Escape Artists
Escape Pod => Science Fiction Discussion => Topic started by: Tango Alpha Delta on March 08, 2007, 10:51:29 AM
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[I'm copying a couple of posts over from the "Gender" etc. thread over in "Gaullimaufry", at the request of those interested in un-distracted debate.]
Now here's a thread I'd like to see develop, and maybe you all can help. Who are your favorite sci-fi musicians? I've heard of the folk bands that sing Star Trek ballads, and Steve has featured some great stuff on EP from time to time. I was fond of Peter Schilling ("Voelig losgeloest/Major Tom" is still pretty awesome), and there are always Led Zeppelin's Tolkein-based lyrics; but who really bases music on SF themes? Who does it and manages to evoke your Sense of Wonder?
We were at a restaurant the other night, and they were playing a '70's mix, so of course that included the disco rendition of the Star Wars music (Stuff from "A New Hope", complete with the 'Cantina theme'). It reminded me that I still have a cassette of Maynard Ferguson playing jazz/disco arrangements of "Star Wars", "Star Trek" (the Alexander Courage original!), "Battlestar Gallactica", and "Gonna Fly Now". Alright, Rocky isn't SF, but it's an awesome track.
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Now here's a thread I'd like to see develop, and maybe you all can help. Who are your favorite sci-fi musicians? I've heard of the folk bands that sing Star Trek ballads, and Steve has featured some great stuff on EP from time to time. I was fond of Peter Schilling ("Voelig losgeloest/Major Tom" is still pretty awesome), and there's always Parliament's Mother Ship flying around; but who really evokes that Sense of Wonder for you?
Wow, Sci-Fi music- there's a challenging question. There's a few that pop right out, of course- I'm totally with you on "Major Tom"! God I love that song! I've had trouble getting my hands on a copy of it, though. A friend gave me a 12" version recorded on CD- audio quality was OK, but at the end of the song there was a skip on the record! I still listen to it though. It's really long and combines both English and German versions.
Of course there's the other Major Tom song, "A Space Oddity" by David Bowie, and Elton John's "Rocket Man" is ok. Can I count John Williams Star Wars scores? I don't sit and listen to them on my iPod, but the Star Wars theme gives me chills when I hear it. (Laugh if you will). I think my wife feels almost the same way about the Superman theme, but she won't admit it.
How about A Flock of Seagulls's "Space Age Love Song"? The instrumental song at the end of Buckaroo Banzai? Weird Al's "The Saga Begins"? I like those.
I don't care for Duran Duran's Electric Barbarella- and now I'm stretching. I can't think of anything else I'm really familiar with.
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I'm not sure if this counts, but I have several of the Babylon 5 soundtrack albums, by Chris Franke. They're really good in an electronic, symphonic, space-opera sort of way.
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Albums with sci-fi themes or mechanics -
Deltron 3030 by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien: Fantastic Rap record with one foot in cyberpunk, another in Manga.
David Bowie by Diamond Dogs: Post apocalyptic record, his best from the Ziggy Stardust period
Fragile - Yes: for the song Starship Troopers and the amazing cover art.
Land of Hunger by The Earons: for stage presence
All of GWAR's records (not at all for kids)
Flaunt it by Sigue Sigue Sputnik (and all their other albums too)
Songs with sci-fi themes or mechanics (not including those mentioned above)-
To Tame a Land by Iron Maiden: Dune in Heavy Metal form
The Prisoner by Iron Maiden: The Prisoner TV show in Heavy Metal form
Somewhere in Time by Iron Maiden: Time travel story in Heavy Metal form
Pump up the volume by M.A.R.R.S.: sci-fi heavy video
Skullcrusher Mountain by Jonathan Coulton: As featured on Escape Pod
The Final Countdown by Europe: Possibly the worst song ever recorded (Gob Bluth's theme music on Arrested Development)
Elektronik Supersonik by Zlad: Australian comedian's "Molvanian" alter ego video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp_PIjc2ga4
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There was a song I heard on doctor demento years ago about the robot from Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
More so Fantasy than Sci-fi--The songs about Elric by Hawkwind
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There was a song I heard on doctor demento years ago about the robot from Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
"Marvin I Love You." For several adolescent years I thought the female vocalist in that song was the most beautiful woman's voice I had ever heard. I kid you not.
...Other SF albums I've enjoyed:
I Robot from The Alan Parsons Project. For that matter, their first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe, should be considered genre if Poe's work is genre.
Cyberpunk by Billy Idol. Don't laugh. I liked it.
I cannot believe Rush's album 2112 hasn't been mentioned yet, although I personally am not much of a Rush fan. I like "Tom Sawyer" and that's about it.
Individual songs:
"Mister Roboto" by Yes. One of only about a half-dozen standalone songs I've bought from the iTunes store.
"Science Genius Girl" by Freezepop. I know about it from the PS2 game Frequency. Who can argue with these lyrics:
When I clone a human being
It will want to hold my hand
When I clone a human being
It will be a member of my band
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"Mister Roboto" by Yes. One of only about a half-dozen standalone songs I've bought from the iTunes store.
um....that would by Styx.
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"Mister Roboto" by Yes. One of only about a half-dozen standalone songs I've bought from the iTunes store.
um....that would by Styx.
Argh. Thank you.
The embarrassing thing is that I could have just pulled my iPod out of my pocket and looked at it to confirm.
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There was a song I heard on doctor demento years ago about the robot from Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
...Other SF albums I've enjoyed:
I Robot from The Alan Parsons Project. For that matter, their first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe, should be considered genre if Poe's work is genre.
"By the last breathe of the four winds that blow,
I'll have revenge upon Fortunato."
That is a good album.
IIRC, he did one just a few years ago about "The Time Machine," but I don't have that one.
I cannot believe Rush's album 2112 hasn't been mentioned yet, although I personally am not much of a Rush fan. I like "Tom Sawyer" and that's about it.
You just beat me to it. :P
I think several early Rush albums have fantasy themed songs - Hemispheres, Fly By Night. So do many of the early Genesis albums, back when Peter Gabriel was with them - Watcher of the Skies, the Fountain of Salmacis (sp?), Get 'em out by Friday, heck, all of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. There's also a later one on Abacab - Keep it Dark.
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TV and movie soundtracks aside, I used to have the LP version of Rainbow in Curved Air by Terry Riley because of the radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Vangelis music, like Heaven & Hell, China, and so on, seems very spacey and sci-fi inspired to me.
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"Mister Roboto" by Yes. One of only about a half-dozen standalone songs I've bought from the iTunes store.
um....that would by Styx.
Argh. Thank you.
The embarrassing thing is that I could have just pulled my iPod out of my pocket and looked at it to confirm.
Hey, I'm just happy to help out. :P
I used to be a enormous Yes fan, practically a Yes bigot, so mistaking Yes and Styx in my mind is like mixing up whiskeys would be in yours. :P
(disclaimer: I like Styx, too. )
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TV and movie soundtracks aside, I used to have the LP version of Rainbow in Curved Air by Terry Riley because of the radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Vangelis music, like Heaven & Hell, China, and so on, seems very spacey and sci-fi inspired to me.
Have you ever listened to any old Tangerine Dream albums? Like Phaedra, Tangram, Stratosphere, or Force Majeure?
They have some of the spacey-dreamy quality as well.
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I think several early Rush albums have fantasy themed songs - Hemispheres, Fly By Night.
The full title is Cygnus X-1 Book II "Hemispheres" (unless you meant the album names) is semi-sci-fi. It's the second part of the song started on "Farewell to Kings "Cygnus X-1" Book I - The Voyage. It's about a spaceship that drives into a black hole.
The third album "Caress of Steel" is also very fantasy driven with The Necromancer and Fountains of Lamneth.
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More fantasy than sci-fi, but for any other Neil Gaiman junkies out there there was the "Where's Neil When you Need Him?" cd. I wish somebody would do more kinds of cds like this, for other authors/stories, as well.
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I used to be a enormous Yes fan, practically a Yes bigot, so mistaking Yes and Styx in my mind is like mixing up whiskeys would be in yours. :P
Heh. I feel the same way about Alan Parsons. He was my favorite group (an odd statement, but strictly accurate) for well over a decade.
In fact, I once got to see them both in concert: Alan Parsons opening for Yes in an outdoor ampitheater here. Unfortunately I don't remember much of Yes, but I have a good reason for it. My wife and I were seeing this other couple at the time, and the other girl was an even bigger Parsons fan than I was. (She had bootleg videotapes of the German stage musical version of Gaudi. That's hardcore.)
Somehow, through means I was never quite clear about but made for a fun story in my head, she managed to swing us all backstage passes. So as Yes was opening, I got to go back and meet Alan Parsons. It was a good conversation, though I remember nothing now of the actual words that were spoken. I remember only that he's very polite, very British, and very tall.
We then went back to hear the rest of the show, but our friend was all melty from having gotten to hug Alan Parsons, and we all found that far more entertaining than Yes's music. I'm very sorry about that, and if I ever do get to hear them again I promise I'll pay more attention. >8->
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almost forgot, entire album by Rudimentary Peni--Cacophony it's all about H. P. Lovecraft, songs about Brown Jenkin, etc.
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More fantasy than sci-fi, but for any other Neil Gaiman junkies out there there was the "Where's Neil When you Need Him?" cd. I wish somebody would do more kinds of cds like this, for other authors/stories, as well.
I know Tori Amos is tight with him -- and most of her stuff is "out of this world" in one sense or another -- but I'm not familiar with that one.
Oh, and there's always the Beastie Boys: "Intergalactic Planetary" (which is one of those "mind virus" songs in our house).
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TV and movie soundtracks aside, I used to have the LP version of Rainbow in Curved Air by Terry Riley because of the radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Vangelis music, like Heaven & Hell, China, and so on, seems very spacey and sci-fi inspired to me.
Have you ever listened to any old Tangerine Dream albums? Like Phaedra, Tangram, Stratosphere, or Force Majeure?
They have some of the spacey-dreamy quality as well.
My college roomie was heavy into that kind of stuff; Philip Glass, Klaus Schultz... he got me listening to Jean-Michel Jarre, and I still love those albums. "Waiting for Cousteau" is amazing (and a great soundtrack for reading Arthur C. Clarke). His 1986 Rendezvous contains "Ron's Piece", which was written for astronaut Ron McNair to play as the first live performance from space in Jarre's 1986 Houston concert.
Oh, and Jeff... that Zlad video is the funniest thing I've seen since the last time SNL was funny!
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I used to be a enormous Yes fan, practically a Yes bigot, so mistaking Yes and Styx in my mind is like mixing up whiskeys would be in yours. :P
Heh. I feel the same way about Alan Parsons. He was my favorite group (an odd statement, but strictly accurate) for well over a decade.
In fact, I once got to see them both in concert: Alan Parsons opening for Yes in an outdoor ampitheater here. Unfortunately I don't remember much of Yes, but I have a good reason for it. My wife and I were seeing this other couple at the time, and the other girl was an even bigger Parsons fan than I was. (She had bootleg videotapes of the German stage musical version of Gaudi. That's hardcore.)
Somehow, through means I was never quite clear about but made for a fun story in my head, she managed to swing us all backstage passes. So as Yes was opening, I got to go back and meet Alan Parsons. It was a good conversation, though I remember nothing now of the actual words that were spoken. I remember only that he's very polite, very British, and very tall.
We then went back to hear the rest of the show, but our friend was all melty from having gotten to hug Alan Parsons, and we all found that far more entertaining than Yes's music. I'm very sorry about that, and if I ever do get to hear them again I promise I'll pay more attention. >8->
lol - I saw that same tour!
Actually, I got to see AP a few years earlier when he was doing a solo tour - the same tour that he recoded his live album. Kansas was the opening act (another one of my favorite bands as a youth). He had a bigger band and two or three different singers. The guy who did his orchestrations - (Andrew Powell?) was one of the keyboard players. One of the last songs they did had a part for a male vocalist that was just "Oh OH OH" syllables, if you get my meaning. They had Steve Walsh, the singer from Kansas come out on stage to sing it. He has a voice about the size of the grand canyon. It was chilling.
I'm almost embarrassed at how many times I've seen Yes. Actually, I'm not quite sure, maybe 12 or 13. Some shows - one of the best live bends I've ever heard. Other shows - mediocre.
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lol - I saw that same tour!
Actually, I got to see AP a few years earlier when he was doing a solo tour - the same tour that he recoded his live album. Kansas was the opening act (another one of my favorite bands as a youth).
And I saw that tour, too. >8-> Those are the two times I've seen Alan Parsons.
One of the last songs they did had a part for a male vocalist that was just "Oh OH OH" syllables, if you get my meaning. They had Steve Walsh, the singer from Kansas come out on stage to sing it. He has a voice about the size of the grand canyon. It was chilling.
Was it "You're the Voice?"
You're the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Whoa... Whoa...
We're not gonna sit in silence
Were not gonna live with fear
Whoa... Whoa...
(Only each of those "Whoas" has at least eight syllables in it.) >8->
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lol - I saw that same tour!
Actually, I got to see AP a few years earlier when he was doing a solo tour - the same tour that he recoded his live album. Kansas was the opening act (another one of my favorite bands as a youth).
And I saw that tour, too. >8-> Those are the two times I've seen Alan Parsons.
One of the last songs they did had a part for a male vocalist that was just "Oh OH OH" syllables, if you get my meaning. They had Steve Walsh, the singer from Kansas come out on stage to sing it. He has a voice about the size of the grand canyon. It was chilling.
Was it "You're the Voice?"
You're the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Whoa... Whoa...
We're not gonna sit in silence
Were not gonna live with fear
Whoa... Whoa...
(Only each of those "Whoas" has at least eight syllables in it.) >8->
Yes, I'm pretty sure that was it. Was Kansas opening when you saw them the first time? When I saw that show, it looked like Steve was sneaking on stage to sing that part. I was curious if they always did that and just made it look spontaneous.
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Yes, I'm pretty sure that was it. Was Kansas opening when you saw them the first time? When I saw that show, it looked like Steve was sneaking on stage to sing that part. I was curious if they always did that and just made it look spontaneous.
Yes, Kansas did open. I remember being really impressed by their energy level. I can't remember if he came back on to do any Parsons songs, though. He probably did -- that's too cool a trick to do just once. >8->
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More fantasy than sci-fi, but for any other Neil Gaiman junkies out there there was the "Where's Neil When you Need Him?" cd. I wish somebody would do more kinds of cds like this, for other authors/stories, as well.
I know Tori Amos is tight with him -- and most of her stuff is "out of this world" in one sense or another -- but I'm not familiar with that one.
She's got a song on it, but it's not one of my favorites (of either her's or the album's). There's a lot of interesting and eclectic kind of sounds. I'd never heard of Thea Gilmore before but I found some more of her stuff after listening to this cd (she had a song about American Gods). There's a fun little song called Trader Boy from the Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish. Then there's a creepy as hell song sung in German called Vandermeer.
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...Other SF albums I've enjoyed:
I Robot from The Alan Parsons Project. For that matter, their first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe, should be considered genre if Poe's work is genre.
Yes, ok, I will take the award for being pedantic now :
It's Edgar Allan Poe. I'm sorry to pick on you, Steve, because it's wrong (the same way) in several posts on several threads by several people. Like his stuff, been reading it since back in the day, he's an inspiration? Try spelling his name right.
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is a great album, though. I have only an LP copy, so I haven't heard it in well over a decade. As soon as you mentioned it though, I started humming bars of the different songs. Now I'm aching to hear it again.
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It's Edgar Allan Poe.
I thought so. I was just too damn lazy to look it up.
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I could only find the dead-tree write-up rather than the original ask-the-reader blog but The Guardian has done a round-up of Guardian-readers' favourite songs about "Sci-fi and Space": http://music.guardian.co.uk/readersrecommend/story/0,,1929642,00.html (http://music.guardian.co.uk/readersrecommend/story/0,,1929642,00.html) The blog was much more diverse. The end product says a lot about what a Guardian journalist considers to be "worthy" SF
And my own suggestion didn't make it. Queen, "'39", from "A Night At The Opera": the first and sweetest folk song about the heartbreak of relativistic space travel.
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My wife and I were seeing this other couple at the time...
Wait, Steve, does that mean you and your wife were... um...
...she managed to swing us all backstage...
Well, I guess it does.
