S$# 037 FM | Phasors On Stun
The prog rock group FM started out in Toronto in the mid-70s with Cameron Hawkins on bass and keyboards, plus the incredible bandaged Nash The Slash on electric violin and electric mandolin. Drummer Martin Deller soon joined them.
It was this line-up that recorded Phasors On Stun, the big hit from their debut album Black Noise, first released in 1977. Written by Cameron and Nash, it's a prog rock treasure, which conveys a futuristic mood and atmoshpere. (Despite the title, the song has nothing to do with Star Trek or the weapons used therein, though.) Writing at allmusic.com, Mike DeGagne says:
What is POS about? It's one of those songs that lends itself to a variety of interpretations. It might be about perseverance, or a mind-expanding trip, or a voyage through hyperspace.
Hold fast
Hold on
Nothing is a dream
Yet in changing faster
It never seems to be here long
Move on
Turn 'round
Just can't seem to find it
Try and reach out
Hold out
I cannot touch the wind
I touch you
Reach out
Hold on
Nothing here is real
Yet in searching farther
It almost seems to live until it
Moves on, turns 'round
Just can't seem to lose it,
Try and hold fast
Hold on
I cannot ride the wind
I ride you
Hold fast
Hold on
Nothing is a dream until you
Wake up
Cry out
Now it isn't real, now you
Hold fast, nothing is a dream
Hold on, just can't lose it now
Move on turning round and round
Wake up, you cannot ride the wind
Phasors On Stun didn't chart very high, but it has received a fair amount of airplay on FM back then and on classic rock stations ever since.
It was this line-up that recorded Phasors On Stun, the big hit from their debut album Black Noise, first released in 1977. Written by Cameron and Nash, it's a prog rock treasure, which conveys a futuristic mood and atmoshpere. (Despite the title, the song has nothing to do with Star Trek or the weapons used therein, though.) Writing at allmusic.com, Mike DeGagne says:
Mixing cold, mechanical instrumentation with the sizzle of keyboards, FM played an irregular style of progressive music that sounded isolated and pleasantly hollow... Phasors on Stun sounds like it's sung from the blackness of space, with piercing laser blasts shooting through the body of the song. Nash the Slash uses his voice and his violins to conjure up a science fiction motif that is convincing through all eight songs. FM's music relies on loose structure and small surges of numerous instruments to create a large sound. Black Noise is a prime example of how well instruments can be used to convey, shape and utilize imagery.
What is POS about? It's one of those songs that lends itself to a variety of interpretations. It might be about perseverance, or a mind-expanding trip, or a voyage through hyperspace.
Hold fast
Hold on
Nothing is a dream
Yet in changing faster
It never seems to be here long
Move on
Turn 'round
Just can't seem to find it
Try and reach out
Hold out
I cannot touch the wind
I touch you
Reach out
Hold on
Nothing here is real
Yet in searching farther
It almost seems to live until it
Moves on, turns 'round
Just can't seem to lose it,
Try and hold fast
Hold on
I cannot ride the wind
I ride you
Hold fast
Hold on
Nothing is a dream until you
Wake up
Cry out
Now it isn't real, now you
Hold fast, nothing is a dream
Hold on, just can't lose it now
Move on turning round and round
Wake up, you cannot ride the wind
Phasors On Stun didn't chart very high, but it has received a fair amount of airplay on FM back then and on classic rock stations ever since.
posted by droppingpin at 9:51 PM
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