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ROCK AND ROLL! => All Them Other Guys => Topic started by: Charger on June 21, 2025, 07:24:14 AM
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So time for another TOP 10 list!
This time we shall venture outside the safety of our little blue orb and into the vastness of Space!
Songs about aliens, other worlds, planets, galaxies, asteroids and other space stuff shall be entered here!
I shall kick things off with a song from MEGADETH about a very unlucky MISSION TO MARS!
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Number One:
Spacegoat soothes the mind and calms the nerve with a delicate composition they call, "Erase the Sun".
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A quick pick to start off with. I'll be more considered about the rest!
The Stranglers - The Last Men on the Moon
Their last album had a number of high spots but non quite reached the heights of this one.
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Pick 2 for me
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole
I like some Muse... there's quite a lot I don't like! This is from the period where I quite liked them
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Numero dos:
Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden. I have always enjoyed this tune, the first time I heard it I was sitting on the back veranda of a guy's place in Long Island, the sun just coming up across the Great South Bay - a fresh cup of coffee and a cigarette at hand.
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I can honestly say I deeeeeeeeply dislike both bands mentioned above! 8) :))
My pick number 2 takes us all the way to the 13th Sun...
It's CANDLEMASS telling the story of the ELEPHANT STAR
This song is kind of a tribute to Black Sabbath's Symptom Of The Universe.
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I got periodontal work done yesterday, so I didn't feel much up to digging and posting. So I'll get my first few picks today. Not all count towards my count of ten, of course... :smug:
Parliament had LOTS of space songs! This one's about being enlightened via a space zap from a UFO. One of my favorites from their catalog with some tasty horns from Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, and friends.
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If you want to know what Ritchie Blackmore was listening to that really deeply influenced his sound, put on "Space Guitar" by Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
100% serious here - this is the guitar that inspired so many of the artists of the 70s that we know and love. And it's from 1954! But if you likes the Deep Purple, you owe it to yourself to listen to this under-heard gem of a tune.
And, yes, it's a space song. Says so in the title!
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OK, so my hard rock one for the count today comes from Chile, a band I love called Vuelveteloca. The song is "Jinete Galactico" - Rider of the Galaxy - and it is a great mood piece to get into.
Lyrics may be in Spanish, but the instruments are in Heavy. Enjoy the beats of galactic distances.
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The opportunity for space songs is...massive lol
Cool to see and hear material I've never seen or heard before!
Number three:
When this came out, it was the only song in what turned out to be a set:
Rush, with Cygnus X-1!
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Crosses that Cygnus X1 off my list!!!
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My 3rd pick comes from the opening part of the INFINITE ENTANGLEMENT trilogy...
This is BLAZE BAYLEY and SOLAR WIND
Considering this whole album trilogy is about a 1000 year space journey to a new planet I believe I shall take one song from every album for this list.
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... and it's Vyn with the first list ninja-ing! :smug:
For funk and soul, there's Marvin Gaye's "A Funky Space Reincarnation" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8RTsL4U-2g which totally points the path out that bands like Jamiroquai would follow decades later. It's a great track with lots of texture, all around a solid dance beat. If you wanna get funky, that's the way to do it today.
My second official pick will be...
Yuri Gagarin "First Orbit"
When a band names themselves after the first dude in space and makes a track built around said dude's transmissions to and from Earth, said band is a bona fide space rock band. First 90 seconds or so will set up the track, then the band starts to bash out music that would do Hawkwind proud.
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This one popped into my mind for some reason... I probably haven't heard it in 40 years!
Pick number 3
The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet
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Pick #4
Lets step onto the SUICIDE ASTEROID with CATHEDRAL!
Nice faster heavy rocker from the Dooom lords.
