Gong was a French–Anglo musical collective that existed through numerous iterations over a four-decade period, starting in 1969. During the first half of the 1970s, the band operated as a space-rock performance act under the leadership of Australian-born guitarist–vocalist Daevid Allen. Later in the decade, Gong steered toward jazz-rock with drummer–percussionist Pierre Moerlen affixed to […]
Hawkwind are an English space-rock band, originally led by guitarist Dave Brock and reedist Nik Turner. They released six albums on United Artists, including the popular 1971–75 titles In Search of Space, Doremi Fasol Latido, Hall of the Mountain Grill, Warrior on the Edge of Time, and the singles “Silver Machine” and “Urban Guerrilla.” Their […]
Clearlight was a French space-rock ensemble that released the 1975 Virgin albums Clearlight Symphony and Forever Blowing Bubbles. Group mastermind Cyrille Verdeaux also co-led the soundtrack project Delired Cameleon Family and continued Clearlight with the 1976–78 albums Les Contes du Singe Fou and Visions. Members: Cyrille Verdeaux (piano, keyboards) Background Cyrille Verdeaux was born in […]
Pulsar was a French space-rock band that released the albums Pollen (1975) and The Strands of the Future (1976) on Kingdom Records, followed by the 1977 CBS release Halloween. Adopting a minimal-wave sound, they issued the 1981 album Bienvenue au conseil d’administration! on self-press Compagnie du Théâtre de la Satire. Members: Jacques Roman (keyboards, Hammond […]
The Silesian Blues Band — commonly billed as SBB — are a Polish symphonic/space-rock band that debuted with a 1974 live album, followed by seven studio albums between 1975 and 1981, including the popular 1976/77 titles Pamięć, Ze słowem biegnę do ciebie, and Follow My Dream. Members: Józef Skrzek (vocals, bass, keyboards, Hammond, Mini Moog, […]
Carpe Diem was a French space-rock band that released the 1975–77 Crypto albums En Regardant Passer le Temps and Cueille le Jour. Members: Christian Truchi (organ, synthesizer, piano, lead vocals), Gilbert Abbenanti (guitar, 1970-77), Alain Bergé (bass, 1970-77), Claude Méchard (drums, 1970-74), Claude “Marius” David (soprano saxophone, flute, percussion, 1974-79), Alain Faraut (drums, percussion, 1974-79), […]
Eloy is a German symphonic space-rock band formed in 1969 by guitarist Frank Bornemann. The original lineup with singer/keyboardist Erich Schriever made a 1971 hard-rock album on Philips. Bornemann reconfigured the group with the 1973/74 Harvest albums Inside and Floating, which established their Floydian identity. After their 1975 conceptual breakthrough Power and the Passion, Bornemann […]
Vytas Brenner (Sept. 19, 1946 — March 18, 2004) was a Venezuelan keyboardist, guitarist, and composer who recorded a slew of sympho-space/jazz-rock albums during the 1970s, some co-credited to his band Ofrenda. Background Vytas Brenner was born on September 19, 1946, in Tübingen, Germany, and moved with his family to Venezuela in 1949. His mother, […]
Band X was an American jazz-rock/space-rock band from Massachusetts that released an album titled The Best of Band X in 1976 on Broken Records before evolving into the Craig Peyton Group. Members: Craig Peyton (vibraphone, vocals, percussion; b. 1953; New Canaan, Connecticut), multi-instrumentalist Alan Grzyb (bassoon, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, backing vocals), bassist/trombonist […]
Igra Staklenih Perli was a Yugoslav space-rock band that released the 1979/80 RTB albums Igra Staklenih Perli and Vrt Svetlosti. Pre-record material (1976–78) surfaced on the archival discs Inner Flow and Drives. Members: Svaba the Kraut [aka Zoran Lakić] (keyboards, 1976-1985), Joshua N’Goma [aka Vojkan Rakić] (guitar, 1976-80), Predrag Vuković (percussion), Draško “Dracula” Nikodijević (bass, […]
Terry Brooks & Strange were an American blues-psych/jam band from Orlando that released two albums as Strange on self-press Outer Galaxie between 1973 and 1976, followed by two albums apiece under their full name on Star People and Rock City between 1980 and 1984. Members: Terry R. Brooks (guitar, vocals), Bob Griffin (bass), Don Hastle […]
Älgarnas Trädgård was a Swedish space-rock/psych band that released a 1972 album on Silence and recorded a long-vaulted followup, later released as Delayed. Members: Andreas Brandt (violin), Mikael Johansson (bass), Dennis Lundh (drums), Dan Söderqvist (guitar), Jan Ternald (keyboards), Sebastian Öberg (cello), Ulf Mårtensson (drums, 1971), Christer Öhman (drums, guitar, 1973-74), Kjell Karlgren (saxophone, 1976), […]
Christian Boulé (1951 – 2002) was a French space-rock guitarist and composer who played on the first three Clearlight albums and toured with Steve Hillage. As a solo artist, Boulé made the 1978/79 Polydor albums Photo Musik and Non-Fiction. Background Christian Boulé was born on February 12, 1951, in Clichy, France. He grew up in […]
