Amidst the swirl that is Spacemen 3’s discography, Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To occupies a pivotal position --- one right at the nexus between their garage beginnings and their expansionist future. While much of this material is expanded upon via Sound Of Confusion and The Perfect Prescription, many devotees consider these urgent, minimally treated recordings as the prime document of Spacemen 3 at this stage. Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To casts Spacemen 3 alongside the mid-80s cadre of UK front-line rockers, contributing a distinct variation of high pop shining through layered noisy guitars. Ultimately, this collection serves to exalt the strength of Spacemen 3’s songwriting over the atmospherics and production assemblage that would permeate their later efforts. Be it the rave-up rendering of “The Sound Of Confusion” or the churning take on “Losing Touch With My Mind”, these full band recordings capture the excited and inspirational spark of psychedelia rather than deep-dive ruminations on sonics and space.
