X IN SEARCH OF SPACE

Reading the other reviews above I'm inclined to think that many of them were written by people who perhaps were not around at the birth of "Prog" music. Not that this is a bad thing but a little perspective is sometimes important. Hawkwind's X In Search of Space hardly qualifies as a Prog album by today's standards. But in 1970 (when it was recorded) just about anything that was album oriented rock was referred to as "progressive". This included the likes of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, even (god help me) Black Sabbath. The point being that it's JUST a word used to differentiate something from something else. Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore wanted people to distinguish between what they were doing and what Donny Osmond was doing so they latched onto the latest word, "progressive" as a way of separating themselves from the "pop" crowd. "Prog Rock" as it is known, loved and identified today was barely a glimmer in the eyes of Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman et al when Hawkwind's second album came out. If you are looking for an album that bears any kinship with "Fragile" or "Pictures at an Exhibition" then this is about as far away as you're going to get. Having said that, X In Search of Space would probably have been called "progressive" when it first came out. This album has much more in common with things like Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" or "Set the Controls" than it does with the clinically polished lavishly orchestrated music created by many of the world's top purveyors of "Prog Rock". Let's face it Hawkwind admitted to the press that most of them had never played an instrument before 1969 and they made no bones about the fact they were just a bunch of freaks having a good time. Having said that they managed to create something almost completely unique with this album. I defy you to find another album that sounds like this (even in Hawkwind's own lengthy repertoire). This is a totally unique kind of music made using, what at the time were, cutting edge audio generators and primitive synthesisers, with a Krautrock back beat provided by Amon Duul bassist Dave Anderson, and totally erratic sax "noises" from Nik Turner. It's not sophisticated, it's certainly not polished but it is completely unique. Forget looking here for "prog" music. This is space-rock at its most insistent and histrionic. If you don't like this album then probably about 60-70% of Hawkwind's repertoire will also turn you off. I, for one, have absolutely loved this record since I bought it in 1971. Switch off the Prog rock filter and open up to this as if you were hearing something unlike anything you've ever heard before. I've never done drugs in my life but this record sounds damn good to me.