;D ;D ;D
Totally kidding, dude.
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My wife and I were seeing this other couple at the time...
Wait, Steve, does that mean you and your wife were... um...
Polyamorous? Yes. It isn't really a big deal.
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Polyamorous? Yes.
You had a host from a poly-oriented podcast read a story for us at one point, and I never made a connection along those lines.
(Sigh) I was born ten years too early. I'm the last generation to still whisper about such things behind the hand. In the end, the joke's on me.
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"UFO Tofo" and "Flying Saucer dudes"
by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
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I just listened to a song called "Ender Will Save us All" by Dashboard Confessional.
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"Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt 1" - The Flaming Lips: "Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me, but you won't let those robots defeat me."
"Mothership Connection (Starchild)" - Parliment
"Fazers" - King Geedorah
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I could only find the dead-tree write-up rather than the original ask-the-reader blog but The Guardian has done a round-up of Guardian-readers' favourite songs about "Sci-fi and Space": http://music.guardian.co.uk/readersrecommend/story/0,,1929642,00.html (http://music.guardian.co.uk/readersrecommend/story/0,,1929642,00.html) The blog was much more diverse. The end product says a lot about what a Guardian journalist considers to be "worthy" SF
And my own suggestion didn't make it. Queen, "'39", from "A Night At The Opera": the first and sweetest folk song about the heartbreak of relativistic space travel.
You mention Queen and you don't mention the fact that they did two scifi/fantasy movie soundtracks....
Flash Gordon and A Kind of Magic (Highlander)
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The KLF. I'm not really a Doctor Who fan (read: I've never seen an episode), but even I groove to their "Doctorin' the Tardis" released under their Timelords incarnation.
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The Mainstage at the Monkey (http://feeds.feedburner.com/MainstageMonkey) podcast has some pretty spacey music up on its latest episode... listen for free, of course.
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The best example I can think of is "The Songs of Distant Earth" a CD by Mike Oldfield. Oldfield enjoyed the Clarke book so much that he based his recording on it. The song titles are based on parts of the book like "Magellan", "First Landing", "Sunken Forest", etc. The music is kind of that ambient, dreamy stuff.
Otherwise, what about Kraftwerk, the German electronic band? They have a bunch of songs about computers and robots, etc. Who can forget the classic "Elektro Kardiogramm"? I guess a lot of people.
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There's always the subgenre of Surf Rock known as "Space Rock", but unfortunately the only title I can think of is "Telstar" by The Tornados (and covered by many others).
Nowadays, maybe "Man or Astro-man?" - http://www.astroman.com/ - fits the bill.
Fender Reverbs, whammy bars, and Theremins - what else do you need?
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What about Monster Magnet. Alot of their song titles deal with sci-fi themes.
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What about Monster Magnet. Alot of their song titles deal with sci-fi themes.
I heart Monster Magnet's "Space Lord". Thanks for reminding me of it. I have more music than I can reasonably listen to, and things get forgotten.
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What about Monster Magnet. Alot of their song titles deal with sci-fi themes.
I heart Monster Magnet's "Space Lord". Thanks for reminding me of it. I have more music than I can reasonably listen to, and things get forgotten.
I love the whole album Powertrip. Probably my favorite by them, with Spine of God next. Just ordered two cd's last night by a band called Turn me on Dead Man, that remind me of Monster Magnet somewhat. and you have to love a band that does a song about the Hale Bopp cult.
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I love the whole album Powertrip. Probably my favorite by them, with Spine of God next.
I'll always love Dopes To Infinity. Oh well, there's room in this world for both of us. ;D The very fact that EP forum folks like Monster Magnet is... not surprising.
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and if a fantasy podcast is spun off, I already know the perfect musician for that one. Anything by Ronnie James Dio. I swear almost all of his stuff, esp. Rainbow era sounds like he's singing about the D&D session from the night before. ;D
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"Lazarus! Come forth!"
I'm resurrecting this thread because this song has been haunting me this week, and besides, I thought it might be a nice topic to revisit after the great Homelands Cafe Brouhaha Massacree of '08.
The song is by Muse, and is called "Starlight". You can stream the full version here (http://www.last.fm/music/Muse/_/Starlight) for free (I don't think you even have to be a member... let me know if I'm wrong, and I'll stop linking to songs there). It's almost a perfect Escape Pod song!
Far away
This ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die
Starlight
I will be chasing the starlight
Until the end of my life
I don't know if it's worth it anymore
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
My life
You electrify my life
Let's conspire to re-ignite
All the souls that would die just to feel alive
But I'll never let you go
If you promised not to fade away
Never fade away
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
Far away
This ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die
And I'll never let you go
If you promise not to fade away
Never fade away
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
I just wanted to hold
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Haven't checked into them (yet), but I've heard the band Chrome described thusly: "If Philip K. Dick had a rock band, it would sound like this."
Among stuff I have heard, there's VoiVod. Pretty much the entire albums Dimension Hatross and Nothingface (the latter containing a cover of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine"), plus the song "Forgotten in Space" from Killing Technology and the Asimovian "Golem" from Angel Rat; maybe a couple of others that I'm forgetting at the moment.
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From the album The Outer Limits there's the epic "Jack Luminous", and "We Are Not Alone", to name a couple more.
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And of course, there's Frank Zappa's "The Radio is Broken", an homage to cheesy sci-fi movies in the same way that "Cheepnis" honored cheesy monster movies.
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and if a fantasy podcast is spun off, I already know the perfect musician for that one. Anything by Ronnie James Dio. I swear almost all of his stuff, esp. Rainbow era sounds like he's singing about the D&D session from the night before. ;D
I was into Dio from the early 80's to the mid 80's, until I discovered Husker Du. Dio's solo stuff after the Rainbow era is also full of dragons and wizards. From "The Last in Line" on.
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"Lazarus! Come forth!"
I'm resurrecting this thread because this song has been haunting me this week, and besides, I thought it might be a nice topic to revisit after the great Homelands Cafe Brouhaha Massacree of '08.
The song is by Muse, and is called "Starlight". You can stream the full version here (http://www.last.fm/music/Muse/_/Starlight) for free (I don't think you even have to be a member... let me know if I'm wrong, and I'll stop linking to songs there). It's almost a perfect Escape Pod song!
Far away
This ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die
Starlight
I will be chasing the starlight
Until the end of my life
I don't know if it's worth it anymore
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
My life
You electrify my life
Let's conspire to re-ignite
All the souls that would die just to feel alive
But I'll never let you go
If you promised not to fade away
Never fade away
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
Far away
This ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die
And I'll never let you go
If you promise not to fade away
Never fade away
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
I just wanted to hold
I LOVE that song. Actually, that whole album has "space opera" written all over it. Did you see the Knights of Cydonia video, TAD? It's pretty hilarious.
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I LOVE that song. Actually, that whole album has "space opera" written all over it. Did you see the Knights of Cydonia video, TAD? It's pretty hilarious.
He's right, kids: Knights of Cydonia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YygyHCRrKho), spaghetti western meets Barbarella! It's a h00t. :)
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I have that Muse album. There is definatley a spacey sort of feel to it. Spider Robinson did a collaboration with David (I think) Crosby called "To the Stars" or something to that effect. It's a little cheezy, but the song writing is very solid, and Robinsons voice isn't half bad. I think you can stream it from Spider's website.
For fantasy stuff, I don't think you can beat the soundtrack from the first Conan movie. Basil Poulidouris realy outdid himself.
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A college room-mate introduced me to the work of Morton Subotnik (http://www.mortonsubotnick.com/) (an electronic music pioneer), with the albums Silver Apples of the Moon (1967), and Sidewinder (1971).
Sample from Silver Apples of the Moon - http://www.mortonsubotnick.com/samples/silverApplesSmple.mp3
Sample from Sidewinder - http://www.mortonsubotnick.com/samples/sidewinderSmple.mp3
Mostly made on a Buchla "Electronic Music Box" system, an analog synthesizer. The sort of sounds you might expect to hear as a sound effect for a ginormous '50s computer, complete with das blinking lights.
(http://www.corestore.org/1800-5sm.jpg)
(PS - this is not a photo of a Buchla)
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I have, no world of a lie, the soundtrack to the novel of Battlefield Earth. You read right, the soundtrack to the novel, composed and at least partially played by crazy ol' L. Ron himself. It's on vinyl and I don't currently have a working record player, otherwise I'd record it and post some samples on my site.