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Space is infinite, it is dark
Space is neutral, it is cold
Stars occupy minute areas of space
They are clustered a few billion here
And a few billion there
As if seeking consolation in numbers
Space does not care, space does not threaten
Space does not comfort
It does not speak, it does not wake
It does not dream
It does not hope, it does not fear
It does not love, it does not hate
It does not encourage any of these qualities
Space cannot be measured, it cannot be angered
It cannot be placated
It cannot be summed up, space is there
Space is not large and it is not small
It does not live and it does not die
It does not offer truth and neither does it lie
Space is a remorseless, senseless, impersonal fact
Space is the absence of time and of matter
-- Michael Moorcock (lyrics) / Hawkwind (sounds)
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The poem is the opening of The Black Corridor by Moorcock, a sort of The Shining meets 2001. Underrated sci-fi tale, very dark and twisted.
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But that was but a few words, not a proper song. This one's from Captain Beyond, "Drifting in Space." Yes, that's DP Mk1 singer Rod Evans on vocals. I enjoy his work with CB much more than DP Mk1, but his stage anxiety made him seek a different career than rock and roll frontman. Both of the 70s-era CB albums are worth picking up, consider them touted. :)
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Pick 4
The Damned - Dark Asteroid
4 minutes of a conventional song, followed by a 10 organ / guitar battle. Probably not actually about an asteroid, as it's a tribute to Syd Barrett
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^ That one's a true deep cut. Great for chilling out.
For a rare oldie, this one is from Mexico 1959, Gloria Rios "El Sputnik". Music starts about 25 seconds into it and the video is pretty rough. But Gloria Rios has a great set of pipes and is hot to trot and at least the singing comes through on this one.
But where else are you gonna find a rock and roll song about Soviet space accomplishments that's sung in Spanish? Well, my radio show, but that's not my point...
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For a more serious entry...
Deep Purple "Space Truckin'"
OK, so it's an easy pick to go with that tune, but a true fan is going to pick a live version and a true true fan is going to get one that sounds awesome and has stuff in it that maybe Made in Japan's version doesn't. To be fair, MiJ totally rocks on with its version, but so does the Copenhagen 1972 performance. And Copenhagen got recorded for television!
The live version that bolts on "Mandrake Root" ticks all the boxes of a proper space rock tune with the extended instrumental passages on top of a steady beat. Great stuff. :rockon:
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I was expecting you to take Space Truckin' away from me...so I did take that into consideration. :)
I shall wait for Vyn before going into number 5.
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I was expecting you to take Space Truckin' away from me...so I did take that into consideration. :)
I shall wait for Vyn before going into number 5.
Kind of like I'm going to let KDC play through on the Hawkwind... :)
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^^^
Feel free to choose Hawklwind, they have many I could choose instead!
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Actually I'll go with a Hawkwind for my pick number 5...
Hawkwind - Master of the Universe
So I'll raise the black holes, planets and asteroids and such... and go with the entire universe!
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^ That one is an epic monster of a track, I play that when I want to get 100% into the zone and shut out all other thinking when I deal with an issue. I guess we all just let it resonate for a few days! :yes:
So I'll use this one from a way back that captures that 2001 vibe:
Lenny Kravitz "Believe"
The mellotron does it all, baby! Makes it 100% space!
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Oh Vyn where art thou?
Well I'm gonna go with Number 5 here.
I'm going with a song that is not among the bands finest one by a parsek but it's one of the only ones that fits the theme here and I thought Iron Maiden should be represented here.
So this is the title track of one of their weakest albums THE FINAL FRONTIER.
I like this "Director's Cut" version better than the one on the album.
So as the line goes... Space...THE FINAL FRONTIER!
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Astroqueen - "Asteroid Blaster"
Crunchy, chunky hard rock... and it's about blowing up crunchy, chunky hard rocks! :rockon: :beerbang: :headbanger: :yes: :jimi:
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Found one from 1966 - Dave "Baby Cortez doing "Countdown Parts 1&2"
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For my rock and roll pick of the list for today, it's Jimi Hendrix and "Third Stone From the Sun"
Also from 1966, but on the more... psychedelic side of things...
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I really thought there would have been more options from Rush after Vyn stole Cygnus X-1 Book I from me. I didn't want to do 2112 which basically just left 1 other option...
