THE WEIRD TAPES VOL. 3 : FREE FESTIVALS

Tracks 1 - 5

These tracks were recorded June 21, 1977 live at the Stonehenge Free Festival (w/Calvert, Brock, House, Shaw & King).

1. High Rise (5:37) 2. Damnation Alley (parts 1&2) (7:59) 3. Uncle Sam's On Mars / Iron Dream (unlisted) (6:32) 4. Robot (7:20) 5. Hash Cake '77 AKA Cake Out (4:43), also recorded June 21, 1977 is an unlisted track. This version has the intro cut off but can be found in full on The Hawkwind Anthology 1967- 1982 [Castle 2CD].

The rest of the tracks are from the Watchfield Free Festival in August, 1975 w/ Brock, Rudolph, Dunkeley, Powell & again Nik Turner but minus Calvert).

6. Circles AKA The Fifth Second of Forever (4:28) 7. Elements (4:26) (Mislabeled as I Am The Eye (That Looks Within), a different track that is AKA 'Blue Skin' and found on many other collections). 8. Slap It On Der Table (:50)

Review (of sorts):

A release from the dubious, infamous personal tape collection of Dave Brock (who is alleged to have made a reasonable amount of money from the Weird Tapes that hasn't been distributed to any of the other performers).

Despite the inconsistencies of Captain Brock's other 'Weird' releases, this is an amazing release, and a must have for any fan of the Bob Calvert, 'Quark' glory days.

The version of PRX's 'High Rise' is my personal favorite of that song, and the versions of 'Damnation Alley', 'Uncle Sam's On Mars' and 'Robot' are incendiary.

I can't decide if 'High Rise' or 'Damnation Alley' is my personal favorite on the album, but they kick off the performance in legendary fashion. Perhaps the finest opening numbers in their repertoire, alongside the 'Assault and Battery' / 'Golden Void' double whammy.

The performance that makes up the first 5 tracks is undoubtedly the stronger portion of the album, but if you are a Calvert / Quark fan, it's worth seeking it out just for those 5 tracks. They are that good.

I just wanted to draw some attention to this album, as it's become a firm favorite of mine since its release, and recieves regular spins alonside my favorite, more legitimate 'Wind releases (From the 1st right through to Levitation, seeing as you asked).