Recurring (album)

Recurring was the fourth and final Spacemen 3 studio album, finally released (after considerable delay) in February 1991, some time after the band had broken up. By the time the album was recorded, relations between the band had soured to the extent that the record is in 2 parts - the first side by Peter Kember, and the second by Jason Pierce.

The album included "Hypnotized", a Pierce composition that was a minor hit in the UK in 1990.

Versions

The original UK and US pressings had only eleven tracks, with edited - and much shorter - versions of several key tracks. Most notably, "Big City" was cut in half, only the reprise of "Feel So Sad" was included, and "Billy Whizz" faded out before its "Blue 1" crescendo. Aside from that, the other missing tracks were alternate versions of "Just to See You Smile" and "Feelin' Just Fine", and a reprise of "Set Me Free".

The version of "Drive/Feel So Sad" included on the international (15-track) version is from the B-side of "Hypnotized". "Just to See You Smile" was the other b-side of that single, in an alternate mix listed as "Just to See You Smile (Honey Pt. 2)", owning up to the track's melodic affinity to the earlier Spacemen 3 tune "Honey". Elsewhere, "Why Couldn't I See" is another song whose main guitar riff is largely derived from the 45-minute improvisation Dreamweapon (the others were "Honey" and "How Does It Feel"); and "I Love You" features an uncredited sample of a Jan and Dean radio jingle for Coca-Cola (possibly written or cowritten by Brian Wilson, from 1963.

When Tomorrow Hits

The only track on which both Pierce and Kember appear is "When Tomorrow Hits", a cover of a Mudhoney song, originally intended for a double A-side split single, with Mudhoney covering "Revolution" from Playing With Fire. This release was scotched when Kember caught wind of the fact that Mudhoney had fitted "Revolution" with somewhat irreverent lyrics about methadone suppositories. The Mudhoney recording eventually surfaced as a b-side. There's a subtle continuity between both tracks, specifically duelling references to The Stooges; the Spacemen 3 track opens with the "look out!" invocation that began "Loose", and "When Tomorrow Hits" is mostly a rewrite of "I Wanna Be Your Dog".

Track listing

Original release (Fire FIRELP23)

2004 re-issue (Space Age Recordings)