SPACE the final Frontier! Best of the best space songs!

[Zzzptm]

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)

***

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.

[Zzzptm]

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.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

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

[Zzzptm]

^ 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...

***

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. 

[Charger]

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.

[Zzzptm]

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...

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^^^
Feel free to choose Hawklwind, they have many I could choose instead!

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

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!

[Zzzptm]

^ 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! 

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!

[Charger]

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!

[Zzzptm]

Astroqueen - "Asteroid Blaster"

Crunchy, chunky hard rock... and it's about blowing up crunchy, chunky hard rocks! 

[Zzzptm]

Found one from 1966 - Dave "Baby Cortez doing "Countdown Parts 1&2"

[Zzzptm]

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...

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

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!

[Zzzptm]

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.