Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Unpacking a box set of works by an artist, a group, any type of performer is not only a pleasure of memory, it is the ability to witness history in action, like reliving every detail of your life that is connected, every belief that sparked into existence, grew with speculation and setback, and became a part of your conscious ethos, opening up an anthology of work is to feel the emotion of the age, the observation set down on form and pace, and know you have seen in effect the growth of the artist from flourish steps to complete measure of a human being.

This is immensely valid when the sense of the authentic is hand when looking back to one of Liverpool’s most eligible and immense live acts of the 1990s and beyond.

The works of Space in their brand new offering to the fan and the uninitiated is perhaps a retrospective of time in itself, a deep dive display of Liverpool’s prowess of story-telling through song and sound, and in The Anthology…every care has been taken across eight CDs to capture the sheer intensity of the period, the pressures, the demands, the highs, and sadly the lows, of one of the seminal bands of the period the listener has been fortunate to follow them in.

Whilst the studio albums, and the surprising delight that comes with an extra bonus disc of songs, have been poured over before in great detail, tracks such as Neighbourhood, Female Of The Species, Avenging Angels, The English Language, the excellent She’s In Love With The Boy In The Bodybag, Music For Pleasure Music For Pain, and the smash hit of Tom Jones which had the glorious Cerys Matthews onboard within the duet of love and hate, all leaving their indelible mark on history and the musical conscious of the area, exemplify the meaning of the band, the richness of influence of cinema, and the excellent ability of weaving narrative to showcase sardonic wit in the most beautiful and infectious way.

The Space Anthology boxset is a reward of time, of seeing a lifetime’s work captured in the complete and the fullest of intent, and the memory of growing alongside such an important group, of being there at gigs, is one of palpable joy.

Ian D. Hall