Man or Astro-Man?
ROYGBIV (Recordings From the BBC)
CHUNKLET
The word “unprecedented” is bandied about so recklessly these days, it’s practically lost all meaning. But back in the ’90s, an idiosyncratic group of space-obsessed surf-rock misfits called Man or Astro-Man? pulled off a radical feat that no band had done before—and probably never will. At the height of their career, the modestly popular instrumental rockers devised an ingenious way to reach throngs of listeners across the US: they created two “clone” bands consisting of lookalike musicians who toured simultaneously as the main Astro-Men, playing the same songs in different cities. Talk about delegating tasks.
The legend of Man or Astro-Man? involves a litany of stories like this, not unlike Andy Kaufman’s singular performance comedy. But now, over 30 years after the project initially launched, a new vinyl box set comes close to embodying the spirit of the space cadets running amok—all while rocking along the way. ROYGBIV (Recordings From the BBC) contains eight 7-inch singles and a bonus flexi disc featuring exactly what its subtitle promises: roughly 30 songs the band performed on the Radio 1 show between 1993 and 1997. Man or Astro-Man? played on the holy grail of rock radio shows at the behest of John Peel, widely considered to be the most famed rock DJ of all time.
While the Peel Sessions’ namesake was pivotal to the success of the band (he hosted them on Radio 1 six times), this box set focuses almost entirely on the cosmic brilliance of the band. Unlike most radio-broadcast recordings put on vinyl or CD from the days when static and poor studio equipment would lead to distracting if not disastrous sound quality, these recordings are so impressively crisp that it’s easy to forget they’re derived from radio sessions. ROYGBIV does justice to raucous, propulsive Man or Astro-Man? songs like “Put Your Friends in the Socket” and “Invasion of the Dragonmen” as the mute surf-rockers still manages to demonstrate their endearingly bizarre and wry sense of humor. Especially amusing is that their performances of “Inside the Head of Mr. John Peel” and “Welcome to the Wicky Wacky World of John Peel (The Wayward Meteor)” neither feature the DJ nor even make reference to him.
Also adhering to the Man or Astro-Man? persona (their knack for kayfabe was superior to most pro wrestlers, as they’ve long worn spacesuits and weird glasses onstage), obscure radio transmissions are littered like space junk through the vast array of songs. Those brief intros and outros are also true to form for Man or Astro-Man? and their signature move of beginning and ending songs with staticky clips of vintage radio announcements warning listeners about supposed alien activity.
ROYGBIV is a treat of a box set, one that temporarily provides a relief from the horrors of the real world through infectious and entertaining music created decades ago by young artists obsessed with, and exuberant about, a future that hasn’t come to pass. At least not yet.
