to tell me
What I can and can’t
do
With my life
And I’m tired
I’m so
tired
Of a lot of people
In a lot of high
places
Don’t want you and me
To enjoy
ourselves
Well I’m through with people
Who can’t
get off their arse
To help themselves change this
government
And better this society
‘Cos it’s
shit
But hold on a secondI smell burning
And I
see a changeComin’
‘round the bend
And I suggest to
you
That it takes
Just five seconds
Just five
seconds
Of decision
To realise
That the time
Is
right
To start thinkin’ about
A
little…Revolution!
07 So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears) (02:38)
Lord it's so hot, and I ain't got a lot
I don't need much but I ain't satisfied right now
Just want the water, I just want an ocean
An endless river to wash away all of my tears
Lord it's so hot, and my heart's bleeding
I ain't been with you and it's you I'm needing right now
Just want the water, I just want an ocean
An endless river to wash away all of my tears
When your hot, and lord how it's steamin’
You gotta go back to the river babe
Just want the water, I just want an ocean
An endless river to take me back to my babe
So hot
09 Lord Can You Hear Me? (04:33)
Lord, help me out
I'd take my life but I'm in doubt
Just where my soul will lie
Deep in the earth or way up in the sky
Lord, can you hear me when I call?
Lord, can you hear me when I call?
Lord, can you hear me when I call?
Lord, can you hear me, hear me at all?
All my loves left my side
Can't get enough of life to keep me satisfied
Oh, I've lost about everything
Lord, look what state I am in!
Lord, can you hear me when I call?
Lord, can you hear me when I call?
Lord, can you hear me when I call?
Lord, can you hear me, hear me at all?
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Other reviews
By R13557436
Time will start to stop, you will be time...
And then... someone new will enter your room to bother you again. But meanwhile, you have enjoyed a moment of purity.
By lapter
Playing With Fire is probably their masterpiece, the album that definitively consecrated their style.
Honey, a very sweet but at the same time distorted psychedelic serenade, immediately captivates the listener into a parallel, visionary world.
