Reason Magazine
- reason.com
- reason.tv
- reason.org
- Donate
- Site Search:
Reason on Facebook
Reason on Twitter
Reason on YouTube
Reason RSSGet Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsadvertisements
Rock 'n' Roll Spacejam: Open thread
Congratulations and farewell to the European Space Agency's SMART-1 moon probe, which went out in a blaze of glory this weekend, following a three-year career. SMART-1's innovative gradual-orbit-increase trajectory allowed it to complete its mission within a promisingly small budget. In honor of that and film critic extraordinaire Alan Vanneman's salute to National Make Fun of Star Trek Day, here's some far-out skylarking to round out your Labor Day:
If we could make a Rykodisc compilation of space/astronaut songs, what would we include? You've got the obvious picks: Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love," both versions of "Rocket Man," "Space Oddity," "Space Cowboy," Spizzenergi's "Where's Captain Kirk?" What else? It seems like there was a period from about 1968 to 1977 when every band on the planet released at least one space-related tune. There must be whole space rock operas in there somewhere. Does Blondie's "Rapture" make the cut for its lousy men-from-mars-eating-cars rap? Does anybody write space-related lyrics anymore?
I owe this idea to Gillespie, who once had an even better idea for a compilation CD of rock orientalism: Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting," Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Hong Kong Garden," David Bowie's "China Girl," Oingo Boingo's "Reptiles and Samurai," and so on. Contributions to that great moment in cross-cultural exchange are also welcome.
Special Buttinsky Update: I hate to horn in on a post not of my own making, but Cavanaugh gives me props for inspiration above and I'll do anything possible to push an even-greater version of "Rocket Man" than Shatner's own: Chris Elliott's dramatic reading on Letterman of the Shat's dramatic reading of "Rocket Man" at the utterly bogus "Science Fiction Film Awards." The Get A Life! auteur's take is online at YouTube here and will make you glad to be alive (go here for YouTube's compendium of GAL! clips).
Special hat tip to my brother John, with whom I watched the SFFA back in '78 and then the next day debated whether we had dreamed Shatner's performance, and Mark Evanier's News From Me site, which first brought the YouTube of Elliott's performance, itself every bit as much a post-apocalyptic triumph as anything witnessed by Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth!, to my attention.
chris|9.4.06 @ 4:06PM|#
I found these NASA
oriented LP rips last night.
Man on the Moon, the flight of Apollo 11
The story of Project Mercury
Friendship 7, the full cockpit recordings
Not exactly rock operas, but some of the more talented among us
might be able to sample them and make their own.
|9.4.06 @ 4:14PM|#
Pink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive
Astronomy Domine
The Verve - Star Sail
And talking about space rock operas : Hawkwind's "Space Ritual"
(cheesy as hell, but what else would you expect)
Greg Mills|9.4.06 @ 4:16PM|#
Easy as pie!
"Silver Machine" -- Hawkwind
"Planet of Sound" -- Pixies
"Starship Trooper" -- Yes
"Space Baby" -- The Tubes
"Mothership Connection (Star Child)" -- P.Funk
"Return of Major Tom (Why me)" -- Plant P Project
"Electric Eye" -- Judas Priest
The entire oeuvre of Gwar!
"Mrs. Fiend Goes to Space" -- Alien Sex Fiend
"Earth People" -- Dr.Octogon
"Supergalatic Lover -- Kool Keith
"Space Truckin'" -- Deep Purple
"Welcome Voyagers of the Interplanetary Craft" -- Klaatu/The
Carpenters
And the profoundly lame "Children of the Sun" -- Billy Thorpe
|9.4.06 @ 4:30PM|#
"Planet Claire" - The B52's
"Supersonic Rocket Ship" � The Kinks
"This Time Tomorrow" � ditto
"Starman" � David Bowie
David Bowie himself
On my iTunes "space music" playlist I've included "Journey of the
Sorceror" by the Eagles because, even though it isn't about space
or astronauts, it was used as the theme to "Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy" and that's the only context in which I can imagine
it.
George Wallace|9.4.06 @ 4:31PM|#
Harry Nilsson: "Spaceman,"
Bonzo Dog Band: "Urban Spaceman,"
for egregiously self-important space-rock-opera, Yes-man Jon
Anderson's solo album, Olias of Sunhillow,
and what space-based collection would be complete without Donovan's
immortal "Intergalactic Laxative"?
|9.4.06 @ 4:35PM|#
Ooo I�ve got one!
"Dancing In Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)" by Q-Feel. It's a fun little
song that you can find on 80's New Wave compilations.
.
|9.4.06 @ 4:40PM|#
Mark B:
The strings on that Eagles track are credited to The Royal Martian
Orchestra, so there's another point for adding it.
Kevin
(Nominating Sheb Wooley's one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' Purple
People Eater)
|9.4.06 @ 4:42PM|#
Marilyn Manson - Disassociative
Kovenant - Spaceman
I-F - Space Invaders are Smoking Grass
VNV Nation - Genesis (C-92 Remix)
Covenant - Dead Stars
Hansel und Gretyl - Uber Alles (The entire album is basically a
Nazi Space Opera Spoof)
I love the fact that in this sort of forum, you're going to get a
very wide sample of musical genres.
|9.4.06 @ 4:46PM|#
Marilyn Manson - Disassociative
Kovenant - Spaceman
I-F - Space Invaders are Smoking Grass
VNV Nation - Genesis (C-92 Remix)
Covenant - Dead Stars
Hansel und Gretyl - Uber Alles (The entire album is basically a
Nazi Space Opera Spoof)
I love the fact that in this sort of forum, you're going to get a
very wide sample of musical genres. Call it a kind of spontaneous
order generating hard to find information from disparate sources
with excellent local knowledge...
|9.4.06 @ 4:52PM|#
Although not specifically space-related, Shatner's horrific "The
Transformed Man" should be included simply because of his iconic
status as everybody's favorite starship captain
and...because...thisistheworstrock...album...evermade.
That, and because his absurdist rendering of "Mr. Tambourine Man"
makes clear that regardless of how classic Dylan's song is, it
certainly isn't due to great lyrics in this particular case.
He has, however, more than made up for it with his extraordinary
Ben Folds collaboration "Has Been".
|9.4.06 @ 5:00PM|#
Blue Oyster Cult -
Astronomy
Workshop of the Telescopes
Stairway to the Stars
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestial Intelligence)
|9.4.06 @ 5:02PM|#
For Space: Anything by the Flaming Lips!
For Orientalism: Turning Japanese by the Vapors, or Tokyo-a-go-go
by the Magnetic Fields.
Anyway, I live in Japan right now and hear more "American" sounding
music than anything else. Give the kids what they want!
|9.4.06 @ 5:12PM|#
I'd toss on:
The Dickies - Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Sun Ra - Space Is The Place
Nina Hagen - UFO
Legendary Pink Dots - The Saucers Are Coming
Parliament - Cosmic Slop
|9.4.06 @ 5:12PM|#
Also for Orientalism could be "Mesopotamia" by the B52s cuz the study of the near East, especially the ancient near-East, is called "Orientalism".
|9.4.06 @ 5:24PM|#
Space Lord by Monster Magnet
and
Teenage Pussy from Outer Space by Buck Naked and the Bare Bottom
Boys
|9.4.06 @ 5:32PM|#
"Telstar" by The Tornados?
both versions of "Rocket Man"
Is that a reference to the Shatner & Elton John versions, or to
the entire other song "Rocket Man" by Tom Rapp / Pearls Before
Swine?
That one contains the lyrics:
My mother and I
Never went out
Unless the sky was cloudy
Or the sun was blotted out
Way better interpretation of the Bradbury classic that the Elton
John song.
George Wallace|9.4.06 @ 5:33PM|#
Graham Parker "Waiting for the UFOs"
Tasmin Archer "Sleeping Satellite"
Genesis "Watcher of the Skies"
Yes "Spaceship Troopers"
Al Stewart "Sirens of Titan" [are there any other Vonnegut-inspired
space songs?]
|9.4.06 @ 5:35PM|#
What a swell idea for a thread! But I've gota go to a party where I have talk to people in person and stuff, so I'll check back later.
Windypundit|9.4.06 @ 5:36PM|#
There's always the Rainmakers' "Rockin' at the T-Dance" which
has these two verses:
Take a trip with me in 1967
With Grissom, White, and Chaffee on a rocket ride to heaven
A dead-end date aboard AS-204
It was American made
Only the best for our boys
And we were rockin' at the T-Dance
Rockin' at the T-Dance
I had another date with a homecoming queen
I took her to the prom in Apollo 13
We orbit the moon
We couldn't get home
Little Queenie's mom was pissed 'cause her baby didn't phone
And we were rockin' at the T-Dance
Rockin' at the T-Dance
You gotta give them some credit for working in the launch vehicle
designation...although the problem was in the command module, and
AS-204 was used successfully 11 months later on Apollo 5.
|9.4.06 @ 5:38PM|#
Everyone's Gone to the Moon by Jonathan King. It got to
#17 in 1965.
As for the Far East stuff, don't forget Kay Kyser's 1948 hit
recording of Frank Loesser's Slow Boat To China.
Kevin
|9.4.06 @ 5:51PM|#
"Space Age Love Songand" and also "Telecommunication" by A Flock
of Seagulls
(Their music is great)
"Telecommunication" is my fave Flock song!
Ultraviolet,
Radio light
To your solar system
On a beam of light.
This is telecommunication,
Telecommunication
Telecommunication,
Telecommunication
What a swell idea for a thread but I've gota go to a party where I
have to talk to people in person and stuff, so I'll check back
later.
|9.4.06 @ 5:59PM|#
Ok, I'm seriously splitting now. (No, this is not a Mona impression, back when she used threaten to leave H&R)
|9.4.06 @ 6:01PM|#
I second windypundit's nomination. The Rainmakers so rock! They
recorded a libertarian classic, Government Cheese.
Funny, though. I saw the guys live at Milwaukeee's old Century Hall
in the 80s, when they played out as Steve, Bob & Rich,
and I didn't like the show. I dunno, maybe they played covers of
songs I didn't care for. Maybe I was just mad about getting dumped
by some girl. :)
Century Hall was a great venue, before some @#*%$! burned it
down.
Kevin
|9.4.06 @ 6:19PM|#
Asteroid and Startship Landing - Kyuss
Stargate and other tracks from the UR (Juan Atkins)
Nocturbulous Behaviour mix
roger wellor|9.4.06 @ 6:22PM|#
"Man on the Moon" by Bob Mould....
partly because it quotes Sun Ra's "Space is the Place" in its
outro....
|9.4.06 @ 6:45PM|#
"All Alone" by They Might Be Giants. And "Space Suit" from the album "Apollo 18."
|9.4.06 @ 7:20PM|#
Rush's Cygnus X-1
And of course TMBG's Why Does The Sun Shine?! (And
Destination Moon, and the Planet of the Apes
tracks, etc..)
|9.4.06 @ 7:37PM|#
No Duran Duran, who were, after all, named after a space villain? Planet Earth, Ordinary World?
|9.4.06 @ 8:13PM|#
"Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo, also "Space Is the Place" and "Starside" by Spacehog. And how has the Hoagy Carmichael/Mitchell Parish standard "Stardust" not been mentioned?
Johno|9.4.06 @ 8:18PM|#
The Flaming Lips have a bunch of space songs:
I Want My Own Planet
Do You Realize?!?! contains a line about floating in space
Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon
are a good start. I also always liked to imagine that "A Spoonful
Weights a Ton" was about benevolent space creatures rescuing
mankind from a certain death.
And Tim C? As of a few months ago, "the Rykodisc compilation" is a
purely nostalgic reference. The label and its associated distro and
publishing arms got sucked up by Warner for a ridiculously large
amount of money, and the Ryko catalog is now part of Rhino. The
pioneers of music on CD go bye-bye.
|9.4.06 @ 8:19PM|#
Great minds think alike: I too once had the idea for an
0rientalism-themed compilation, but, alas, never wrote it down.
Besides the ones mentioned, such a compilation could include the
following:
Turning Japanese - The Vapors (Yes, probably a sexual eumphemism,
but the video draws on Orientalist stereotypes)
China Grove - The Doobie Brothers
Woman from Tokyo - Deep Purple
Kashmir* - Led Zeppelin
Walk Like an Egyptian* - The Bangles
Istanbul (not Constantinople)* - They Might Be Giants (cover of
pre-rock era song by the Four Lads)
Ahab the Arab* - Ray Stevens (a country singer/comedian, but the
song was, I believe, a pop top 40 hit, so we might as well count
it)
Traveling Man - Ricky Nelson (verses speak of his "China doll" and
"pretty Polynesian baby.")
