HR132 - Alien Planetscapes - Freedom Riders - C90 — 1989
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
From the early 1980s to his unfortunate death in 2006, Doug ‘Dr Synth’ Walker was the ship commander and visionary behind Alien Planetscapes. Hawkwind, Gong, Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, King Crimson, electric Miles Davis, Cecil Taylor… Doug’s passion for and knowledge of varied influences was scholarly and integrated into a uniquely Alien Planetscapes brand of space rock.
There were two Alien Planetscapes formats: The duo electronic explorations and the big band rockers. Freedom Riders features tracks with various four and five musician lineups and an array of guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers, sequencers, organ, flute, and violin instrumentation. The blend of high-powered improvisational space rock and free-jazz is in large part what gave Alien Planetscapes its distinctive quality. An over-simplification, but imagine a Yeti era Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, and Mile Davis collaboration and you might get something like the music on Freedom Riders. The band cuts loose with their improvisations, much of which blends a strange sense of dreamy, deliriously free-wheeling, and hard space rocking jams. Screeching guitars, fiery and often intricate guitar leads, bleeping and bubbling electronics, eerily swirling organ, and steady drumming propel the cosmic excursions. Tracks like ‘AMON DUUL II’ name Doug’s inspiration without necessarily sounding like the influence, though the spirit is there with its stoned vibe and menacingly meandering organ melody. And ‘Stand Bye (Richard Pinhas)’ drifts around the edges of full band Heldon while rocking firmly in Alien Planetscapes mode. A solid rocking set!
Title and cover note: Freedom Riders refers to the American 1960s civil rights activists, and the tape cover depicts Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, and Michael Henry Schwerner, the three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964.
Finally, shortly after Doug’s death, Harsh Reality label honcho Chris Phinney produced CDR reissues of several Alien Planetscapes cassette albums released on his label and distributed them through the Aural Innovations Space Rock mail order service, with all proceeds going to Doug’s son Evan Walker. Though no longer available, the different cover art for the reissue is worth including.
From the early 1980s to his unfortunate death in 2006, Doug ‘Dr Synth’ Walker was the ship commander and visionary behind Alien Planetscapes. Hawkwind, Gong, Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, King Crimson, electric Miles Davis, Cecil Taylor… Doug’s passion for and knowledge of varied influences was scholarly and integrated into a uniquely Alien Planetscapes brand of space rock.
There were two Alien Planetscapes formats: The duo electronic explorations and the big band rockers. Freedom Riders features tracks with various four and five musician lineups and an array of guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers, sequencers, organ, flute, and violin instrumentation. The blend of high-powered improvisational space rock and free-jazz is in large part what gave Alien Planetscapes its distinctive quality. An over-simplification, but imagine a Yeti era Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, and Mile Davis collaboration and you might get something like the music on Freedom Riders. The band cuts loose with their improvisations, much of which blends a strange sense of dreamy, deliriously free-wheeling, and hard space rocking jams. Screeching guitars, fiery and often intricate guitar leads, bleeping and bubbling electronics, eerily swirling organ, and steady drumming propel the cosmic excursions. Tracks like ‘AMON DUUL II’ name Doug’s inspiration without necessarily sounding like the influence, though the spirit is there with its stoned vibe and menacingly meandering organ melody. And ‘Stand Bye (Richard Pinhas)’ drifts around the edges of full band Heldon while rocking firmly in Alien Planetscapes mode. A solid rocking set!
Title and cover note: Freedom Riders refers to the American 1960s civil rights activists, and the tape cover depicts Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, and Michael Henry Schwerner, the three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964.
Finally, shortly after Doug’s death, Harsh Reality label honcho Chris Phinney produced CDR reissues of several Alien Planetscapes cassette albums released on his label and distributed them through the Aural Innovations Space Rock mail order service, with all proceeds going to Doug’s son Evan Walker. Though no longer available, the different cover art for the reissue is worth including.