A third rockin’ plea to “come together” is on offer by Spiritualized, spinoff act from the original Spacemen 3. Note that all three of these exercises are separate and distinct songs, no covers here, with the Beatles relying on John Lennon’s wordplay and generally heavy sensibility and Primal Scream going for something more soulful, suitable for all-night dancing. Spiritualized is playing it the way they usually do, with a methodical stalking heavy groove that makes Lennon feel like a helium balloon. Google AI enthuses wantonly, as is its wont (sourced to the Sound on Sound website), calling the song a “landmark space rock epic” and a “driving, maximalist masterpiece,” noting that it “serves as one of the emotional anchors of their critically acclaimed third studio album, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.” Wow, I knew that album but didn’t remember this song—I tended to focus more on the 17-minute “Cop Shoot Cop ...” which feels to me more like the masterpiece. It’s true “Come Together” was released as the third single from the album, but like the others (“Electricity” and “I Think I’m in Love”) it didn’t do much. Sound on Sound’s piece from 2016 goes into great detail about the recording, so I give it its due. It’s also worth noting that the London Community Gospel Choir and its 40+ singers are also encrusted into the walloping wall of sound here. There’s some debate about the intentions and meaning of the lyrics, which I don’t see, not least because I can’t make them out well enough in the din. I can’t make much sense of the official video either, which seems to be some kind of “dead man walking” scene in inexplicable riotous conditions. Certainly I appreciate, as always, the throbbing caterwaul of fully mature Spiritualized with all its intricate textures, which seem to be coming from everywhere all at once when you turn it up and just submit to the grinding power.
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