Friday, July 08, 2011

Skylab songs

Procrastination is a wonderful thing. Yes, there are still assignments waiting for my red pen (although actually I don't use red pen any more, studies have shown that it upsets the students), and drafts from my PhD students to be read.

So what do I do? Instead of summoning all my energy and determination to complete these tasks so I can have a relatively stress-free Saturday, I am looking up Skylab stuff online. And I've discovered an amazing thing: the Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 hit Don't bring me down was dedicated to Skylab.

The lyrics are unenlightening - only the 'Don't bring me down' refrain really has any relevance.  But I'm still pretty intrigued by this.  It's the third song with a Skylab connection that I've located during this research.

One is by Steve Dahl, a US radio personality:



Ballad of a Balladonia Night is by the Australian Christian group Family. You can listen to it here on the Honeysuckle Creek website (which is well worth spending time on for many other reasons). I do have the full lyrics, laboriously transcribed, in my office at work, so perhaps will post them next week.

This instrumental, however, is a little more poignant - it's by a group called The Ventures, released in 1973, and the title is Skylab (Passport to the Future).

6 comments:

  1. It occurs to me that a lot of my best research happens when I'm procrastinating.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8:56 am

    What about the Don Imus song?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't find any reference to it - can you give me more information?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not Skylab - but Spacelab from "Kraftwerk" - released 1978

    http://www.myvideo.de/watch/5695750/Kraftwerk_Spacelab

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous3:34 pm

    Don't forget "Skylab Fragment" by Captain Australia & His Mate Downunder. I have the original 45 rpm vinyl, but some rascal has now posted it on YouTube. WEA Records 100106 MX190633 copyright 1979 credited to Lynton/Galley - Aust Comp Jonathan/Silver Pen, Engineered by Keith Cramond, Recorded at Sweetcorn, Perth, Australia. Side 2 is the unrelated song "You Got Soul" The carboard sleeve has a humourous cartoon (same on both sides).

    Then there is "Skylab" by Laurence Sive.

    Andrew

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi from New Zealand mate, I am the Laurence Sive who wrote the lyrics and the song SKYLAB. Thanks for the mention.

    ReplyDelete