Starsong

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Zine
Title: Starsong
Publisher: Kalomi Press
Editor(s): April Valentine
Date(s): 1980
Medium: print
Size:
Fandom: mainly Star Trek: TOS
Language: English
External Links:
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cover

Starsong is a Star Trek: TOS filk and poetry 90-page zine. April Valentine, Nancy Kippax, and Rodney Bonds are the filk compositors. Other filk and poetry creators are listed below. It was illustrated by Camille Juliana, Russ Volker, Kathy Burns, Kathy Carlson, Merle Decker, Liz Frim, Sonia Gingrae, Laurie Huff, Alice Jones, Nan Lewis, Darlene Oreschnick, Pat Stall, and Andrew Williams.

It collects all printed material from Only Stars Can Last and Omicron Ceti III and Friends.

Original Drafts

From the Editorial

Music is a universal language; if it can help the inhabitants of the Earth communicate, then surely music will play an important role as mankind reaches out beyond our solar system, making contact with beings of other worlds and other ways.

Music is also a form of artistic expression, a song is made up of both lyrics and melody, becoming greater than the sum of its parts. The lyrics give a poetic interpretation of an experience, or a feeling, and the melody breathes vibrant life into the words, letting the listener participate in the emotional experience. Voices raised in song can often be heard at SF and ST conventions.

Fans share music the way they share ideas, and lately, more and more fans are writing songs. Alongside fiction and art, music has become an integral part of fannish expression.

STARSONG was inspired by the desire to share music. Its contents reflect two projects of Omicron Ceti Three as well as additional poetry and artwork.

First, the music of our second album... "Only Stars Can Last" is a concept that grew out of the uncertain days when the future of STAR TREK was in doubt. We even doubted the creators, and in the title song, stated that "dreams belong to those that make them true", meaning that Trek was ours because, through fan fiction, we brought truth and reality to the dream. ST-TMP Is a reality now, and we all share in the excitement of the new human adventure. ST belongs to its original creators, too, for once again, they have brought its dream to us. The title "Only Stars Can Last" also refers to the feeling of constancy in the cosmos-- the one thing that endures is man's reaching out, ever farther, into the universe.

Producing that second album was a struggle. We drove ourselves to rehearse and record in spite of blizzards, bronchitis and the birth of a baby. Sometimes, in the face of rising costs, we were forced to accept less than perfection in order to bring the album in under deadline and within our budget. The studio we used threw us a few curves, too, but that's another song.

Our second recording project last year was the cassette tape, Omicron Ceti III and Friends. It was a wonderful experience, sharing the music of so many other talented people. It was hard work, too, for Rodney, who engineered the recording, and for our visiting musicians as well. The tape represents many musical styles and several ST and SF universes.

In STARSONG, you'll find the lyrics of the songs on the album and cassette, with illustrations and a brief word of explanation as to the origin and/or meaning of the song (because people keep asking me). The melody lines and guitar chords on our songs and several of the others are also included. I hope there aren't too many mistakes in the transcriptions, I tried, folks, and had the help of several people with more musical knowledge than I, but we're only human (so please, no LOC's on form from you educated musicians. Where were you when I needed help?)

The poetry section bridges the two music departments, and as a matter of fact, one of the poems, Vicki Clark's "Counterpoint", has already been turned into a song. In future issues I have hopes for developing and expanding the poetry part of STARSONG, perhaps to include non-Trek poetry, and to one day let the zine evolve into a "little poetry magazine".

It's difficult, I know, to write LOC's on music and poetry, but all responses will be appreciated. I'm looking forward to future STARSONGS, to reaching for and finding an ever widening universe through the all-encompassing language that is music.

Contents

Summaries are from an ad for the cassette tape in the songbook.

