Flash Fearless
vs. The Zorg Women:
Parts 5 and 6

Alice Cooper joins John Entwistle and over a dozen other rockers for a tribute to classic sci-fi serials

	Flash Fearless vs. The Zorg Women: Parts 5 and 6
	RPM
	41:29 min.
	MSRP: $16.98 CD

Review by Jeff Berkwits

lmost everyone has heard of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, but it's likely that few people are aware of Flash Fearless. Despite ridding the solar system of "every renegade from Jupiter to Mars," this "full-blasting, protoplasting hero of the sky" is relatively unknown here on Earth, largely because he never turned up in a single book or film. In fact, though the folks who concocted him are familiar names to most longtime rock-music fans, the sole appearance of this relatively unheralded champion took place in 1975 on an obscure concept album titled Flash Fearless vs. The Zorg Women: Parts 5 and 6.

Reissued for the first time on CD, the recording unites more than a dozen renowned musicians in an electrifying escapade. The loose storyline, told entirely through song, chronicles how Fearless (voiced by Alice Cooper) and his able-bodied assistant, Dulla (portrayed, depending upon the tune, by Elkie Brooks or Maddy Prior), foil an attempted invasion by sexy aliens from the planet Zorg. "Trapped," a slithery number sung by Brooks, details the crew's plight when captured by the sinister Snakemen of X-14, while the bluesy "Supersnatch"—recited by Frankie Miller—outlines the life story of Zorg's nefarious ruler. Jim Dandy, from Black Oak Arkansas, heads the chorus on both "Blast Off" and "Country Cooking," with James Dewar—primary vocalist, at the time, for the Robin Trower Band—lending a contemplative feel to "What's Happening."

In addition to the celebrity soloists, the various backup players include two members of The Who—Keith Moon and John Entwistle, who also sings lead on the 1950s-inspired "Let's Go to the Chop"—as well as Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Bill Bruford (Yes) and Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge). The liner notes contain a complete history of the project, along with a miniature reproduction of the comic book that accompanied the original LP.

A campy off-the-wall oddity

Clearly prompted by the success of The Rocky Horror Show, which had debuted at a small London theater just a couple of years earlier, Flash Fearless vs. The Zorg Women: Parts 5 and 6 is a sweeping outer-space spectacle that's simultaneously enigmatic and entertaining. Brimming with silly situations, science-fiction-infused lyrics and not-so-subtle sexual allusions, the adventure, even if unquestionably preposterous, on the whole remains quite dynamic.

"Space Pirates," a rollicking composition that hints at the tale's cliffhanger ending—wherein Fearless and his companions are wildly plunging down toward the surface of the black planet Morbo—is a high-spirited tune, with Cooper vigorously enlivening lines like "out of the blue came this mind-blowing zoo, a collection of mutated crud." The tumultuous track is rife with gritty guitar riffs, sparkling keyboards and a faint yet fun vocal cameo from drummer Moon. Dandy adds a rough-and-tumble edge to "Blast Off," declaring "all systems are go for Venus and Mars, 'cause the hope for our future lies in the stars," just as the honky-tonk harmonies of "Georgia Syncopator" showcase Prior's silky, seductive pipes.

The plot is wonderfully wacky though, without guidance from the supplemental comic, almost impossible to follow. At the same time, the music, which stylistically ranges from hard rock and blues to country and doo-wop, is somewhat hit and miss, with the disc's 11-song sequence significantly different from that put forward within the comic book and lyrical sentiments that, now and again, are exceedingly lascivious. Still, Flash Fearless vs. The Zorg Women: Parts 5 and 6 possesses an unmistakably classic air, energetically emulating not only the campy atmosphere of vintage SF serials but also the off-the-wall—and occasionally out-of-control—rock 'n' roll way of life.

The name was inexplicably changed to Captain Crash Versus The Zzorgwomen: Chapters 5 & 6, but Flash Fearless was eventually mounted as a stage production in 1981. It failed miserably. And Fearless fanatics need not look for parts one through four or any follow-up adventures: Sadly, they don't exist, meaning that our hero is in all probability still helplessly marooned on Morbo. — Jeff

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