What tracks for a Hitchhikers Guide party mix?

March 22, 2012 3:12 PM

Help me put together a Hitchhiker's Guide / outer-space themed DJ mix for a friends' birthday party!

So, I'm DJing at a friend's 42nd bday party, with a HHGTTG / fun scifi theme and am looking for some thematically appropriate goodtimes tracks to put in my set. Any ideas?

posted by thedaniel to media & arts (41 answers total)

The Jonzun Crew - Space is the Place
posted by hydrophonic at 3:16 PM on March 22, 2012

Journey of the Sorcerer by the Eagles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rOMGIbY-9s

Or...
this remix of it at Douglas's birthday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQyS0ztCr-o

which was amazing!
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:19 PM on March 22, 2012 [3 favorites]

Oh also, slightly tangentially (perhaps appropriately)
Is the theme tune to the BBC adaptation of Dirk Gently
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:22 PM on March 22, 2012

Do you realize that robot can hum like Pink Floyd?
posted by scolbath at 3:31 PM on March 22, 2012

also, anything by Procul Harum...
posted by scolbath at 3:31 PM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

Radiohead - Paranoid Android

I think it's confirmed that they named the song after Marvin.
posted by sngbk at 3:32 PM on March 22, 2012

Pretty much anything by Hawkwind, especially Silver Machine or Space is Deep or if you want something really cheesy there's always Hot Gossip's I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper
posted by Chairboy at 3:44 PM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

Just about to say "Hawkwind", try "Damnation Alley", "Master of the Universe" or if you're feeling sadistic "Sonic Attack"
posted by hardcode at 3:48 PM on March 22, 2012

Arthur Dent was a Guardian reader in the 1970s, so maybe something proletarian like The Jam.

Also the Infocom game likened the arrival of the Vogon fleet to "a noise like a cross between Led Zeppelin's farewell concert and the eruption of Krakatoa." Physical Graffiti?
posted by steinsaltz at 3:52 PM on March 22, 2012

Marvin I Love You, of course!
posted by SisterHavana at 3:58 PM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

One of the later books in the series makes extensive reference to Dire Straits, so there's that.
posted by Dr Dracator at 3:58 PM on March 22, 2012

It has to open with Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
posted by pompomtom at 3:59 PM on March 22, 2012

Different world, but deliciously spacey (IMO): Orbital's cover of Doctor Who theme (though it may be because I came into this as a fan of Orbital who hadn't heard the Who theme a million times already).

Then there is the soundtrack to the Hitchhikers movie, which may be blasphemy, I'm not sure.

Depending on how noisy you want to get, there's Xymox's Hitchihiker's Dance Guide.

There are a bunch of weird tracks, samples and whatnot to be found in a broad Discogs search for hitchhikers guide. Some may be hard to get, or really not suitable beyond the name of the song (like the Xymox track). There are plenty of fun things to find if you plug in random HHGTTG terms and phrases (example: The Bartlebees - "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" 7" record).
posted by filthy light thief at 4:01 PM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

SisterHavana: Marvin I Love You, of course!

There are more songs by Marvin.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:04 PM on March 22, 2012

Then there is the soundtrack to the Hitchhikers movie, which may be blasphemy....

On the other hand, it does let you use So Long And Thanks For All The Fish, which is a must.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:06 PM on March 22, 2012

Space Game by MC Lars.
Robot Parade by They Might be Giants.
posted by Garm at 4:12 PM on March 22, 2012

The soundtrack for the 2005 movie has some appropriate pieces, assuming you don't find it anathema (Adams was a part of the project all the way until his death, so I don't see why some do).

Specifically, there are two great soul/blues classics from a party scene that could work: Betty Wright's snazzy "Shoo-rah! Shoo-rah!" and Al Green's "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)". "Magic Moments" by Perry Como is used for ironic effect later.

There's also The Eagles' "Journey of the Sorcerer", which Adams chose as the series theme song back in the BBC radio drama days. The original is pretty long though, so you may want to look for an abridged version.

Also, a few good ambient/electronic tracks:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
Infinite Improbability Drive
Viltvodle Street Music

EmpressCallipygos already mentioned "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish," which is great. Also fun: Vote Beeblebrox. In no way is his brain impaired! It's just not true! He's smarter than you! And he's better looking, too...
posted by Rhaomi at 4:15 PM on March 22, 2012

Man or Astroman
posted by AJaffe at 4:15 PM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

To Touch the Stars: A Musical Celebration of Space Exploration.
posted by paduasoy at 4:16 PM on March 22, 2012

Bowie and related:

Space Oddity
Starman
Major Tom (Coming Home)
posted by Kafkaesque at 4:27 PM on March 22, 2012

You could play the entire Darth Mojo Sci-Fi Dance Mix, which I adore and has a very high number of plays on my iPod. (The writer does special effects and used to work on Battlestar Galactica, so I think there are at least two mixes of the BSG theme in there...)
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 4:36 PM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

There's a scene in the original radio series where they go to a disco... the background noise was created by playing The BeeGee's Staying Alive backwards at full volume in the room next door..
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:40 PM on March 22, 2012

Other science fiction tunes....

