OFF/HW: "Space-Rock"

[Chuck Rosenberg]

In a message dated 5/30/00 7:58:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
henderson.120 at OSU.EDU writes:

> Yeah, things have gotten a little 'technical' around here lately.  Gigdates
>  of the past, tabs, who's doing what when, tourdates, CD releases delayed
>  (again)....all that's fine and dandy and useful info (I contribute plenty
>  meself).  However, might be nice to have some 'theoretical' discussions
>  around here once in awhile.  I helped spur one on over at spacerockers to a
>  smaller audience, so many of you prolly missed it.
>

Exactly! Like the recent '80s Hawk-discussion was cool, though I still would
have expected more contribution...oh well...I guess there are a lot of folks
on the list who have just discussed the stuff to death already... but, as for
Space-Rock, is there a decent e-mail mailing-list for this more general topic?


>  Hmmm...well I often work on the basis of 'quotas' and sub-genre-izing to
the
>  extreme.  Mainly just to get a handle on so many bloody discs in my
>  possession.

yeah, I usually do so as well, I was just in the mood to try something
different this time...try to pin down a real pure musical definition of
"space-rock" for myself. again, it was a totally personal thing, so I didn't
expect people to agree or anything...

And I think you've cut out a few that deserve 'inclusion.'  And
>  as you say, you were pretty narrow in this collection.  Nothing wrong with
>  that...this is all great stuff.

yep, again, this was intentional. I tend to call my program ("space does not
care") space-rock, psyche and related genres, but if people wanna call it all
space rock...that's fine 'cause it's all space-rock 'n' roll to me... :)

Other than Potlach (did that CD finally
>  come out?) and Gong Est Mort (I coulda bought the vinyl at one point years
>  ago, but am still waiting for a CD), I could have made this same
compilation.
>
>

uh-oh--please don't use this as a criterion! what _don't_ you (and Jerry
combined) have??
As for EST MORT---yeah, I saw this on CD a long time ago at Best Buy, but
since it was a $20-25 import I thought I'd wait...have since regretted this
(as I also regret not buying the Griffin ASAM CD at full-price; have yet to
come across it again). Anyway, glad to hear Est Mort is having a new CD
re-issue!

>  I'm very surprised *not* to see any of the improvisational works of bands
>  like Escapade, SubArachnoid Space, Speaker\Cranker, Mushroom, Mirza....all
>  kindred spirits I believe and a major 'new' movement in space-psych music.
>  You play this stuff on your fabulous radio show every week...so where is
it?
>  :)
>

same defense here again, though I did find it necessary to make a 3nd tape,
on which I incl. Escapade. Mushroom and Mirza you know I like very much, but
yeah, I could more easily sub-genrize these... I do still have 7 minutes
remaining at the end of tape 3, I'm thinking either SubSpace or A.
Planetscapes (which?? Radiation King? Internat'l Sponge? Chris in Space is
too long...).

And there's a little less of 'free festy' psych than I would have thought.
The two Melting Euphoria's are a good surrogate, but I would have to have
given some time to the UK side of things, Delerium bands mainly.  Ship of
Fools, Dead Flowers,

---Yeah, I know you're a big fan of ASC, but I'm not as crazy about it
(though I like it). I think I'll go ahead and air "Free the Weed" soon and
just bleep out the bad words.

Soma, all those folks.  And a Porky Tree tune or two on
the side.

--these other bands I'm not as well versed in. as for Free-Festy, what could
get more free festy than "We/I Do It" (incl. on tape 3). Also on said tape:
Ozrics' title track to Strangeitude.


I would stretch the boundary and throw on a 'stoner' tune by Orange Goblin
(for Tim!) ;) or mebbe On Trial at least.

---you'd think I'd be more into this "stoner-rock" thing...but I guess I
already had my fill w/the earlier wave--Cathedral/St. Vitus, etc from my
metal daze.

Or from the new Spacious Mind.

---something's wrong here! There are parts I like...but very generic metal
riffs abound and the vox are too grungey. "Sailing the Sea Goat" was also a
disappointment. Organic Mind Solution is fantastic. any other SM releases
like this?? Cosmic Minds at Play maybe? haven't found it yet...


And then some dreamy shoegazery-space stuff like the first Verve album, or
SIANspheric (from Hamilton, ON), or Aspera Ad Astra, or 7% Solution, or
DarkStar's Gracedelica, or old Levitation.

---maybe if they went back to star-gazin'... :)

You've got a good sample of the old krautrock stuff (though I would have
picked different tracks from each band) and plenty of great classic space
rock and blanga stuff.  And some of the fuzzy space-punk of
Chrome/P-hed/ST37.  The Sundial is a good choice in lieu of the garagey
neo-psych of Woronzow et al., but maybe one more of these.

Debatable things are droners (Bardo Pond, Charalambides, Magnog, Windy &
Carl, etc.), neo-krautrock/post-rock (Fuxa, American Analog Set, Tortoise,
Stereolab, Karamasov...though either Circle or Ausgang are a must!), pure
ambient (I would choose a single Cluster/Harmonia track at least),

---Yeah, if "space _music_" had been the idea, it would have been a lot
different, plenty more ambience in the T-Dream/Cluster sense or
"Space-Techno" in the Orb/FSOL sense. but I wanted a drum/bass/guitar _rock_
approach.


I think you need at least three tapes! :)

---Okay, i'll just consider this a work in progress... :) here's #3 (which
would please anyone who thought HW got gipped, except no friggun Brainstorm!
oh yeah--there is tape #4, it can wait for that):
anyway, tape 3

Side I:

1. F/i--Space Station (it's just too quintessential!)
2. Hawkwind--Lord of Light (Space Ritual, again--quintessential)
3. Dark Sun--title track of Feed Your Mind (great tune, Mikka, but the rest
of the album don't cut it for me!)
4.Vibrasonic--Perpetual Motion Machine (anyone else heard this? should please
someone who thought there was a dearth of '60s-Psyche sounding stuff)
5.Neu!--Fur Immer (Neu! 2)
6.Hawkwind--Cronoglide Skyway (Astounding Sounds...)
7.Krel--So Long/Star Fall (Ad Astra)
8.Ozrics--title track of Strangeitude

side2:

1.Nik Turner--Dream Worker (Past or Future?)
2.Hawkwind--Magnu/Angels of Death (Anthology)
3.Escapade--Intoxicated by the Swirling Blue (Citrus Cloud Cover)
4.Agitation Free--Laila II (Last)
5.Nebula Trip--Causes of Riots (Birth)
6.Hawkwind--I/We Do It (14-minute Masters version)
7.as yet undecided!

better?
Chuck