Mission Earth (album)

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Mission Earth
MissionEarthAlbum-01.JPG
Soundtrack album by
Edgar Winter
Released1989 [1]
Copyrighted in 1985
Genre Space rock [2]
Length37:08
Label
Producer Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter chronology
Standing on a Rock
(1981)		Mission Earth
(1989)		Not a Kid Anymore
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Mission Earth is a 1989 album by Edgar Winter based on L. Ron Hubbard's novel series of the same name with words and music credited to Hubbard.

Contents

Production

L. Ron Hubbard left detailed instructions and audio tapes for the musicians and producers to follow when making this album, which was released after Hubbard's death. [3] Edgar described Mission Earth as "both a return to rock's primal roots and yet highly experimental". Winter had glowing words for Hubbard when he wrote, "Ron's technical insight of the recording process was outstanding." Winter also described Hubbard's delineation of counter-rhythm in rock as something "which was nothing short of phenomenal, particularly inasmuch as it had then been entirely unexplored and only later heard in the African-based rhythms of Paul Simon's work, some five years after Ron's analysis." [4]

Album cover

The science fiction cover artwork for the album and cassette tape feature a blond man, resembling Winter, floating in the clouds behind an iron fist that appears to be holding a representation of the Earth. The iron fist graphic also appears on the cover of Mission Earth , the novel. The background includes a night sky. The words on the album include "Edgar Winter" written in a futuristic-looking font and the words "Mission Earth", written in a cursive script. Some versions of the album were sold with a gold foil sticker that said, "Words and Music by L. Ron Hubbard".

The cover's copyright notice says "1985", whether or not this is a mistake isn't clear.[ citation needed ]

Release and reception

This album was issued by Rhino Records, likely in 1989. Rhino predicted sales of 800,000, [5] but the album would only sell 15,000 upon its release. [6] The only known professional review of the album is from Michael B. Smith of AllMusic.com, who gave it 2.5 stars out of 5. Smith wrote that while the album is "An admirable attempt at a sci-fi space-rock opera", the album "fails to blend the music with the theme, making for an almost unlistenable release". Outside of a single article from the Los Angeles Times, the album received little attention from the press of its time.

Track listing

All music is composed by L. Ron Hubbard. Arranged and additional writing by Edgar Winter.

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Mission Earth"6:52
2."Treacherous Love"4:34
3."Bang-Bang"3:14
4."Teach Me"3:32
Side B
No.TitleLength
5."Cry Out"5:03
6."Just a Kid"3:54
7."The Spacer's Lot"4:46
8."Joy City"4:02

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ↑ Grein, Paul (June 11, 1989). "A 'Mission' for 2 Minds". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  2. 1 2 AllMusic review
  3. ↑ "Mission Earth Lyrics and Music by L. Ron Hubbard". RonTheMusicMaker.org. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Mission Earth - L. Ron Hubbard". RonTheMusicMaker.org. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  5. ↑ Bronson, Harold (2013). The Rhino Records Story: Revenge of the Music Nerds. SelectBooks, Inc. p. 147. ISBN   978-1-59079-135-6.
  6. ↑ Bronson, Harold (2013). The Rhino Records Story: Revenge of the Music Nerds. SelectBooks, Inc. p. 148. ISBN   978-1-59079-135-6.
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