I want to second The Flaming Lips. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is only one of the more obvious of science fiction themed songs. There's also "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" off the Soft Bulletin.
And though they were sad
They rescued everyone
They lifted up the sun
A spoonful weighs a ton
Giving more than they had
The process had begun
A million came from one
The limits now were none
Being drunk on their plan, they lifted up the sun
Forcing it off with their hands
The trapdoor came undone
Above our heads it swung
The privilege had been won
Being drunk on their plan, they lifted up the sun
Yelling as hard as they can
The doubters all were stunned
Heard louder than a gun
The sound they made was love
In fact, most of their albums have at least one or two tracks that feel very science fiction-y.
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I have, no world of a lie, the soundtrack to the novel of Battlefield Earth. You read right, the soundtrack to the novel, composed and at least partially played by crazy ol' L. Ron himself. It's on vinyl and I don't currently have a working record player, otherwise I'd record it and post some samples on my site.
I used to have that on CD. It was awful. Edgar Winter must also be a Scientologist; I can't imagine why else he'd have consented to record that unmitigated POS.
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I have, no world of a lie, the soundtrack to the novel of Battlefield Earth. You read right, the soundtrack to the novel, composed and at least partially played by crazy ol' L. Ron himself. It's on vinyl and I don't currently have a working record player, otherwise I'd record it and post some samples on my site.
I used to have that on CD. It was awful. Edgar Winter must also be a Scientologist; I can't imagine why else he'd have consented to record that unmitigated POS.
I'm going to take a wild stab at an answer: "'Cuz it was the 70s, man!" :-X
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When I bought Kid A my youngest lad (then 5) and I were listening to it in the car when the song Kid A came on. He asked me where this "weird music" came from. I told him this song was found in the wreckage of an alien space ship. He believed that for quite a while but has since learned the truth.
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When I bought Kid A my youngest lad (then 5) and I were listening to it in the car when the song Kid A came on. He asked me where this "weird music" came from. I told him this song was found in the wreckage of an alien space ship. He believed that for quite a while but has since learned the truth.
That's one of those cases where the truth isn't as accurate as your story... :)
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Add Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 'Tarkus' to the list.
The Moody Blues had at least one album that is bona fide SciFi music - 1978 musical version of 'The War Of The Worlds'. Another TMB example is 'To Our Children's Children'. One of its songs is "Eternity Road" (wonder if Jack McDevitt got the idea for his book from that song?) and another is titled "I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Million" (Itunes plays a 30-second clip of this 33-second song which is pure flash SciFi).
How about themes to a couple of old SF television shows? Like, 'The Twilight Zone' or 'The Time Tunnel'. Yes, I'm that old...
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Add Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 'Tarkus' to the list.
I can see "Karn Evil 9" perhaps, but "Tarkus"? :-\
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I have, no world of a lie, the soundtrack to the novel of Battlefield Earth. You read right, the soundtrack to the novel, composed and at least partially played by crazy ol' L. Ron himself. It's on vinyl and I don't currently have a working record player, otherwise I'd record it and post some samples on my site.
That certainly trumps my vinyl LP of Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415QV6QG21L._AA240_.jpg)
After nearly 40 years, it is (not surprisingly) still in mint condition.
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I have, no world of a lie, the soundtrack to the novel of Battlefield Earth. You read right, the soundtrack to the novel, composed and at least partially played by crazy ol' L. Ron himself. It's on vinyl and I don't currently have a working record player, otherwise I'd record it and post some samples on my site.
That certainly trumps my vinyl LP of Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space.
After nearly 40 years, it is (not surprisingly) still in mint condition.
Is that the U.S.S. Proud Mary he's holding there?
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Cyberpunk by Billy Idol. Don't laugh. I liked it.
I love that album. I still listen to it semi-regularly.
Also, Star Trekkin' (http://www.lyricsdir.com/the-firm-star-trekkin-lyrics.html) by The Firm, and I'll be Back (http://www.gladding.com/arnee/) by Arnee and and the Terminaters, for my parody picks.
Albums:
Vangelis' BladeRunner soundtrack.
Jeff Mill's Metropolis soundtrack.
Frontiers and New Technologies by Vex.
Famous Monsters by The Misfits
Individual tracks
Networking by Warren Zevon. For being written in the 70's it's very sci-fi.
Cold Machines by Alice Cooper.
Space is Deep by Hawkwind.
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Space is Deep by Hawkwind.
Quite a lot by Hawkwind, actually. (I liked to think of them as England's answer to the Grateful Dead, except that Hawkwind's music was actually psychedelic where the Dead was just warmed-over blues and country.)
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Space is Deep by Hawkwind.
Quite a lot by Hawkwind, actually.
True, but that is the one that stands out, to me.
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I've only tried an EVE Online trial account, but I found its music very compelling. It helped me feel as though I was in space.
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Alright, check this out, gang: http://wtmd.mixtape.sgizmo.com/ (http://wtmd.mixtape.sgizmo.com/) takes you to a submission form which let's you submit your suggestions for a "mixtape" to my local college radio station, WTMD (Towson, MD) (http://www.towson.edu/wtmd/).
Since there are obviously a lot of good suggestions for Sci-Fi themes here, I figured at least a couple of you might be willing to suggest a list of 8-10 songs to them, which they might then play some Thursday night at 8pm (EST). Of course, if you're NOT local, you should still be able to stream their broadcast... ain't the Internet fantastic?
If you do send them a list, be sure to post it here so we can all "ooh" and "ahh" over it... and critique your taste, of course. ;)
Road Trip (YMMV)
1. Medeski Martin & Wood - Let's Go Everywhere (http://www.last.fm/music/Medeski%2C+Martin+and+Wood/_/Let%27s+Go+Everywhere)
2. Miles Davis - Move (http://www.last.fm/music/Miles+Davis/_/Move)
3. Jackson Browne - Miles Away (http://www.last.fm/music/Jackson+Browne/_/Miles+Away)
4. Sheryl Crow - Everyday Is a Winding Road (http://www.last.fm/music/Sheryl+Crow/_/Everyday+Is+a+Winding+Road)
5. Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song (http://www.last.fm/music/Stone+Temple+Pilots/_/Interstate+Love+Song)
6. Tom Waits - Big Joe and Phantom 409 (http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Waits/_/Big+Joe+And+Phantom+309)
7. Buckwheat Zydeco - Route 66 (http://www.last.fm/music/Buckwheat+Zydeco/_/Route+66)
8. They Might Be Giants - Everything Right Is Wrong Again (http://www.last.fm/music/They+Might+Be+Giants/_/Everything+Right+Is+Wrong+Again)
9. Keller Williams - Kidney in a Cooler (http://www.last.fm/music/Keller+Williams/_/Kidney+in+a+Cooler)
10. Johnny Cash - I've Been Everywhere (http://www.last.fm/music/Johnny+Cash/_/I%27ve+Been+Everywhere)
Note: clicking on any of these links will take you to Last.fm, where (if the full track has been made available, and you let it play all the way through) the artists will be paid royalties for your visit - at no cost to you.
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Road Trip (YMMV)
1. Medeski Martin & Wood - Let's Go Everywhere (http://www.last.fm/music/Medeski%2C+Martin+and+Wood/_/Let%27s+Go+Everywhere)
2. Miles Davis - Move (http://www.last.fm/music/Miles+Davis/_/Move)
3. Jackson Browne - Miles Away (http://www.last.fm/music/Jackson+Browne/_/Miles+Away)
4. Sheryl Crow - Everyday Is a Winding Road (http://www.last.fm/music/Sheryl+Crow/_/Everyday+Is+a+Winding+Road)
5. Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song (http://www.last.fm/music/Stone+Temple+Pilots/_/Interstate+Love+Song)
6. Tom Waits - Big Joe and Phantom 409 (http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Waits/_/Big+Joe+And+Phantom+309)
7. Buckwheat Zydeco - Route 66 (http://www.last.fm/music/Buckwheat+Zydeco/_/Route+66)
8. They Might Be Giants - Everything Right Is Wrong Again (http://www.last.fm/music/They+Might+Be+Giants/_/Everything+Right+Is+Wrong+Again)
9. Keller Williams - Kidney in a Cooler (http://www.last.fm/music/Keller+Williams/_/Kidney+in+a+Cooler)
10. Johnny Cash - I've Been Everywhere (http://www.last.fm/music/Johnny+Cash/_/I%27ve+Been+Everywhere)
Note: clicking on any of these links will take you to Last.fm, where (if the full track has been made available, and you let it play all the way through) the artists will be paid royalties for your visit - at no cost to you.
Off on a tangent here, but the best "road trip" song is "Mei" by Echolyn. It's not really mix tape material though, as its running time is forty-nine-and-a-half minutes, being the only song on the CD of the same title :)
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Off on a tangent here, but the best "road trip" song is "Mei" by Echolyn. It's not really mix tape material though, as its running time is forty-nine-and-a-half minutes, being the only song on the CD of the same title :)
http://www.last.fm/music/Echolyn/_/Mei (http://www.last.fm/music/Echolyn/_/Mei) (Sadly, "Mei" is not available to listen to there, but you can listen to their track "One Brown Mouse".)
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http://www.last.fm/music/Echolyn/_/Mei (http://www.last.fm/music/Echolyn/_/Mei) (Sadly, "Mei" is not available to listen to there, but you can listen to their track "One Brown Mouse".)
That's the one. And though I haven't listened, I'd bet "One Brown Mouse" is a cover of the Jethro Tull song.
Back to topic, Echolyn doesn't really have anything SFnal in their catalog, unless you might count "My Dear Wormwood" from As the World since it's based on (or inspired by) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.
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Has anyone else heard of Abney Park (http://www.abneypark.com/)? They're a steampunk band.
Seriously.
Well, mostly serious. They dress up like steampunk characters and their music is obviously inspired by a lot of SF/F, especially steampunk. I first heard about them on boing boing, I think. They're also going to be doing some of the music on the Variant Frequencies that's going to feature my next story. They have a really good sound and some cool lyrics like these verses from their song Airship Pirates:
With a crew of drunken pilots, We’re the only Airship Pirates!
We’re full of hot air and we’re starting to rise
We’re the Terror of the skies, but a danger to ourselves now.
Expendable crew starts to reel her in.
Our swords are sharpened and we're ready to sin.
I’m 3 miles up, we're about to swing aboard.
My tethers made of leather so I’m not about to fall here.
Highly recommend checking their site out. They've got a lot of songs you can listen to for free. And sRobert's (the lead singer) comments in the "Adventure" pictures are really pretty funny. It sounds like he could've written for Firefly.
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Missed this the first time around:
... and you have to love a band that does a song about the Hale Bopp cult.
Then pick up the Porcupine Tree album Lightbulb Sun, which contains the track "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It is Recycled".
And their previous album Stupid Dream has the even more SFnal track "A Smart Kid".
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Ya, I've heard of Abney Park, and seen them play live (they're mostly Seattle based). Good stuff. Glad to see they're getting success outside the local scene here.
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ELO's "Time". I remember riding my bike to Pamida and buying the cassette. It is a concept album about the future with songs like "Yours Truly, 2095" and "Ticket to the Moon". I loved it.
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ELO's "Time". I remember riding my bike to Pamida and buying the cassette. It is a concept album about the future with songs like "Yours Truly, 2095" and "Ticket to the Moon". I loved it.
There's a lot of sci-fi goodness by ELO (I've written more about Jeff Lynne on my Last.fm blog (http://www.last.fm/user/tadmaster/journal/2007/12/29/609317/)). I particularly like Out of the Blue:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/ELO-Out_of_the_Blue_Lp.jpg)
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There's a lot of sci-fi goodness by ELO (I've written more about Jeff Lynne on my Last.fm blog (http://www.last.fm/user/tadmaster/journal/2007/12/29/609317/)). I particularly like Out of the Blue:
Is there anything SFnal about that album apart from the cover? I hardly think "Mister Blue Sky" or "Turn to Stone" qualify.
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There's a lot of sci-fi goodness by ELO (I've written more about Jeff Lynne on my Last.fm blog (http://www.last.fm/user/tadmaster/journal/2007/12/29/609317/)). I particularly like Out of the Blue:
Is there anything SFnal about that album apart from the cover? I hardly think "Mister Blue Sky" or "Turn to Stone" qualify.
Nope... you got me there. Even Starlight (http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Electric-Light-Orchestra/Starlight.html) isn't particularly SFish. Even their other stuff isn't actually very SFnal, lyrically. Calling America (http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Electric-Light-Orchestra/Calling-America.html) is all about satellite communications, and that's kind of a lame connection.
So, aside from their artwork and stage shows (I've heard about their massive mother-ship landing onstage to open their shows) I guess I was wrong.
Edit: oops. How long were y'all gonna let me sit there with my url hanging out?
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Haven't checked into them (yet), but I've heard the band Chrome described thusly: "If Philip K. Dick had a rock band, it would sound like this."
Following up on my own post here:
"If sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick started a band, it would sound like Chrome." -- Tage Savage, 18 May 2007 in the Vanguard, a free Portland-area newspaper.
"If sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick started a band, it would suck." -- stePH, 25 May 2008 after listening to Chrome: Anthology 1979-1983.
Apart from the horrible production on most of the tracks (if I wanted to listen to something that sounds like it was recorded in a garage, I've got Kenso's Esoptron which is at least musically interesting), the music itself is boring crap and the lyrics are unintelligible. Voivod's sci-fi rock leaves Chrome eating their French-Canadian dust.
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A couple on the theme of Alien Promises (http://forum.escapeartists.info/index.php?topic=1664.0):
Subterranean Homesick Alien (http://www.last.fm/music/Radiohead/_/Subterranean+Homesick+Alien) - Radiohead (http://www.radiohead.com/)
The King Of Outer Space (http://www.last.fm/music/The+Bluetones/_/The+King+Of+Outer+Space) - The Bluetones (http://www.bluetones.info/)
(Song links go to last.fm, following TAD's good example.)
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Finally got a chance to check out Abney Park. I really liked what i heard, but it also seemed like most of their stuff sounds the same. Granted, my sampling was limited to what they have on their site.
I would also suggest Zoe Keating's music. I haven't listened to as much as i'd like, but she has some a pretty good sample on her site, as well as being the composer for the music on Stranger Things.
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I can't believe it's taken me this long to remember Ayreon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayreon).
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Have a listen to Tom Recchion (http://www.myspace.com/tomrecchion)
The tunes I'm more familiar with are the ones I got from http://epitonic.com/artists/tomrecchion.html - but you may have to register to listen or download.
The Epitonic blurb sez:
Tom Recchion
Birdman Records
You might not think of exotica as the most likely candidate among music genres for the sci-fi treatment, but that's just what Tom Recchion gives it. The alumnus of the legendary '70s avant-garde collective the Los Angeles Free Music Society deconstructs the familiar Polynesian bounce and tropical flutter that endeared artists like Martin Denny, Esquivel, and Les Baxter to the hearts of many in the '50s (and then again in the '90s). On his aptly titled 1996 Birdman release, Chaotica (actually recorded in 1985-6), Recchion uses prerecorded tape loops, keyboards, and effects to turn exotica into something positively otherworldly. The results are deliciously and dizzyingly strange: this is the music you'd expect to hear in the tiki bar of a 22nd century space station.
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There have been a lot of bands that do sci-fi/fantasy material. A lot of my favorites have been mentioned but here are a few that seem to have been missed:
Sci-fi-
Lost in Space (theme) - Apollo 440
The Done The Impossible Album - Various Artists (All about Firefly)
Veteran Of The Psychick Wars - Blue Oyster Cult
Starman - David Bowie
Degh - Degh (If you can find it, it's Klingon Techno... In Klingon)
Final Countdown - Europe
Down In The Park - Gary Numan
Pure Energy - Information Society
Veteran Cosmic Rocker - Moody Blues
Weird Science - Oingo Boingo
Rule The Planet (Remix) - Paul Oakenfold (From Planet of the Apes)
Not to mention all the stuff that Dr. Demento has gotten his hands on through the years (Like Star Trekkin' and The Ballad of Will Robinson perfomed by Bill Mumy) and a ton of other music that could be argued as sci-fi depending on your definition.
For Fantasy, I can think of enough off hand that would have me typing all night but I would definitely look into:
Nearly anything by Manowar
Burnt Offerings - Iced Earth
Dante's Inferno - Iced Earth
Anything from Rhapsody of Fire (They recently did some marvelous work with guest vocalist Christopher Lee... Yes *that* Christopher Lee)
O Fortuna - Apotheosis (Again, *if* you can find it. It was on the original Rave Till Dawn album before they ran into copyright issues)
The Queen II album - Queen
Anything by Running Wild (All pirate themed)
And, of course, there's a wide variety of soundtracks and classical music that fit the bill. (Wagner, Orff, Holst, etc.)
Sorry I came to the party late, but I hope you take the time to check some of these out. I will also second the recommendation of the album Time by ELO. It is entirely sci-fi themed and in my opinion one of the best constructed albums, from beginning to end, that I've ever heard.
Good Listening!!
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For Fantasy, I can think of enough off hand that would have me typing all night but I would definitely look into:
Nearly anything by Manowar
Burnt Offerings - Iced Earth
Dante's Inferno - Iced Earth
Anything from Rhapsody of Fire (They recently did some marvelous work with guest vocalist Christopher Lee... Yes *that* Christopher Lee)
O Fortuna - Apotheosis (Again, *if* you can find it. It was on the original Rave Till Dawn album before they ran into copyright issues)
The Queen II album - Queen
Anything by Running Wild (All pirate themed)
... and I've just remembered Symphony X (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_x), particularly The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite.
You're quite correct, heavy metal offers an embarassment of riches for those in search of fantasy-themed material.
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All of these comments about Sci-Fi music but no mention of John-Luc Ponty? ???
Who here is older than 30??? ;D ;D ;D ;D
OMG! ::)
Such a waste of electrons on the plasma screens to spout about Rush and Yes and have never listened to some of the musicians who creating Imiginary Planets right between ours ears... <<<sigh>>> [/rant] ;D ;D
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All of these comments about Sci-Fi music but no mention of John-Luc Ponty? ???
Who here is older than 30??? ;D ;D ;D ;D
OMG! ::)
Such a waste of electrons on the plasma screens to spout about Rush and Yes and have never listened to some of the musicians who creating Imiginary Planets right between ours ears... <<<sigh>>> [/rant] ;D ;D
I have King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa on CD. I didn't know there was anything particularly SFnal about him.
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All of these comments about Sci-Fi music but no mention of John-Luc Ponty? ???
Who here is older than 30??? ;D ;D ;D ;D
OMG! ::)
Such a waste of electrons on the plasma screens to spout about Rush and Yes and have never listened to some of the musicians who creating Imiginary Planets right between ours ears... <<<sigh>>> [/rant] ;D ;D
I have King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa on CD. I didn't know there was anything particularly SFnal about him.
re: King Kong/Zappa CD Never heard it... but of course, you didn't answer the "over 30" question...
http://www.ponty.com/index.php?section=discography&page=1&search=1&category=81
JLP's music in the late 70's period was not as contrived - and never got the critical recognition it deserved. The early 80's period definitely classifies as SciFi as he was able to use the then-new digital tools for recording and composing. Many of the musicians he worked with (there was really never a JLP band) rate as the "most inventive" and "beyond category" artists even today. Seeing Allen Holdsworth demo the (then new ) synthAxe controller at the 1986 NAMM show... wow!
Why wait another 30 years before you check out his catologue?
Link above will give you a taste... let me know... ( I'm partial to "Imaginary Voyages" myself, but I digress...)
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re: King Kong/Zappa CD Never heard it... but of course, you didn't answer the "over 30" question...
I turned 39 on Monday last week if you must know.
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IO9 has a great post about concept albums based on or inspired by science fiction: http://io9.com/5047212/the-greatest-concept-album-adaptations-of-classic-scifi-tales (http://io9.com/5047212/the-greatest-concept-album-adaptations-of-classic-scifi-tales)
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Norm Sherman's Sci-fi High is pretty hilarious
http://homepage.mac.com/WebObjects/FileSharing.woa/wa/Scifihigh!.mp3.mp3?a=downloadFile&user=normsherman&path=/Music/Scifihigh!.mp3 (http://homepage.mac.com/WebObjects/FileSharing.woa/wa/Scifihigh!.mp3.mp3?a=downloadFile&user=normsherman&path=/Music/Scifihigh!.mp3)
Anyone ever heard of MC Lars?
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How could I have forgotten Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Wayne%27s_Musical_Version_of_The_War_of_the_Worlds) (1978), featuring Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), narration by Richard Burton (the actor, not the explorer/adventurer). It was okay, at best.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/WayneTWOTW.jpg)
The repetition of "Ulla!", the cry made by the Martians, and certain musical refrains throughout the musical act as leitmotifs.
Oh yeah. I did think of it when I listened to the EP episode "Ulla".
PS. Pushing 56, next April.
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Thought I'd share this. Mr. Tweedy made a music video to my song Pimp My Satellite, and it might make ya chuckle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMXk5Y7Gv6Y
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Thought I'd share this. Mr. Tweedy made a music video to my song Pimp My Satellite, and it might make ya chuckle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMXk5Y7Gv6Y
You're Norm Sherman? I didn't know that. :-\
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Oh yeah. My earlier reference to Justin Hayward remided me of The Moody Blues' album To Our Children's Children's Children (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Our_Children%27s_Children%27s_Children)
Like it sez:
It was inspired by the 1969 moon landing, and the songs center around the twin themes of space travel and children, with minor-key tonalities and a distinct psychedelic influence.
On an earlier (1969) album, the song In The Beginning starts off with a bit of spoken word stuff...
First Man: I think, I think I am, therefore I am, I think.
Establishment: Of course you are my bright little star,
I've miles
And miles
Of files
Pretty files of your forefather's fruit and now to suit our great computer,
You're magnetic ink.
First Man: I'm more than that, I know I am, at least, I think I must be.
... which I always took to mean that the "First Man" is trying to convince himself that he is is "real" and not an A.I. Fairly advanced concept for a popular music album.
A more mundane interpretation might be that he is ranting against being treated as a mere statistic.
BTW: That track segues into Lovely to See You, my favourite Moody Blues song, evar.
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Anyone ever heard of MC Lars?
YES. Love me some Lars. His track "Space Game" is probably his most sci-fi song. :D
I think a lot of post-rock would work as sci-fi, such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, World's End Girlfriend, and God is an Astronaut.
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Thought I'd share this. Mr. Tweedy made a music video to my song Pimp My Satellite, and it might make ya chuckle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMXk5Y7Gv6Y
You're Norm Sherman? I didn't know that. :-\
Thanks for the warm, fuzzy feeling.
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Otherwise, what about Kraftwerk, the German electronic band?
Only just saw this thread now, sorry for the lateness of the reply.....
Kraftwerk are not just 'the electronic band', they are The electronic band. They weren't just electronic, they pretty much created the style of music.
I mean, without them, we'd never have had works of genius like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP1tkspU5yw
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Well then Kraftwerk is at the top of my most hated list. The comedian in the clip didn't seem to like them either.
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Oh no, all his spoofs and assorted homages are meant with love.
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Thought I'd share this. Mr. Tweedy made a music video to my song Pimp My Satellite, and it might make ya chuckle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMXk5Y7Gv6Y
You're Norm Sherman? I didn't know that. :-\
Thanks for the warm, fuzzy feeling.
Cool video!
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I like the song. The video is useful for me to provide a link so my friends can hear it.
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Speak of the devil......
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lqpl7#synopsis
"Steve Lamacq presents The War Of The Worlds performed live at London's 02 Arena, with Jeff Wayne conducting The Black Smoke Band, The ULLAdubULLA Strings; and featuring Jennifer Ellison, The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward, Manfred Mann's Chris Thompson; and the voice of Richard Burton.
Inspired by HG Wells' famous novel, the prog rock and classical album was released in June 1978, and has since spent over 330 weeks in the UK Album Chart and won two Ivor Novello Awards. This multi-media stage version was produced to mark the 30th anniversary of the album's release and was recorded by Radio 2 on 21 June 2009."
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Kraftwerk are not just 'the electronic band', they are The electronic band. They weren't just electronic, they pretty much created the style of music.
Oh, hardly. Kraftwerk, formed in 1970.
