Hawkwind


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Hawkwind (1970), 6.5/10
In Search Of Space (1971), 7/10
Doremi Fasol Latido (1972), 7.5/10
Space Ritual (1973), 7/10 (live/comp)
Hall Of The Mountain Grill (1974), 6/10
Warrior On The Edge Of Time (1975), 6/10
Robert Calvert: Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters (1974), 7/10
Robert Calvert: Lucky Leif and the Longships (1975), 7/10
Astounding Sounds Amazing Music (1976), 5/10
Quark Strangeness And Charm (1977), 6.5/10
PXR5 (1978), 5/10
Nik Turner:Sphynx/Xitintoday (1978), 6.5/10
Nik Turner:Pass Out (1980), 5/10
Nik Turner:Maximum Effect (1981), 5/10
Nik Turner:New Anatomy (1984), 5/10
Nik Turner:The President's Tapes (1985), 5/10
Levitation (1980), 6/10
Sonic Attack (1981), 5/10
Robert Calvert: Hype (1982), 5/10
Robert Calvert: Test Tube Conceived (1985), 6/10
Robert Calvert: Freq (1984), 6/10
Church of Hawkwind (1982), 4/10
Choose Your Masques (1982), 5/10
The Chronicle Of The Black Sword (1985), 6/10
Dave Brock: Earthed to the Ground (1984), 5/10
Dave Brock: The Agents of Chaos (1988), 5/10
Out And Intake (1987), 5/10
The Xenon Codex (1988), 4/10
Space Bandits (1990), 4/10
Electric Teepee (1992), 5/10
It Is The Business Of The Future To Be Dangerous (1993), 4/10
Nik Turner: Prophets Of Time (1994), 5/10
Spiral Realms: Trip To G9 (1994), 6.5/10
Spiral Realms: Crystal Jungles of Eos (1995), 6.5/10
Anubian Lights: The Eternal Sky (1995), 6.5/10
Anubian Lights: The Jackal And Nine (1996), 6.5/10
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Summary.
Hawkwind invented "space-rock", a hybrid of hard-rock and acid-rock that united the sonic power of the former and the free improvisation of the latter (and Robert Calvert's sci-fi visions). Hawkwind (1970), In Search Of Space (1971), Doremi Fasol Latido (1972) and Space Ritual (1973) refined the idea, but theirs was a cult phenomenon that focused mostly on the live performance (somewhat similar to what had happened in the USA with the Grateful Dead) while boasting the frenzied, noisy attitude of the MC5. Hawkwind's gargantuan sound also represents a natural (no matter how demented) liaison between hippy culture and punk culture.
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Gli Hawkwind inventarono lo space-rock, uno stile al confine fra hard-rock e acid-rock che univa la travolgente potenza sonora del primo e l'improvvisazione libera della seconda. Il loro fu un fenomeno di culto che ricorda per molti versi quello dei Grateful Dead, ma unito alla potenza degli Mc5. Il sound pantagruelico degli Hawkwind rappresenta anche una liaison naturale, per quanto demenziale, fra la cultura dell'eccesso hippy e la cultura dell'eccesso punk.

Il problema principale degli Hawkwind e` che hanno registrato una quantita` spropositata di materiale scadente, e non sono mai riusciti a concentrarsi su un album capolavoro. Un'ideale antologia del gruppo coprirebbe al massimo 20 brani sui circa 500 che hanno pubblicato. Nel loro caso vale soprattutto l'idea, non tanto la realizzazione.

Si formarono nel 1969 per opera del chitarrista Dave Brock, del sassofonista Nik Turner e del tastierista Dik Mik. In tutte le le variazioni del complesso, e pur nella totale anarchia della loro evoluzione, sara` sempre Brock il cervello del gruppo.

Hawkwind (UA, 1970) conteneva gia` alcuni pezzi di grande effetto: Hurry On Sundown, Mirror Of Illusion e la suite in due movimenti Paranoia. Era un art-rock di maniera, ma in breve il poeta Bob Calvert, sacerdote visionario dello "Space Ritual Show", li indirizzo' verso una originale re-interpretazione pseudo-fantascientifica della ideologia hippy e verso un sound che applicava l'acid-rock all'hard-rock, rivalutando il ruolo del sassofono (Turner), del sintetizzatore (Mik), dei light show e dei rituali sul palco.

