Space-themed (and other) filk

[Flame of Anor]

Having barely scratched the surface (and come up with some tantalizing shavings) I've long wanted to get my prying fingers into the filk scene. Slightly overplayed hands metaphor aside, though, I would love some pointers* to good filk. Specifically space and/or science-fiction themed, but if it's really good and not related, feel free to throw it up here.

I'll start off with the one that inspired this thread:

Kristoph Klover - Fire in the Sky (http://www.prometheus-music.com/audio/fireinthesky.mp3)

(found here) (http://www.prometheus-music.com/eli/virtual.html)

*no pun intended, I swear

[Kindablue]

Dawson's Christian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3fIu2OdWn8&t=1m00s) as performed by Vixy and Tony (http://www.vixyandtony.com/music.html).

[Ravens_cry]

The only science fiction filk song I really know is Banned from Argo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q50UBIWXvfc) by filk legend Leslie Fish.
Very, very catchy.

[Flame of Anor]

Dawson's Christian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3fIu2OdWn8&t=1m00s) as performed by Vixy and Tony (http://www.vixyandtony.com/music.html).


The only science fiction filk song I really know is Banned from Argo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q50UBIWXvfc) by filk legend Leslie Fish.
Very, very catchy.

Those are both great! Kindablue, do you know where I can find Jordin Kare's version? Ravens_cry, that song is even better with good sound quality (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN1WSkFXmzU).

[Caesar]

See.. now I know I am getting old. Goshderndit! What in the twelve gods is this filk crap you kids are goin' on about?

And git off mah lawn!

EDIT: The genre has been active since the early 1950s, and played primarily since the mid-1970s. The term (originally a typographical error) predates 1955

Oh, thats good. Im not old afterall, Im just ignorant. Much better. :smallwink:

[An Enemy Spy]

What the heck is filk?

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

A quick google-search tells me it's folk-music about science fiction and such.

[Flame of Anor]

What the heck is filk?


A quick google-search tells me it's folk-music about science fiction and such.

Yes, that. I have heard that the name comes from "sci-fi" + "folk", though Caesar's quote makes that likely to be a retcon.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Bedlam Bards -- On the Drift (http://www.bedlambards.com/Browncoats.html)

I love me this album. There's some hit or miss at times, but it sorta grows on you, particularly if you're a Firefly aficionado. If you're a Browncoat, you'll find plenty to appreciate, especially the song Sail the Sky, which is a lovely epilogue to Serenity.

[Ravens_cry]

T Ravens_cry, that song is even better with good sound quality (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN1WSkFXmzU).
That is better sound quality, but I like the latter as a music video better because it is based on video of the television show that inspired the song.
Also, Serenity doesn't make sense also because, as far as I know, there is no known aliens in the Firefly universe. Malcolm Reynolds would have to get awful creative to achieve what the Captain did in the song.
This form of creativity is banned in most states incidentally.

[Cazaril]

Ooh, filk! I listened to a lot of filk growing up, since my parents were heavily into the fandom community of the late 70s and 80s, the heyday of filk music.

The quintessential filk song is Hope Eyrie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXteSV8rBwY), by Leslie Fish. Written in 1975, it is a celebration of the landing of the Apollo 11 mission.

Some of my other favorites include Surprise! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-mZ9pKvCmk) (a mock-Russian folk song about Sputnik), and the Witnesses' Waltz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_GciXA-6Ag).

This album (http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Stars-Musical-Celebration-Exploration/dp/B00019RDRI) is a good place to start. There's a lot of good songs on it (and a couple crummy ones, but hey). Try searching for other songs or albums by some of those artists, like Kristoph Klover and Julia Ecklar.

The main problem with finding filk these days is that the majority of it was originally recorded on cassette by small recording studios, and never really made the switch to CDs and virtual files. However, some amount of it has been converted by the original artists and put up for sale; some has been recorded from the cassettes and put up onto YouTube by enterprising private individuals. And there are probably still people out there who are making it, but I haven't dug hard enough to find them.

[Flame of Anor]

Ooh, filk! I listened to a lot of filk growing up, since my parents were heavily into the fandom community of the late 70s and 80s, the heyday of filk music.

The quintessential filk song is Hope Eyrie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXteSV8rBwY), by Leslie Fish. Written in 1975, it is a celebration of the landing of the Apollo 11 mission.

Some of my other favorites include Surprise! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-mZ9pKvCmk) (a mock-Russian folk song about Sputnik), and the Witnesses' Waltz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_GciXA-6Ag).

This album (http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Stars-Musical-Celebration-Exploration/dp/B00019RDRI) is a good place to start. There's a lot of good songs on it (and a couple crummy ones, but hey). Try searching for other songs or albums by some of those artists, like Kristoph Klover and Julia Ecklar.

The main problem with finding filk these days is that the majority of it was originally recorded on cassette by small recording studios, and never really made the switch to CDs and virtual files. However, some amount of it has been converted by the original artists and put up for sale; some has been recorded from the cassettes and put up onto YouTube by enterprising private individuals. And there are probably still people out there who are making it, but I haven't dug hard enough to find them.

It's funny, in the time I've been away from this thread, I had actually encountered that album online. It's nice to hear an endorsement--I'll probably buy it at some point. I've been listening to Minus Ten and Counting (http://spacearchaeology.org/?p=211) (the album that the one you mentioned is an unofficial sequel to) and really enjoying it.

Also, apparently weyrdmusicman (http://www.youtube.com/user/weyrdmusicman) has everything digitized on his YouTube channel. It's super awesome. :smallbiggrin: