Spiders is the debut album by English band Space, released on 16 September 1996. After signing to independent label Gut Records, the band recorded Spiders between 1995 and 1996 in Liverpool. The album combines a great wealth of styles and genres, including rock, hip hop, techno and funk. It was the result of the various musical tastes of the band members, with several songs containing several different styles within themselves. Many of the lyrics of the album, mostly written by vocalist Tommy Scott and inspired by films, are darkly humorous and largely story-driven, featuring numerous sadistic characters.
Upon release, the album peaked at #5 on the UK Albums Chart in September 1996, and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry in December 1996. "Spiders" peaked at #133 in Australia, #45 in New Zealand in May 1997, and #35 in Finland. "Money", "Kill Me", "Neighbourhood", "Female of the Species", "Me and You Versus the World" and "Dark Clouds" (the first two combined as a double A-side) were released as singles, though the former was re-recorded for the album. It sold an estimated 800,000 copies between 1996 and 1998. The album received critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising its unique sound and lyrics, and has featured in polls of the best albums of all time.
Background Space were formed in Liverpool in 1992 by vocalist and bass guitarist Tommy Scott, guitarist and co-vocalist Jamie Murphy and drummer Andy Parle and were initially inspired by The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix and The Who. Scott had been a familiar face on the Liverpool music circuit since the early 1980s; his first band, Hello Sunset, had been supported by an early line-up of The La's. Scott and Murphy had previously performed together in The Substitutes before renaming the band Space. Although most of the band were in their mid-20s, Murphy was only 17, and turned up to the band's first rehearsal session dressed in his school uniform. Space recorded their debut single, "If It's Real", to fulfill a publishing deal they had signed with BMG. It was released on 5 July 1993 as a 12" single through Hug Records, set up by the band's long-time manager and supporter Mark Cowley, with artwork designed by Carl Hunter of The Farm. However, the trio were unhappy with the results, feeling it sounded 'generic' and too similar to other Liverpool bands at the time, and set out to find a new direction.
Whilst on tour, the band discovered the music of hip-hop group Cypress Hill, and quickly became attracted to their bass-driven grooves and use of sampling. Soon after, they decided to recruit Scott's friend and former bandmember in Hello Sunset, Franny Griffiths, who at the time was living and working at a nightclub in Ibiza, in joining the band on keyboards and electronics, establishing the band's trademark, multi-genre style. Although Griffiths was unimpressed by the demo tape that they had sent him, he agreed to join them on the condition that they start writing better material. According to Griffiths, he had to sell off his car in order to purchase his first sampler.
Successful indie label Gut Records (who previously had chart hits with Right Said Fred on their sub-label Tug) paid attention to the band and offered them a deal in January 1995. The label booked Space a session with producer and The KLF collaborator Nick Coler to record what was to be their first single "Kill Me". The proposed B-side "Money", which was recorded in their friend David "Yorkie" Palmer's bedroom "for the price of a £5 electricity card" and mastered onto MiniDisc, proved the more popular choice by the label, so the two songs were released as the double A-side single "Money / Kill Me", which was released in November that year through the sub-label Home. Although the single "left the shops as quickly as it had entered.", it was received positively by the press and marked the start of the recording sessions for Spiders, with both songs reappearing on the album; however, "Money" was re-recorded.
Recording
The band recorded the entirety of Spiders in Parr Street Studios, Liverpool, between 1995 and 1996. Stephen Lironi, fresh off working on Black Grape's It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah, was brought on to produce the album, with the exception of "Kill Me" which was produced by Ian Richardson and Nick Coler, a song which was also mixed and engineered by Alan Douglas The other songs on the album were mixed by Jeremy Wheatley, who also engineered all the tracks except "Neighbourhood", which was engineered by Andy Kowalski. Gerald Lynch performs as a guest percussionist on five of the album's songs, with Tony Pierce providing trumpet on "Dark Clouds" and "Charlie M". It was subsequently mixed in three London studios; Air Lyndhurst, Olympic Studios and Mayfair Studios.
Scott composed all of his songs for the album on bass guitar, namely a Framus 5/150 Star Bass and Vox Teardrop from the 1950s and 1960s. In 2018, Scott stated that he has a personal preference of using older instruments and equipment, saying "I was against effects back then, to tell you the truth. I’m not into being retro for its own sake, but basically I just couldn’t be arsed pressing loads of pedals. My sound just needed to be dubby. I took all the treble right off the amps". An Ibanez fretless bass was used in the recording of "Female of the Species" to emulate an upright bass, as according to Scott, "it was the only way to get that sound. I was dead against it at first, because it seemed so naff and cheesy. At the time, only people who had their basses really high on their chests played those instruments".. "Female of the Species" was initially performed using a straight beat, until Griffiths came up with the idea to "stick scratching samples and a hip-hop swing underneath the track". As such, in the studio's basement, Parle, using only one microphone ("the minimum of studio technology"), "merely bunged a load of delay on the resulting loop". David "Yorkie" Palmer sang backing vocals on "Neighbourhood", although he had yet to officially join the band, though he assisted them in recording many of the album's B-sides.Liner notes.