Tangerine Dream (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangerine_Dream) formed in 1967, first album released in 1970. I wouldn't say they "invented it" either. Both of them just managed to commercialize it more successfully, by making it more bland.
See also Morton Subotnick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morton_Subotnick), BBC Radiophonic Workshop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radiophonic_Workshop) (who gave us the Dr. Who theme music, 1963), Iannis Xenakis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iannis_Xenakis), Karlheinz Stockhausen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockhausen), etc.
It goes way back.
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I would have said the BBC Radiophonic Workshop were at least partially responsible for the real genesis of electronic music, but Kraftwerk and others were the most successful with it.
It's difficult to find the origins of most music genres because virtually every artist is copying off another one, or drawing together the traits of several artists/genres like ingredients into a delicious pie. Even though you might look at an artist and say "right, alternative rock starts HERE" there's no way of knowing whether their ideas come from underground or short-lived bands which few people have heard of.
And then of course there's the Ondes Martenot, a fantastic sounding instrument which is electronic. and that was invented in 1928! You could argue that that was the genesis of electronic music, with the first of the electronic instruments.
If you've never heard the Ondes Martenot in action, by the way, it's really something special and they remain quite rare.
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And then of course there's the Ondes Martenot, a fantastic sounding instrument which is electronic. and that was invented in 1928! You could argue that that was the genesis of electronic music, with the first of the electronic instruments.
If you've never heard the Ondes Martenot in action, by the way, it's really something special and they remain quite rare.
I went looking on YouTube and found this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy9UBjrUjwo) on the Ondes Martenot.
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It's incredibly cool the way they wear rings to play it, I've always thought.
The sounds it makes are just fantastic, I really love the way it sounds...
I'll admit that I love this mainly because of Radiohead using it on How To Disappear Completely, but I've listened to plenty of other Ondes music because of that song. The band is so obsessed with the Ondes that they use it live in every other song, and it works very well.
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The band that played before me at Con on the Cobb this weekend was a really cool sci-fi band called 19 Action News. Kind of a Dave Bowie meets Gorillaz sound. The album of theirs I got is all about the Apocalypse, the songs all different events and individual's stories in the last days. As you listen to the last few tracks you find that there is a larger unifying plot going on which ends up concluding really cool. The last track is really pretty-- the only lyrics are:
"Here it comes, it's like the rays of the sun, it's like the cool of the breeze, it's the like the shade of the trees"
http://www.myspace.com/19actionnews
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Deltron 3030.
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/ivan1087/SHMNhp9KD0I/AAAAAAAACjg/XQHIrJgt3_g/samples%20deltron%203030%20large.jpg)
Deltron 3030 is a supergroup consisting of 3 members: the hugely slept on Del tha Funkee Homosapien (who is mostly known for his contribution on Gorillaz’ first album), Dan the Automator who takes the spot as producer and last but not least DJ Kid Koala, who works miracles on the turntables. Together they created a masterpiece.
Set in the year 3030 (this being a full concept album), it revolves around the character Deltron Zero who is sent out to out-rap all rappers in a corporate controlled society (well, that’s what I got out of it). The whole album is like a space opera where Dan the Automator creates this amazing atmosphere of mind state, which can only be described as something in the way of dead space. Here Del can float around and do whatever he wants to, fusing vivid metaphors with slick flows and a clear direction; all of which he does to perfection. He flows so flawlessly on the smooth sci-fi beats, and his rhymes keep you challenged and mind-blown at the same time.
The musical aspect is what makes this album come together so well. Truly reassembling a sound so unique it’s hard to compare with any other release I can remember. Stretching over more than 24 tracks, it’s a tour de force in futuristic beats sprinkled with hard-hitting snares, biting drums and looped samples that will dig under your skin and crawl down your spine. Borrowing from everything within the range of alt-rock riffs and opera samples, every beat is in constant development to enhance itself and surprise the listener. Kid Koala’s signature scratching is visible throughout all 24 tracks which makes the whole ride so much more fun and interesting, because not only do you get super complex rhymes and beats, you are also constantly reminded that despite being on some planet 1000 years from now, this is still in the heart of Hip-Hop.
“Who fuses the music, with no illusions
Producing the blueprints, clueless?
Automator – defy the laws of nature
Electronic monolith throw a jam upon the disc
The futuristic looper with the quickness
Hyper-producin’ hydrogen fusion liquids keep your distance”
To be honest, this is quite a geeky album; the lyricism that controls the album is in a techno language that can be a bit hard to follow. You won’t really get it on your first listen. For me, this is a vital album to remind us that music should be fun, challenging and always moving forward. Everyone should listen to this album, it’s simply something you can’t miss out on. Standout tracks would be the incredibly beautiful “3030″, the boom bap like “Mastermind”, the almost psychotic “Madness” and middle eastern inspired “Turbulence”. However, you shouldn’t skip any tracks as you would only miss out on the complete package, which is important for such a creation.
My advice would be to put it on and just drift away into this foreign universe along with the 3 creators and see the world the way they see it.
I actually came to nerdcore rap by way of this album. I also came to Gorillaz by way of this album.
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...and speaking of nerdcore rap, the Futuristic Sex Robotz have a couple of SFnal tracks on their album HOTEL CORAL ESSEX (http://futuristicsexrobotz.net/) (free download!)
One about Back to the Future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etGAMudQl8Q
...and one about Lt. Cmdr. Data: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qar0unFwm2I
Be warned, the Data one is SRSLY NSFW. Even the BttF rap is a bit explicit.
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Deltron 3030.
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/ivan1087/SHMNhp9KD0I/AAAAAAAACjg/XQHIrJgt3_g/samples%20deltron%203030%20large.jpg)
Deltron 3030 is a supergroup consisting of 3 members: the hugely slept on Del tha Funkee Homosapien (who is mostly known for his contribution on Gorillaz’ first album), Dan the Automator who takes the spot as producer and last but not least DJ Kid Koala, who works miracles on the turntables. Together they created a masterpiece.
Set in the year 3030 (this being a full concept album), it revolves around the character Deltron Zero who is sent out to out-rap all rappers in a corporate controlled society (well, that’s what I got out of it). The whole album is like a space opera where Dan the Automator creates this amazing atmosphere of mind state, which can only be described as something in the way of dead space. Here Del can float around and do whatever he wants to, fusing vivid metaphors with slick flows and a clear direction; all of which he does to perfection. He flows so flawlessly on the smooth sci-fi beats, and his rhymes keep you challenged and mind-blown at the same time.
The musical aspect is what makes this album come together so well. Truly reassembling a sound so unique it’s hard to compare with any other release I can remember. Stretching over more than 24 tracks, it’s a tour de force in futuristic beats sprinkled with hard-hitting snares, biting drums and looped samples that will dig under your skin and crawl down your spine. Borrowing from everything within the range of alt-rock riffs and opera samples, every beat is in constant development to enhance itself and surprise the listener. Kid Koala’s signature scratching is visible throughout all 24 tracks which makes the whole ride so much more fun and interesting, because not only do you get super complex rhymes and beats, you are also constantly reminded that despite being on some planet 1000 years from now, this is still in the heart of Hip-Hop.
“Who fuses the music, with no illusions
Producing the blueprints, clueless?
Automator – defy the laws of nature
Electronic monolith throw a jam upon the disc
The futuristic looper with the quickness
Hyper-producin’ hydrogen fusion liquids keep your distance”
To be honest, this is quite a geeky album; the lyricism that controls the album is in a techno language that can be a bit hard to follow. You won’t really get it on your first listen. For me, this is a vital album to remind us that music should be fun, challenging and always moving forward. Everyone should listen to this album, it’s simply something you can’t miss out on. Standout tracks would be the incredibly beautiful “3030″, the boom bap like “Mastermind”, the almost psychotic “Madness” and middle eastern inspired “Turbulence”. However, you shouldn’t skip any tracks as you would only miss out on the complete package, which is important for such a creation.
My advice would be to put it on and just drift away into this foreign universe along with the 3 creators and see the world the way they see it.
I actually came to nerdcore rap by way of this album. I also came to Gorillaz by way of this album.
Killer record. The best pairing of Del, and Dan the Automator. Rivals their shared tracks on Handsome Boy Modeling School.
