The Invasion of the Spacepeckers


The Invasion of the Spacepeckers is the debut album of the Dutch Euro disco/Italo disco duo Video Kids. It was released by Break Records on vinyl and tape in December 1984, by Polydor Records in 1985, and unofficially by First Town Records on CD in 1995. The album also contained a large "Happy Birthday" calendar, in which children could write birthday wishes to their friends. In 1985, the album was released at the Midem music festival, and went on to sell 1.1 million copies. Video Kids received the RIAA Gold Record Award and Conamus Export Award for their international success with the album.
Two music videos for "Woodpeckers from Space" and "Do the Rap" were produced and released, both of which feature Peter Slaghuis, Bianca Bonelli, and Tico Tac, the band's cartoon mascot.
On 22 April 2014, The Invasion of the Spacepeckers was released by MiruMir Music Publishing in Russia. The reissued album included the original "Happy Birthday" calendar and Tico Tac: Spacepecker, and expanded artwork recreated from the original art by Daniel Maslovsky. Maslovsky was also the producer of the album. He did an interview with Aart Mol, which was later published on Zvuki as part of a promotional campaign for the album's release. It also included a comic strip named Tico Tac: The Woodpecker from Space. The album was reissued again in 2024 on Maslovsky's new label Maschina Records in Estonia, on 2CD with rare tracks and unreleased mixes on 29 January 2024, and on different coloured LP records on Bandcamp on 2 February 2024 and in March.

Track listing

Official tracks

;Side A
  1. "Do the Rap"
  2. "Cartooney Tunes"
  3. "La Bamba"
  4. "I'm a Rock n' Roll Pecker"
  5. "Communication Outerspace"
;Side B
  2. "Woodpeckers from Space"
  3. "Give Me That Banana"
  4. "Do You Like Surfing?"
  5. "Sky Rider"
;Bonus tracks
  2. "Woodpeckers from Space"
  3. "Rap and Sing-Along"
  4. "Rap and Sing-Along"
  5. "Do the Rap"
  6. "Do the Rap"
  7. "Happy Birthday" / "Sky Rider"
  8. "Pink Panther's Motion"
  9. "The Man From Santiago"
;Woodpeckers from Space
  2. "Woodpeckers from Space" by S. Mortali
  3. "Woodpeckers from Space" by S. Mortali
  4. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Lex van Coeverden
  5. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Lex van Coeverden
  6. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Patrick de Schrevel
  7. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Patrick de Schrevel
  8. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Patrick de Schrevel
  9. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Patrick de Schrevel
  10. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Robin Drost
  11. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Lex van Coeverden
  12. "Woodpeckers from Space" by Lex van Coeverden
  13. ""
  14. ""

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

  • Aart Mol – producer, writer, remixer
  • Cees Bergman – producer, writer, remixer
  • Elmer Veerhoff – producer, writer, remixer
  • Erwin van Prehn – producer, writer, remixer
  • Geertjan Hessing – producer, writer, remixer
  • Kees Grijpink – mastering and lacquer cutting
  • Daniel Maslovsky – producer, researcher
  • Eugeny Gapeev – mastering
  • Max Kondrashow – producer, researcher, remastering
  • Kirill Taltaev – producer

Artwork

  • Dirk Arend – cover illustration, creator of Tico Tac
  • Bjørn Frank Jensen – comic artist, creator of Tico Tac
  • Daniel Maslovsky – artwork, restoration, design
  • Max Kondrashow – restoration