Composition Music Spiders was described by critics as disregarding genre, and displays influence from a large array of genres and styles, such as hip hop, "brooding" Eastern European folk music, funk, techno, indie dance and Hawaiian xylophone music. Parts of the album are said to echo British bands such as Squeeze, the Kinks, Madness and Buzzcocks as well as crooner Frank Sinatra and The Walker Brothers. According to Consumable Online, "many of the tracks offer two or three completely distinct styles within four minutes of pop bliss." They described the album as "why full albums were invented, instead of singles" and said "the only common thread" between the tracks is their alternative pop sensibility. The magazine reckoned the closest comparison for Spiders would be the "psychedelic dance beats of Shaun Ryder's groups, Happy Mondays and Black Grape".
The album's combining of rock and electronic elements has been described as "a marriage in perfect harmony" where "the guitars don't lead and the beats don't overpower." The Daily Trojan described the balance as follows: "The album smoothly flows from song to song with underlying guitars that accent the friendly techno beats provided by keyboard player Franny Griffiths. The effect is one that gives each song a distinct atmosphere while seldom giving away too much control to either techno or rock. Electronic blips are not overused and show up only to give songs more character." There are also found sound elements to the album; Parle explained: "When we were in Hong Kong, we heard these children saying prayers, it was like a mad wailing sound. Straight away we got out a dictaphone and started taping it. If something's going to make a track sound better we'll use it. As long as it's not contrived."
Although the band and the album have been considered Britpop, the band and several music critics have disavowed the connection to the genre; Consumable Online said the band "bears relation to their Britpop neighbors only in their decidedly British accents and their country of origin". Similarly, Dotmusic said the band has "never fitted into any of the post-Britpop guitar band moulds". Although the NME noted the band were seen as "weirdly comic relief from Britpop and Noelrock," they also said they were "as much, if not more, in keeping with a classic British pop lineage as any of those bands"." One reviewer noted how the band were out "to destroy retro-gazing Britpop from within".
Lyrics
The lyrics of the album are mostly written and sung by Scott, with five other songs written and sung by Murphy; the unusual lyrics have been described as "blood-stained" and "writing madness". Scott said "I get my ideas from Quentin Tarantino movies and Looney Tunes cartoons. We'll never write ordinary love songs. We're more likely to write 'I met a girl and she's in love with me so she poisoned my entire family'." Much of Scott's childhood was spent watching violent American movies on television, which were an influence on the lyrics, but "instead of just relying on the sadistic imagery," the band "go for the full subversive effect by placing those images within the context of upbeat, chipper melodies". "I see the songs I write as soundtracks for particular stories in my head," Scott said, "Musically I like old stuff like Roy Orbison, and some new stuff like Tricky, but movies are the big thing for me. I've never really had heroes in music".
Scott commented that "'tis one of life's sweetest pleasures to see Space fans happily bop along whilst singing lines like 'Kill me, kill me/Oh won't you kill me,'" adding that "if the music sounded like some of the lyrics, I'd probably kill me-self. I like seeing your average grandmother or mum on the street singing along to 'Mister Psycho' but not realizing she's singing a song about a psychopath." Fearing some might misinterpret the lyrical intention, Scott affirmed "it's not done in a macho way. We're not trying to be macho, saying that we're tough. We're not like that. I grew up on films, watching films, so that's all that's in me mind. All I'm doing is telling little stories." Griffiths explained, "some of it's like cartoon humour, where you get hit by that big mallet but still get up and walk away."
Structure Opening song "Neighbourhood" is an "exotically-flavoured show tune" which features elements of "spy theme music" and a "mish-mash of styles". The song's lyrics concern of characters in the "neighbourhood" such as a "local tranvestite", a serial killer vicar, "the big butch queen" and "the folks who make a living off of crime - but are never there because they're all doing time". "Mister Psycho" features "bizarre faux-Spanish accents", whilst "Female of the Species" is an "ode to a female lover who practices witchcraft". Andy Parle said "I think we would all agree that females have more intelligence than males. And that's what makes them more dangerous." The "goofy number" has been described as "Burt Bacharach meets alternative lounge music" which is "sprinkled with some xylophones" and contains a background of "Mexican cha-chas". "Money" is an oom-pah-inspired track with a vocal delivery derived from Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera.