HAWKWIND

Reviewed:
- Hawkwind (1970)
- In Search of Space (1971)
- Doremi Fasol Latido (1972)
- Space Ritual (1973, live album)
- Hall of the Mountain Grill (1974)
- Masters of the Universe (1977, compilation)
- Levitation (1980)
- The Chronicle of the Black Sword (1985)
- Electric Tepee (1992)
- Epocheclipse: The Ultimate Best Of (1999, compilation)
- Onward (2012)
- Spacehawks (2013)
- The Machine Stops (2016)


HAWKWIND          1970          (EMI)

- Standouts: 'Hurry on Sundown', 'Be Yourself', 'Paranoia' (both parts), 'Seeing it as You Really Are', 'Mirror of Illusion'

As much as I enjoy listening to Hawkwind, I doubt I'll try and collect their entire discography. They've got 30 studio albums (or something) for crying out loud! And I'll bet at least a handful of them are out-of-print or sell for silly prices. Whatever, this specific record was their first and I find it to be kind of overlooked. I don't think most people will disagree with me when I say that the band were at the peak of their popularity during the early and mid 70's, but this album doesn't seem to get as much attention as the next bunch they'd go on to make. I'm guessing the reason would be because they weren't really dabbling with the whole 'space rock' thing just yet, but even so, I honestly think a lot of their signature trademarks are in place here. It doesn't really have quite the same cosmic vibe of albums like In Search of Space or Hall of the Mountain Grill etc., but as you can expect, there's a lot of trippy, strange experimentation and pure psychedelia going on for the entire duration of the album save for the surprisingly straightforward opener, 'Hurry on Sundown', essentially a blues song and a great one at that. The rest of the music here is ahead of it's time in my opinion. That's what made them so great. Instrumentals like 'The Reason Is?' and parts one and two of 'Paranoia' are bizarre and disturbing, and probably freaked a lot of people out when they were still new. 'Seeing it as You Really Are' and 'Mirror of Illusion' hint at what was to come with the use of synthesizers and lengthy guitar jams, plus 'Be Yourself' has Nik Turner's improvised sax playing. More than anything, I think this album is interesting - in a good way of course. Heh, LSD obviously impacted the way they approached songwriting BIG TIME in those days, and it shows. But luckily for band leader Dave Brock, tripping balls is probably one of the reasons what made their style different to what other rock bands were doing at the time.
Adam's rating: 8/10

IN SEARCH OF SPACE          1971          (EMI)

- Standouts: All. 

In Search of Space is probably my favourite Hawkwind album of the one's I actually own, and the first actual studio record I picked up from them. Saying that, I think the majority of their 70's output is classic material, and had I picked up something like 1972's Doremi Fasol Latido first, then that'd probably rank as my favourite Hawkwind album, if you get me. The first album set the basic template, but this was the effort that created the sound people know them best for. It starts with the 15 minute plus 'You Shouldn't Do That', which sets the whole outer-space vibe perfectly. The song starts off with the synthesizers and audio generators setting an atmosphere before basically becoming a massive jam built around a riff with few lyrics to speak of other than the title being repeated over and over again at certain points. Best song on the record for sure, but it's closely followed by the spectacular 'Master of the Universe' and 'You Know You're Only Dreaming'. No Hawkwind album would be complete without psychedelic instrumentals, hence 'Adjust Me' plugs that gap. There's also some great acoustic pieces to speak of; 'We Took the Wrong Step Years Ago' is driven by acoustic guitars, but with the rest of the band's unique instrumentation, you can't compare it to anything else. Hawkwind in general don't really sound like anyone else - psychedelia and acid rock started in the 60's as we all know, but nobody else has thatcosmic vibe like Dave Brock and co. have. Having said that, the other acoustic number is 'Children of the Sun', is the most straightforward song on the album. If it wasn't for Brock's surreal approach at vocals and some of the synths backing the guitar, this great tune could've been a single in my opinion.

So, In Search of Space is great from start to finish then. Like I said earlier though, if it wasn't my first Hawkwind studio album, I actually don't see why I wouldn't choose one of the other records of theirs from the same period as my favourite.  
Adam's rating: 9.1/10

DOREMI FASOL LATIDO          1972           (EMI)

- Standouts: Everything. 

In case you weren't aware, Lemmy was in Hawkwind during the early to mid 70's prior to forming Motorhead, and this was his first record with them. Apparently he joined as a guitarist but ended up being the bass player instead, and we all know he stuck with the bass afterwards. The Hawkwind chapters in Lemmy's book (White Line Fever) are some of the most interesting in the bio, and apparently he and audio generator/electronics member Dik Mik often clashed with the rest of the band (well, maybe not 'clashed', but I can't think of a better word) over their choice of drugs. Given this band's, shall we say 'eccentric' musical style, the rest of the band were huge acid heads, using hallucinogenics all the time. Lemmy on the other hand, was a speed-freak and heavy drinker as well as a regular LSD user, and he proved to be much wilder than the rest of the band as you can probably imagine! Either way, other than the fact he didn't play on In Search of Space, he was still in the band during their prime in my opinion and was a large contributor to their greatness. He even stated that if he wasn't eventually fired, he'd have never left Hawkwind.

Doremi Fasol Latido isn't hugely different from the last album. Maybe it's slightly harder-edged in that there are more songs built around heavier guitar riffs, but on the whole this album is as good as they get in the studio. In fact, listening to this Latin-titled record again for the first time in quite a while, I forgot just how bloody good it actually is! 'Space is Deep' might just be my favourite acoustic guitar-driven song they ever wrote (well, the first half of it is acoustic anyway). The hugely distorted 'Lord of Light' is great too, and the album's opener, 'Brainstorm' continues the trend of starting the album with an epic-length psychedelic song. 'Time We Left this World Today' can best be described as funky space rock at times! 'The Watcher' was one of Lemmy's tunes that he'd eventually re-record with Motorhead. It has a kind of bluesy vibe to it in my opinion, and you can instantly recognize his voice even if he didn't sound as gruff in those days. I'm still not sure if I prefer this or the Motorhead version though. The original is obviously acid rock and acoustic, while the latter was transformed into that distorted, grimy rock n' roll sound Motorhead were known for. It's a great song regardless. All in all, this is another must-have for fans of LSD everywhere!
Adam's rating: 9/10

SPACE RITUAL          1973          (EMI)

Space Ritual might just be the best thing Hawkwind ever recorded - but it's a double live album, not a studio LP. In the live setting, you get a better sense of what Hawkwind were all about - it's not that they can't immerse you on their normal albums, but somehow on Space Ritual, you do get immersed much more. The songs are recognizable, but they're improvised and much more unpredictable than their studio counterparts, and that's part of what makes live albums great. But of course, Hawkwind's shows were like no other - strobe lights and naked artsy dancers Stacia and Miss Renee! And everybody in the crowd was tripping balls of course, probably the band as well. When you listen to Space Ritual, it's more of an experience than anything. You just have to picture yourself actually being there. Some would probably argue that this is one of the all-time great live records. Hmm. I'd definitely put it up there, but it isn't my personal favourite (Deep Purple's Made in Japan takes the crown for me .
Adam's rating: 9.6/10

HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN GRILL          1974         (EMI)

- Standouts: 'The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke)', 'D-Rider', 'You'd Better Believe It', 'Hall of the Mountain Grill' ,'Paradox', 'Lost Johnny' 

Honestly, the band were still at their peak on this album. 'The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke)', 'D-Rider', 'You'd Better Believe It', 'Paradox' and 'Lost Johnny' (another of Lemmy's tunes that he'd later re-record with Motorhead) are all prime Hawkwind cuts at their best. The only thing I will note is that much of the album feels a little more structured than the last two, with less of a 'live', improvisational feel to them. But yeah, other than that, this is another classic.
Adam's rating: 9/10

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE          1977          (EMI)

I actually have no idea why I picked this up. It's a small compilation of seven tracks spanning from 1971-74, i.e. I already had these tunes. Maybe it was the awesome artwork on the cover that persuaded me to buy it? Who knows.