Rush - Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres
The continuation of the story from the previous album now sees our protagonist beyond the Black Hole!
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Works for me!
Also, I'm letting Charger have run of Saxon's "Something in Roswell", especially since we're on top of the anniversary of THE ROSWELL INCIDENT...
I've got two versions of the same song by The Red Elvises, one in Russian, the other in English... "Cosmonaut Petrov / Rocket Man"
Cosmonaut Petrov, with loads of cool USSR space footage:
Rocket Man, with a bar video that really captures the live energy of Igor & The Red Elvises:
I got to interview him for a KNON benefit once and the guy's a total trip. He talked about tape trading in Odessa parks, getting the hell out of the USSR and playing rock and roll for a living since landing at Santa Monica. They always do a great show. Most of the time, they do an awesome show, but they had an off night last time they were in Dallas. It was still great, though.
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Pick number 7, and from an album which could supply many more...
Geezer - Mysterons
The Mysterons, an alien race who the nemesis of Captain Scarlet.
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From 20 years ago...
Black Sabbath - "Into the Void"
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Well moving on then...
Pick number 6
Going back to the Infinite Entanglement Trilogy This time to part two the Endure And Survive album.
The album is bit darker and concentrates more on William Black than the actual space travel but this song features the ship. In this part of the story William, after being brainwashed and reprogrammed by Pembridge to kill all the other members of his team the Ship goes into automated decontamination mode with the intent to kill every living thing on the ship including William. But because he is just a robot with transferred consciousness he can get out of the ship and hang on for dear life.
This is a track called DESTROYER
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Pick number 8
Yes - Starship Troopers
Almost forgot about this one. Off of 1971s The Yes Album this live version is from 1972.
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For my 7th pick I'm gonna go back to CANDLEMASS and to the 13th Sun album.
This is a song about a galaxy. The Outer Limits Galaxy as it's known. Some scientists think that this galaxy is very very similar to the Milky Way galaxy.
Anyways It's NGC (New General Catalogue) number is 891
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Gonna return once more to the Infinite Entanglement trilogy for my 8th pick.
This is a fast rocker from the final part of the trilogy The Redemption Of William Black and it tells about Director Pembridges plan to conquer the new world.
It's called IMMORTAL ONE
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Pick Number 9
From Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds" we have...
Horsell Common and the Heat Ray
Here we have aliens... I chose the second track from the album as this was the first appearance of the aliens. Mainly instrumental but for Richard Burton's impeccable narration.
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Novadriver "Rocket Superstar"
Came out 24 years ago, but the tracks, they do slam hard... :yes:
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For my second to last pick I'm gonna go with a softer tune.
This is from the very first (and best) LUCIFER album featuring the guitar talents of Gaz Jennings!
This is about the planet VENUS...the MORNING STAR as it's often called.
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Puffy AmiYumi - "Jet Keisatsu"
Had to translate the lyrics, but they are about space. A space policeman on patrol, no less. It rocks hard and I love Puffy's vocal harmonies. Been a fave of mine since I first heard it, lo these many years ago.
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My final pick ofcourse is a song from the Silicon Messiah album and this one is about the absolute loneliness you can feel in space.
This is one is a masterpiece called STARE AT THE SUN
Picking a live version from the As Live As It Gets album which is SUBERB!
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Blue Oyster Cult - "Astronomy"
Various names stand in for stars, very interstellar, the lyrics...
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While gathering songs for my show, I found this gem from Australian surf-rockers The Atlantics:
The Atlantics - "War of the Worlds"
Some really clever guitar effects, especially considering the year was 1963 and psychedelia wasn't really a thing at all. All they had to go on was the amps of the day, a reverb effect, and "space" as an inspiration.
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Almost forgot to post my 10th pick... so here it is:
Iron Maiden - Out of the Silent Planet
From Brave New World, a rather good album with the returning members.
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Oh yeah, that is a great track!
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Awesome tracks! I ended up floating off into space on this one, but the views have been fantastic :)