In Search Of Space (1971), sbandiero` una musica Violenta ma ripetitiva, ossessiva, martellante, percossa da scosse elettroniche (Del Dettmat al sintetizzatore) e da assoli logorroici, e dedicata a temi fantascientifici. You Shouldn't Do That, You Know You're Only Dreaming, il magniloquente proclama dark di Master Of The Universe e Adjust Me sono classici di una geniale auto-indulgenza.

Doremi Fasol Latido (1972), con Ian "Lemmy Kilmister" Willis al basso, continuo` con maggior convinzione, anche se forse meno fantasia: Down Through The Night, Space Is Deep, Lord Of Light, Brainstorm, Time We Left This World Today. I brani erano comunque ipnotici anche quando non avevano molto da dire. Il sound classico degli Hawkwind e` quello di questo album.

Su singolo uscirono l'apocalittico anthem Silver Machine (1972), l'epico sabbah Urban Guerrilla (1973), loro capolavoro, Psychedelic Warlords (1974), l'incalzante Kings of Speed (1974), Motorhead (1974).

Il loro fantastico show dal vivo venne immortalato sul doppio live Space Ritual (1973), che aggiunse anche diversi brani al loro repertorio maggiore (Earth Calling, The Awakening, The Black Corridor, Orgone Accumulator, 10 Seconds of Forever, Sonic Attack).

La stagione d'oro era gia` al termine, pero`. Calvert lascio` il gruppo e il violinista Simon House High Tide (dark) subentro` a Dik Mik e si mise a suonare il mellotron. Hall Of The Mountain Grill (1974) contiene soltanto un paio di sbiadite copie del loro stile classico: Wind Of Change e Paradox.

Poi Kilminster lascio` il gruppo per fondare i Motorhead e venne sostituito da Paul Rudolph dei Pink Fairies. Nonostante il contributo dello scrittore di fantascienza Michael Moorcock, Warrior On The Edge Of Time (Atlantic, 1975) non miglioro` di molto (Assault & Battery , The Golden Void, Magnu, Simon House's instrumental Spiral Galaxy 28948).

Psychedelic Warlords (1992) e` un'antologia dei primi singoli e di brani dai primi album.

Nel frattempo Robert Calvert aveva pubblicato due album molto piu` interessanti: Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters (1974), una sorta di rock-opera che contiene le bizzarre vignette di Ejection, The Aerospaceage Inferno, The Song of the Gremlin, Catch a falling Starfighter, e Lucky Leif and the Longships (1975), ancor piu` fiabesco e surreale. Entrambi si avvalgono degli arrangiamenti di Brian Eno.

Nonostante il rientro di Calvert, il nuovo album degli Hawkwind, Astounding Sounds Amazing Music (1976), era ancor peggio del precedente (eccetto Kerb Crawler), ma Quark Strangeness And Charm (Sire, 1977) segno` invece un notevole ritorno alla forma migliore con Spirit Of The Age, Quark Strangeness And Charm, The Forge Of Vulcan e la sinistra psichedelia cosmica di Hassan I Sahba. Purtroppo fu anche l'ultimo album con Turner. Con lui se ne andarono House, Calvert, il batterista e il secondo chitarrista. La stagione delle orgiastiche messe nere per eroinomani era finita.

Collection (Castle, 1986) e` un doppio antologico.

Il gruppo si sciolse e si riformo` (con Harvey Bainbridge al sintetizzatore), cambiando brevemente nome in Hawklords, per PXR5 (1978), che contiene le decorose Death Trap, Robot, High Rise. Su singolo uscirono Psi Power (1978), 25 Years (1979) e Shot Down in the Night (1980).

(Clicka qua per la versione Italiana)

Nik Turner left for Egypt. Xitintoday (Charisma, 1978), credited to Sphynx, comprises flute recordings that Nik Turner made in 1977 inside the Keope Pyramid and overdubs by Tim Blake, Steve Hillage, Turner himself (on vocals) and others. The album, that pioneered ambient music, will be re-recorded with Helios Creed on guitar and backing by Pressurehed, and released as Sphynx (Cleopatra, 1993).

