X IN SEARCH OF SPACE

Hawkwind are a bunch of amazing Space Cadets - Dave Brock and Co. never cease to amaze me, album to album, with ever shifting line-ups and different approaches to their brand of psychedelic Space- Rock. 'In Search Of Space' is their 2nd offering, and is so much in line with Krautrock, sometimes I think I'm listening to an Amon Duul II album with this one. Starting out with sweeping synthesiser ( Del Dettmar on a VCS3, if I'm not mistaken, but electronics whizz/Lemmy's Speed-Freak partner Dikmik is credited with 'Audio Generator' as well, adding to the trippiness), the band takes us on a relentless journey throughout the cosmos, with repetitive chanting and endless jamming - 'You Shouldn't Do That' is totally hypnotic. I can really speak highly of Nik Turner's manipulated Sax sounds and ex-Amon Duul II Bassist Dave Anderson contributing a simple but effective Bass-line to the proceedings. Next up is an almost 'Floydian' work-out with 'You Know You're Only Dreaming', with slightly jazzy drumming from Terry Ollis, Turner's wah'd Flute playing, and spacious, liquidy guitaring from Brock. 'Master of the Universe' is a live classic, seemingly played at almost every gig to this day, is no less brilliant - Dave A's excellent Bass-riff is just so catchy. Fantastic song. 'We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago' is a jangly 12-string acoustic 'hippie' number (possibly from Brock's busking days) and is fitting with their counter-cultural direction. 'Adjust Me' is a fully democratic composition, credited to 'Hawkwind', and is almost a free-form 'rock' jam (as opposed to blowing, 'Jazzy' free-form) and quite representative of the Space-Rock genre as it existed in 1971. The final track 'Children of the Sun' is another hippie tune with a very stoned sounding Turner at the mic. Highly recommended.