The Hawkwind Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Pete Puma, Aug 1, 2013.

  1. Pete Puma

    Pete Puma Forum Veteran Thread Starter

    hah.jpg
    Based on a few positive responses to a post I made in the “what album by album thread would you like to see next” thread I decided to try and tackle Hawkwind. They are essentially a cult band and I doubt there is going to be lots of participation in this thread, but the band in a fun one that sucks you in and they have had a wild and interesting evolution over the years. They are also infinitely collectable and IMO the greatest spacerock band to date.
    This thread will not be an easy endeavor because their discography is a nightmare of crappy compilations and live dreck interspersed through their remarkably long catalog that stretches from 1970 to the present. They have been actively recording and releasing product in each decade, and though not always consistent in quality, each of the canon releases has something to recommend it. I would like to suggest that the following releases be treated as “canon” and discussed as part of this thread while acknowledging that other live releases, singles, b-sides and period rarities will need to be discussed from time to time to give this band it’s due. Please feel free to make suggestions as to what should be included as nothing is set in stone.

    Studio Albums
    1970 Hawkwind
    1971 In Search of Space
    1972 Doremi Fasol Latido
    1974 Hall of the Mountain Grill
    1975 Warrior on the Edge of Time
    1976 Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music
    1977 Quark, Strangeness and Charm
    1978 25 Years On
    1979 PXR5
    1980 Levitation
    1981 Sonic Attack
    1982 Church of Hawkwind
    1982 Choose Your Masques
    1985 The Chronicle of the Black Sword
    1988 The Xenon Codex
    1990 Space Bandits
    1992 Electric Tepee
    1993 It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous
    1995 White Zone
    1995 Alien 4
    1997 Distant Horizons
    1999 In Your Area
    2000 Spacebrock
    2005 Take Me to Your Leader
    2006 Take Me to Your Future
    2010 Blood of the Earth
    2012 Onward
    2012 Stellar Variations


    Key Live Albums
    1973 The Space Ritual Alive
    1980 Live Seventy Nine
    1986 Live Chronicles
    1991 Palace Springs
    1994 The Business Trip
    1996 Love in Space
    2008 Out of the Shadows (2002 show)
     
  2. Beatnik_Daddyo'73

    Beatnik_Daddyo'73 Music Addiction Personified

    Cool idea! :thumbsup: I'm only familiar with their 1971 to 75 output, so I am eager to learn more. Can't wait! :)
     
  3. playbass

    playbass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Looks like a nice list to me, though "Stellar Variations" is technically "Hawkwind Light Orchestra" a subset of the current Hawkwind.
     
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  4. Pete Puma

    Pete Puma Forum Veteran Thread Starter

    Yeah, 71-75 is there classic period with Lemmy on bass for most of that time. They peaked early, then again and again later.
     
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  5. Pete Puma

    Pete Puma Forum Veteran Thread Starter

    You are right, also included the Hawklords "25 Years On". But both efforts are "Hawkwind" in all but name.
     
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  6. tlake6659

    tlake6659 Senior Member

    Location:
    NJ
    I really like all of their stuff from the 1st up to and including Warrior on the Edge of Time. What is worth getting after that?
     
  7. Urban Spaceman

    Urban Spaceman Forum Eulipion

    Quark, Strangeness and Charm and the Hawklords albums are great if you like Bob Calvert (which I do). Count me in on this thread! I went on a Hawkwind listening binge earlier in the summer. I could do that again easily!
    -------- Chris
     
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  8. Pete Puma

    Pete Puma Forum Veteran Thread Starter

    Hopefully this thread as it plays out will answer this question....
     
  9. Platterpus

    Platterpus Senior Member

    Great idea for a thread. I love the band. I have all the CD's up and including Warrior... Plus some CD compilations. I have Space Ritual, Hall of the Mountain Grill and Quark... on vinyl. I know nothing about their later material.
     
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  10. Urban Spaceman

    Urban Spaceman Forum Eulipion

    Listening to the first album right now! I really like "Hurry on Sundown". The rest of the album is fun once in awhile, but it is a spaced-out jam. IIRC some of the song titles were basically appendages. Except maybe for "Be Yourself". Primitive as it is, the first album does lay the groundwork of the basic Hawkwind sound - pulsating drums, heavy riffing and lots of echo / special effects. For some reason I'm noticing the influence of early Pink Floyd here. Proper songs would come on later albums.....
    ------- Chris
     
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  11. PFA

    PFA Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    I highly recommend Levitation and The Xenon Codex. Two of my faves.
     
