At the dawn of the space age, with man standing on the threshold on conquering realms hitherto only realised in his wildest dreams, it is only natural that the prospect of interplanetary travel should begin to influence various aspects of our everyday lives. No longer are such events the figment of a riotous imagination, confined within the paper covers of a science-fiction novel. The conquest of space has already begun - and the effect of it's impact is being reflected in many different ways, and expressed in a variety of media.
'Man's magnificent triumph is particularly suited to musical adaptation. For, in the very concept of a voyage into the unknown, the composer is presented with a vast tableau, as infinite as space itself, embodying every possible mood, colour and sensation.'
The launch of Sputnik 1 by the U.S.S.R in 1957, and Explorer 1 a year later by America captured the public imagination and space exploration became one of the dominant themes in popular entertainment.
Here then, powered up by the Spotnicks, is a celebration of Space Exotica involving three very different but equally singular musical views of the heavens
The Spotnicks were in the vanguard of 'Space Age Pop'; in both conception and sound. They donned their space suits to celebrate interplanetary mystique with an exciting style that deployed sound effects and heavily reverbed electric guitars. For Japanese teenagers, it was the Spotnicks who most successfully captured the mood of the era and the group enjoyed two successive number 1 single hits in Ajomies and Karelia.
Ron Goodwin is probably best known for his mid-sixties scores for Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, 633 Squadron, The Battle of Britain, Where Eagles Dare, along with his skilfully nuanced lighter work like the wonderful Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple films. His George Martin produced Out Of This World (titled 'Music In Orbit' in America) was his inspired response to the growing interest in Exotica and Space Age Pop and, in particular - it has been speculated - to Russ Garcia's Fantastica, the album with which Out Of This World is twinned as the definitive works of the genre.
Goodwin's musical look at the Universe includes a comic strip conception of Martians, scoring a marimba and male voice choir to depict the rings around Saturn and articulating Mercury's mythology with a phrase based on the Morse S.O.S. signal; an action which the composer described as "jazz in the classical form'
Russ Garcia's Fantastica remains the gold standard by which all outer space exotica records are judged. The album is a marvel of sound and structure, so far ahead of its time that it would still be considered innovative even by today's standards. Garcia evokes the music of the cosmos via revolutionary studio techniques, cinematic arrangements, innovative electronic elements and the adept use of the "ethereal voce effects" on the track, The Volcanoes of Mercury, provided by the world-famous soprano, Marni Nixon.
THE
SPOTNICKS
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ROCKET MAN
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MOONSHOT
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TELSTARRON GOODWIN: OUT OF THIS WORLD!
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DEPARTURE
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THE MOON
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SALLY THE SATELLITE
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THE VENUS WALTZ
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MERCURY GETS THE MESSAGE
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THE SUN
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JUMPING JUPITER
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MARTIANS ON PARADE
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THE MILKY WAY
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THE RINGS AROUND SATURN
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PLAYTIME ON PLUTO
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RETURN MY LOVERUSS GARCIA:FANTASTICA - MUSIC FROM OUTER SPACE
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INTO SPACE
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NOVA (EXPLODING STAR)
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LOST SOULS OF SATURN
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MONSTERS OF JUPITER
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WATER CREATURES OF ASTRA
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VENUS
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RED SAND OF MARS
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GOOFY PEEPL OF PHOBOS
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VOLCANOES OF MERCURY
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BIRTH OF A PLANET
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FROZEN NEPTUNE
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MOON RISE
