Another great theme tonight and thanks to Maria and Donald for coming up with it. Tomorrow night is 'songs you sing in the shower' and I really need you to get your thinking caps (or perhaps shower caps) on for that one. Post a comment with your favourites.
Thanks to everyone who got in touch tonight with space suggestions - gutted that I didn't have Sarah Brightman and Starship Trooper, but there are plenty of online clips of the former Mrs Lloyd Webber in her Hot Gossip days, if unlike me you're not tuning in for a peek at The Queen NOT having a hissy fit with Annie Leibovitz.
Finally, I promised I would put Michael Tough's great suggestions on the blog, so here they are:
"Interesting topic tonight. If classical music features in your spectrum, an obvious choice might be a popular extract from Holst's The Planets. Unfortunately I am too uncultured to know which of the pieces might be the best choice, but it is worth mentioning, I'm sure.
Now, to rock and pop.
Saturn 5 - Inspiral Carpets....this groovy track from the undervalued heroes of the 'Baggy' movement.
Saturday Night On Saturn - Les Baxter & His Orchestra....an 'easy listening' track that is perhaps not quite so easy.
Clouds Across The Moon - The Rah Band....if you can't play it tonight, when can you? Go on. You know you really want to.
Venus - Funki Porcini....hmmm. Spacey-esque electronica, but the name fits.
Venus in Furs - Velvet Underground....there will be others who enjoy this song too.
Venus - Bananarama....as they will enjoy this also!
Venus As a Boy - Bjork....beautiful. Why wouldn't you?
Prisoner of Mars - Stereolab....we need a bit of studenty, culty, avante-garde Frenchiness, non?
Girl From Mars - Ash....we need a bit of studenty, grungey rockiness.
Mars Bars - The Undertones....blatant advertising, or artistic expression?
Holes - Mercury Rev....this one could be about Black Holes in space, but it's got Mercury in it, so it'll have to do.
Jupiter & Teardrop - Grant Lee Buffalo....it ain't about space, as such, but it is good, and it also names a planet.
Neptune City - Death In Vegas....again, not strictly about space, but does iinclude a planet's name.
Space - The Beta Band....emmm, Scottish connection?
1st Man in Space - The All-Seeing Eye....featuring Phil Oakey on vocals, and rather catchy in a Blue Monday kind of way.
Space Walk - Lemon Jelly....beautiful.
Weightless - Brian Eno....or anything else from this lunar trip inspired album, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.
Faraway Star - The Chordettes....female vocal harmonies that'll send you off into a dreamy place. Gotta do it.
Okay, I realise that I have included two tracks that in themselves could be part of a more specific theme, and they involve Moon and Star. There are so many songs about each that it might be cheating to include them tonight. However, this is a technicality which may have to be ruled upon in front of the listeners during the show. Let's face it, you'll get at least two nights' themes out of them should you choose to keep them by.
Yeeeeaaaahh. I did it. I got to the end, and made not one mention about that planet, the one that dare not speak its name. You know the one I mean, don't you? I'll be listening out to hear if there IS a song about it though, perhaps by the B*tthole Surfers."
Mike Tough
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