Queen, ‘Flash’s Theme’ vs. Pink Floyd, ‘Interstellar Overdrive': Rock Star Wars
Queen's campy sci-fi soundtrack anthem goes up against a psychedelic Pink Floyd classic in the second round of our Rock Star Wars battle.
To try and fill our days between now and the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie, we’ve tracked down 32 space-themed classic rock songs and paired them off against each other in a series of intergalactic battles. The field will be halved every week based on your votes, until only the spaciest song in rock history is left.
This round offers a case study in just how differently musicians can approach the subject of space. Queen's "Flash's Theme" was recorded for the soundtrack to 1980's infamously goofy Flash Gordon, and it definitely reflects the film's silly spirit, right down to the overly earnest dialogue scattered throughout the song, while Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" is a quintessentially trippy tour through the band's most improvisational — and musically abstract — period.
Both of our contestants made quick work of their opponents in the first round, with "Flash's Theme" racking up nearly 80 percent of the vote against UFO's "Space Child" and "Interstellar Overdrive" putting a similarly lopsided beatdown on Star Fleet Project's "Star Fleet." Impressive as those victories were, we're betting both bands will have a tougher time movie on from here.
So, which of these songs will emerge victorious from this round? It’s your choice. You can listen to both tracks below, and vote once per hour in each of the this round’s Rock Star Wars battles until voting ends Nov. 30 at 11:59PM ET. Your choice for our Rock Star Wars champion will be revealed on Dec. 22, 2015.
Watch Queen Perform 'Flash's Theme'
Listen to Pink Floyd's 'Interstellar Overdrive'
Pink Floyd Albums Ranked Worst to Best