Star Trekkin' by The Firm

[Eagan]

This was a novelty record released in the UK in 1987. It eventually spent two weeks at number 1 in the British singles chart, and was the 9th best selling single of the year.

It's occurred to me that being nearly forty years ago, there are probably many people on here who have never heard (of) it, especially as it never made the American charts.

Even after all this time and dozens of listens, it still makes me laugh every time I hear it.

So, if any of you haven't heard it, I recommend tracking it down (it's available on Spotify and Apple Music) and giving it a listen. Anyone who is familiar with the original series and has a sense of humour should appreciate it. Having said that, I'm aware that British and American senses of humour don't always align, so maybe you won't share my enthusiasm; there's only one way to find out.

Also, the sleeve to the 7" vinyl single (I still have mine) was pretty cool:

 

[John Clark]

One of the pubs we were in the other week had various music from the 80s on the tv, and this was one of them. (Video is available on youtube too).

I remember listening to it on tape way back when

 

[Orac]

Free version on youtube:

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I remember recording this song off the radio onto a cassette tape when I was 9 or 10, trying to precisely press the record button so as not to record any ads or DJ nonsense as I didn't know how to edit recordings properly then.

This video was clearly made in a hurry and it's glorious.

 

[Eagan]

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I remember recording this song off the radio onto a cassette tape when I was 9 or 10, trying to precisely press the record button so as not to record any ads or DJ nonsense as I didn't know how to edit recordings properly then.

This video was clearly made in a hurry and it's glorious.

Thanks for the link Orac (why didn't I think of it?)

At the time I thought the video was disappointing (though Kirk stroking the Captain's Log was funny). But with hindsight, I can't think of anything they could they have produced that would have been better?

 

[Maurice]

I never much liked the video. It feels haphazard, and the hand puppets often aren't even roughly approximating the right mouth movements. The audio alone is much funnier without the visual distraction.

 

[Orac]

I like the sloppiness of the video, feels like something that was slapped together at the last minute, the type of thing I would have done at school and would still do today. The potato heads and the Enterprise appearing as pizza and sausage links in one shot make me think whoever made the video had less than a week to do it and was hungry at the time or perhaps it's all Kirk's hunger dream?

 

[Imrahil]

Start wreckin’ across the universe.

 

[NCC-73515]

When we went through everything in our grandma's house after she died, we found this LP and didn't know why she had it. No one knew about it, no one had an idea who she might have gotten it from. That we have 3 trekkies amongst her grandkids made it extra special of course.

 

[TrickyDickie]

Ten years before that, there was this:

I need to get copies of both again, one of these days.

 

[Eagan]

Ten years before that, there was this:

I need to get copies of both again, one of these days.

This is new to me. How many, if any, of the tracks were Star Trek related?

Going by the rear cover:

"Wobblies From Space" probably was.

Also, their other album "Folk Songs For Folk Wo Ain't Even Been Yet", has a track called "Bones" which is annotated on the sleeve notes with "Our favorite country doctor!". It must be about McCoy.

 

[MarcKyle1964]

I first heard Star Trekkin' when Dr. Demento played it on his syndicated radio show back in the late 80s or early 90s. Good times.

 

[fireproof78]

I never much liked the video. It feels haphazard, and the hand puppets often aren't even roughly approximating the right mouth movements. The audio alone is much funnier without the visual distraction.

I was taught this song by my sixth grade teacher. Much more fun that way.

 

[TrickyDickie]

This is new to me. How many, if any, of the tracks were Star Trek related?

The Enemy Within and Neutral Zone Romulan View definitely are....and very good lyrics they are. I would post them here, but my laptop is being cranky and I'm on a different device right now.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Boldly going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse

 

[Paul Weaver]

Scrape em off Jim!

I have a feeling this is the initial spark of my entry into the world of Star Trek.

I remember listening it on the pub jukebox as a kid around the same time time Kylie's version of Locomotion was being played. In 1987 this was well before I first watched Star Trek, which was when TNG started on BBC2, which was September 1990 (although I think my first TV trek was The Voyage Home which was on earlier in the week on ITV)

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I like "Star Trek Bohemian Rhapsody" by Kevin Barbare, but apparently this one did nothing on the charts:
[video removed]

 

[Kirk1980]

Star Trekkin' was used often during advertising for TOS (and eventually TNG) reruns in the late '80s, early '90s. I thought it was hilarious. But then I was raised on British weirdness

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

. . . around the same time time Kylie's version of Locomotion was being played.

Hearing that, especially juxtaposed with the original, made me wonder if it was only a matter of time before my own favorite vocalist/accompanist team (mezzo-soprano Joan Morris and her husband, pianist/composer William Bolcom) covered it. Alas, they both retired first.

 

[David cgc]

This is new to me. How many, if any, of the tracks were Star Trek related?

Going by the rear cover:

"Wobblies From Space" probably was.

Also, their other album "Folk Songs For Folk Wo Ain't Even Been Yet", has a track called "Bones" which is annotated on the sleeve notes with "Our favorite country doctor!". It must be about McCoy.

"Banned from Argo" is a favorite of mine. I found the album on-line a while ago, but I haven't listened to the rest of it yet.

 

[Ronald Held]

Heard such tunes at ST Cins.