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From: rsk@pucc-k (Wombat)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers,net.music
Subject: SF in music--SUMMARY
Message-ID: <1214@pucc-k>
Date: Wed, 7-Aug-85 13:38:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-k.1214
Posted: Wed Aug  7 13:38:50 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Aug-85 05:40:06 EDT
Reply-To: rsk@pucc-k.UUCP (Wombat)
Organization: Purdue University
Lines: 255
Keywords: sf, music, the armageddon waltz
Xref: linus net.sf-lovers:8224 net.music:7533

Curiously enough, very few people actually mailed in their responses;
so this list is culled from correspondence, posted articles, and my own
collection.  If you have something to add, please *mail* it to me; if there
are a lot of changes/additions, I'll repost this again in the future.
My address and a (probably incomplete) list of people who contributed appears
at the end of the article.

Al Stewart:		"The Sirens of Titan" (Vonnegut)

Alan Parsons Project:	"I Robot" from Asimov stories.

Alice Cooper: 		On "School's Out", the words "Klattu barrada nicto"
			occur in background vocals near the end of "My Stars".

Amon Duul II:		Much sf-oriented material.  German band.

Anvil:			"Mothra"

Aphrodite's Child:	The album "666" is the veritable armageddon waltz.
			Vangelis was in this band back then.

Bedford, David:		"Star's End"

Billy Thorpe:		"Children of the Sun"

Black Sabbath		Sort of.  Tends to black magic et. al.  Try "Technical
			Ecstasy" for beginners, "Paranoid" for advanced,
			"Black Sabbath" (1st LP) for demented.

Blue Oyster Cult:	"Black Blade" on E.T. Live is another tune done
			with Moorcock.  See also "Veteran of the Psychic
			Wars", "E.T.I.", and "The Subhuman".
			
ELO:			"Mission (A World Record)" on "A New World Record".
			The entire album "Time".

Captain Beyond:		"Astral Lady", "Voyagers From Distant Planets", etc.

Lol Creme/Kevin Godley:	"Consequences" is an ecological parable.

Dave Greenslade:	"The Pentateuch"

David Bowie:		"Space Oddity" (most emphatically NOT "Major Tom")
			discusses eerie experiences in orbit.  Also has
			a film, "The Man who Fell to Earth".

Deep Purple:		Occasional forays into SF.  "Space Truckin'", "The
			Mule" (Asimov's 'Foundation'?), etc.

Elton John"		"Rocket Man"...perhaps from Bradbury's "Illustrated
			Man"?  Anyway, another road song.

ELP:			Occasionally...esp. "Karn Evil 9" from
			"Brain Salad Surgery".  See also "Tarkus".

FM:			"Black Noise"

Flanders & Swann:	THE ROAD GOES EVER ON, settings of Tolkein songs.

Flash Fearless and the Zorg Women, parts 5&6: another weird IGTB type
			collaboration album from the late 70's with some
			well-known rockers on it.

Fleetwood Mac:		"The Green Manalishi with the Two-Pronged Crown"
			(Judas Priest did an eminently forgettable version)
			"Rhiannon" might be about a Welsh witch.

Genesis:		"Watcher of the Skies", "One for the Vine", perhaps
			"The Return of the Giant Hogweed" (Hello Triffids),
			"The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (surrealism), and
			"A Trick of the Tail" (fantasy).  Oh, and "Get 'em
			Out by Friday".

H.P. Lovecraft:		one album...contains "At the Mountains of Madness".
			Estimates place them from late 60's to late 70's.

Hansson, Bo:		"(Music inspired by) The Lord of the Rings"

Hawkwind:	The all-time consensus champion for sf-oriented rock.
		*Some* of their albums are: "Hall of the Mountain Grill",
		"In Search of Space", "Quark, Strangeness, and Charm",
		"Space Ritual--Alive in Liverpool & London",
		"Warrior on the Edge of Time".
		Michael Moorcock, a member of the group, has in fact
		written some fantasy-sf, including "Time of the Hawklords",
		a fantasy about the band saving the world.  He co-wrote
		"Veteran of the Psychic Wars", from the soundtrack of
		"Heavy Metal".  He also released a solo album late in
		the 70's.

Hendrix, Jimi:		Delta blues, except that the delta is on Mars.
			See "1983...A Merman I Should Turn to Be",
			"Hey Baby", and "Third Stone from the Sun",
			and lots of other stuff.

Jeff Wayne:		"War of the Worlds".  H.G. Wells' story with
			Richard Burton doing narration.

Jefferson Airplane:	"Blows Against the Empire" (album)
			"Have you seen the Saucers?" from
			"Thirty Seconds Over Winterland".  Also did
			CSN&Y's "Wooden Ships" (post-nuclear holocaust).
			"Crown of Creation" from Wyndham's "Re-Birth".

Kansas:			Lots of stuff.  See "Kansas", "Song For America",
			and "Leftoverture" for details.  Also "Masque".

Klattu:			Best know for "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary
			Craft", and "Little Neutrino".  Albums: Klattu, Hope.
			The Carpenters also recorded "Calling Occupants..."
			Apparently the song was conceived as prayer to be
			recited all over the globe to induce aliens to visit.

Kraftwerk:		Sf-themes occasionally.  Certainly sounds sf-ish.
			Albums include "Autobahn", "Radioactivity",
			"Man Machine", "Computerworld", and "Trans-Europe
			Express".

Jack Lancaster/Robin Lumley:	"Marscape"

Led Zeppelin:		"No Quarter" from  "Houses of the Holy" is rather
			eerie, but no one is quite sure what it's about
			"The Battle of Evermore", from Led Zep IV discusses
			Ringwraiths.  Also see "Ramble On" on Led Zep I
			for mention of Mordor and Gollum.  See also
			"Misty Mountain Hop" on Led Zep IV.  Some speculation
			that "Stairway to Heaven" is about Saruman's
			journey to the west, but nobody seems to be sure.

MC-5:			On "Kick Out the Jams", "Rocket Reducer".

Magma:			"Ihedits", "Udu Wudu"...sort of cross between German
			language research and H.P. Lovecraft.  Tried to
			invent their own subculture.

Metallica:		"Kthulu" [sic] on "Ride the Lightning".

Moody Blues:		"To Our Children's Children's Children".

NRBQ:			"Rocket 9".

Nektar:			"Remember the Future"

Pink Floyd:		Of course.  "Set the Controls for the Heart of
			The Sun" & "Astronomy Domine", (Ummagumma) are
			fairly representative.  Much of their instrumental
			music has an sf/fantasy feel to it.  See also
			"Piper at the Gates of Dawn".

Planet P:		Albums: "Planet P" and "Pink World".  Now known
			as Planet P Project.

Queen:			"Thirty-Nine", from "A Night at the Opera", discusses
			the problems of relatavistic travel.

Ramases: 		"Space Hymns", including great fold-out cover.

Ramatam: 		"In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns"

Rolling Stones:		Wrote the ultimate road song for astronauts,
			"2000 Light Years From Home", which on "Their
			Satanic Majesties' Request".

Rush:			In "2112", the protagonist discovers an ancient
			guitar and winds up battling the dictatorial
			priesthood.   "Red Barchetta" on "Moving Pictures"
			is similar, except the guitar is replaced by a car.
			See also "Cygnux X-1" (thought to be a black hole),
			"Rivendell" (Tolkien reference), "The Necromancer".

Scorpions: 		"Robot Man" on "In Trance"  See also
			"Electric Sun" by ex-Scorption Uli Jon Roth.

Schilling, Peter:	"Major Tom (Coming Home)"; perhaps a sequel
			to Bowie's "Space Oddity"?

Sensational Alex Harvey Band:	See "The Tale of The Giant Stone-Eater"
				from "Tomorrow Belongs to Me".

Seventh Wave:		"Things to Come"

Shadowfax:		Much sf/fantasy material.

Spirit:			"Future Games" has interspersed fragments
			of old "Star Trek" episodes between tunes.

Starcastle:		A Yes clone.  First album has a nice piece,
			"Lady of the Lake".

Styx:			Usually has one sf-ish piece on each album.  All
			of "Mr. Roboto" is a fable.  See also "Man of Miracles"
			and "Come Sail Away".  There is some speculation
			that "Lords of the Ring" on "Pieces of Eight" is
			Tolkien-derived.

Tangerine Dream,
Jean-Michael Jarre,
Return to Forever,
Weather Report,
Jade Warrior,
Vangelis,
Deodata,
Eno,
Jean-Luc Ponty,
Michael Urbaniak:	Instrumentals that could be used
			in an sf soundtrack.

The Flock:		"Dinosaur Swamps"

The Hitchhiker's Guide:		Just a note that the theme music for
			THHGTTG is "Journey of the Sorcerer" from the Eagles'
			"One of These Nights".

IGTB:			Stands for Inter-Galactic Touring Band; Mish-mash
			album put out in late 70's with all sorts of people
			on it, purporting to be a group on galactic tour.

Tonio K:		"Mars Needs Women" from "La Bomba".

Tubes: 			"Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman", on "Completion
			Backward Principle".
		
Ambrosia:		"Nice, Nice, Very Nice" is the 53rd Calypso of Bokonon
			from Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut.

Uriah Heep		"The Magician's Birthday", and "Demons and Wizards".

Utopia:			"Winston Smith Takes It on the Jaw" from "Oblivion".
			(Orwell's 1984)  Possibly "Adventures in Utopia".

Van der Graff Generator:	"Pioneers Over c"
				(c refers here to the speed of light)

Yes:			Much sf-oriented work.  Try "Astral Traveller",
			"Starship Trooper" (Heinlein?), "The Gates of Delirium".
			See also Jon Anderson's "Olias of Sunhillow".

Zager & Evans:		"In the Year 2525".  Dated but cute.  Was #1 when
			Armstrong walked on the moon.

Zappa/Mothers:		From "Roxy and Elsewhere" "Cheapness", the story of
			a grade Z monster.  Other stuff too...

People who helped:

Alan Greig, Brian Ritchie, Charlie Martin, Chisholm, Daniel Dern,
Dave Fiedler, Dave Rosik, Doug Alan, Ellen Keyne Seebacher, Freeman,
Gareth Husk, Henry Vogel, Jay, Jeff Rogers, Jessie, Jim Sullivan,
John Francini, John Romkey, Jonathan D. Trudel, Ken Fricklas, Lewis Barnett,
Lionel, Marcus Hall, Mark Schlagenhauf, Michael Caplinger, Mijjil,
Miles Bader, Paul Anderson, Paul S. R., Peter Alfke, Steve Herring,
Steve Lionel, Steve Tynor, Stuart, Terry Poot, Vlach, William Ingogly.
-- 
Rich Kulawiec	rsk@{pur-ee,purdue}.uucp, rsk@purdue-asc.csnet
		rsk@purdue-asc.arpa or rsk@asc.purdue.edu