S.P.O.C.K CD Reviews

No, this isn't a one-off devoted to Leonard Nimoy's latest recording (I hope we don't hear anything more from him - "Mr Spock's Music From Outer Space" was bad enough!). Instead, we decided to give some coverage to the Swedish electronic group S.P.O.C.K - a group whose releases owe more than a passing mention to Star Trek and other sci-fi shows, other than in the groups name!

For those of you not really familiar with electronic pop, the best way to describe the genre is that of early Depeche Mode, Human League, Gary Numan etc. Still none the wiser? Well, it's a very artificially sounding music, that tends to be made up of larger quantities of shorter notes rather than long sweeping sounds. Well, S.P.O.C.K, hailing from Sweden, specialise in electronic pop (although their more recent releases have a harder, upbeat tempo to them), and more importantly electronic pop songs written about Star Trek.

Their earlier works made use of one of their trademarks, including sci-fi inspired sound effects into their music, although in later works, this was cut back on and the songs took on a more rounded, dance feel to them.

Since I first encountered S.P.O.C.K (when I was sent a promo copy of their first album) I have quickly become an avid fan, frustrated at the lack of support they have been given in the UK to date. In 1996, I attended a memorabilia fair in Birmingham only to discover that their record company at the time, Energy Rekords, were there along with one of the band themselves (Android if I remember correctly), and they were there selling a selection of CDs. As you can imagine, after a long chat I left the stand with an armful of CDs all waiting to be played and reviewed... Since then, the only time I have been able to get their titles (for now, at least), is through online auctions buying CDs from fans across Europe and the US.

Sadly, S.P.O.C.K have yet to reach the audiences they deserve in the UK, in part because of the extremely difficulty that exists in buying their CDs, but if you ever get the chance, they are well worth checking out... All of the CDs reviewed here are listed in release order (or as close to it as we can!).

"Five Year Mission"

Their first album, "Five Year Mission" was released in Sweden in 1993 and I had a listen not long after a limited number of copies made it across to the UK.

At the time of it's release, the group consisted of two members, Android and Eddie B Kirk (there used to be a third member, but more on this in the interview with the band elsewhere on this issue that was conducted not long after the CDs release). There are 10 tracks in total on this Star Trek inspired offering, with a running time of just under 44 minutes.

The first track is "Neutral Zone". Not based on the TNG episode of the same name but a song about a mission of the Enterprise responding to a distress call sent from the Neutral Zone and they go to investigate...

This is a fairly slow-paced song, but the vocals, bass and drums hold together rather well to produce a good sounding song, although not one you'd be whistling for hours afterwards!

Next is the track released as a single - "Never Trust A Klingon". The title pretty much sums the song up and is a faster, up-beat song with a really good, toe-tapping bassline. It's all enhanced with a couple of short samples of William Shatner making Kirk's comments on Klingons from Star Trek III.

Next is the strangely titled "Mr Spock's Brain", a follow-up story to the third season Classic Trek episode "Spock's Brain". A very strange song with the music sounding as if it could have come from any early Gary Numan album. There has been a rather nice semi-mechanical effect added to Android's voice which fits the mood of the song quite well. If you don't pay too much attention to the actual lyrics on this track, or if you treat the lyrics in a light hearted manner, you'll enjoy this laidback song.

Onto the next track which is "Charlie X", the group's way of paying homage to the season one episode. A somewhat flat song, this time. Whilst it tries to be a more light hearted song from the musical point of view, the lyrics are more serious and the song doesn't quite seem to fit in with the overall sombre tone of the vocals. There are also times where the music doesn't seem to have a presence on the track.

The fifth track is "E-Lectric" and this is the first song on the CD to have nothing to do with Star Trek. This is a typical electronic song, and it's a fairly good example of the genre, using a healthy plethora of vocal and instrumental effects.

