Space Waltz


“Watch out young love!” Akin to a trumpet fanfare stridently announcing the beginning of a battle – an analogy that sits remarkably close to the truth, given the furore that would follow – these four words uttered by the androgynous, pouting, Alastair Riddell remain forever etched upon the popular music history of Aotearoa. They marked a milestone. A sea change. A line in the sand. So many clichés come to mind and all are applicable.

Delivered in 1974 to an unsuspecting populace via the nation’s must-watch, prime time, light-entertainment TV talent quest Studio One/New Faces, Riddell’s introductory warning preceded Space Waltz’s mimed yet declamatory debut of their soon-to-be smash hit, ‘Out on the Street’.

Watch: Space Waltz - Out On The Street (1974)
Space Waltz - Hard Work (2023)
Alastair Riddell on stage
Alastair Riddell and Space Waltz. L to R: Brent Eccles, Peter Cuddihy, Alastair Riddell, Greg Clark, Eddie Rayner
Poster for Space Waltz single 'Out on the Street', 1974. 
Alastair Riddell/Space Waltz university tour handbill, 1975
Watch the judges' reaction to Space Waltz on TV's New Faces (1974)
Back cover of Space Waltz by Alastair Riddell LP, 1975
Alastair Riddell in Space Waltz, Canterbury University, Christchurch, 1975
Space Waltz by Alastair Riddell, 1975 on EMI
Out on the Street - Popco, 1974
Alastair Riddell of Space Waltz - a flyer for the band's 1975 New Zealand Students' Arts Council Tour.  
Space Waltz - Hypnotise Me (2022)
Labels:

EMI

Members:

Alastair Riddell - vocals, guitar

Brent Eccles - drums

Eddie Rayner - keyboards

Greg Clark - guitar

Peter Cuddihy - bass

Dave Walker - guitar

Paul Baeyertz - keyboards

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