Lazer Guided Melodies is the debut studio album by English space rock band Spiritualized. The album was recorded by the inaugural line up of the band, consisting of Jason Pierce (vocals, guitars), Mark Refoy (guitars), Will Carruthers (bass), Jonny Mattock (drums) and Kate Radley (keyboards) from 1990 to 1991, and mixed by Pierce in London in January 1992. The album was first released on Dedicated Records in March 1992, on cassette, Compact Disc and Vinyl (2 x LP, with initial copies containing an additional free 7").
Initially released on two 45 rpm vinyl LPs, the album's twelve songs are segued together into four colour-coded (red, green, blue, black), cross-faded suites. As such, the album was included in Pitchforks 2010 list of "ten unusual CD-era gimmicks".
By 1995, the album had sold 10,000 copies in the United States.
Background
Lazer Guided Melodies is unique in Jason Pierce's oeuvre as it simultaneously explores motorik, minimalist music, and space rock while subtly using "meticulously detailed, layered instrumentation, the sumptuous deployment of horns and strings" to create cinematic, textured, and deeply narcotic soundscapes.
Music
The album is described musically as dream pop, space rock, and shoegaze.
Critical reception and legacy
Lazer Guided Melodies was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2016, Vinyl Me, Please listed the album as one of the "10 Best Shoegaze Albums to Own on Vinyl". In 2017, NME ranked the album at number 2 on its list of the "10 Best Shoegaze Albums Ever". While reviewing its 2021 reissue, Pitchfork described it as "one of the most gentle rock records of its time" and stated that "Spiritualized seemed to emerge from the ether perfectly realized, creating rock music that was serene, spaced-out, and untroubled."
Track listing
On the LP edition, tracks 1–3 are the "Red" section, tracks 4–7 are the "Green" section, tracks 8–9 are the "Blue" section, and tracks 10–12 are the "Black" section. Track 4, "Run", contains elements of "Call Me the Breeze" by J. J. Cale and "Run Run Run" by The Velvet Underground.
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Spiritualized
- Jason Pierce – guitar (Fender Telecaster, Eko Rocket, acoustic guitar), dulcimer, autoharp, piano, vocals
- Kate Radley – keyboards (Vox Continental, Farfisa, piano), vocals
- Mark Refoy – guitar (Gretsch Country Gent, Epiphone Casino, Fender Telecaster), acoustic guitar, dulcimer
- Will Carruthers – bass (Gibson Thunderbird)
- Jonny Mattock – drums, percussion, dulcimer
Additional musicians
- Simon Clarke – flute
- Roddy Lorimer – trumpet
- Will Gregory – saxophone
- Colin Humphries – cello
- Martin Robinson – cello
- Owen John – violin
Technical personnel
- Jason Pierce – production, mixing
- Barry Clempson – mixing, engineering, production
- Angus Wallace – engineering
- Declan O'Regan – engineering
- Mike Long – engineering
- Paul Adkins – engineering
- Chris Blair – mastering
- Gavin Lindsay – artwork
- Pete Gardner – photographer
- Andrew Sutton – sleeve design
- Albert Tupelo – sleeve design
Charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1992 chart performance for Lazer Guided Melodies
! scope="col"| Chart (1992)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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|+ 2021 chart performance for Lazer Guided Melodies
! scope="col"| Chart (2021)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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! scope="row"| Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
| 18
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