Ramases was a musical project by Kimberley Barrington Frost from Sheffield and his wife Dorothy. After having a vision of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, he believed he had been reborn as an Egyptian god. From then on, the eccentric Frost saw it as his mission to reveal the truth about the universe to the world. He changed his name to Ramases and released two singles with his wife, both of which flopped. Nevertheless, he got a record deal with the progressive Vertigo label and in August 1971 he recorded the LP Space Hymns at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, south of Manchester. The studio musicians were Eric Stewart (g, synth), Lol Creme (g, synth), Kevin Godley (dr, fl) and Graham Gouldman (g, b), who later became famous as 10CC, as well as Martin Raphael on sitar.

The result was an experimental, psychedelic mix of gentle, acoustic love songs, rock guitars and Far Eastern sitar and flute melodies, embedded in an unique, otherworldly sound. He and his wife, who gave herself the stage name Sel, sang about loneliness, alienation and the search for meaning. Despite its opulent presentation as a six-fold gatefold poster cover designed by Roger Dean, the debut album was unfortunately unsuccessful. After a second unsuccessful LP in 1975, a disillusioned Frost took his own life in December 1976. Now something of a cult album, the Vertigo original is a highly sought-after collector's item, and not just in the progressive rock scene.