the Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space poll

og LAG cd - wasn't the special packaging version (cardboard box case w/ single-CD blister pack) available exclusively for at least a few weeks before the *normal* CDs were released? I was a sucker for all of J Spaceman's promo gimmicks back then (& admittedly several of them were pretty damn cool). That cardbox was just a pain in the ass, though.

actually, now that I think about it, this album is responsible for my ILX username: when I started my account, I glanced around the room I was in to find a random object to name myself after & settled on the packaging for this album, which never fit properly in my CD shelves & always sat conspicuously on top of them.

Yeah, I waited until the regular was out.(xpost)

OK, who has the d/l of the twelve 3" CD individual tracks version to hand?

my buddy (who pretty much has as "complete" a Spacemen 3/Sp/Sp/etc. collection one could hope to have, into which years of gathering & 1000s of $$ has gone into) has this, still unopened. I'm sure he'll be buying this ridiculous new thing as well.

FOPP in the UK were selling AMAZING GRACE for fifty pence at one point, so don't expect riches

ha, yeah, but I've just moved 4,000 CDs and am keen to never do it again. And I've got the concave face sculpture version of LICD, thought there might be some overspill interest from the pillbox reissue

my buddy (who pretty much has as "complete" a Spacemen 3/Sp/Sp/etc. collection one could hope to have, into which years of gathering & 1000s of $$ has gone into) has this, still unopened. I'm sure he'll be buying this ridiculous new thing as well.

I never went as far as the 12x3" pillbox, but I do have the 1xCD pillbox (unopened!) and the originally released promo CD with the "Elvis" track.

My brother was working for Vital distribution at the time, who Dedicated went through, and he had a chance to win one of the 12x3"CD pillboxes at a staff meeting, but missed out. He would've given it to me; I've still not quite forgiven him. He's actually got a framed silver disc of this somewhere because of how well it did.

I remember seeing this listed as being on the NME stereo for weeks and weeks and weeks in spring 1997, prior to its release. Think it finally came out in late May? Urban Hymns was late August/September, and I think OKC was June/July time. The three are definitely tied up in my mind, with this being the best (by some considerable distance).

Jeez, I really want a good recording of the full live Ladies and Gentlemen sets. Apparently there's a very high-quality recording form Oct 12, 2009 @ Royal Festival Hall--anyone heard this one or others?

Apparently there's a very high-quality recording form Oct 12, 2009 @ Royal Festival Hall

yep, this is on dime and sounds great. taper was sitting in one of the fancy boxes they have so crowd noise is thankfully minimized.

Will definitely pick it up. I'd love some good Spz recordings but all the ones I've heard were Acoustic ZZZZZZZZZlines ones or just really mellow (like the Royal Albert Hall discs). Recommendations welcome!

I agree with Tim F's analysis except for Be Here Now, which represented the death of one phase rather than a bridge to another. I remember OK Computer, L&G and Urban Hymns being the big, serious post-Britpop triumvirate, leading to many strained references to the impact of Princess Diana's death, the 9/11 of its day for critics looking for real-world ballast in their reviews.

I loved that one-a-year run of L&G, Deserter's Songs and The Soft Bulletin. I got to thinking that every year there'd be another game-changing classic from a group of underappreciated indie veterans.

Chems mix deserves a YouTube embed. Lovelovelove the bit at 5:07 where Pierce appears just so the drums can kick in on the word "falling".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8bfsL-awY

i've till got the blisterpack, like wrapping for a giant pill, and the advisory sheet on taking your medication

bassline on 'come together' is still sick, that bubbling ebbing descending bottoming out over and over

All the hating on the mad guitar squall in "Cop Shoot Cop" itt makes me want to throw things.

ladies and gentleman we are talking bollocks in space

this is like the fucking best thing tbh

not Hawkwind level best thing but best thing these kids did

in that general soupy sea of drone/snore/shleep/drugs endlessness

Christ has this album aged well.

no idea why it was reissued in 2010 tbh

To get the proper version of the title track on it.

I did get that twelve disc version, one was missing so it was a tenner.

'All of my thoughts"' is about a minute longer.

Y'know, I still think this record is easily as good as OK Computer, and felt just as ambitious as that record even at the time. It's a superior "break-up record" to Blur's 13 too, IMO.

Remember when they won that Brit award, and Kate left her table where she was sitting with The Verve to go up with Jason and the rest of the band, smile, and then went back to her table again?

Shortest band reunion ever.

No, I don't! Did that even happen? I can't remember Spiritualized being nominated for a Brit in 1997/1998. I know The Verve definitely were.

Looked it up, it was the NME awards, back when they got televised I guess.

Ah, right! Yeah, that makes sense... NME put this record ahead of OK Computer in their EOY list, iirc!

Shortest band reunion ever.

The Fatboy Slim tape off the front of the already-split Kate / Jason LAGWAFIS NME cover still holds up imo

It's been almost 20 years, month for month, and against all odds I now enjoy this album far more than I used to. It has… aged well?

Best album packaging ever.

The packaging hasn't aged as well as the album, mine is in tatters.

Was gonna say, mine's completely knackered too.

Same. Squashed and warped to buggery.