Tribute Singles & EPs

Tribute B-sides

Tribute Albums

Tribute Compilation Tracks

Additional Releases

• Day of the Daleks: This fabulous song was written and performed live by a mid-90s band calling themselves Jupiter Joy. Try as we might we have never been able to find out much about either the band or a release of the song, besides some scant evidence that the band performed at several university unions and sold their own cassettes after the show. They clearly recorded the song at some point, since copies of it have been in fan circulation for years (it's a very jolly 80s-style pop song), but no-one we've met has been able to provide an original copy. We'll keep looking.
• Tardis to Brooklyn: In April 1997, GBT Records issued a 12" single by dance artists Bang The Future: Tardis To Brooklyn b/w 'Retro' (GBT20). The title track had already been released several weeks earlier on 2 dance compilation albums, as remixed by Malcolm Duffy, Steve Thomas and Pete Wardman for 'Trade Vol.4' (3LP/CD FVRCD5, March 1997) and by Billy 'Daniel' Banter for 'United Dance Vol. 6' (3LP/CD/Cass FBRCD338). No further information is known about this release.
• Uncredited/Untitled: One 12" vinyl single has appeared that we can, as yet, find no further details of. There is no title, no release code, no sleeve details - just a sleeve that shows a picture of the TARDIS on one side (pictured, right) and a picture of Ricky Gervais as David Brent from The Office on the other side! The labels appear to have been printed on a home printer, but the music itself is considerably more professional: side one contains a great dance version of the Doctor Who theme, rather evocative of the Peter Howell version with vintage synthesiser sounds and pulsing chord motifs.

• Music World: A New Zealand EP, 'Joe 90 And Doctor Who Themes' (Music World SBO34, late '60s) may have included the Delia Derbyshire or Eric Winstone Orchestra arrangement of the Doctor Who theme, or instead have offered an alternative recording unavailable elsewhere.
• 2 Hours in the Tardis: Another dance compilation CD, 'A1-Soundcarrier: Mixed By Tonic' (Emotive Recordings EMF2CDLP004, 1998), included a short remix of Full Moon Scientist's 'Doc Hope' titled Doc Hope (Elementz Of Noize-Al's 2 Hours In The Tardis mix). Neither the original nor the remix (which is a repetative drum 'n' bass affair) appear to be related to Doctor Who.

Related Artists

Availability

So far as pricing is concerned, the fan-produced book Howe's Transcendental Toybox (Telos Publishing/ATB Publishing/British Fantasy Society, last revised 2003) features price recommendations for many tribute releases, and we recommend that you always check with this or another reliable source before parting with your money if an item seems unreasonably high-priced. It's worth noting that the internet has brought enormous change to the value of these records; whereas £65-£80 was considered a fair exchange for a copy of I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With a Dalek in 1997, the single (now available on CD, and easier than ever to fileshare on CD-R or in mp3 format around the world) has since appeared so often on eBay that its usual selling price has dropped to under £20 - despite it being 10 years older. The likes of eBay and the larger second-hand record websites (netsoundsmusic.com is one of our favourites) have sorted out the common-as-muck releases from the genuine once-in-a-blue-moon rarities, and our best advice in these online-shopping days is simply to browse around as much as possible before buying anything: you might well find the same thing considerably cheaper somewhere else. In short, don't believe anyone who tries to tell you that Mankind's disco theme is "rare"...

Bibliography & Further Reading

• Mark Ayres' web pages include extracts from his sleevenotes to Who Is Dr Who, as well as multitudes of general audio Who trivia.
• The Skaro Toy Museam has some nice pictures
• Rockin' The TARDIS has some silly suggestions for related records
• Wikipedia is getting some very interesting and detailed write-ups for records such as Doctor in Distress and Doctorin' the Tardis, but since anyone can add half-remembered "facts" to the site it might not always be as carefully checked as the details here at TME
• YouTube is also quietly filling up with some of the wonderful tribute videos (including the aforementioned 80s singles Distress and Doctorin')

• Doctor Who Magazine 1984 Merchandise Special, penned by Gary Russell, included fleeting references to several contemporary tribute records.
• Music Collector #28 (June 1991) featured a Cult TV section with contributions from long-time Doctor Who archivist Andrew Pixley, including an essay on the history of Doctor Who and a discography that included dozens of tribute releases, not to mention a complete listing of the Century 21 EPs (including The Daleks EP).
• Record Collector #209 (January 1997) featured a comprehensive Doctor Who discography and essay by Michael Richardson. This incredible article featured a basic history of the television series with the biggest discography yet published.
• Doctor Who Magazine #309 (September/October 2001) - David Bailey's 5-page feature examined the influence of 10 tribute records and the musical references within the Virgin and BBC New and Missing Adventure novels.
• The David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker publications Doctor Who - The Sixties (Virgin Publishing 1992), Doctor Who - The Seventies (Virgin Publishing 1994, revised 1995) and Doctor Who - The Eighties (Virgin Publishing 1996, revised 1997) all feature fascinating merchandise sections with various Doctor Who-related records detailed and pictured, including well-regarded tribute releases. Much of this information was later listed in Howe's Transcendental Toybox (David J. Howe and Arnold T. Blumberg, Telos Publishing/ATB Publishing/British Fantasy Society 2000), with the revised second edition (Telos/ATB 2003) incorporating changes suggested by TME. The criteria for these books omits album tracks and semi-professional releases (eg The Bessies) unless they are "of particular note or quality".
• Issue 15 of the West Country DWAS fanzine Cloister Bell featured a 50-page illustrated tribute records guide compiled by TME. It is still available for £5.00 (including UK p&P) from 34 Etsome Terrace, Somerton, Somerset; cheques payable to Terry Francis. Issue 14, which included an audio stories guide, is also available for £3.00.