LEVITATION          1980          (Castle)

- Standouts: 'Levitation', 'Motorway City', 'Who's Gonna Win the War?', 'Space Chase', 'Dust of Time'

One rock's greatest drummers, the legendary Ginger Baker performs on this CD, and even if it was the only Hawkwind record he played on, it definitely deserves a shout out, so there it is. Musically however, this still sounds like Hawkwind to me. I haven't heard many of the albums recorded between 75's Warrior On the Edge of Time (which I still need to track down a copy of) and this, but it doesn't sound drastically different to what you heard on their earlier 70's works. Maybe the music isn't quite as trippy or experimental as albums like the debut or In Search of Space; in fact, the title track actually contains quite a few catchy hooks, but you couldn't label Levitation anything other than 'space rock'. Overall, the album does have a lighter, 'floatier' feel than some of their earlier efforts, and I think it's mainly due to the way the keyboards and synths have been utilized this time along with Dave Brock's vocal harmonies on excellent tracks like 'Who's Gonna Win the War?', 'Motorway City' and 'Dust of Time'. Much of the album (maybe a third?) is basically instrumental however, with numbers like 'Space Chase', 'World of Tiers', 'Psychosis' etc., setting the expansive mood of the album. I can't think of a reason not to recommend Levitation if you enjoyed anything else by the band.
Adam's rating: 8/10

THE CHRONICLE OF THE BLACK SWORD          1985          (Atomhenge)

- Standouts: 'Song of Swords', 'Needle Gun', 'Horn of Destiny' 

Yeah okay, Dave Brock's still making space rock records in the 80's, but if it wasn't for the usual use of synths/keyboards/electronics, The Chronicle of the Black Sword would basically be a hard rock album. There aren't any epic-length numbers here, and the synths have been kept to a minimum overall save for instrumentals like 'Shade Gate', 'The Demise' and 'Chaos Army'. The album on the whole just isn't as trippy or psychedelic as their early stuff. That's not to say it's bad - I really like the tracks 'Song of Swords', 'Horn of Destiny' and the catchy rocker 'Needle Gun', but in general this isn't a very exciting album. The 80's probably wasn't the best time for a band like them, so I guess they were trying to appeal to a wider audience.
Adam's rating: 6.5/10

ELECTRIC TEPEE           1992          (Castle)

- Standouts: 'LSD', 'The Secret Agent', 'Mask of Morning', 'Don't Understand', 'Right to Decide'

I'll admit I haven't heard anything between this and the harder rocking The Chronicle of the Black Sword (1985), but Electric Tepee seems to sound a little bit more like the Hawkwind of old - a good thing in my books. Hell, it starts with an eight minute song called 'LSD', so that helps. There's some relatively ambient stuff on here too - 'Blue Shift' and 'Death of War' follow 'LSD' providing the listener with at least nine minutes of expansive keyboards that are surprisingly relaxing, and the same goes for 'Space Dust' (the first half anyway). Other songs like 'Mask of Morning', 'Don't Understand' and 'The Secret Agent' are some of the best since Levitation (not that I've heard enough of their material in between). The only particularly straightforward number on here would be 'Right to Decide', which has some almost punk-like riffing on it - it actually sort of reminded me of a Wildhearts song called 'Sick of Drugs'. Aside from the newer technology and sounds that the 90's provided though, this disc did often remind me of those classics from their heyday. 
Adam's rating: 7.8/10

EPOCHECLIPSE - THE ULTIMATE BEST OF          1999          (EMI)

Given how much material Hawkwind actually had released - even by 1999 - cramming 18 songs onto one disc and claiming it to be 'The Ultimate Best Of' isn't going to work. You need at least two discs to work with. Many of Hawkwind's better-known songs like 'Silver Machine', 'Urban Guerrilla' and 'Motorhead' were singles that were never included on their full-length LP's. Those tracks are featured here, so if you're the kind of guy that only buys original pressings of CD's and avoids remasters/reissues with bonus tracks, then this disc may be of some use to you. Of course, those songs listed did end up on various Hawkwind remasters as bonus songs.

Still, this was the first Hawkwind-related thing I ever picked up. Guess I was about 14 at the time? 'Silver Machine' was the only track I'd ever heard by them at the time. I love the majority of the tunes featured here even if there isn't anywhere near enough, but there's also a bunch of remixes and edits thrown in which just seems unnecessary to me. Also, while you do get the original 'Silver Machine' (naturally), you also get this fucking terrible dance remix at the very end. Yeah. This isn't a particularly good compilation then, but I do recall there being a 3-disc version titled Epocheclipse - 30 Year Anniversary. That might be the version to check out.

