My head's burning in confusion

If there is one thing that can be said about music in the late 1960s is that it made strange bedfellows. Take, for instance, today's featured song "Exploding Galaxy" by Infantes Galaxy. Released in October '68, "Exploding Galaxy" reached number one in the singles charts in the UK, as well as being dubbed "Disc of the Week" by The Record Mirror. The success of this song can be attributed to the contribution by producer James Stevens.

James Stevens, coming from a more traditional musical background, had won the Royal Philharmonic Prize for his first composition, as well as winning "Composer of the Year" while studying at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Stevens brought his experience to the recording studio, creating an beautiful orchestration, based on Beethoven's 7th Symphony.

The song's horns and strings make "Exploding Galaxy" a refreshing alternative to the wah-wah pedals and sitars usually associated with mid-late 60s psychedelia. The vocals are also very un-psychedelic. Instead of being laden with effects, the vocals are very clean and the singer hams it up almost to lounge singer status. I guess you could label the record "anti-psychedelic psychedelic music."

For more information on James Stevens, follow this link to the Churchill Society, where he is the Head of Music of the Society.

Infantes Jubilate
"Exploding Galaxy"
1968