HW: OFF: Spacerock basic library

[Jon Jarrett]

On Sun, 6 Aug 2000, K Henderson wrote:

> A couple years' back, I made this list of the 20 'quintessential' spacerock
> albums, and I have to say that today I'm still pretty happy with it.
> Perhaps 14 or 15 would make it onto a revised list.  And I might replace a
> couple only with albums by the same artist, like This Timeless Turning by
> SCM (instead of Return to the Inner Experience), and either Signify or Coma
> Divine by PTree (in place of TSMS).

        _Signify_ is pretty good but is it space-rock>? I've always
thought of it as dark psych. _Cma Divine_ on the other hand is
unquestionably in space but I hardly ever listen to it these
days. Possibly I don't get that relaxed at the moment. I do rather
like _Lightbulb Sun_ though, which is most definitely space-rock.

> Some new things I would add would be Korai Öröm - 1997, an album by Circle
> (the new one, Andexelt, is a fine choice), and I might decide that Guru
> Guru's Dance of the Flames (1974) is too good to ignore.  And perhaps I
> would choose something from Texas (your home state?), but it's hard to pick
> just one.  7% Solution, ST 37, Liquid Sound Company, Linus Pauling Quartet,
> Mazinga Phaser, etc.  Ah, it's hard not to think 'quota-like' when doing
> this sort of thing.  Like should I give a nod to 'stoner rock' and pick
> Orange Goblin - Time Travelling Blues?

        No - if you're going to nudge stoner, pick _Welcome to Sky Valley_
or _Blues for the Red Sun_ by Kyuss which are very definitely
space-headed. The OG album's perfectly good, although I think their first
one is more enduring, but they are in no way the cutting edge of the
field. That said, they're more fun live than almost anyone, but I saw Gong
this weekend and so they've dropped a spot since then :-)

> Well, you've all heard this before, so I'll be quiet now and wait to see if
> anyone else dares respond.  :)
>
> PINK FLOYD (UK) - A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS (1968)
> AMON DÜÜL II (GR) - WOLF CITY (1972)
> NEKTAR (UK/GR) - JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EYE (1972)
> NEU! (GR) - NEU! (1972)

        I know I should like it, and I do, kind of, but it wouldn't be the
top thing  I'd rescue in a fire. But then, I only have the Germanophon CD,
so the true fan may have a better record than me.

> AGITATION FREE (GR) - 2ND (1973)
> FAUST (GR) - IV (Four) (1973)
> HAWKWIND (UK) - SPACE RITUAL ALIVE dbl (1973)
> GONG (FR/UK) - YOU (1974)
> HAWKWIND (UK) - WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME (1975)
> CLUSTER (GR) - SOWIESOSO (1976)
> ELOY (GR) - SILENT CRIES AND MIGHTY ECHOES (1978)
> HAWKWIND (UK) - LEVITATION (1980)
> ---dead zone---
> LEVITATION (UK) - COTERIE (1991)
> OZRIC TENTACLES (UK) - STRANGEITUDE (1991)
> SKY CRIES MARY (US) - A RETURN TO THE INNER EXPERIENCE (1993)
> THE SPACIOUS MIND (SW) - COSMIC MINDS AT PLAY (1993)
> DEAD FLOWERS (UK) - ALTERED STATE CIRCUS (1994)
> PORCUPINE TREE (UK) - THE SKY MOVES SIDEWAYS (1995)
> DARXTAR (SW) - SJU (Seven) (1996)
> ALIEN PLANETSCAPES (US) - LIFE ON EARTH (1997)

        I can't argue with the rest of that, the ones I know are all damn
fine, and those I don't are by and large on my to-buy list. What with the
number of plugs I've seen them get, I should probably add Korai Orom to
it also.

        I would however ensure that I had my copy of Farflung's _The
Belief Module_ over and above all of those except _Space Ritual_.And I
think I'd include _Zeit_ by Tangerine Dream too. And I'd probably get
caught in the flames trying to decided about Alan Davey's _Captured
Rotation_ and Omnia Opera's _Red Shift_ :-) Yours,
                                                   Jon

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 |  Jon Jarrett (01223 741219)           jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
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