SPACEMEN 3 - "may the circle be unbroken" Tablature

Official SPACEMEN 3 Tablature & Sheet Music »

Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 16:56:48 -0400
From: a spaceman <gravitygrave_resident@yahoo.com>
Subject: s/spacemen_3/may_the_circle_be_unbroken.crd

*THIS TRANSCRIPTION IS ENTIRELY MY WORK AND REPRESENTS
MY INTERPRETATION OF THE SONG. PLEASE ONLY USE FOR
YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT, FOR PRIVATE STUDY, OR FOR
EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
If you would like to contact me with
errors/corrections, send an email to
gravitygrave_resident@yahoo.com.*

Song: May the Circle Be Unbroken
Performer: Spacemen 3
Single: Revolution (12")
Writers: Traditional
Arranger: Jason Pierce

Transcribed by Aaron Heisler
(gravitygrave_resident@yahoo.com)

_Notes:_ Popularized by the Carter Family ages ago,
this is a rather famous country-gospel song (sometimes
known as "_Will_ the Circle Be Unbroken?") that Jason
does a very interesting, very different, very pretty
version of. This song initially appeared on the
Revolution 12" LP and CD (the 7" pressing only has
Revolution and Che as a b-side), but later turned up
when Taang! remastered and re-issued Playing With
Fire.

The Carter Family version is transcribed in some
detail in the rest of the archive, (actually it's one
of the earliest files in OLGA - submitted in 1992 by
someone named Steve Putz from the Xerox PARC!) but I
felt it was important to tab out Jason's version for
Spacemen 3 fans. It occured to me after doing this
transcription and it's interesting to note that the
Spacemen 3 version is, for the most part, the Carter
Family version in the key of F.

Anyone else find it strange that the only
transcriptions of Spacemen 3 stuff I've been able to
do has been their covers? ;)

_Effects:_ Hmm...I'm sure there's something on
there...you can try pretty much everything you
want...phasers are always prefereable...

_Tuning:_ Tune this down slightly. In fact, it works
best on a mildly out-of-tune guitar. But not a whole
(or even half) step. Aside from that it's basically
standard EADGBe (standard) tuning.

Define chords:

F - XX3211 or 133211
Bbsus - 113311 or 688866
Bb - 688766 or XX8766 or X88766 or XX3331 or X133XX
C7 - X32310

The time of this song is 4/4. Play as below.

Ok:

F (I was standin'...) 4 bars
Bbsus (...cold and cloudy day...) 2 bars
F (...when he hearse...) 4 bars
C7 (...for to take...) 2 bars

Chorus:
F (..may the circle...) 4 bars
Bb (...bye lord...) 2 bars
F...

repeat for rest of verses, choruses...

That's about it folks!

You can visit my Spiritualized site at
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/electricity/index.html
for more information about this band. There is also a
guitar tabs section where things like this are
exchanged but as this is a Spacemen 3 tab it does not
fit...

Comments or questions should go to
gravitygrave_resident@yahoo.com

Thanks again...

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