If the indulgent guitar rock of the early '90s was the party, Space Needle was the sound of its hangover. Mixing ballads with noise, they sounded like a melange of three guys writing sensitive love songs in a room while another trio improvises free noise freakouts down the hallway. Why aren't they better known? The answer has everything to do with circumstance, career path, context, and all the other reasons great bands never fully get their due until long after their demise. Seeing how apparently everyone else has caught up with them (see Animal Collective and Black Dice for starters) the time seems right for a retrospective.
Formed in 1994 by Jud Ehrbar and Jeff Gatland in Providence, RI (joined later by Anders Parker of Varnaline), Space Needle released two albums in their time, Voyager and The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle. Both releases have come to be regarded among the best rock albums of the '90s, but have suffered obscurity for years after being out of print.
With Recordings 1994-1997, Space Needle returns from hibernation. The album represents the best of the band's work together, along with the little seen video for "Before I Lose My Style." Maybe this time around, they'll get their due.
June 19 2004:
"The year is 1995. I'm 17 years old and going to see my favorite ska band The Skeletones at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. Primed and ready to get my skank on I am met with three dour looking dudes walking to their instruments. These three dudes then proceed to spend the next half an hour making super loud freak out psychedelic music juxtaposed with really interesting gorgeous ambient style, slightly kraut-style passages. Me, being a dude who likes a lot a music but doesn't know about all the different kinds, am blown away. I grab a drumstick that the one guitar dude totally thrashed on his guitar, and proceed to keep it for many years as a representation of being open to surprises and crazy music. I talk to the dudes about how crazy it is they are playing on this ska show. They are totally nice to a young Hawaiian shirt wearing 17 year old dude and tell me they are on tour and their real show got cancelled and had to the opportunity to hop on this show and figured why not. The ska fans were pleasant to them, and one (me) even bought a CD.
The dudes that blew my mind were Space Needle. Jud Ehrbar, the band's main songwriter, started the band as his four track project. Ehrbar and Jeff Gatland created the band's 1995 debut album Voyager a inspiring album of rumbling lo fi noise, strong melodies, and deep experimentation. Brushing up against the edges of shoegazer, prog rock, lo fi, drone, and free (jazz) music Voyager created it's own place and sound. Space Needle added guitarist Anders Parker (from the more famous Varnaline) for touring and he became a official member for the recording of their second album The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle (the name a direct rip from Holy Modal Rounders' 1968 album The Moray Eels Eat The Holy Modal Rounders also featuring awesome artwork from Roger Dean the man who created Yes' artwork). The second album was a much cleaner affair. It was recorded in a fancy studio with the man (Adam Lasus) who produced Helium's The Dirt of Luck. The album is much more segmented, meaning it separates all of the diffferent aspects of the band's different sounds. There are the wild free jazzy songs, there are the kraut style songs, and there are the quiet pop songs, as to where on Voyager those vibes came together on songs. While they do all things well, it doesn't translate to making the band or this specific album better.
Space Needle broke up shortly after the release of The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle with Parker focusing on Varnaline and Ehrbar focusing more on a solo ambient project called Reservoir. Space Needle didn't last long but to a 17 year old at a ska show they were certainly The Greatest Band Of All Time."
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Looking forward to hearing your compilation CD, which I just purchased. Hope you can make it to one of our upcoming shows in NYC (July 18 @ Cutting Room, Aug. 18 @ B.B. King's)!...Mike from WARCHILD
when i listen to sn everything seems alright, makes me think nothing but happy. thank you, it is love in my heart =the sounds of space needle. why doesn't everyone know? i would like to hear more from you kids......powerful space needle, very fucking powerful-mark
"Husker New, anyone? Canadian foursome Uncut have a similarly fine way with brittle belligerence ("Let's just kill all the living" opines opener 'Darkhorse'), labyrinthe melodies (see the epic 'Out of Sight') and artfully fractious strums (particularly 'Chainfight'), making this a minor post-hardcore masterclass. " Rocksound Magazine
do you guys ever play gigs anymore? do you want to play at my wedding!?!??? prolly not..ha! just lettn ya know...my fiance turned me on to you and you are "our band".
HEY SPACE NEEDLE! Awesome to find you, I am happy you are finally re-releasing some old albums- I had a tough time even finding them back in 1995... but I still like to listem to them! Thanks for the inspiration- Iris.
Hey There! Just stoppin' by to see how you've been. Sorry for bein' out of touch, but we've been out on the road promotin' the new record. It's available on our website now too, so if you're diggin' the tunes, stop by www.factandfictionmusic.com and snatch one up. We're also helpin' Right Guard to promote a new product of theirs, so check us out on their page at www.rgxlife.com/music/ . I hope all is well and I'll talk to ya soon!
Just stopping by to say hello and to hopefully put a smile on your face.
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You guys are one of my favorite bands i love your sound
are you guys ever going to tour???
I got your new album and listen to it all the time and The Moral Eels Eat The Space Needle too
Thanks for your great music
-Peter
Thank you for bringing so much sunshine to our world. Your love made our dreams a reality.
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peace and love
Rex
What's up Space Needle, check out this Cezanne ecard where you can listen to our latest album Breaking Bats for Jesus. Feel free to send it to all your friends. Don't be shy now.
-- Johnny
P.S. Indie records make great Christmas/Hanukkah gifts.
"In all that we do let us do it for love"
We hope you continue on with us on our magical trip. Smile and have a groovy weekend.
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