Hawkwind thread.

[my breakfast.]

Ok, what do you all make of this band??? I need to get some, but I have heard a few versions of Silver Machine, and Levitation only, so I need ideas... but.... what does everybody else make of them?

[IainS]

Space Ritual is a great headfuck album.....one to get!

[The Gunner's Dream]

Hmmm,
Hawkwind.

well, I always thought they were 'kind of' similar to Pink Floyd but I only listened to them when they had Lemmy, who you of course know is the bassist/writer/vocalist of Motorhead.

[zag]

I recommend some ?70 stuff

Warrior Of The Edge Of Time
Hall Of The Mountain Grill
Space Ritual Live
Doremi Fasol Latido

I like Zones (?83) too

[Massed Gadgets]

Their first self-titled album is good, but they were really working out their sound then, so the second album, In Search of Space was where they really established the core Hawkwind sound, and it had the original studio versions of classics like Master of the Universe, You Know You're Only Dreaming, and the 15-minute space jam You Shouldn't Do That (the CD re-issue also includes the original studio version of Silver Machine.

Their early period then is documented on the definitive live double album, Space Ritual, and absolute must have for any Hawkwind fan. After that, they got into a bit of a space prog rock period with albums like Hall of the Mountain Grill and Warrior on the Edge of Time, where they began incorporating Mellotron, more synths, and violin into their sound, and the melodies began to get stronger as well.

The Robert Calvert Era followed, where the songs began to get tighter, taking on more of a verse/chorus approach, and lyrically dominated by Calvert and his ideas. Generally less spacey, but still some good stuff. Quark, Strangeness, and Charm is probably the best of this era.

After that, the line-up became very unstable, with members coming and going through the 80's. Levitation is a highlight of the early 80's though, with a line-up featuring Tim Blake on synths and Ginger Baker (!) on drums.

The 90's brough in Alan Davey on bass and he also became one of the band's main song writers. The best of this era is the album Electric Teepee, more of a metal album with spacey atmospherics.

Late 90's, new millenium stuff emphasizes a bit more of an electronica approach to their sound.

There's oodles and oodles of official live albums too, from every era, including the aformentioned Space Ritual. One of my favourites is California Brainstorm, which finds the band in a particularly spacey, yet still rocking mode.

There you go. Start at the beginning (well, almost the beginning...I would start with In Search of Space) and move forward from there.

[Fat Trace]

the post above from Massed Hammer seems fairly comprehensive. But I thought you might not know that Hawkwind did a cover of Intersteller Overdrive and Cymbaline

[ganaffe]

I think I like the best what MG referred to as their "space prog rock period": Hall Of The Mountain Grill and Warrior On The Edge Of Time are both great albums. But In Search Of Space and Doremi Fasol Latido are great too.

One of their later albums I like very much is It's The Business Of The Future To Be Dangerous... it's one of those albums where they ease out a little on their metal roots and the electronica & ambient influences are more pushed to the forefront (+ it contains a great cover of Gimme Shelter ).

[Norbert Wilkins]

I never delved too deeply into the post-Lemmy stuff, but everything he was involved in is worth having. I also like the first album. Quite mellow, almost country-rock tinged. From what I've heard of the later stuff the riffs do start sounding quite similar, like they had settled into a comfortable routine and were sticking with it, but I guess I haven't heard enough to really make a considered judgement.

I have one Hawkwind-related solo album: Xitintoday by Nik Turner's Sphynx.



It's best described as an odd listen, but the graphics on the sleeve and in the little book it comes with are quite fascinating. According to Mr. Julian Cope:

So, you've been kicked out of Hawkwind by Dave Brock. It's 1977 and the height of the punk era. You are still contracted to Charisma. So what do you do? I'm sure no-one was expecting THIS...

Unpredictable as ever, the Thunder Rider went to Egypt and wangled his way into the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid. Therein he proceeded to lie in a stone casket and record some amazingly beautiful flute music. (it must be said that the natural reverb is fabulous!) He then went home to Wales and, with assistance from various members of Gong, overdubbed it to create an album unlike any other.

It's pointless trying to describe the end result, really. Suffice to say a pair of headphones and a darkened room are heartily recommended.

Without doubt the finest musical interpretation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead ever recorded!

NB Beware the re-recorded version from the '90s on the Cleopatra CD. It's not the real deal, but does have the achingly beautiful 24 minute original flute recordings.

EDIT: This URL contains important, nay, essential information for anyone who likes Lemmy-era Hawkwind in general, and Space Ritual in particular.

[gnomad]

Hawkwind were the first band I ever saw live (actually not quite it was Dumpys Rusty Nuts the support band) It was the Chronicle of the Black Sword @ Hammersmith Dec 1985 with Robert Calvert reading random pieces of his book as part of the show It was also the first bootleg I bought a twin cassette set with a photocopied cover on orange paper I think it cost about ?20

[Massed Gadgets]

Hawkwind were the first band I ever saw live (actually not quite it was Dumpys Rusty Nuts the support band) It was the Chronicle of the Black Sword @ Hammersmith Dec 1985 with Robert Calvert reading random pieces of his book as part of the show It was also the first bootleg I bought a twin cassette set with a photocopied cover on orange paper I think it cost about ?20

Every once in awhile I pop on the Live Chronicles CD. I wouldn't call it amongst their best, but it is pretty good stuff, especially for the mid-80's. I love the Huw Lloyd Langton song Moonglum.

[rthresh]

Over the years I've listened to quite a lot of Hawkwind; sometimes odd snippets take my fancy for a while - but for all-round entertainment and musicianship it's hard to beat 'Levitation'. For me their best offering by a country mile.

[Fat Trace]

Over the years I've listened to quite a lot of Hawkwind; sometimes odd snippets take my fancy for a while - but for all-round entertainment and musicianship it's hard to beat 'Levitation'. For me their best offering by a country mile.

Definatly one of their best, in fact the whole album is pretty damn good,
Although Space Ritual has to be the difinative work by them

[Massed Gadgets]

Over the years I've listened to quite a lot of Hawkwind; sometimes odd snippets take my fancy for a while - but for all-round entertainment and musicianship it's hard to beat 'Levitation'. For me their best offering by a country mile.

Definatly one of their best, in fact the whole album is pretty damn good,
Although Space Ritual has to be the difinative work by them

Back in 80'/81', I was taping an FM concert off the radio, and when it ended I just left the tape running as I had gone downstairs to do something else. What I captured, before the tape ran out, was what they played right after the concert. It took me nearly a year to find out what it was, but it turned out to be Prelude and Who's Gonna Win the War off Levitation. That was the first Hawkwind I ever heard and it had me hooked even before I knew what it was!

[J Ed]

looking up Wikipedia's entry on Hawkwind
I was led to this page of photos of one of their members...
Stacia

[HeckTo]

In Search Of Space is very good album.

Space Ritual is over-rated