  12. playbass

    playbass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Church of Hawkwind is an album I really like, but for many, it's not their cup of tea.
     
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  13. thepluralofvinyl

    thepluralofvinyl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Music City, USA
    Wow, that's intimidating. Whenever I'm looking to get into an artist I don't know well I get super intimidated when I see a catalog that extensive. I tend to put it off. I've been meaning to check them out ever since hearing Jeff The Brotherhood cover them, after seeing that list I may continue to put it off for a bit. Where might one begin? The first LP? (below is the cover btw)

     
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  14. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I'm a big fan of Hawkwind, but I only own about five of their studio records and a few compilations. Of what I do have, I'd be happy to comment on. Great idea for a thread and I applaud you for your bravery, prognastycator!
     
  15. Platterpus

    Platterpus Senior Member

    The first album is good, but unlike what was to come after. A slower more nightmarish album book ended with the 2 poppy singles cuts. The liner notes are kind of funny. I found this quote from the liner notes to the first album:

    "We started out trying to freak people (trippers), now we are trying to levitate their minds, in a nice way, without acid, with ultimately a complete audio-visual thing"

    I have the One Way CD so I didn't get all the bonus tracks from the 1997 remasters. They did a good version of Cymbaline.
     
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  16. Pat the Cat

    Pat the Cat Musical Goldminer

    To me, Hawkwind are the greatest "rock & roll" band of all time. I think "Space Ritual" should be included with their studio albums, since it's almost all original songs. I am not really a fan of their early material, which is pretty "spacey" compared to the succinct SF storytelling of the Charisma & RCA albums. They were blessed with some of the great talents of the '70's & '80's, including lead guitarist Hugh Lloyd Langton, Ginger Baker (ex-Cream), Ian Kilmister (Motorhead), Simon House (Mike Oldfield, David Bowie) and Michael Moorcock ("The War Hound & the World's Pain" among other fantasy novels). Dave Brock & Bob Calvert were a powerful writing team. I'd recommend Quark, Strangeness & Charm and 25 Years On to any rock music or Science Fiction fan interested in visions of the future that include space travel, psychic phenomena, and robotic mayhem (and yes, they've all gone horribly wrong!).

    The truly mad music fan should check out Steven Wilson's new surround remix of Warrior on the Edge of Time.
     
  17. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    on the remaster of the s/t album one of the bonus tracks is a cover of Pink Floyd's Cymbaline...and they also do a cover of a Velvet Underground song somewhere else...I have everything
    up through Church of Hawkwind...btw they'll be playing the U.S. in October, with Tim Blake in the band, doing Warrior on the Edge of Time with a full light show...they're playing the House of Blues in L.A. and in S.F.
     
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  18. playbass

    playbass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    The first two Robert Calvert solo records should probably be included in this list as well. Many members of Hawkwind contributed to these two records. One of them was produced by Brian Eno too.
     
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  19. Platterpus

    Platterpus Senior Member

    I have Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters on tape recorded for me by a friend a long time ago and have one of his later more synth based albums Test Tube Conceived on CD.
     
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  20. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    yeah, I consider those Hawkwind albums myself...Ejection from the most awesome Captain Lockheed album is a Hawkwind song....
     
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  21. playbass

    playbass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    The Right Stuff is on "The Business Trip" album as well. That was a great Bob Calvert song.
     
  22. Urban Spaceman

    Urban Spaceman Forum Eulipion

    Has anyone picked up the 4 Men w/ Beards reissue of the s/t Hawkwind album? I have the CD with the bonus tracks but there's a certain mystique about the Hawkwind catalog on LP. Originals can command a premium. But even prices on the reissue seem kinda steep to me - is it worth it?
    ------ Chris
     
  23. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    another great album, the one that turned me onto Hawkwind in Germany in 1980 is Roadhawks, a beautiful gatefold comp of the UA years, released in 1976...it features the 1st release on LP of
    the singles tracks Silver Machine and Urban Guerilla, as well as a live cut of You Shouldn't Do That, that was just released for the 1st time on CD as a bonus track to Space Ritual (recorded at the same shows)

    [​IMG]
     
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  24. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I had no idea there was a new one, but I have all of them up to it. The last one I really liked was Electric Tepee, they've been very hit and miss since then.
     
    Musiko likes this.
  25. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    I haven't heard anything since 1990, when I had the Xenon Codex and saw them on that tour in SF, the last time they toured the U.S. until this year...afaik they only played in the U.S. on the Space Ritual Tour w/ Man, in 1978, and in 1990...
     
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