Volume 1, Number 33
Several months back I posted a two part interview [ Part 1 & Part 2] with film composer, musician and one time FSM contributor Steve Greaves. Steve, in addition to his film compositions, also writes and performs music in the Space Age Pop vein and has since come to be known as "The King of Space Age Pop A-Go-Go" for this facet of his musical persona. Performing under the banner of The SG Sound, Steve has just recently released Escapade Velocity, an album filled with his latest Space Age Pop compositions and film music covers.
 Escapade Velocity is a concept album of music that revolves around the wonders and long lost excitement of space exploration. Along with his own compositions, Steve has included several covers of music from Star Wars and Star Trek which bear the stamp of his own unmistakable style. Most film score fans will readily identify these tunes even in their hip, space age pop incarnations. They are overflowing with imaginative nods of affection to the originals and just add spice to the mix of Steve’s own swinging compositions. This is music that is just plain fun and has been known to elicit the urge to dance in some of our FSM brethren/sistren who have previously sampled some of Steve’s offerings (names withheld so as not to embarrass anyone unduly!).
I was very honored that Steve asked me to pen the liner notes for his album and am reprinting them here simply because I’m just so proud to have gotten the chance to write liner notes for the first and probably only time in my life. This is my “90 seconds” of barely registrable fame and I wanted to share it with those of you who have been readers of my blogs. I wrote the notes much in the same hip, upbeat style that many of the space age pop releases of yesteryear were written in, only with a bit more updated swagger. Thanks Steve for giving me the opportunity! From the liner notes...
 Steve Greaves, The King of Space Age Pop A-Go-Go takes you on a fantastic intergalactic journey via The SG Sound with his most ambitious album yet, Escapade Velocity. Echoes of Space Age Pop past mingle with present day vibes to create a new sound inviting listeners on a journey to rediscover the joys of space exploration in all its epic scope. Born of the past, but perfected in the world of the new millennium, The SG Sound transports listeners once again into the exciting world of space travel, discovery and adventure.
There was a time back in the early days of man’s journeys into space when everything was labeled “space age” and much of the day's music reflected the optimism and excitement of the times. As interest in the space program dwindled over time and trips into space became routine and even mundane in the eyes of many, space age pop music faded from view and has since been thought to be a long lost relic of the times.
Fast forward to the future present and a startling voice has arrived on the scene to rekindle the feeling of those heady days of space mania. Taking cues from the past while updating the sound with a fresh new sensibility, this is music filled with swinging vibes, driving rhythms and a sense of fun that calls out to all armchair astronauts to hop back aboard the space age express to the stars. At once familiar, yet altogether new sounding, this is music that dares you to be cool, hip and have fun as you explore the strange new worlds awaiting you in the depths of space.
Horns blast, drums drive the beat and a wailing guitar sends you on your way as you swing to the spaced out tunes of Star Wars, Star Trek and Steve's own original intergalactic concoctions. Whether it be exotica, spy underscore, surf guitar or swinging pop odes to the Space Age past, these sounds say, “Hey, space is a fun place so lets get going again! “
So mortals, prepare yourselves for a voyage to and beyond the final frontier accompanied by the cooler than cool stylings of The SG Sound and leave all of your earthly cares behind. This is a case where the journey IS the trip and where it leads you is limited only by your imagination.
Track Listing: (All tracks written by Stephen Greaves except where noted)
1. Escapade Velocity
2. The Imperial March: Darth Vader's Theme (J. Williams)
3. First Contact (J. Goldsmith)
4. Satellite Feeding
5. The Long Horizon
6. The Cantina Band (J. Williams)
7. Banditos De Las Estrellas
8. The Force Theme (J. Williams)
9. Sirens of Venus
10. Red Dessert Springs
11. Firefly Theme (J. Whedon-lyrics only version)
12. I Feel the Earth Move (C. King)
To listen to samples from Escapade Velocity, please select one of the following links: Amazon [CD & download], iTunes [download]. [UPDATE] Steve was interviewed about the new albm for the latest edition of the Cocktail Nation podcast located here: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cocktailnation/~3/Xgj7j23AenQ. Steve's interview starts at 9:50, runs to 18:00 and is then followed by the playing of the title track, Escapade Velocity.
Epilogue
The place for quotes, trivia, links, etc.
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