This article covers the Hawkwind album. For the UK space rock band of the same name, see the "Space Ritual (band)" article.
The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London
Live album by Hawkwind
Released May 11, 1973
Recorded December 1972
Genre Space Rock
Length 86:55 (original release)
Label United Artists – UAD60037/8
Producer Hawkwind
Hawkwind chronology
Doremi Fasol Latido
(1972) Space Ritual
(1973) Hall of the Mountain Grill
(1974)
The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London is a 1973 live double album recorded in 1972 by UK rock band Hawkwind. It is their fourth album, reached #9 in the UK album charts and briefly dented the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #179.
The album was recorded during the tour to promote their Doremi Fasol Latido album, which comprises the bulk of this set. In addition, there are new tracks ("Born To Go", "Upside Down" and "Orgone Accumulator") and the songs are interspersed by electronic and spoken pieces making this one continuous performance. Curiously, their recent hit single "Silver Machine" was excluded from the set, and only "Master of the Universe" remains from their first two albums.
The Space Ritual show attempted to create a full audio-visual-cerebral experience, representing themes developed by Barney Bubbles and Robert Calvert entwining the fantasy of Starfarers in suspended animation travelling through time and space with the concept of the music of the spheres.[1] The performance featured dancers Stacia, Miss Renee and Tony Carrera, stage set by Bubbles,[2] lightshow by Liquid Len and poetry recitations by Calvert. On entering the venue, audience members were given a free programme[3] (reproduced on the 1996 remaster CD) featuring a short sci-fi story by Bubbles setting the band in a Starfarers scenario returning to Earth.
The original release featured edits and overdubs, the sleeve notes explaining that "We had to cut a piece out of Brainstorm and Time We Left because they were too long", but the 1985 Space Ritual Volume 2 album contains the full unedited versions. A previously unheard edited version of "You Shouldn't Do That" (segued with an unlisted "Seeing It As You Really Are") from this concert was included on the 1976 Roadhawks compilation album, then subsequently included as a bonus track on the 1996 remaster CD. The full unedited version of the track can be found on the Hawkwind Anthology album. June 2007 saw another EMI remaster issue with different bonus tracks and DVD-audio.
"Sonic Attack" had been written by sci-fi author Michael Moorcock, who often performed with the band when convenient and Calvert was unavailable. Here it is recited by Calvert and it was scheduled for single release, promotional copies being distributed in a cloth sleeve, but it never did receive a full release.
In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #8 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums"

Regarded by many as the first Japanese progressive rock group, the Far East Family Band featured the keyboardist and future new age composer, Kitaro. A keyboard-dominated space rock band, the Far East Family Band played extended compositions that brought comparisons to Tangerine Dream and early Pink Floyd.
The group's first album was released under the band name of Far Out. After changing their name, the band released The Cave Down to Earth in 1975. Their first European release, Nipponjin -- Join Our Mental Phase Sound (1975), featured re-recorded versions of material from the previous record and the album attributed to Far Out. The group's next record, Parallel Worlds (1976), was profoundly influenced by Klaus Schulze who Kitaro met on a trip through Europe. With the first track over 30 minutes long, the album bears similarities to Krautrock legends Ash Ra Tempel. Tenkujin (1977) followed and was the band's first and only American release. By this point, the band consisted of Miyashta (vocals, synths, guitars, bamboo flute), Hirohito Fukushima (guitar, vocals, koto), and Yujin Harada (drums, percussion). It would be the band's last record. ~ Geoff Orens, All Music Guide
Personnel:
Akira Fukakusa - bass
Akira Ito - keyboards
Fumio Miyashita - guitar, keyboards
Hirohito Fukushima - vocals, guitar
Masanori Takahashi (Kitaro) - keyboards, percussion
Shizuo Takasaki – drums

Franco Battiato, born Francesco Battiato (Ionia, March 23, 1945 - Milo, May 18, 2021), was an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, musician, and painter.

Previously unissued album from Swedish psychedelic spacerockers (aka Garden Of the Elks) recorded between 1973 and 1974. 2001.

The legendary French space-rock group. On their debut "Pollen" the media had them promoted as the French PINK FLOYD, though they were a lot more original than that would suggest, with much use of flute and electronics. They had a uniquely French sound. PULSAR’s third album, issued in 1977, "Halloween" (a conceptual "horror-rock" symphonic opus) is generally considered one of the ten best symphonic albums in the world. A masterpiece of refinement. Definitely indispensable for all progressive rock fans!
"The Strands of the Future" contained beautiful, spacey, symphonic progressive music along the lines of PINK FLOYD, GENESIS, the early ELOY albums. This album featured some of their finest work, particularly the 26 minute mostly instrumental title-track. The atmosphere is enhanced by fantastic passages for mellotron. Probably as good or even better than “Halloween”! An excellent album!