gts187 “ekshcursion”
Lace up your space boots! There are now only 8 planets, but we’re visiting all of the nine original lineup.
01-01 Joe Montgomery – Liberty Bell 9019 – Planetary Run (1957)
— the A-side of the 45rpm, but the B-side did better: “Since You Fell In Love” was picked up the next year by Mercury Records, as an A-side.
01-02 Ariel Group – The Planet’s Morning (Утро Планеты) 201 – The Planet’s Morning (Intro) (1983)
— at it since a debut album in 1975, this was the fifth album by Ariel (Ариэль) but you wouldn’t know it, being a state-censored band under the Soviet thumb. 18 years after this, once things were briefly freer, they did an album of Beatles covers.
01-03 Alex Skolnick Trio – Last Day In Paradise 01 – Mercury Retrograde (2007)
— pretty jazzy stuff from a guy best known for metallizing with Testament and Savatage, and playing with Ozzy 30 years ago. This trio is active still, finishing a mini-tour of the West Coast in January of 2026.
01-04 Tomita – Planets 103 – III Mercury, The Winged Messenger (1976)
— this album was in the house when I was growing up, listened to it once but for a kid it was “pretty weird”. At the time, thought it was a group called The Tomita Planets, but now know better: this is from Japanese electronic artist Isao Tomita.
01-05 Gustav Holst (LPO) – The Planets 03 – III Mercury, The Winged Messenger (1918)
— composed 1914-1917, first performed in full by the London Symphony Orchestra in 1920. Here’s a rendition a century later, by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He wanted to play piano but nerve damage left him a composer.
02-01 Fonya – Wanderers Of The Neverending Night 01 – Venus (1992)
— from their debut album, name is the pronounciation of Chris Fournier (who plays all the instruments here), and his brother Phil, whom he recruited to sing.
02-02 Anima – Songs 101 – Venus (1982)
— out of Denmark, sounding like the tail-end of Genesis before that group became Philesis. Guitar by Mikkel Nordsø, keys from Kenneth Knudsen, sung by Cy Nicklin.
02-03 Forró RED Light – Tropical Twista VI Anos Vol1 205 – Bacamarte E Vênus (2021)
— hailing from Brasilia, Brazil, the duo is Ramiro Galas (computer) and Geninho Nacanoa (percussion). Not on any of their own releases, this one is on side 2 of a cassette-only compilation release from Tropical Twista Records.
02-04 Melting Euphoria – Through The Strands Of Time 09 – Venusian Skylight (1994)
— this one closes out the debut disc of the San Francisco band. 2/3 of the band is known: Don Falcone on keys and Mychael Merrill drumming, but the bass player (who also designed the cover art) is simply “Anthony Who?”
03-01 Damageman – Pistols 02 – Astroid Belt (2025)
— based in Felixstowe England, goes by Damageman because his birth name is… Thomas Diaper. In England they’re called “nappies” but still, not a congenial name for international fame.
03-02 Martin Kratochvíl & Jazz Q – Hvězdoň/Asteroid 203 – Hvězdoň (Asteroid) (1984)
— Martin formed Jazz Q in 1964 Czechoslovakia, under the Soviet thumb, but things got much easier once the Iron Curtain fell. He was lucky enough to get out early, to study at the Berklee music school in Boston in 1976.
03-03 The Hydromatics – Powerglide 04 – Asteroid B-612 (2001)
— a cover of one by Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, out of 1970’s Michigan, because one of the founders of Hydromatics was Scott Morgan, of the SRB. The other main guy here was Swedish metal hero Nicke Andersson.
03-04 Vindharpen – Rejsen Til Yenan 101 – Asteroide B612 (1975)
— a very early cover of SRB, incredible because they were unknown even in Michigan in 1975! This album is the Danish psych-string band’s debut (and only) release.
03-05 Damaskas – Asteroids (1981)
— he is Dan Hollombe, an early aide on the Doctor Demento show out of KMET in Los Angeles. This is a parody of “Mongoloid” by Devo. Two years after this, Dan Hollombe did backing vocals on the debut album from Weird Al Yankovic.
04-01 Shirley Collins – Rocket Along 201 – Space Girl (1960)
— off an English folk compilation album, this is a parody of “The Ghost Soldier’s Song” from WW1, which was based on the traditional song “Milkmaids Never Should Tarry”. Just before this recording, Shirley worked as an assistant to Alan Lomax.
04-02 Guru Guru – Mani In Germani 103 – Jupiter God (1981)
— actually their 12th album, having begun in 1968, pals with fellow German proggers Amon Düül and Tangerine Dream. Still together today, after 58 years (and a stint at an acid-based hippie commune in the 70s!)
04-03 Galactic Nomads – CBS 1696 – Jupiter (1982)
— the A-side of a 12-inch 33rpm single, with extended versions and, for some reason, a different lead singer on the jacket than on the original 45rpm. Must be a story behind that, but maybe we’ll never know, because this German space-disco outfit disappeared forever, after 2 singles in 1982.
04-04 Dave Hole – Ticket To Chicago 10 – Beyond Jupiter (1997)
— born in England, but known as “the most acclaimed blues guitarist Australia has ever produced” (so says Ian MacFarlane). Most of his albums are out on Katie Webster’s Alligator Records.
05-01 Älgarnas Trädgård – Framtiden Är Ett Svävande Skepp, Förankrat I Forntiden 204 – Saturnus Ringar (Rings Of Saturn) (1972)
— from the Swedish group’s debut album, band name means Garden Of The Elks. Before disbanding in 1976, they recorded a second album in 1973, but it was not released until 2001, hence the title… “Delayed”.
05-02 Gustav Holst (LPO) – The Planets 06 – VI Uranus, The Magician (1918)
— his Latvian great-grandfather was the official court harpist in the Russian palace at St. Petersburg.
05-03 Fonya – Wanderers Of The Neverending Night 03 – It’s A Long Way Home (Neptune) (1992)
— as mentioned on this show before, Chris Fournier recorded this entire album by himself, in his dorm room.
06-01 Ska-P – Incontrolable En Directo 04 – Planeta Eskoria (2003)
— Spanish ska! This live version is better than the studio version, and this release came as a combination of a CD and a DVD. This tune is track #4 on both.
06-02 Metrognom – Twangyluck 01 – Max Planet (incl. The Sudden Turbulent Landing Procedure) (2006)
— burning hot Norwegian rock, this is from their sole record.
… and a bonus track…
07-01 Dead Kennedys – Bedtime For Democracy 201 – One-Way Ticket To Pluto (1986)
— think they’re wishing Ronnie Raygun would self-deport.