  • Once More, With Feeling... (editorial) by April Valentine
  • Only Stars Can Last by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("This duet by [April] and Kathy has been called a 'song of success', but it was originally written as a protest song when we thought the movie was not going to live up to the ST dream. The lyrics point out that it's the fans who make that dream live.")
  • Changes by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Performed by Rodney and Russ, "Changes" was originally printed in the fanzine, THRUST, and was written to express the theme of the zine, the changes that evolve in a relationship.")
  • Future Dream by April Valentine (lyricist, composer) ("Dedicated to today's space shuttle, named 'Enterprise', the lead on "Future Dream" is performed by [April]").
  • Going Home by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("In another duet, [April] and Kathy sing of the doubts and the hopes that going home -- to the ST universe -- means.")
  • Night Song by April Valentine (lyricist, composer) ("Inspired by "Nightjourney" by Susan K. James and Carol Frisbie, "Night Song" expresses Spock's dedication to a blinded James Kirk.")
  • Jonah by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Based on "All the King's Horses, All the King's Men" by J. Emily Vance, Kathy's solo shows the plight of a broken Dr. McCoy, what happened to him during the earlier Vance story, "The Rack", and of the friendship he later finds with its sequel's protagonists, Collin Patrick and Brent Stevens.")
  • Once Again by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("The voyage to the stars is again a reality, but it wouldn't be the same without everyone. "Once Again" expresses both the miracle.")
  • Star Lady by April Valentine (lyricist, composer) ("This one is dedicated to the finest starship in the fleet, the U.S.S. Enterprise.")
  • Don't Destroy by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Russ' solo was inspired by a sequence in "Balance of Terror", the conversation between McCoy and Kirk in which the doctor tells the human, "Don't destroy the one named Kirk.")
  • Two Kinds of Man by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Inspired by Jacqueline Lichtenberg's novel, House of Zeor, this song expresses the feelings of both Sime and Gen in a world where both kinds of man need each other to survive.")
  • Realms of Gold by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Keats said, "Much I have travelled in the realms of gold..." This song is dedicated to ST fandom, for the joy, the feeling of belonging, it gives to all of us.")
  • Crown Prince, poetry by Jean Stevenson
  • Give Earthmen Their Due, poetry by Elaine Romig
  • Starmagic by Sonia R. Gingras (author)
  • Double Jeopardy, poetry by Liz Persic
  • Cadences, poetry by Barbara Storey
  • The Path You Choose, poetry by Crystal Ann Taylor
  • Counterpoint, poetry by Victoria Clark (nominated for the first TrekStar Award)
  • Night Visions, poetry by Susan K. James
  • Wind Song of Sonnets and Roses, poetry by Elizabeth K. Frim
  • Look Into His Eyes, poetry by Crystal Ann Taylor
  • Resonance, poetry by Elaine Romig
  • Worry Beads and Rattles, poetry by Liz Persic
  • Galadriel by Mark Mowen (lyricist, composer) (also in Willowbook Collection #3, can be heard on Omicron Ceti III and Friends)
  • I'Chiya by Jean Stevenson (lyricist, composer) (reprinted from IDIC #6)
  • The Crossing by Leslye Lilker (lyricist, composer)
  • Ode to a Get Writer by Carolyn Venino (lyricist, composer) (reprinted from Pastak #4)
  • It's Boring by Trinette Kern (lyricist), Amy Falkowitz (composer) (reprinted from IDIC #4)
  • Future Lost by Bev Volker (lyricist), Carolyn Venino (composer) (reprinted from Pastak #5)
  • Home Again by Bev Volker (lyricist), Carolyn Venino (composer) (reprinted from Contact #4/5)
  • Gemini by Bev Volker (lyricist), Carolyn Venino (composer) (reprinted from Pastak #5)
  • Where Logic Ends by Trinette Kern (lyricist), Jean Stevenson (composer) (reprinted from Mahko Root #1)
  • Crossroads/Bridge of Crystal by Jean Stevenson (lyricist, composer)
  • Lullaby for Tomorrow's Child by Bev Volker (lyricist), Carolyn Venino (composer) (reprinted from Pastak #5)
  • Tomorrow May Never Comeby April Valentine (lyricist, composer)
  • Together by April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer)
  • Starsong by April Valentine (lyricist)