Spacemen 3 - The Singles (1995)

Formed in 1982 in the town of Rugby by Pete Kember (Sonic Boom (2)) and Jason Pierce (J. Spaceman), Spacemen 3 were to become one of the most important bands of the eighties, with their offshoots destined to spread out and become equally as vital in the nineties. Spacemen 3 and Jesus And Mary Chain were the godfathers of the shoegazer and drone-rock scene which blossomed in the U.K. at the close of the '80s. But while both bands showed an obvious affinity for the pioneering sounds of The Velvet Underground, they otherwise found different sources of inspiration, with S3 masterminds Sonic Boom (Pete Kember) and J Spaceman (Jason Pierce) eschewing the The Beach Boys influenced pop symphonics favored by the J&MC's Reid Brothers and instead channeling noisy minimalists ranging from John Lee Hooker to Red Krayola to Suicide. Both founding members have enjoyed considerable success with their respective subsequent projects: Spectrum (4) and Spiritualized.