login | Register

Space Opera - LOST IN SPACE

The Epic Saga of Fort Worth's Space Opera

by Frank Gutch

A FOREWORD, OF SORTS...

I have to laugh when I think of how many people, including those in the music industry, considered Space Opera one of Canada's best rock exports. It is understandable, as the only information on the jacket and inner sleeve besides lyrics and personnel had to do with mixing and mastering (Crystal Sound, Hollywood) and recording (Manta Sound, Toronto). The...

related tags

Music,
Lore,
Texas,
Urban,

Currently there are 7 comments.


Comments

malali says...

Very happy to see your article, I very much to like and agree with your point of view. Thank you for sharing. At the same time,i love best pram very much .Welcome to look at my website and blog articles.Hope we can become good friends, and exchange and to help each other! Thanks!! Louis Vuitton HandbagsCoach Handbags Outlet Coach Purses Louis Vuitton bags Monogram Vernis, Louis Vuitton Purses, Discount Louis Vuitton Bags Coach Store, Coach Sunglasses Burberry Handbags Wool Cashmere Shawls

lndwaring says...

I arrived in Ft.Worth on(from Houston)to play at the Cellar. The rodeo was on it was kinda snowey. My life changed forever. I could not believe the music that was going on everywhere. I moved to Ft.Worth and adopted it as my home town, right then and there. We eventually became "Nitziinger" and one of the first "original music" gigs we played was in Denton, we were sandwiched in between "Space Opera" and "Bloodrock". I remember it so well...Space opera played great! We were up next and I used Rick's drums (Bloodrock) and in the middle of our first song the spur holding up the bass drum folded up and the next thing I knew the rack toms were on the floor the bass drum pedal was at about the 3 o'clock position in space.... and all I had was a snare drum to finish out the song. Great start! Unfortunately I never had much opportunity to see other bands, and I am certainly dissapointed not to have heard Space Opera more than I did. In later years I hired Phil White to play in one of the variations of my band Miss Molly and the Passions (also Mace Maben played with us during that time). I have to say they broke the mold when Phil was born. I loved his songwriting. He was so astute and funny.And SO talented.I miss him so. I wish I had returned here sooner and spent some time with him.I also remember Edd, but that was later on too (El Roacho). If anyone reads this and has music from SpaceOpera...I would love a copy of it. Anything. I was always knocked out by anything Phil did, so I am sure I still will be.

Jaci says...

When I first moved to Fort Worth from Dallas in 1970, I immediately began hearing all about the wonderful folk/rock band known as Space Opera. Luckily, I quickly made some my close connections to some of the band members' close friends and fan base, and like everyone else I knew, quickly became infatuated with the musical talents of these guys and the excitement of their live performances. Dave Bullock's grandmother lived next door to a house on Hurley Street where I rented a room in a big Victorian house with several other friends. I also worked at Zeke's and The Hop in 1972- 1974 and was able to hear the band play frequently, as well as getting to know two of the band members personally. The last time I heard Phil and David play together was at the Zeke's 35th Reunion in 2006, accompanied by my old college friend, guitarist Bill Ham, since Scott and Brett had already joined that band awaiting all of us in the next dimension of time. Needless to say, I feel very fortunate to have been able to hear Space Opera playing live so many times over the years and I still look forward to hearing Dave Bullock play anytime he is in Fort Worth. I was so sorry to see Phil getting so gravely ill over the past year and I will miss him now that he, too, is gone. This was truly a great band!

nickyanne says...

I grew up with Space Opera Music, It's the music that when I an listening makes me the happiest. I love it, every single song! Their music is the best- thats it! Nothing like getting together with your friends and grabbing your kitchen spoon(as your mic)and singing and dancing through the house! What a party! Thank you for my music memories.... Can't wait to read Chapter 2. Saddened about our latest loss. There's some friends together in heaven.

JulieTH says...

Saturday September 6, 2008 We lost Phil White today. Our loss, heavens gain. RIP

TonyD says...

I guess I saw the Mods for the first time at The Beards place on the West side. I thought it was really cool that they played Beatle songs and even some really new stuff by British bands who were extremely popular at the time. I was home on leave from the Navy in 67 and although I had been in a band for a few months that had worked up a few Beatles tunes, I remember being totally impressed with the way they harmonized. Enthralled is closer to the right term. A few years later, in 71 after getting out of the Navy and forming my own band, Savvy, I wandered into the Hop one night on Berry street and was immediately told that the band playing there was some of the guys from the Mods. Needless to say, I stayed for the performance and was thrilled to the core of my being. How could four guys put out something that sounded like a chorus of angels singing Rock and Roll. Scott had begun playing guitar and keyboards by that time and was very good at singing also. David's voice was incredible and Phil sang harmonies that I didn't know a human being could hit. I walked out of the place that night with music ringing in my head that wouldn't go away for years to come. A short time later I heard that they went to Canada but I was thrilled when I looked in the paper one day and saw they were back in town and would be opening for The Guess Who at Tarrant County Convention Center. They also had an Album by that time and I went right out and bought it. I would imagine that between 71 and 75 I saw them everytime they played in the Fort Worth area. They even opened for Jefferson Airplane at TCU's Daniel Meyer Colosseum. But my favorite place to see them was at the HOP where I had seen them for the first time. The last time I saw them there in late 75 or early 76 they had a three piece woodwind section with them. It was an incredible show and I haven't seen anything like it since then. It was almost like a classical concert where if the musicians weren't playing you could hear a pin drop but when they finished playing a song the roar was deafening. Standing ovations. What a show, what a band. I own both Space opera albums, the first one is an LP. I also own the second on CD which was given to me by David Bullock, and Whistler Chaucer Detroit and Greenhill which I luckily found on Amazon.com. There was one new and one used. I opted for the new copy. I am looking forward to seeing David and Phil at a new venue in Fort Worth this Sunday and Bill Ham will be playing guitar with them. What a treat.

Please login or you can to leave a comment.

If you aren't registered, Register Now to start leaving comments.

Apple iTunes

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
Copyright 1998-2018 by Swampland Inc. All rights reserved.