The Astronauts - Peter Pan Hits The Suburbs

Original Release Date

1981

Release Information

UK LP 1981 (Bugle/Genius - Genius 001)
Greece CD 1994 (Lazy Dog - LZDCD 801)

1 Everything Stops For Baby 2:08
2 Protest Song 6:05
3 Sod Us 2:02
4 The Traveller 2:26
5 How Green Was My Valley 6:01
6 Still Talking 5:59
7 Baby Sings Folk Songs 5:54
8 How Long Is A Piece Of String 1:27
9 Amplified World 7:48
10 Midsummer Lullaby 3:10
CD Bonus Tracks
11 Everything Stops For Baby (Short Version) 0:53
12 Back Soon 2:30

Chart Placings

None

Credits

Mark Wilkins - vocals, bk vocals
Dave Miller - guitar, bk vocals
Alan Cowley - guitar, bk vocals
Phil Thornton - keyboards, synth percussion, guitar, flute
Gordon Walker - synthesiser, violin, bk vocals
Max - bass guitar
Ian Cowley - drums, synth percussion

Produced by The Astronauts & Grant Showbiz at Street Level, London
Executive production by Jonathan Barnett (for Genius) & Huw Davies (for Bugle)
Addition recording at The Crypt, Stevenage. Engineer Simon Jones

Many thanks to Bob Green for additional guitar & Nic [sic] Turner for saxophone

Additional Credits

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Reviews & Opinions

EBULLITION RECORDS: The Astronauts were (and are, after close to 30 years and a history of lineup shifts only bested by The Fall) the definitive psych-punk ensemble, though even that title doesn't do 'em justice. Their sound culminates the post '77 punk dabblings of head forbears Twink (his 'Do it 77' single and The Rings' 'I wanna be free' platter), Nik Turner (the outstanding Inner City Unit and the 'punkier' late 70's bits of Hawkwind) and Daevid Allen's planet Gong (with fellow acid-punkers Here and Now) all woven in with an earlier Robert Wyatt / mellow candle-y psych folk vibe... While not sounding like any of those things at all. Get it? The album's range is gigantic: from dissonant punk a la Fall ('Everything stops for baby'), to epic progressive folk ('Protest song', 'Baby sings folk songs'), ditties ('Sod us'), hard-rock ('The Traveller'), pop ('How green was my valley'), garage / surf ('Still Talking'), industrial ('How long is a piece of string'), and set to arrangements that employ synths, flute, saxophone, and strays into progressive or even free-form / psychedelic sections. The icing on the cake is the mature statement of the lyrics, a cynical and bitter exploration of the lives of simple men, miles away from the generic horror / punk overtones that permeated most of alternative albums at the time.

Additional Notes

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Images

UK LP 1981 (Bugle/Genius - Genius 001). Click here for more

Greece CD 1994 (Lazy Dog - LZDCD 801). Click here for more