LIVE CHRONICLES

I have to admit a bit of bias here, this was my first Hawkwind album and the one that introduced me to their huge body of work. I'm also partial to the Elric saga which is the basis of the many of the songs included. This is in my opinion the finest Hawkwind lineup and especially the presence of guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton defines the sound of this album. His solo style is a bluesy pentatonic blend that truly accentuates each song. There's a lot of factors that just come together to make a great album here - excellent production (for Hawkwind :), strong musicianship and excellent material. There is very little filler here, and many, many standout tunes (Assault & Battery, Moonglum, Dust of Time, Needlegun, and IMO the definitive version of Masters of the Universe). Very hard-rocking with sweeping keyboards and driving bass courtesy of newcomer (at the time) Alan Davey keeps it strong through the 2-disc set. This type of space rock may not be to everyone's liking but if you are partial at all to Hawkwind's sound it is one of their best works.