Spiritualized - Let it Come Down [Special Edition 2xLP Ivory Vinyl MARKED DOWN] - New LP

Heather Phares: "Jason Pierce has never shied away from changes in pursuit of his artistic goals.

He traded Spacemen 3's white-hot intensity for the gentler ebb and flow of Spiritualized, and took things a step further by firing the rest of the band after their greatest success, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. Let It Come Down is another step in Pierce's difficult, single-minded creative path. To craft the album's epic sound, Pierce sang the melodies into a Dictaphone, translated them to piano, and then transposed them into orchestral arrangements. This painstaking process results in an album that is equal parts intimate confessions and ambitious soundscapes, yet, despite the lineup changes and its lengthy inception, Let It Come Down doesn't sound radically different from Spiritualized's previous albums, proving for once and all that Pierce is Spiritualized and Spiritualized is Pierce. Instead, it feels like a natural progression from the densely orchestrated space rock of the first three Spiritualized albums, especially on the bleak, bluesy "Out of Sight" and the plaintive "Don't Just Do Something." Sweeping, stratospheric string and brass sections dominate the album, with over 100 musicians surrounding Pierce's frail, desolate vocals on some songs. Indeed, the lushness of the arrangements sometimes overpowers the album's relatively straightforward songwriting, particularly on tracks like "Anything More." While country and gospel influences bring the beautiful "Do It All Over Again" and "Won't Get to Heaven (The State I'm In)" back down to earth, Let It Come Down's elaborate sound doesn't always make its songs particularly accessible. When Pierce dares to keep things relatively simple, as on the insistent, yearning "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You" and the finale, "Lord Can You Hear Me," the emotional impact is stunning; the rockers "On Fire" and "The Twelve Steps" also cut the album's scope down to size in a direct, gripping way. Let It Come Down is another masterfully made Spiritualized album, but its very ambitions sometimes overwhelm it."

Bass Trombone – Andy Waddicor, Dave Stewart (2), Roger Argente Bass [Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Bass Vi, Burns Bass], Guitar [Fender Musicmaster, Fender Telecaster],

Banjo, Piano – Martin Schellard

Bassoon – Celia Birkenshaw, Gavin McNaughton

Cello – Tony Pleeth*, Cathy Giles, David Daniels, Jonathan Tunnell Clarinet – Anthony Pike, Richard Addison

Clarinet [Bass] – David Fuest Cor Anglais – Jane Marshall Double Bass – Diane Clarke*, Mary Scully Drums – Kevin Bales Engineer [Additional] – Andy Saunders, Chris Clark (4), Dan Porter, Lorraine Francis, Ricky Graham (2)

Featuring – London Community Gospel Choir

Flute – Andy Findon*, David Heath*

French Horn – Dave Lee (3), Hugh Seenan, Martin Owen, Michaela Betts, Nigel Black, Paul Gardham, Richard Ashton, Richard Bissel*

Guitar [Fender Telecaster, Fender Jaguar, Gibson Firebird], Organ [Vox Continental, Farfisa Compact], Piano, Synthesizer [Juno 106], Acoustic Guitar [Martin] – John Coxon

Guitar [Fender Thinline, Fender Jaguar, Epiphone Olympic, Vox Starstreamer Xii], Acoustic Guitar [Martin], Banjo, Organ [Vox Continental, Farfisa Compact], Piano, Harmonica, Vocals – Spaceman*

Guitar [Gibson Les Paul Gold Top, Gibson Les Paul Custom, Fender Telecaster], Effects [Vox Bulldog], Acoustic Guitar [Martin], Harmonica – Doggen Foster*

Harp – Helen Tunstall

Mastered By – Bob Ludwig

Mixed By, Recorded By, Edited By – Mads Bjerke Oboe – Chris Cowie (2), Margaret Tindale

Organ [Hammond C3, Vox Continental, Farfisa Compact], Synthesizer [Vk7, Kurzweil K2000, Minimoog], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Piano – Thighpaulsandra

Other [Music Administrator] – Alice Hills

Piano – Chris Clark (4) Producer – John Coxon

Producer, Arranged By, Mixed By, Edited By, Composed By [Strings And Horn Parts], Written-By – J. Spaceman

Recorded By – Guy Massey

Saxophone [Soprano, Baritone] – Raymond Dickaty*

Saxophone, Clarinet – David Temple, Pete Whyman, Tamar Osborn

Trombone – James Adams (2)

Trumpet – Andy Crowley, Ben Edwards (2), Bob Farley, Ian Balmain, Nick Smart, Paul Archibald, Paul Beniston

Tuba – David O'Carroll Vibraphone, Marimba, Timpani, Bells [Tubular], Percussion – Tom Edwards

Viola – Bruce White, Kate Musker, Philip Dukes, Roger Chase

Violin [First] – Cathy Thompson, Christina Emanuel, Edmund Coxon, Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Jackie Shave, Laura Malhuish*, Patrick Kiernan, Steve Morris

Violin [Second] – Ann Morfee, Dai Emanuel*, Jeremy Morris, Jonathan Rees, Miffy Hirsch, Perry Montague-Mason, Sonia Slaney*

Vocals – Andrew Busher, Andrew Gray (2), Emer McParland, Gerard O'Beirne, Heather Cairncross, Jacqueline Barron, Michael Dore, Mimi Parker, Nigel Short, Rachel Weston, Sarah Eyden, Simon Grant (4)