What does it sound like?:
Hawkwind’s epic 1972 “Doremi Fasol Latido” is choc-full of bikerdelic belters; “Brainstorm”, “Space Is Deep”, “Lord of Light”, “Time we left the World today”, The Watcher,” are just some of the spicy little numbers. A single of the time – proto-punk “Born to Go” is added, along with the naughty “Urban Gorilla”, and “Brainbox Pollution”. Yes, an awful lot of this ended up on the mighty and still formidable “Space Ritual”, not that this is a bad thing. I still wonder how, given the band’s alleged consumption of hallucinogens, they kept the show as tight as they did – maybe Lemmy mostly keeping to speed helped. If you know Hawkwind, you know this album or the tracks, many of which remain mainstays of their live set. Not uncoincidentally, a legendary live set at the Greasy Truckers Party on 13th February 1972 is also included – note my observation re keeping it together.
The album has been give a remix which makes it a bit cleaner, enabling a spot of definition in the synths and bass, but over my aged ears and mediocre computer speakers, it was wasted (which I wasn’t – another problem when reviewing a work like this). The live recording really needs a microdot, serious strobe lighting and psychedelic projections for full effect, but those who approach this album will have their memories, I suspect.
What does it all *mean*?
It has often been said that if Hawkwind were German, they would be a lot more hip. This misses the fact that for anyone who gets the Dionysian abandon of rock music in it’s early 70s acid rock era, Hawkwind ARE hip. You have to be a bit of a wanker to sneer at them given their influence over half a century of counter-cultural sounds. If you don’t like it, don’t sneer, just move swiftly on – it’s not for you, sonny.
For most of the world, light entertainment and safe family friendly music seems back, but in a variety of homes rich and poor, pensioners regularly try to squeeze into old tour t-shirts and replace previous pre-gig preparations with a curry and a few pints, recognising the psychedelic gleam in the eye of the the fans around them. The still there, if venerable, Dave Brock, is the last original of this band left (though what IS an original member when Hawkwind have had as complex a history as The Fall, and more acrimonious than even Yes). If you haven’t seen them, you should while you still can. Though their existence will not matter to many, without them, many of our lives would be significantly lesser. I still dream of “Born to Go” being used as the theme for a definitive 21st century science fiction series, bringing the excitement and escapism of Hawkwind to a new generation of nerds, geeks, and good humoured science-minded folks who like to tickle their brain cells: “heads” as they used to be called.
Goes well with…
Tea, allopurinol, statins, memories….
Release Date:
Out now, pop-pickers
Might suit people who like…
Gong, Pink Fairies, Neu!, Henge, PiL
Quite tempted – I used to have this on cassette and have many happy – if hazy – memories of it.
Saw these rascals playing on the back of a flat-bed truck once. Dozed off some while later, once they’d finished. Woke up to my pal Sally asking if I was OK. No idea what time of day that was. Funny how the simplest things come back to you, full of sunshine and innocent happiness, etched as they are upon the synapses that were being fried at the time. I have a long standing fondness for this lot, probably more for what they represented than for what they played, if I’m honest, though I do have both the ‘Your Captain Speaking’ and ‘Charisma Years’ sets, so I’m not exactly stuck for space rock if I’m in the mood. I salute and share your ongoing enthusiasm for them! Come to think of it, its mushroom season…
Loved this and “In search of space” back in the day. I shall deffo give this a listen. I have the Greasy Truckers set which is great fun.
On a related subject, just a tip for Nik Turner’s “Space Fusion Odyssey” which pairs ‘wind like grooves with a stellar cast list of fusion musos such as John Etheridge and Billy Cobham along with previous compadre Steve Hillage. It’s a belter.
Good shout.
I rather fancy that!
It’s a cracker.
If anybody is in doubt – the box set also includes a fabulous book full of Barney Bubbles’ art, and a glorious reproduction of the epic poster that came with the first LP pressing.