Fortean Pop Music

[J.T.]

I've always listened to music that relates to Fortean themes. A short list of repeat offenders and main suspects follows. Can you add to it?

Neil Young ("After the Gold Rush")
Frank Black / Black Francis / Pixies (too many to list, but offhand Motorway to Roswell, Parry the Wind High Low, The Vanishing Spies)
Kate Bush (Strange Phenomena, Cloudbusting, Experiment IV)
Blue Oyster Cult (E.T.I., Flaming Telepaths)
Jon Downes (Roswell Blues, Lionel Fanthorpe album -- which I haven't heard!)
David Bowie (Starman)
Ramones (Zero Zero Ufo)
Carpenters (Calling Occupants... though I much prefer the Babes in Toyland version)
Only Ones (Another Girl, Another Planet)
Flaming Lips (too many to name)

 

[paraschtick]

I've always listened to music that relates to Fortean themes. A short list of repeat offenders and main suspects follows. Can you add to it?

The only one I can think of at the mo is "The Blue Room" by The Orb. You got the ones by Kate Bush I was thinking about posting. There was also a record label called "The Blue Room" I think. Also the Orb were really into ufos and had one album called UFOrb. I think "The Blue Room" came from that ...

Wasn't "Blinded by the Light" done by Manfred Mann's Earth Band written by Bruce Springsteen, and was about a ufo sighting?

And don't forget, "A Spaceman came A-Calling" or whatever it was called by Chris De Burgh

Oh and "Under Your Thumb" by Godley & Creme was about a ghost ... wooooo.

Oo oo and "Camouflage" by Stan Ridgway ... that was about a ghost too 8)

ps and I've not heard "Calling Occupants" done by the Babes ... god I loved them. Sooo primal, and Kat Bjelland could have that Courtney Love for breakfast any day of the week ... (probably why Love left the band she formed with Kat and formed the secondrate Babes in Toyland copycat Hole ... strange really ... thats a bit like how Kurt Cobain formed a secondrate Pixies rip-off called Nirvana ... hmmm)

 

[J.T.]

"Camouflage" was f'kin outstanding song, great story, terrific tune and brilliant delivery. Alongside "Mexican Radio" my fave Ridgeway tune.

I remember seeing Orb videos on MTV Europe in the early 90s, definitely ufo-oriented. Brings to mind Jon Spencer Blues Explosion video "Dang," with a cheesy Plan 9 ufo in it. I didn't realize "Blinded" was ufo related, but thinking about it... probably so.

You can check the Babes version here:
Never could stand Hole meself, and the high point of Nirvana came (and went) when they covered Meat Puppets on that Unplugged session.

Also remembered the theme-album "Gospel According to the Men in Black" by The Stranglers from mid-80s. It's not great, but it has a few good tunes from a once terrific band.

 

[paraschtick]

"Camouflage" was f'kin outstanding song, great story, terrific tune and brilliant delivery. Alongside "Mexican Radio" my fave Ridgeway tune.
...
Also remembered the theme-album "Gospel According to the Men in Black" by The Stranglers from mid-80s. It's not great, but it has a few good tunes from a once terrific band.

I actually quite like the first maybe second single Hole put out, and would you believe Nirvana's first single, Sliver as well (and I heard it the first time it was played on John Peel ... so nyaa to you Nirvana fans ). But after that, oh dear.

And hey that version of Calling Occupants ... was ... rubbish ... hehe. I expect a screaming wailing Kat Bjelland uber-version. Was that a certain drummer singing instead?? And was she the coolest drummer since Moe Tucker??? Quite probably. But it sounded a bit tired. Maybe it was towards the end they did that?? Shame. At least I got to see then once and right down the front too. And for some reason my ears didn't bleed

Just remembered another Fortean song ... Psychic Dancehall by The Fall. It talks about precognition. And also they did "City Hobgoblins" ... which is about ... hobgoblins ... which is kind of Fortean ... sort of . I'm sure there are many others if you dig hard enough.

Now come on people we need more. I'm sure someone out there must have done a song about the Mothman ... or frogs raining from the sky ... or even the Bermuda Triangle?! Nahh noone would be mad enough to do that ... maybe??? 8)

 

[J.T.]

Noting you're from NZ, I seem to recall The Dead C having a 'song' titled "Driver UFO".... it's not pop/rock, but I guess worth noting (most of the songs sound like somebody left a vacuum cleaner on....and then plugged it to an amplifier.... and then used it to suck up ball bearings.... and then scared a herd of cats with it..... you get the idea.... but I still liked some of it, sue me).

And yeh, the Babes version is a tad lame but I still prefer it to Carpenters, and I like the song even if I may feel guilty of the fact. Moe Tucker is divine.

 

[paraschtick]

Noting you're from NZ ...

And yeh, the Babes version is a tad lame but I still prefer it to Carpenters, and I like the song even if I may feel guilty of the fact. Moe Tucker is divine.

Hehe ... I'm actually from the UK originally and take almost no interest in Kiwi music so have no idea who you're talking about. Most NZ music to me sounds the same as you describe ... or its reggae/"dub" ... or polynesian hip-hop (yep they still do the stand still and do the noddy head thing) ... its all so lame.

But yeah Moe Tucker is a goddess. Got to see her do her thing on the very first night of the Velvet Underground's "come-back" tour back in the early nineties. It was in Edinburgh and she hit the hell out of them skins. With the others being in time with her pounding it really was something to behold ... great stuff.

 

[J.T.]

Given you have a good taste in music, you need to check out some older NZ bands. In an attempt to keep this on topic:

The Clean perform "Fish" live, and it must be related to the Fortean falling fish phenomena:


The Tall Dwarfs video shows obvious poltergeist activity in "Nothing's Going to Happen:


Chris Knox's "Half Man Half Mole" is of course a cryptozoological examination of the freak of nature:


And the Gordon's "Coalminer's Song" features creepy submarine creatures....