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Apologies if someone mentioned it already (this is a long thread) --
Yes, this is Sarah Brightman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL6MAyTXMRAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL6MAyTXMRA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL6MAyTXMRA).
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He's right, kids: Knights of Cydonia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YygyHCRrKho), spaghetti western meets Barbarella! It's a h00t. :)
Great video, but it's an homage to an even better movie. Netflix El Topo sometime.
As for songs and bands with a fair amount of SFish material, I'll add:
The Ramones - Zero Zero UFO & Makin' Monsters For My Friends
Elvis Costello - My Science Fiction Twin
Scatterbrain - I'm With Stupid
Dresden Dolls - Coin-Operated Boy
Fantomas
The Kinks - Artificial Man
The Cramps - I Was a Teenage Werewolf among others.
Spacehog
Department of Crooks
Eleven - bonus points for Natasha Schneider starring in the movie 2010.
Alice Cooper - Generation Landslide & Clones
Pixies
Van Halen - Atomic Punk & Light Up the Sky
Black Sabbath - I saw mention of Dio, but has no one mentioned Sabbath?
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There's always the subgenre of Surf Rock known as "Space Rock", but unfortunately the only title I can think of is "Telstar" by The Tornados (and covered by many others).
[snip]
The surfguitar101.com site has a podcast, and episode 7 was all about Space Rock, with a selection of vintage and contemporary tunes.
See http://surfguitar101.com/modules.php?name=Podcast
March 01, 2009 • Episode 7
The Space Surf Podcast
Space Surf - The final frontier. These are the musical voyages of the Starship SG-101. Its 5 year mission to explore strange new sounds, to seek out new songs and not-so-new Fender guitars. To boldly go where no reverb tank has gone before.
Track List:
Spacecar 2001 - El Ray
Nebula One - The Nebulas
Space Race - Gene & The Esquires
Outer Orbit - Huntington Cads
Terror in Space - Metalunas
Space Echoid - Kilaueaus
Scorpio 6 (Surf, Swim) - Satan's Pilgrims
Third Star to the Left - Nocturnes
Interview and Jon Blair song
Dark Matter - The Thunderchiefs
Space Encounter - The Surfites
Space Mission Number 12 - Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited
Space Probe - Chantays
Telstar - The Challengers
Space Spade - THE SURF COASTERS
Configuration 9 - Man or Astro-man?
Polaris - The Boys
Santa Claus In Space - The Blue Horizon
Beyond the Third Star - The Space Cossacks
Moon Race - Citations
The Rocket Man - Spotnicks
Mystery Planet - The Bomboras
Moonracers -The Preps
Attack of Robot Atomico - The Ghastly Ones
Mickey Aversa - Blast Off Various Artists
The Sea Of Stars - Vibrasonic
Download Now (m4a) (http://surfguitar101.com/modules/Podcast/podcasts/sg101_episode7.m4a) • 77.43 MB • 1:26:40
Download Now (mp3) (http://surfguitar101.com/modules/Podcast/podcasts/sg101_episode7.mp3)
Scroll back up to Episode 10 for the salute to Horror Rock.
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Clint Mansell's piano soundtrack for "Moon".
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Sci Fi Music is just beginning to be developed.
There are new types of music expressing devices beginning to emerge... Like a song in my breast wishing to break FREE ... and run about the space ship chasing Sigourni Weaver and her cat? I just want's to infect the cat with Eggs and watch him liquefy.
In space... No one can hear your cat Splash....
Ted Nugent
Cat Splash Fever
MEAOW!!!!
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Sci Fi Music is just beginning to be developed.
Sci-fi music has been in development since the 1960s at the latest, and probably much earlier.
There are new types of music expressing devices beginning to emerge... Like a song in my breast wishing to break FREE ... and run about the space ship chasing Sigourni Weaver and her cat? I just want's to infect the cat with Eggs and watch him liquefy.
In space... No one can hear your cat Splash....
Ted Nugent
Cat Splash Fever
MEAOW!!!!
O-kay.... [backing away slowly]
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I just want's to infect the cat with Eggs and watch him liquefy.
In space... No one can hear your cat Splash....
Are you referring to the Drabblecast episode from a couple years ago? Playoffs?!
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Coming back to Deltron 3030...
Discovered this last Thursday and had a nerdgasm...
DJ Nerd42 apparently does mashups/mixtapes (I'm sure we all know what a mashup is; in the context of hiphop a "mixtape" is a rap track using a beat that's made up of samples from another artist's song), and this first one I've found is a doozy...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/Nerd42/DELTRON3742crisiscorescreenshotcoverwithDJNerd42.png)
http://www.nerdcorenow.com/vb/content/288-...42-Deltron-3742 (http://www.nerdcorenow.com/vb/content/288-DJ-Nerd42-Deltron-3742)
Deltron 3742 is a sequel to DJ Nerd42's "Chrono Tied" (2009) which combines the
lyrics of Deltron 3030 (2000) over beats made from sampling the Final
Fantasy VII soundtrack. (1997) The album explores the concept of a
dystopian future (much like the game does) from the point of view of
an underground resistance fighter named Deltron Zero. (portrayed by
Del tha Funkee Homosapien)
The album was produced by DJ Nerd42. All lyrics are from Deltron 3030,
except that track 8 samples the chorus from Ronan Keating's "Time
After Time" and track 10 samples Nickelodeon cartoons.
I already regard Deltron 3030 as the ultimate nerdy hiphop record, so I was all over this as soon as I found out about it. Gave it a listen at work yesterday, and it's pretty cool. Only a couple of complaints:
1) the beats are cool, but nowhere approaching the sublime brilliance of Dan the Automator;
2) hearing Del reference Automator (and sing his praises on "Mastermind") over beats that weren't made by Automator, is a bit jarring.
And Nerd42 has chosen to go "radio edit" on Del's raps, dumping the F- and S-bombs, and even a line about "burnin' the herb".
I haven't played Chrono Trigger (yet) and am unfamiliar with the group Fort Minor, but I still plan to check out Nerd42's previous work Chrono Tied soon.
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I'm sure we all know what a mashup is; in the context of hiphop a "mixtape" is a rap track using a beat that's made up of samples from another artist's song
Wow, I feel old. I'm going to go listen to Newcleus and cry...
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Thread resurrection in 3...2...1...
My friends have tried to get me to listen to Rush for as long as I can remember, and one of them finally succeeded! Existing Rush fans will already know about "2112", but they've also done a more recent album, Clockwork Angels, which has a rather steampunk storyline tying the songs together.
Another recent album that caught my eye in the library with its steampunk trappings was Thomas Dolby's" Tales of the Floating City". Dolby puts together a well-produced and eclectic set of evocative story songs, running the style gamut from electronic dance anthems to sinuous ballads.
Now I get to catch up on everything else in the thread that I might have missed!
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Have some post-apocalypse music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyb3R9vAIbM
Front Line Assembly - Surface Patterns
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I happen to like several songs by Chameleon Circuit, a dedicated Time Lord Rock band whose songs are all about Dr. Who.
Here is a youtube playlist. My favorites: Exterminate, Regenerate; Don't Blink; and maybe The Sound of Drums
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7_KXL6VBBE&list=PLA5E545281A95D4BA
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That is cool! I'll have to spend more time with that playlist!
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That is cool! I'll have to spend more time with that playlist!
And now a gratuitous post to try to help @eytanz troubleshoot my app!
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I'm sorry to say that skulking in the back of my record collection, I have Danny John Jules, in his guise as The Cat, singing Tongue Tied from the Red Dwarf TV show. With his cover of The Red Dwarf Theme on the B-Side.
Well, I say on the B-Side, but to add insult to injury, I would appear to have bought it on Cassette Single! :o
I did love (Watch me mis-spell this, folks) Rockette doing the end theme on the original Red Dwarf series though. (I'm a Brit. We say Series, not Season. OKAY?) ;)
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Good to see Voivoid mentioned here - Piggy RIP
From a similar genre I'd suggest Ufomammut, everything they have done.
New here, and read I have to post or lose the account, so this was all I could muster. Love the podcasts, only discovered them a few months ago.
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Always happy to see a new face! :-D
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGu43cjoX8M
Last days on mars soundtrack. It's honreal. Movie is only okay tho. Soundtrack builds. Nice writing music.