Editing Spacemen 3 (section)

===''Sound of Confusion'' era (1986)===

====Northampton demos====
In November 1985, Spacemen 3 played a gig at a leisure centre in Coventry to an audience of fewer than ten people.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=67–68}} Nevertheless, encouraged by the support of Pat Fish, they determined that they ought to record a new [[demo tape]].{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=70}} By this time they had reconfigured and honed their musical style, and their repertoire consisted of newer songs and re-worked older ones.<ref name="outer limits"/><ref name="Record Collector"/>

At Pierce's instigation, [[Pete Bain]] rejoined the band on bass in order to fill out their sound. Despite being a 4-piece again, they would retain the name Spacemen 3.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=70–71}} Kember and Pierce opted to upgrade their guitar equipment ahead of recording the new demos. Kember purchased a Burns Jazz [[electric guitar]] and 1960s Vox Conqueror [[amplifier]]; whilst Pierce bought a [[Fender Telecaster]] and a 1970s HH amplifier. Both of their new amplifiers included distortion/fuzz and [[tremolo]]; these two effects were key components of Spacemen 3's signature sound.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=71–72}}<ref name="outer limits"/><ref name="Record Collector"/>

In January 1986, Spacemen 3 attended the Studio Morocco based at the home of Carlo Marocco at Piddington, outside Northampton, to record their new demo tape. They spent three-and-a-half days at the [[Multitrack recording|16-track]] studio. Recording live as a group, with minimal [[overdubs]], they managed to get demos for approximately seven songs. Kember and Pierce handled the [[music production|production]].{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=72–75}}<ref name="outer limits"/><ref name="Record Collector"/><ref>Album liner notes – ''Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To'' reissue (Bomp!, 1995)</ref> with studio manager Dave Howard dealing with the technicalities. These "fine set of performances"<ref name="amg"/> would later be unofficially released as the vinyl album ''Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To'' on the Father Yod label in 1990 (albeit described incorrectly as "rehearsals in Rugby").<ref name="outer limits"/><ref name="Record Collector"/>

Spacemen 3 managed to obtain a record deal shortly after producing their new demos. Pat Fish had given a copy of the demo tape to Dave Barker, the owner of the independent record label [[Glass Records]], to whom Fish's band The Jazz Butcher were signed.  Spacemen 3 signed a three-year, two-album recording contract with Glass Records in early 1986.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=77, 87}}<ref name="Forced Exposure"/><ref name="outer limits"/><ref name="Record Collector"/><ref>''Sounds'', 09/02/1991</ref>

====Debut album====
Spacemen 3 were sent to record their first album, ''[[Sound of Confusion]]'', at the studios of Bob Lamb in the King's Heath area of Birmingham. With a recording budget of less than £1,000, they completed the album in five days, with the last two days dedicated to mixing. Attempts at recording the title song "Walkin' with Jesus (Sound of Confusion)" were unsuccessful and abandoned.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=87–91}}<ref name="Record Collector"/><ref name="ReferenceA">Album liner notes, ''Sound of Confusion'' 1994 re-release</ref>

Pat Fish was slated to produce the album, but he had commitments with his band, and Bob Lamb produced it.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=87}} Kember and Pierce were unhappy with the results, and they preferred the Northampton demos instead.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=91}}<ref name="Record Collector" /><ref name="ReferenceA" />

The seven-track ''Sound of Confusion'' album had a heavy psychedelic style. It was "a full on, fuzzed up drone of relentless guitar pounding" (Ian Edmond, ''Record Collector''),<ref name="Record Collector"/> with a "rough garage energy " and "minimal, bluntly entrancing riffs".<ref name="amg"/> A ''[[NME]]'' review of the 1990 re-release said that the album was "A lo-fi, mostly low-key affair."<ref>''NME'', 1990 – 'Sound of Confusion' (re-release) review by Simon Reynolds.</ref>

''Sound of Confusion'' was released in July 1986. The cover artwork included shots of the band illuminated by their light-show equipment. The album was not received well, making little impression at the time, although it went on to reach no. 2 on the [[UK Independent Chart]] in 1989.<ref name="Lazell" /> Publicity for the album suffered from lack of funding by Glass Records.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=92, 96}}<ref name="Record Collector"/>

During 1986, Spacemen 3 made live performances every few weeks. These continued to occur at local venues, with the exception of gigs in Chesterfield, Birmingham and, in August, their first appearance in London. The latter gig saw them receive their first reviews in both ''NME'' and ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=96}}

{{Blockquote|Spacemen 3 are practitioners in the fine art of repetition; instinctively drawing on the lessons of their forefathers and adding an atmosphere, a mood and a sonorous backbeat of their own... they take hold of a chord and work every last permutation out of it before calmly working through to the next.| ''NME'': concert review, The Clarendon, Hammersmith, London, August 1986.<ref>''NME'', 16/8/1986 – concert review, The Clarendon, Hammersmith, London, August 1986</ref>}}

To follow up their album, Spacemen 3 made their first single, "Walkin' with Jesus" in 1986; the received decent reviews from ''NME'' and ''Sounds'', and peaked at no. 29 on the UK Independent Chart, and no.&nbsp;46 in the indie chart published by ''Sounds''.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=97–98}}<ref name="Lazell" /><ref name="Record Collector"/>

It was in 1986 that guitarist Peter Kember started to use his long-term alias 'Sonic Boom'. He had earlier employed the aliases 'Mainliner' and 'Peter Gunn'. Bassist Pete Bain also adopted his alias—'Bassman' or 'Pete Bassman'.{{sfn|Morse|2004|pp=19}}