at a glance...

Hometown: Rugby/London/Surrey, England
Year Formed: 1991

Members:
Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman)- vocals, guitars, keyboards, effects
Kate Radley - keyboards
John Coxon - guitars, programming
Drums - An evolving cast of hundreds

Bands In The Family:
Spacemen 3, Spectrum, Spring Heel Jack, Julian Cope, Dr. John, Balanescu Quartet, The Verve

Jason Pierce is, arguably, one of the few real geniuses working in rock music today. He's not so much a talented musician as a possessed savant, desperately trying to share the magic music in his head with anyone willing to listen with both ears.

Ladies And Gentlemen... captures that magic. Hell, even the packaging is breathtaking, the CD coming wrapped in foil and accompanied by dosage instructions like "Play twice daily" and "May cause dizziness." But don't mistake extravagance for conceit - this music is powerful medicine. The opening title track is Pierce's statement of intent. Emotional, inscrutable, adventurous (it's sung in a round, fer Chrissakes), it's a song to savage your soul. "All I want in life's a little bit of love to take the pain away," Pierce whimpers, like Brian Wilson in intensive care. The album manages to carry on, blasting through garage gospel ("Come Together"), free jazz ("No God Only Religion") and damaged blues ("Stay With Me"), with a detour through an otherworldly psychedelic symphony called "I Think I'm In Love."

At times Ladies And Gentlemen... is almost too much to take. Even as the sonic experiments chart their wildest territory, the lyrical themes cut closer and closer to vital organs. When Pierce joins the Balanescu quartet on the impossibly fragile "Broken Heart," and later Dr. John on the psychotic 16-minute blues "Cop Shoot Cop," his vision feels complete. Sounds right from his head, feelings right through your heart. An incredible achievement.