* Your example were all from the Far East, but following Said
himself, I have also included songs about the Middle East.
|9.4.06 @ 8:29PM|#
P.S. It's more fun to try to come up with these on our own, but
if you want to cheat, a Google search for "songs about Asia" turned
up the following (the latter actually called "Orientalism party
mix"):
http://ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=4340379
and
http://ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=3890522
I'm afraid I'm not hip enough to have heard of most of these,
although I'm kicking myself for not having remembered Murray Head's
"One Night in Bangkok."
|9.4.06 @ 8:36PM|#
Sheesh, how could I forget Rock the Casbah*!
* Another Middle East one, of course.
|9.4.06 @ 8:59PM|#
Hey Simon LeBon,
Why did Duran.net shut down? BTW, I don't think that "Ordinary
World" quite fits the bill. (Great song though)
|9.4.06 @ 9:04PM|#
Some Misfits for good measure:
Mars Attacks
This Island Earth
Teenagers from Mars
I Turned Into a Martian
Astro Zombies
|9.4.06 @ 9:25PM|#
How you all have possibly overlooked the cheesy but anthemic
"The Final Countdown" by Europe?
Oh, that's right ... most of you weren't even born until
the 'Eighties.
|9.4.06 @ 9:34PM|#
James Kabala,
Didya catch my inclusion of "Mesopotamia" by the B52s for the
Orientalism category (near-East/mid-East division) at 5:12 PM ? To
that I'll add "The Lebanon" by Human League (It's so tragic that
the scenario that occasioned that song has happened again) (Human
League had some wonderful tunes. And remember how cute the brunette
gal was? Remember the vid for the song,? Fascination"?)
For the Orientalism (far-East division) there's "China Girl" by
David Bowie
|9.4.06 @ 9:52PM|#
Lots of choices from Man or Astroman, probably
"Transmissions from Venus" would be best.
|9.4.06 @ 10:15PM|#
XTC's "Another Satellite" and their alter-ego The Dukes of Stratosphear's "Bike Ride To The Moon".
|9.4.06 @ 10:19PM|#
The Creatures - "Pluto Drive"
The Dead Milkmen - "Right Wing Pigeons From Outer Space" (only
tangentially)
Classix Nouveaux - "Nasty Little Green Men"
Moonpools & Caterpillars - "Martians" (I highly recommend this
one)
Frank Zappa - "Cosmik Debris" (sorta kinda)
And we gotta include Straus' "Thus Spake Zarathustra" (since you
can't hear it and not think of 2001)
Thomas Dolby - "Big Bang Backwards" & "Moonbase"
James Anderson Merritt|9.4.06 @ 10:34PM|#
I second the nomination of Nilsson's "Spaceman," which was also
covered very nicely by The Roches with Mark Johnson on the tribute
CD "For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson." I thought this
song should have been the theme for the network coverage of that
poor guy who was stuck up in MIR for so long. In the back of my
mind, I still intend to do a little mini-documentary of that
particular Space Age episode, with "Spaceman" as the soundtrack.
Could be my first YouTube submission ... unless someone else beats
me to it!
Speaking of covers, Kate Bush did a most excellent cover of "Rocket
Man" on the "Two Rooms" tribute album.
Long after space travel becomes commonplace, I predict that EJ's
"Rocket Man," Nilsson's "Spaceman," and perhaps Bowie's "Space
Oddity" will be fondly regarded by our descendants as classics that
stood the test of time. I hope I live long enough to see it.
|9.4.06 @ 11:22PM|#
My addition to the Space Ode-ities: Gary Lewis and the Playboys,
"Way, Way, Out" (the titular song for the Jerry Lewis film of the
same name.)
For the Rock songs with an Eastern Orientation I submit The Tubes,
"Sushi Girl."
|9.4.06 @ 11:24PM|#
Flyin' Saucers Rock'n'Roll - Billy Riley & His
Little Green Men
Zero Zero UFO - Ramones
Also from da Brudders, for the Eastern-oriented disc(s):
Chop Suey and Chinese Rock. [OK, yes, we know
what chinese rock really means.]
