PXR 5

After the transitional brilliance of 'Warrior On The Edge Of Time' Hawkwind began inching away from their hard-riffin' chug-a-chug space-rock origins and towards a cleaner, sharper sound that began to incorporate elements of krautrock, new wave and pop. This 'second phase' of albums would begin with 1976's 'Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music' and finish with 'Levitation' four years later, an album considered by many an old- school hawkfan as the group's last great production. Sandwiched in-between was the underwhelming 'Quark, Strangeness & Charm' and it's lacklustre follow-up 'PRX5'. Released in 1979, 'PRX5' finds Hawkwind struggling to, for the time being at least, adapt to both the demands of their rapidly-developing sound and the changing musical landscape. Featuring long-term stalwart, founder and leader Dave Brock(guitar, vocals), Robert Calvert(vocals), Simon House(keyboards, violin), Adrian Shaw(bass) and Simon King(drums), 'PRX5' finds this briefly-interned line-up blending snazzy synthesizers with new wave guitars, pop-dipped melodies and a barrage of colourful effects, the group in effect hurling everything they can find at the listener, bar the kitchen sink, in an attempt to show how different this version of Hawkwind was to their previous psychedelic incarnation. Sadly, however, it doesn't work. Although the group would find their form again the following year, 'PXR5', which can almost be see as a dry run for 1980's 'Levitation', simply falls almost perfectly between two stylistic stools, neither hard-rockin' enough to satisfy the old guard yet just far too bizarre to attract a more commercial following. The catchy, up-tempo rocker 'Jack Of Shadows' aside, this is a messy, somewhat over- produced cornucopia of conflicting ingredients that, rather ironically, sums up the chaotic nature of Hawkwind's career up to this point. Although far from finished as a viable unit, 'PXR5' is nevertheless the sound of a group whose best time have been-and-gone.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012