Forged Prescriptions

• Artist: Spacemen 3
• Rating:
• Release Date: March 04, 2003
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Forged Prescriptions is a collection of alternative mixes, demo versions, and outtakes from Spacemen 3's Perfect Prescription era. Not only is it a boon to die-hard fans, but it also holds up pretty well on its own. Indeed, it would be a decent introduction to the band if it had been whittled down from a double to a single album. The relatively cohesive first disc is almost an alternate version of Perfect Prescription, while the second disc is more of an odds and sods collection for fans. The alternate mixes tend to feature overdubs and other effects that the band couldn't reproduce live (supposedly the reason why these mixes weren't chosen for Perfect Prescription). The layers of guitar on the first disc's "Things'll Never Be the Same," which manage to sound simultaneously hypnotic and hard-driven, are particularly appealing, although some may prefer the rougher-sounding demo of the song on disc two. Forged Prescriptions also includes two versions each of "Walking With Jesus" and "Come Down Easy." The cover versions include songs by the Red Krayola (an alternate mix of "Transparent Radiation") and Roky Erickson's pre-13th Floor Elevators band, the Spades (a previously unreleased cover of "We Sell Souls"), as well as a couple songs previously revised by MC5 (Sun Ra's "Starship" and the Troggs' "I Want You"). The influence of the Velvet Underground is also evident, particularly in the tribute instrumental (the previously unreleased "Velvet Jam") and the ode to Lou Reed's "Street Hassle" ("Ode to Street Hassle"). Plus there are tasty remixes of Perfect Prescription originals such as "Ecstasy Symphony" and "Soul 1" to make this a generally appealing collection. ~ Todd Kristel, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Things'll Never Be the Same	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(5:54)
Walking With Jesus	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(5:12)
Come Down Easy [Demo Version]	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(6:01)
Transparent Radiation [Single Version]	Pete Kember, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(4:11)
Ode to Street Hassle	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(4:45)
Call the Doctor	Pete Kember, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(4:11)
Ecstacy Symphony		Spacemen 3	(9:06)
Feel So Good	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(5:27)
Soul 1	Pete Kember, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(5:43)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Transparent Radiation	Pete Kember, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(7:52)
Come Down Easy	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(6:42)
Walking With Jesus [Demo Version]	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(3:57)
Things'll Never Be the Same [Demo Version]	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(5:54)
We Sell Soul [#]		Spacemen 3	(4:55)
Starship [Demo Version]	Sun Ra	Spacemen 3	(5:01)
Take Me to the Other Side [Demo Version]	Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce	Spacemen 3	(3:49)
Velvet Jam [#]		Spacemen 3	(4:45)
I Want You Right Now [#]	MC5	Spacemen 3	(6:10)

Credits

Spacemen 3 (Main Performer), John Owen (Violin), Graham Walker (Engineer), Sonic Boom (Guitar), Sonic Boom (Vocals), Sonic Boom (Producer), Sonic Boom (Liner Notes), Sonic Boom (Farfisa Organ), Sonic Boom (Feedback), Sonic Boom (Effects), Pete Bassman (Bass)

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