The sixth track, called "Black Hole", bearing more than a passing resemblance to Kraftwerk's "The Model" as far as the bassline is concerned, returns to the Star Trek universe telling the tale of the Enterprise as it is struggling to avoid being sucked into a black hole, and towards certain doom... Again, the mood of the song managed to convey the despair and loneliness associated with the emptiness of space and black holes. Another good track, and I'm beginning to wonder if this group can really do anything that is awful - I think not!

Track 7, once again straying from the Trek mythos, is "Space Race". A much lighter, faster song which is about, obviously, a race between different ships from planets everywhere (a far better attempt at this idea than the Star Trek novel "The Great Starship Race"!). This song is another good track and will appear most to the Depeche Mode fans out there as that is where most of the musical similarities lie.

Following that is "Time Machine", fortunately a song with NO Doctor Who connections whatsoever! Instead it's the story of a time traveller who is trapped in a time machine that is out of his control. The song opens with an introduction that is one you wouldn't expect from an electronic song. A long, sweeping, deep bassline that flows throughout the entire song, coupled with effective vocals, that manage to convey the traveller's desperation as his supplies are gradually depleted. Another good track.

The penultimate song once again is a Trek based song called "Edge Of Forever". A superb song, possibly one of the best on the CD, with a full and rich musical score accompanying some strong vocals.

Finally is the track "Last Man On Earth". A dark and moody song telling the story of the sole human survivor left after the Earth has suffered mass nuclear destruction and the impending takeover of the planet by robots. Shades of Terminator in the storyline, but this doesn't stop it from being a very atmospheric track with some good lyrics accompanied by some suitably depressing sound effects.

Okay, I have to be honest, when I first heard this CD I wasn't too keen on it, but after a couple of repeated plays it's really started to grow on me! The lyrics aren't the greatest in the world and at times are a little silly. For example, from "Mr Spock's Brain" there is a line, "Where is my brain, oh what a pain, I'm going insane!"! However, this doesn't detract from the overall sound of the music and the lyrics do fit the songs well and with saying that, Queen were regarded as being one of the best rock bands ever and their lyrics were, at times, pretty awful if put under any scrutiny.

Overall, a good CD and it left me wanting to hear a lot more from S.P.O.C.K. The electronic genre had been in a bit of a decline for the last few years, but with the revival of the genre and the underground popularity that electronic pop still has, S.P.O.C.K have taken their rightful place at the front of it all.

"Never Trust A Klingon"

This CD is a remixed edition (the 2294 AD Mix) of their 1993 single, "Never Trust A Klingon" and features three tracks in total - "Never Trust A Klingon" (A Version), "Last Man On Earth" (SMPJ Version) and finally "Never Trust A Klingon" (Captain's Log version).

Starting off with the A Version of "Never Trust...". This is a slightly shorter version of the song featured on the album, enhanced with a much meatier bass line than the original and a stronger drum track. Also the vocals seem to be much clearer and the vocalist, Android, seems to have improved quite a lot since the song was originally recorded. A rarity - a remix that improves on the original and a good start to the CD. A great up-beat song.

Next is the re-mix of another track from "Five Year Mission", this time "Last Man On Earth". Again, a significantly shorter version than the original. "Last Man..." starts out with a much darker theme than the previous track, fitting the lyrics perfectly, telling the story of, as you can guess, the last human left on Earth after a nuclear holocaust. A slower track than "Never Trust...", but still a good song, and the additional of the enhanced drum track add even more emotional power to the theme of the lyrics.

Finally, the Captain's Log mix of "Never Trust A Klingon". This is an epic 6 minute version of the track. Where the first mix concentrated the emphasis on the drum track, this mix has a wonderfully enhanced bass and lead tracks which give the song a more rounded feel. Again, good stuff.

