Hawkwind

This negative response to Hawkwind from an abundance of people dates back , (for me), to the year of 1973 when I brought Space Ritual to a Rock journalist's house ...who at the time , was my manager. He had connections, was interviewing Rick Wakeman over the phone..when I walked into his quarters..blah, blah   whispering to me that I should pick up the other end and listen. A lot of journalists I've met over the many years in the music business dislike Hawkwind and it all seems to stem from this cold judgement that Hawkwind have zero ability in the department of writing. Nonsense!  They are mostly being "hot shots" on a mission to flaunt their personal ego to everyone and all that bragging they do about their position in life makes me feel ill. I'm sure that Dave Brock feels the same way, regarding this situation revolving around the higher levels one obtains in the music business.

I saw them in Philadelphia , years ago...and just after Huw LLoyd Langton had departed. I was standing in line with my ticket when I noticed a guy running across the street and a car slamming the breaks and almost crashing into him...and wow...it turned out to be Dave Brock. He approached the sidewalk, lifted his arms in the air and explained to us that he couldn't get used to the highways and streets in America. He attempted to explain that In England ...everything is reversed and the driver's seat is to the right and so on..you know the deal? Then he walks over to the door, turns to us and says...."Oh, by the way...I hope we sound good tonight, because last night we sucked." I was laughing my head off. I thought he was a really interesting character and Hawkwind were amazing that night.

I came to Hawkwind thru a friend's sister back in the mid 70's. it was their 1st album.. the weirdest in my opinion, never the less the more you played it and the more the hook went in... lots of bands have "concepts" & "themes"... Hawkwind were a little more committed than most....Hell just read the blurb on the back of their doreimefaslatido album (the one that introduces the band members)....the music has a passion and later their lyrical content had Calvert's touch.... What's not to like.. as far as popularity...I think that you kinda have to actively work and really listen...most people just listen to music to "fill in"...they lack the commitment..I think this is also true for the many other great, but obscure, bands that are out there...I'm 54 and still looking at new bands now...that journey started with Hawkwind

What I like about Simon King's style is how good he was at adapting the droning "Motorik" style of percussion to something that really rocks, his creatively detailed way of doing fills and most of all the skill at playing up against the rest of the rhythm section.

Oh by the way their first 5 albums are all fantastic and are all available for a cheap price with cardboard sleeves in a 5 CD box set!

All i know is i've been a huge Hawkwind fan for several years now.I admit i discovered them later in my life,luckily i discovered King Crimson & Atomic Rooster at about the same time.Once i thought nothing existed but Black Sabbath,Blue Oyster Cult,Deep Purple,Dio,Rainbow,Bad Company etc.Anyway back to Hawkwind.The first song i heard of theirs was Master Of The Universe and i instantly knew i had found something that was missing in my life.I've been hooked ever since.I do prefer the "Lemmy" era LPs.Calvert & later era's took awhile to grow on me but i enjoy most all of it now.I've moved Hawkwind to the top of my list of favorite bands.

I have In Search Of Space, Space Ritual, Hall Of The Mountain Grill (which I stared out with) and Warrior At The Edge Of Time. Delightfully trippy stuff.

In the late 70s I was very keen on sci fi, Black Sabbath and punk - Hawkwind's albums from In Search Of Space through to Warrior On The Edge fitted in perfectly.

Hawkwind seem to be a band that people either love or hate...if they know them at all.  My first exposure was seeing the Hall of the Mountain Grill album sleeve in a store when it was first released and that imagery has stayed with me ever since.  It took me another 30 years to delve deep into their catalogue but I am now a huge fan.  One thing that hurts their legacy though is the huge number of poor quality recordings marketed by various labels.  Some are just awful.

My guilty Hawkwind pleasure within a 21 album collection (no compilations!) is not even under the Hawkwind banner but a legal off-shoot (for all intended purpose, more of the same) named Hawklords. “25 Years On” is a special album for me, I really not know why, it just as a cachet a charm that I got from the get-go (I did see the Wind live, that life changing Lemmy event!). Robert Calvert shiningly excels on all songs, seducingly inspirational on “Only the Dead Dreams of the Cold War kids” (such a brilliant title) , the wispy and intense  “The Age of the Microman” , its close cousin , the wily and twirly ‘Freefall’ , add some amazing Gong-like silliness with “Flying Doctor” and  then, finally show some balls with the anthemic and punky ‘The Only Ones” . These 4 tracks really give me a package deal of vintage Hawk splendour, space like you could one dream of, though I have many other tracks to adore, littering their voluminous discography. I also love the murky sound, it somehow gives the production even more vaporous sheen. 

Edited by tszirmay - April 10 2014 at 01:21