Hot Flash was an American space-rock band that released the 1977 album First Attack! They’ll Never Take Us Alive on small-press Rockwell Records. Members: John Ferrara (bass, synthesizer, bass pedals), Fredric “Muff” Schwenk (flute, guitar, vocals), Thom Stolar (flute, keyboards, vocals), Joe Prima (keyboards, vocals), Steve Balsavage (percussion, vocals) Background Bill Macek directed Hot Flash […]
Cosmic Overdose was a Swedish space-rock/minimal-wave combo that released two singles and the 1980/81 albums Dada Koko and 4668 on Silence Records. The final lineup continued as Twice a Man. Members: Dan Söderqvist (guitar, vocals), Karl Gasleben [Ingemar Ljungström] (synthesizer, vocals), Regnmakaren [Kjell Karlgren] (drums, 1979-80), Jimmy Cyklon [Thomas Andersson] (guitar, synthesizer, vocals, 1980-81) Background […]
Galaxy was an American psychedelic space-rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, that released the 1976 album Day Without the Sun on their own private-press label, Sky Queen. Members: Mark ‘Frenzi’ Fabbri (guitar), Marilyn ‘Space Mama’ Geiger (keyboards), Pepper Leonardi (bass), Miss Gunner Powell (drums) Background Galaxy formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in early 1975 around guitarist Mark […]
George-Edwards was an American art-pop duo from Detroit that self-pressed the 1977 album 38:38 and the followup single “I See Your Smile.” Both reappeared with additional material on a 2009 CD on Bella Terra Records. Further tracks surfaced on the discs Archives and Chapter III. The duo reunited for the 2010 disc 41:57. Members: Raymond […]
The Eyes was an American psych-rock band behind the 1977 album New Gods: Aardvark Through Zymurgy, produced and largely played by multi-instrumentalist Todd Tamanend Clark. Members: Todd Tamanend Clark (vocals, keyboards), Tim Rimer (guitar), Keef Morabito (bass), Mark Cosco (drums) For the contemporary Cleveland pop-rock band, click here. Background The Eyes formed in 1977 in […]
Hillary Blaze was an American space-rock band from Arizona that released the 1977 album Exposure on self-press 30th Century Fox. The lineup included three alumni of the late-Sixties New York psych-pop group Paper Garden. Members: Sandy Michael (lead vocals, synthesizer), Paul Gran (bass, vocals), Scott Dickson (guitar), Jimmy Tirella (percussion), John Williams (percussion) Background Hillary […]
ID was an American space-rock/jam band that released the 1976 album Where Are We Going on Aura Records. Members: David Oickle (mellotron, vocals), Gary Oickle (guitar), Kevin Orsie (bass), James Albert (guitar), Bob Halsall (keyboards), Ralph Jenkins (drums) Background ID formed in Maryland during summer 1972 when guitarist David Oickle invited neighborhood bassist Kevin Orsie […]
Richard Schneider Jr. is a German space-rock musician behind the 1977–80 albums Dreamlike Land and Fata Morgana on Harvest/EMI Electrola. Background Schneider assembled a backing trio with established ties to the Cologne jazz and studio scenes. His drummer, Jaki Liebezeit, played with pianist Tete Montoliu and trumpeter Chet Baker in Barcelona, then joined Manfred Schoof in […]
Ozric Tentacles is an English space-rock band from Glastonbury, Somerset, that self-released six cassette-albums, numbered OT 1–6, between 1985 and 1989. In 1990, the band founded Dovetail Records, which they used over a five-year period to issue six new albums and CD-reissue their back catalogue. The band released 13 further titles between 1997 and 2015, […]
Visitors — alternately known as Force 5 — was a French space-rock studio group of library and jazz-rock musicians arranged by experimental producer Jean-Pierre Massiera (Les Maledictus Sound, Horrific Child). The project had two iterations: the first with a 1974 self-titled album on Decca; the second with a 1981 eponymous release on Montage. Members: Gerard […]
Mess was an Estonian symphonic/space-rock ensemble, active in the mid-Seventies. In 1976, they recorded an hour’s worth of music for a proposed concept album. The project went unheard until a 53-minute CD appeared in 1995 on the Bella Musica label. A 62-minute remastered cut of the lost album, now titled Küsi Eneselt, appeared in 2004 […]
Laza i Ipe was a Yugoslav symphonic/electronic duo comprised of keyboardist/composer Laza Ristovski and drummer/vocalist Ipe Ivandić, both of Bijelo Dugme. The pair issued a Jugoton single and the 1978 RTV Ljubljana release Stižemo, recorded with guitarist/bassist Zlatko Hold. Members: Laza Ristovski (Piano, Organ [Hammond C-3], Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Polymoog, Arp String], Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], […]