As with the album, the vocals take a little getting used to because of Android's accent (saying that, you try singing in a language that's not your native tongue and see how well you do!), and the lyrics themselves are a little tacky at times (although they do fit well to the music), but overall this is a pretty good CD single and I'd recommend it to any fans of electronic music. A little expensive for just three tracks, but then again, aren't ALL CD singles?!

"Alien Worlds"

This 10-track album was released in 1996 and features a mix of tracks both based on Star Trek and on space and UFO phenomena in general. Kicking things off is "Mirror World", a sombre piece inspired by the Classic Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror". On from this is the single "Astro Girl". Another single next, "All ET's Aren't Nice" (which I'll be reviewing here soon) followed by "Take Me To The Stars" - an optimistic track about man's desire to explore the final frontier...

Next is one of my favourite tracks on the album, the fun light-hearted "Trouble With Tribbles" (no prizes for guessing what this one's about!) which has some suitably fun sound effects thrown in for good measure, with the next track returning to the paranormal with "Abducted" - a strong track with dark overtones dealing with the experiences of an alien abductee. Another Star Trek influenced track follows with "PS9" - a jovial track about a galactic leisure facility called Pleasure Station 9!

The final three tracks on the CD are "Lost In Space" - a solid track about a ship stranded in the vast void of space, "Cosmic Boy" - a good dance track about a character who can be best described as an interplanetary rogue. The CD closes with "Space Is The Place" - a slow, thoughtful track about a traveller who realises that he is destined to spend the rest of his life exploring the galaxy.

This is yet another great album which generally has a more serious tone to it, broken only by the light-hearted "Trouble With Tribbles" and "PS9". Musically, the group have certainly matured since the release of their first album, "Five Year Mission", and all of the tracks seem to be more rounded and polished, without coming across as being over-produced.

There is plenty of variety in the tracks, and as with all their other releases, I have found myself listening to this CD over and over again. A good album and a worthy purchase for all S.P.O.C.K fans.

"Astro Girl"

There are just two tracks on this CD single - the title track and "The Androids Are Here (Mr Data Version)". "Astro Girl" is a great pop tune about a beautiful young girl whose life took a turn for the worse and who has fallen on hard times. A superb moody track with some really strong lyrics.

"The Androids Are Here", in contrast, harks back to the band's earlier days and is a strong electronic track which while is still very good, will definitely be an acquired taste. If you are not really into the electronic pop scene, they this track may not be for you. Still, saying that there are some nice effects and sounds in use here, and there has been some clever processing to the vocals to give them a mechanical sound.

Another good single, although it's a pity that there are only two tracks. Also, I would have thought that it could have been packaged in a proper CD single case rather than a cardboard sleeve. Still, it has great cover artwork!

"All ETs Aren't Nice"

This is one of my favourite CDs from SPOCK so far. In an unusual move, the 4 track CD kicks off with a remix of the title track, followed by "Search The Sky", then the original version of the song, and wrapping up with a sound effects track. Unlike previous SPOCK records, this has moved away from Star Trek and focuses on UFOs and the paranormal.

"All ETs Aren't Nice" is basically a track offering a warning to anyone thinking that every alien life form we encounter will be friendly! The normal version is a pretty good track, and is a fairly upbeat song considering the subject matter, and thanks to the bassline it has a more rounded feel than older SPOCK tracks. However, the ARM mix is unbelievable. The track has been completely re-worked and has been turned into a fantastic dance track and it's this that really makes the CD worth getting.

The final song, "Search The Sky" is a slower-paced affair and is about man's fascination with UFOs and the lengths people will go to in looking for them. Another good track, but it pales into insignificance against the first track.

Finally, we come onto the sound effects. This track is really for die-hard SPOCK fans. On some of their other releases around the time of this single, SPOCK made less and less use of sound effects, and the idea was to release a sound effects track that fans could play alongside the band's other songs. A nice idea, and it's refreshing to see a band listening to the requests of their fans.

Overall, this is a great single, and if you ever see it on sale anywhere, buy it immediately - you won't regret it!