An Electric Storm cover

An Electric Storm

Released

There’ve been a lot of weird pop collaborations over the years, but this team effort between jazz bassist/electronic engineer David Vorhaus and notable BBC Radiophonic Workshop veterans Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson — best known for their groundbreaking electronics work on Doctor Who — has to rank up there. Technically a pop record but filled with uncanny effects, weird moans, and surreal poetry on the first half and absolutely jaw-dropping ambient compositions on the second, it all culminates in an improvised piece called “Black Mass: An Electric Storm in Hell,” which sends 21 gigawatts of electric current through the River Styx. Unprecedented at the time, shocking even now.

Jeff Treppel

Recommended by

Suggestions
Sings Reign Rebuilder cover

Sings Reign Rebuilder

Set Fire to Flames
Escape the Flames cover

Escape the Flames

Binker & Moses
Bronca Buenos Aires cover

Bronca Buenos Aires

Jorge López Ruiz
Moa Anbessa cover

Moa Anbessa

Gétatchèw Mèkurya, The Ex
Statik cover

Statik

Actress
Sgùrr cover

Sgùrr

Thy Catafalque
Frames cover

Frames

Brian Haas, Matt Chamberlain
Disrespectful cover

Disrespectful

Tim Lefebvre, JZ Replacement
Parastrophics cover

Parastrophics

Mouse on Mars
Design Your Dreams cover

Design Your Dreams

Dark They Were And Golden Eyed
Valende cover

Valende

Jennifer Gentle