I lost my love to starship trooper
Star Trekkin'
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:04 PM on March 22, 2012

Pluton and the Humanoids - Space Invaders
Casco - Cybernetic Love
Astral Sounds - Spectra
Lindstrom - I Feel Space
Slick - Space Bass

Or for a less upbeat, more goofy atmosphere:

Kool Keith - I'm Seeing Robots
Lucia Pamela - Walking on the Moon
David Matthews - Star Wars Theme
posted by vathek at 5:14 PM on March 22, 2012

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Mixtape

BOOK 1: THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

1. “Introduction” – Peter Jones
2. “Journey of the Sorcerer” – The Eagles
3. “Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled” – Porcupine Tree
4. “Don’t Panic” – Ford Prefect & Arthur Dent
5. “Don’t Panic” – Coldplay
6. “Against All Odds” – Postal Service
7. “Heart of Gold” – Johnny Cash
8. Personality Prototype – Marvin the Android
9. “Paranoid Android” – Radiohead
10. “Citizens of Tomorrow” – Tokyo Police Club
11. “Computer World” – Kraftwerk
12. “The Answer” – Deep Thought
13. “42″ – Disco Biscuits
14. “Mike’s Blowin’ in the Wind” – Bob Dylan vs. Air

BOOK 2: THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE

1. “Grand Hotel” – Procol Harum
2. “Ouija Board, Ouija Board” – Morrissey
3. “Bombed” – Zaphod and Marvin
4. “First Wave Intact” – Secret Machines
5. “Out the Window” – Violent Femmes
6. “Insignificant” – Counting Crows
7. “Max Quordlepleen” – Max Quordlepleen
8. “End of the Universe” – Screaming Trees
9. “Rockstar” – Margo Buchannan
10. “Sing For Your Meat” – Guided By Voices
11. “It’s Just So…” – Zaphod and Ford
12. “Paint It Black” – Dirty Heads
13. “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” – Pink Floyd
14. “Fool on the Hill” – The Beatles
15. “Colonists” – Golgafrinchan Ship’s Captain
16. “Ship of Fools” – The Grateful Dead

BOOK 3: LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING

1. “Cricket” – The Kinks
2. “Somebody Else’s Problem” – Ford Prefect
3. “You Won’t See Me” – The Beatles
4. “Sloop John B” – The Beach Boys
5. “For No One” – The Beatles
6. “Tactless” – Agrajag
7. “Cathedral” – Robyn Hitchcock
8. “Learning to Fly” – Pink Floyd
9. “World Party” – Waterboys
10. “Night on Krikkit” – The Narrator
11. “Late in the Evening” – Paul Simon
12. “Near the End” – David Gilmour
13. “Ashes” – Arthur and Ford
14. “Ashes to Ashes” – David Bowie
15. “Nothing But The Truth” – Procol Harum
16. “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” – Pink Floyd
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:31 PM on March 22, 2012 [4 favorites]

Aural Exciters - Spooks in Space
The Rezillos - Destination Venus
The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
The Sonics - Hitch Hike
The Carpenters - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft
posted by hydrophonic at 9:12 PM on March 22, 2012

My boyfriend says Star Wars Disco.
posted by DoubleLune at 9:17 PM on March 22, 2012

Something About You by Level 42, because they named their band after the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
posted by Pronoiac at 12:04 AM on March 23, 2012

Also sprach Zarathustra - Deodato
Gets a bit outthere and improv, but the first 3 mins are spacefunkalicious
posted by 5imon at 4:12 AM on March 23, 2012

Share and Enjoy - aka the anthem of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation
posted by mikepop at 5:52 AM on March 23, 2012

Space Manoeuvres – Stage One
Space Manoeuvres – Stage Two
Space Manoeuvres – Part Three
Dr. Octagon – Earth People
The Prodigy – Out of Space
DJ Qbert – Redworm
War of the Worlds – Eve of the War (Tilt remix)
posted by nickrussell at 5:53 AM on March 23, 2012

(If you want any of the background music from any of the radio episodes identified I have a complete listing at home and can look it up tonight)
posted by mikepop at 5:54 AM on March 23, 2012

Spacehog: In the Meantime.
posted by troywestfield at 6:17 AM on March 23, 2012

I have been trying to find the exact name of this song, and have failed, so: I think this is circa 1960's, a goofy novelty song that they used for the gag reel for the first X-FILES movie; some chirpy silly thing, the only lyric to which I can remember is "will there be room on a spaceship for a boy and girl to make love".

I post this in hopes that someone else has more success with identifying the song than I.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:11 AM on March 23, 2012

Humorous:

Spaceman by Nilsson.
Beautiful Zelda from Galaxy 4 by the Bonzo Dog Band
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 7:11 AM on March 23, 2012

Oh yes, Jimi Hendrix! Third Stone from the Sun

(He did a a UFO song as well but I can't recall the name. I'm sure someone else will know.)
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 7:13 AM on March 23, 2012

The Byrds - Mr. Spaceman
posted by hydrophonic at 8:31 AM on March 23, 2012

Snap Judgment released a "mixtape" of music they used in one of their episodes. Scroll down to "Snap Mixtape - Music from Spaceman"

Also: Space Girl by "The Imagined Village" rocks definitively.
posted by BrashTech at 9:57 AM on March 23, 2012

38 comments and no one's mentioned Edelweiss - Starship Edelweiss?
posted by yeti at 10:43 AM on March 23, 2012

Here We Go by Ozomatli
posted by workerant at 11:29 AM on March 23, 2012

You need "For Science" by They Might Be Giants on there. I am sure their discography contains other appropriate things as well, but that's the one that pops immediately to mind. "Chiron Beta Prime" (and, again, probably others) by Jonathan Coulton, too.
posted by Because at 6:33 AM on March 26, 2012