Postphonic Star Exploration was a 5" EP released by Man or Astro-man? in 1995 (SFTRI250). It was one of a series of several 5" records (smaller than the standard 7") put out by Long Gone John's Sympathy for the Record Industry label in the 1990s (other notables being El Vez and Rocket from the Crypt). This was also one of the few appearances by Captain Zeno on an Astroman recording. The picture sleeve was made from heavy cardstock printed with high gloss ink and glued into a pocket shape. It was roughly the size of a compact disc. The back cover featured an incredible photo of Starcrunch playing while standing on top of his amp. It also featured the Moore Mill Road address in Auburn, which probably dates it to the first half of 1995.
The record itself was available on opaque black vinyl and clear green vinyl. Here is a scan of both versions:
I picked-up my used copy of this (opaque black) from Ernie November's (original location) in Sioux Falls, SD in 1998-9.
ReplyDeleteI love that Man or Astroman? has always they nailed their identity & branding. The astronaut on the cover is from the movie poster of the 1958 movie "War of the Satellites."
The final sound on this record is a clip that references the Sputnik radio signals. The retro quote is repurposed and appropriated with cheeky effect: "Suddenly [that sound] has become as much a part of 20th century life as the whir of your vacuum cleaner." In referring to the song itself, it was a part of my life. It helped me connect my feelings of malaise with suburbia to the panic Americans felt in 1954 when Asia asserted dominance in space.
At that time, I identified with the hellscape of suburban expansion. Cement gray cul-de-sacs (skateboarding prohibited, of course) surrounded with anonymous beige and gray houses stretched to the horizon where cornfields once stood. The contracting boom exploited Chinese dry-wall and laminate flooring industries replacing agriculture as the engine of economic growth in the Midwest. Who paid for all this? The banks kept approving mortgages, and a decade later: you did.
Mine version of the clear green vinyl is compared to your photo far more greenish clear then green!
ReplyDeleteHere is my picture;
ReplyDeletehttp://postimg.org/image/mzv5e518z/
Very clear, less green!
Deletehttp://postimg.org/image/ls1x2ad1h/