Where's Captain Kirk?

"Where's Captain Kirk?"

"Where's Captain Kirk?" cover
Song by Spizzenergi
Released December 1979
Genre Punk rock, new wave
Length 2:17
Label Rough Trade Records
Writer
  • Spizz
  • Mark Coalfield
Language English

"Where's Captain Kirk?" is a 1979 single released by punk/new wave band Spizzenergi. It was released on the Rough Trade Records label and spent seven weeks at the top of the UK Indie Chart.

Production

The single was the fourth to be released by the band Spizzenergi, who had previously been known as Spizzoil.[1] The song is two minutes and seventeen seconds long, and was written by lead singer Spizz and keyboard player Mark Coalfield.[2] The single reached the number one spot on the UK Indie Chart and stayed there for seven weeks. "Where's Captain Kirk?" was the first number one single on the chart, which had just been established.[3][4]

Following the success of "Where's Captain Kirk?", which refers to captain James T. Kirk of the Star Trek fictional universe, two further Star Trek related songs were released by the band. "Spock's Missing" followed six months later and "Five Year Mission (Featuring the Return of Spock)" was released on a later album.[1] A Portuguese single released in 1981 had "Where's Captain Kirk?" on the a-side and "Spock's Missing" on the b-side. The single was later re-released by Spizz as a solo record in 1987.[2] Both versions of the song were included on the compilation album Spizz Not Dead Shock, while the original is also on Spizzhistory.[2] American rock band R.E.M. recorded "Where's Captain Kirk?" for their fan-club exclusive single during Christmas 1992, while the London Philharmonic Orchestra have included a recording on the album Classical Punk.[2]

The single also lent the name to the best of collection for Spizzenergi. The single is included on the album both as the first song, and again as the twentieth with a live version recorded at the Holiday in the Sun punk festival.[5]

Reception

BBC Radio DJ John Peel said that "Spizzenergi went on to record the only Star Trek tribute worthy of the Enterprise's jukebox" in reference to "Where's Captain Kirk?" on a Star Trek television special.[6] British weekly magazine Melody Maker named their the single of the week on the week of the first release.[6]

Jason Heller reviewed "Where's Captain Kirk" for Tor.com in 2010 as part of his series entitled "Frequency Rotation" which looked at science fiction related music. He called it a "loving (if kitsch-happy) homage to Star Trek—and especially its square-jawed, twinkly-eyed, ass-kicking hero."[1]

Credits and personnel

Credits taken from the Spizzenergi official website.[2]

  • Spizz – Vocals
  • Jim Solar – Bass guitar
  • Dave Scott – Guitar
  • Mark Coalfield – Keyboards
  • Brian B. Benzine – Drums

Charts

Chart (1979–80) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart 1[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Heller, Jason (3 December 2010). "Frequency Rotation: Spizzenergi, "Where’s Captain Kirk?"". Tor.com. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Where's Captain Kirk". Spizzenergi. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie hits : 1980–1989 : the complete U.K. independent charts (singles & albums). London: Cherry Red. ISBN 978-0-9517206-9-1. OCLC 38292499.
  4. ↑ Stanley, Bob (31 July 2009). "Will the indie chart rise again?". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Where's Captain Kirk?: The Very Best of Spizz". All Music. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Spizzenergi Play in London on John Peel Day – Thursday 13th October". PRWeb. 8 October 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2013.

External links