ONWARD          2012          (Eastworld Recordings)

- Standouts: 'Mind Cut', 'Seasons', 'The Hills Have Ears', 'The Drive By', 'Southern Cross', 'Death Trap', 'Computer Cowards' 

I didn't really know what to expect with this album, to be honest. The most recent Hawkwind album I owned prior to this was 1992's Electric Tepee - and that was recorded 20 years prior to Onward. I picked this album up at one of the stalls in the metal market at Bloodstock festival 2016. My copy comes in this really nice book-like folding packaging, and when I saw it in the stall I thought 'why not?'.

Anyway, Onward is a double album and to my delight, I can safely say that they've still got it. Considering that Dave Brock is now in his 70's, I have huge respect for his dedication to churning out Hawkwind albums as often as he does, let alone touring with the band. And clearly, he and his fellow band mates (whatever the line-up is these days) can still make great space rock records. Onward features modern production of course, and while it still has that classic Hawkwind sound in the music, it doesn't sound dated either. I can't imagine their live shows reach the same levels of insanity as they did when Lemmy was in the band, but at least the music is still as creative as ever. I did find it a bit strange that three bonus live tracks were thrown in half way through the second CD ('Right to Decide', 'Aerospace Age', 'The Flowering of the Rose') - in fact, I actually assumed that my copy was some sort of special edition version of the album for that reason (that and the fancy packaging it comes in), but all track-listings are the same on all versions of the record as far as I can tell. It did take me a few listens to be able to properly remember some of the tracks - this is a double album after all, so it's a lot to take in - but overall I was both impressed and surprised with how good the band still are these days. So much so that I actually picked up their next two releases as well...
Adam's rating: 8/10

SPACEHAWKS          2013          (Eastworld Recordings)

Given how much material that's out there these days, I assumed Spacehawks was another Hawkwind studio album, but I was wrong. Well, it is, but it's more like a compilation of a handful of new studio tracks (presumably leftovers from the Onward sessions), remixes of songs from their more recent albums and re-recordings of golden oldies like 'Assault and Battery', 'Sonic Attack' and 'Master of the Universe' etc.. I'm not too sure whether this disc was just a quick cash-in or something for the hardcore fans. Either way, I got some enjoyment out of it. I liked the new tracks and the remixes of songs from the 2010 Blood of the Earthalbum (I've not actually heard that record so they just felt like new tracks to me), though I wasn't too fond of the re-recordings. The originals are engraved in my head that anything different just sounds wrong, somehow.  
Adam's rating: 6.5/10

THE MACHINE STOPS          2016          (Cherry Red Records)

- Standouts: 'The Machine', 'Synchronised Blue', 'Living on Earth', 'A Solitary Man', 'Thursday', 'King of the World', 'Lost in Science' 

Another new studio from everyone's favourite space pilgrims, Hawkwind. The Machine Stops is a concept album based on E.M. Forster's 1909 short novel of the same name, and unlike a lot of concept albums, this one actually summarises and explains Forster's novel as soon as you open the digipak. It's right there next to the CD itself. I wish all concept albums did this to avoid confusion. I wasn't aware of The Machine Stops (the novel), so it was cool to actually be informed in an easy-to-read summary. Essentially the tale predicts the dangers of the isolation of mankind and the reliance on technology - Black Sabbath came to mind for me as they sort of took the same path with the 1992 Dehumanizer album.

Of course, musically it's another solid entry into Hawkwind's HUGE discography. I was really impressed with the predecessor, 2012's Onward, and this album clicked for me right away too. It is at least on par, and I found it a bit easier to listen to purely for the fact it isn't a double album. The more guitar-driven songs (and I use that term loosely) like 'Synchronised Blue', 'The Machine', 'Living on Earth' and 'A Solitary Man' are spread out across the album and break up the songs quite nicely, while the remainder of the record mostly consists of that classic, floaty, vast experimental sound - with the occasional moments of ambiance - the band has trademarked. They blend into one another throughout the CD. Of the more 'out-there' kind of songs, 'Thursday', 'Lost in Science' and 'King of the World' are my favourites, but really, I thoroughly enjoyed The Machine Stops from start to finish, and I look forward to hearing what Mr. Brock will come up with next. In fact, it's albums like this and Onward that reinforced my appreciation for this band and rekindled my interest in both their new material and back catalogue. 
Adam's rating: 8/10