Space (French band)

Space (occasionally Didier Marouani & Space) are a French music band active from 1977 through 1980 and returning with on-stage remake performances since 1982. Their work is associated with the short-lived space disco genre and is a precursor of electronica.

History

Instant success and breakup

Space was founded in 1977 by Didier Marouani (also known as Ecama). The band consisted of Didier Marouani, arrangers Roland Romanelli and Jannick Top, and singer Madeline Bell. Marouani by that time had some fame as a solo pop singer, but soon focused on his band, whose name was suggested by the song “Magic Fly”, originally written in 1976 for a television program dedicated to astrology.

Didier Marouani: “Given the words of people who constantly told me that the melody resembles the sounds coming from space, I chose “Space” as the name".

In the early period, musicians strongly emphasized the sci-fi orientation of their group, often performing in stage costumes like spacesuits. Another reason for appearing in public in the form of "astronauts" was the current contract of Didier Marouani with record company Polydor.

D. Marouani: “The producer and I invited my record company to release “Magic Fly” under my name, but the label decided that the composition was not good enough to do this ... My producer found another company, but I could not “light up” under in my own name, since the contract with my company remained in force... The suits appeared also because no one could recognize me in it. I had to come up with a creative pseudonym, and I settled on “Ecama”.

The first three albums — Magic Fly (1977), Deliverance (1977) and Just Blue (1978) — sold over 12 million records globally. After the recording of Magic Fly, American drummer Joe Hammer joined the band.

However, after "Just Blue" was released, a critical moment occurred in the group’s history related to the increasing desire of its leader to perform concerts (previously impossible due to the imperfection of available synthesizer models), which led to a conflict with producer Jean-Philippe Iliesco.

D. Marouani: “... Everything was going well, but at that time, when I met with my producer, I told him about my desire to perform on stage. At that time, we did not have a single “live” performance, only television. I managed to get permission for a concert under the Eiffel Tower, with the support of (radio station) “Europe 1”, and the press too, but in the end, my producer decided to cancel everything. And then I said: “I'm leaving,” because — a group that does not give concerts will die sooner or later".

Past

Roland Romanelli: keyboards, synthesizers (1977-1980)
Jannick Top: keyboards, synthesizers (1977-1980)
Joe Hammer: drums, percussion (1977-1979, 1982-1992)
Janny Loseth: lead vocals (1982-1991)
Madeline Bell: lead vocals (1977-1978)
Cissy Stone: lead vocals (1978-1980)
Patrice Tison: guitar (1979-1982)
Yann Benoist: guitar (1983-2007)
Roy Robinson: lead vocals (1991-1992)
Dennis Cottard: keyboards, synthesizers (1982-1985)

Discography

Albums

{| class="wikitable"

! Year

! Album

! style="width:45px;"|UK

| Deliverance

| align=center | —

| 1978

| Just Blue

| align=center | —

| 1980

| Deeper Zone

| align=center | —

| 1981

| The Best of Space

| align=center | —

| 1982

| Paris France Transit

| align=center | —

| 1983

| Concerts en URSS

| align=center | —

| 1987

| Space Opera

| align=center | —

| 1994

| Space Magic Concerts

| align=center | —

| 2002

| Symphonic Space Dream

| align=center | —

| 2011

| From Earth to Mars

| align=center | —

| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Year

! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Single

! scope="col" colspan="5"|Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Certifications

! style="width:45px;"|US Dance

! style="width:45px;"|US Pop

! style="width:45px;"|UK

| rowspan="2"| 1977

| "Magic Fly"

| align=center | ―

| align=center | 3

| align=center | 20

| align=center | 2

BPI: Silver

| "Tango in Space"

| align=center | ―

| align=center | 57

| rowspan="2"| 1978

| "Running in the City"

| align=center | ―

| "Prison"

| align=center | ―

| rowspan="3"| 1979

| "Just Blue"

| align=center | ―

| "My Love Is Music"

| align=center | 59

| align=center | 60

| align=center | ―

| "Save Your Love for Me"

| align=center | 73

| align=center | ―

|rowspan="2"| 1980

| "On the Air"

| align=center | ―

| "Tender Force"

| align=center | ―

| colspan="8" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Notes

References

External links

Official Space site
Space discography
Interview from 2004