Upon returning to England, Nik Turner formed the Inner City Unit, which debuted with the singles Solitary Ashtray (1979) and Paradise Beach (1980). Pass Out (1980) contains Space Invaders, Watching the Grass Grow, Polyethylene, Cars Eat With Autoface. Maximum Effect (1981) has Beer Baccy Bingo & Benidorm and Bones of Elvis. Inner City Unit died after New Anatomy (1984) and The President's Tapes (1985).

Hawkwind, now featuring Ginger Baker and Gong's Tim Blake on synthesizer, released Levitation (Charisma, 1980), which does not boast any irresistible gem, but features a sequence of strong songs: Motorway City, Who's Gonna Win The War, Levitation, Space Chase, The Fifth Second Of Forever, Dust Of Time.

Sonic Attack (1981) is vastly inferior, despite Angels of Death and Rocky Paths.

During the 1980s, Calvert released Hype (1982), Test Tube Conceived (1986) and Freq (1984). The latter one is a bizarre case of agit-prop synth-pop. Bob Calvert died in 1989.

Turner rejoined Hawkwind for Church of Hawkwind (1982), one of their least appealing albums, despite the huge doses of electronics, and Choose Your Masques (1982), a moderate improvement (Choose Your Masks, Solitary Mind Games, Waiting For Tomorrow).
Again, the best of Hawkwind came out as singles: Zones (1983), Night of the Hawks (1984), Needle Gun (1985), Zarozinia (1985).

The Chronicle Of The Black Sword (Flicknife, 1985), the last major Hawkwind release, was a concept album inspired by their friend Michael Moorcock's writings. The Demise, Needle Gun and Zarozinia are relatively catchy, while the surreal soundscapes of Shade Gate and The Pulsing Cavern, and the fairy-tale ballads of Song Of The Swords, The Sea King and Elric The Enchanter give the album a cohesive and unitary feeling.

Dave Brock also recorded the solo albums Earthed to the Ground (1984) and The Agents of Chaos (1988), later collected on Dave Brock & the Agents of Chaos (Flicknife, 1991).

Then Brock focused again on Hawkwind but Turner had quit again. Out And Intake (1987) boasts two more classics: Ghost Dance and Assassins of Allah. On the other hand, The Xenon Codex (1988) is a very minor work.
Space Bandits (1990) marked the return of violinist Simon House, but did not last.

Harvey Bainbridge left, too, before the radio-friendly Electric Teepee (1992). He will release his first solo, the ambitious Schulze-esque cosmic journey of Interstellar Chaos (Taste, 1993), and then start the Alman Mulo Band (himself and Norman Alman), which released the high-tech world-music of Afrodiziac Dreamtime (Taste, 1993), the jazzy/ambient/ethnic hodgepodge of Diamonds and Toads (Taste, 1994) and Orisha (Divine, 1995).

Hawkwind was therefore reduced to a trio (Brock, Alan Davey and Richard Chadwick). The same trio recorded the dull It Is The Business Of The Future To Be Dangerous (Griffin, 1993).

Disguised as Psychedelic Warriors, Dave Brock, Alan Davey and Richard Chadwick recorded the electronic album White Zone (Griffin, 1995).

By far the most interesting works came from flutist Nik Turner. Prophets Of Time (Cleopatra, 1994) reinterprets material of the Inner City Unit and Hawkwind albums with the help of Simon House on violin and Helios Creed on guitar.
Spiral Realms are Turner and Pressurehed keyboardist Len Del Rio, who recorded Trip To G9 (Cleopatra, 1994) and Crystal Jungles of Eos (Cleopatra, 1995), two albums of cosmic music.
Anubian Lights are Turner, Simon House, Del Rio, Helios Creed and others. They debuted with the ambitious The Eternal Sky (Cleopatra, 1995). The 55-minute EP The Jackal And Nine (Cleopatra, 1996) increases the doses of world-music and ambient music.

Hawkind's keyboardist Dik Mik died in 2017. Nik Turner died in 2022.

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