Ramases, born Kimberley Barrington Frost (1 January 1934 to 2 December 1976), was a British psychedelic musician who released two cult albums in the early 1970s.
— Wikipedia
My name is Brian Currin and I live near Cape Town, South Africa. I used to think I was the only one (Joe), who still remembered Ramases, but since I set up the original Ramases fan website in October 1997, I have had a great response from fans all over the world including Sel herself! (thanks to Peter Stormare from Stormvox, for finding her).
Space Hymns
The album ‘Space Hymns‘ (released in 1971) is a cult classic in South Africa and is also apparently very popular in Germany. It also just happens to be one of my all-time favourite albums.
Glass Top Coffin
‘Glass Top Coffin‘ has been extremely hard to find on vinyl, and was eventually released on CD in 2010. I had the original album which I bought as an import in 1975 from the Cat Ballou music store in Boksburg, South Africa
Both albums are brilliant slices of Progressive Rock; from acoustic love songs and gentle saxophones to sitars and rock guitars, these albums explore the themes of alienation, loneliness and searching with a particular “other-world” feel. All members of the then newly-formed 10cc played on ‘Space Hymns’.
Roger Dean
Roger Dean, famous for his album covers for Yes, Uriah Heep, Asia, Budgie and others, painted the fold-out cover picture for the ‘Space Hymns’ album.
Lyrics
On these pages you will find almost all there is to know about Ramases and his music. Unfortunately I have no info about any live performances. As a teenager in the ’70s, I transcribed the lyrics and had them written in a hardcover book for many years. On discovering the Internet (in 1997), I decided to put them up for any other fans that this obscure and under-appreciated artist may have.
A lot of the lyrics are wrong Sel says… she’s laughing and saying that many “changes” are quite beautiful but not really accurate.
— Peter Stormare, June 2001
Discovering Ramases
I first discovered the amazing music of Ramases at age 14 in the South African mining town of Boksburg. A friend’s older brother had Space Hymns and I fell in love with the other-worldly songs and sounds. I was, and still am, a science fiction fan, and had a Christian upbringing, so this album has huge appeal to me on many levels.
I had Space Hymns on a pre-recorded cassette (now long gone), and I bought Glass Top Coffin on import in 1975 from the Cat Ballou music store in Boksburg. I still have this album with its cut-out cover.
I transcribed the lyrics for both albums during the ’70s and had them hand-written in a hardcover book for many years. On discovering the Internet in 1997 I decided to put them up for any other fans and the fledgling SpaceHymns.com website was born.
— Brian Currin, May 2012, from The Complete Discography 6CD Set
Space Hymns 