Kevin
|9.4.06 @ 11:36PM|#
Boney M- Night Flight to Venus
Montrose- Space Station #5
Rootboy Slim's "liquor store holdup in space" ;)
|9.4.06 @ 11:45PM|#
Kevin:
Zero Zero UFO - Ramones
Thanks for turning me on to a Ramones song that I wasn't familiar
with.
|9.5.06 @ 12:26AM|#
Looks like the good ones are taken... Bummer, being 12 hours out
of sync with the bulk of the writership. But, there are a couple
missing:
Rush - Countdown
The Police - Walking on the Moon
Maybe the Police could re-record that for the new album, but take
an additional ten years and do it at a much higher cost. Hmmm...
That sounded funnier in my head.
And since Planet P Project was mentioned, I'll throw in "Power
Tools." But mostly because I like power tools.
|9.5.06 @ 1:34AM|#
Monsters - Blue Oyster Cult
The Great Sun Jester - Blue Oyster Cult
Light Years of Love - Blue Oyster Cult
Ticket to the Moon - ELO
Spacehog - Spacehog
Starside - Spacehog
Space is the Place - Spacehog
Kashmir - Dread Zeppelin (Tort Elvis gets abducted by aliens)
|9.5.06 @ 1:42AM|#
Practically every song by Hum uses a space metaphor. They are the single most space-obsessed band that I can think of.
|9.5.06 @ 1:45AM|#
"T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power Of A Fully Operational Mothership)" George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars
|9.5.06 @ 3:08AM|#
For Space: Anything by the Flaming Lips!
little trivia: the quality of a Flaming Lips album is proportinal
to the number of sypathetic critisisms of jesus vs SF anthems...for
every jesus song the better the album and for every song about
aliens, robots and kung fu the shittier.
|9.5.06 @ 7:19AM|#
Who could forget Captain Beefheart's (the great Don van Vleit)
classic "Big Eyed Beans From Venus"?
Distant cousins
There's a limited supply
We're down to the dozens
And this is why...
|9.5.06 @ 8:36AM|#
How about the only album that ever won a Hugo -- Jefferson
Airplane's* "Blows Against the Empire." The theme is "a bunch of
libertarian hippies steal a starship."
*It is the first work labeled as Jefferson Starship, but is from
before Airplane broke up and Starship had formed as a band.
|9.5.06 @ 10:01AM|#
I'll second GWAR and the Misfits (though not that post-Danzig
garbage) and add:
Clutch - Spacegrass; Escape from the Prison Planet
|9.5.06 @ 10:51AM|#
I love Chris Elliot. Does anybody know where I can find a clip of him, as Marlon Brando, doing the bananas dance? I have demonstrated and explained it to my girlfriend, but somehow I don't think I am giving her the full comic effect of this skit, which still makes me laugh, so many years later.
|9.5.06 @ 12:07PM|#
G Love and Special Sauce: Astronaut
John Sebastian and the J-Band: Ain't Nowhere to Hobo Anymore
Jens Fiederer|9.5.06 @ 12:18PM|#
Leonard Cohen's "Death of a Ladies Man" ends with
"It's like our visit to the moon, or to that other star....
I guess you'll go for nothing, if you really want to go that
far."
|9.5.06 @ 2:38PM|#
Air - Surfing on A Rocket
David Bowie - Moonage Daydream
T.Rex - Ballrooms of Mars
T.Rex - Cosmic Dancer
Kate Bush - Rocket
Wait, this isn't supposed to only include bands and songs
previously released on Rykodisc, is it? In that case, nevermind
most of my suggestions.
|9.5.06 @ 2:41PM|#
Air - Surfing on A Rocket
David Bowie - Moonage Daydream
T.Rex - Ballrooms of Mars
T.Rex - Cosmic Dancer
Kate Bush - Rocket
Kate Bush - Hello Earth
Wait, this isn't supposed to only include bands and songs
previously released on Rykodisc, is it? In that case, nevermind
most of my suggestions.
|9.6.06 @ 12:37PM|#
Another TMGB entry: "For Science" ("I will kiss the girls for Venus for science").
|9.6.06 @ 12:39PM|#
Another TMGB entry: "For Science" ("I will kiss the girls from Venus for science").
Site comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245