Hawkwind were formed in 1969 as a result of the meeting of singer / guitarist Dave Brock and saxophonist / flautist Nik Turner. Dick Taylor of the Pretty Things produced their eponymous first album in 1970. Enamoured of science fiction, ardent defenders of hippy ideals and from the same stable of counter-culture politics as the Deviants, the band employed synthesizers and other electronic devices in addition to standard rock instruments.
Constantly playing live gigs and festivals (particularly free festivals) the band forged the essence of their reputation as purveyors of delirious multimedia happenings, blending the power and incipient violence of the music –not all hippies are into peace, love and flowers!– with their impressive light shows, strobe lights and their naked dancer, Stacia.
“Space Ritual”, their fourth album, was thus very logically a double live LP, finding Hawkwind on top of their form and with their best line up, including poet / vocalist Robert Calvert, Del Dettmar (synths), Dik Mik (audio generator and electronics), drummer Simon King and above all, Lemmy Kilmister, his huge bass sound propelling the entire band into realms of orgasmic and supersonic vibrations.
Throughout these 88 minutes of relentless, concession-free brainwashing, each number flows into the next without pause, to form a monolithic body of totally hypnotic music. Proof of a union of psychedelia with truly electronic music.
-Philippe Thieyre
Review of "Kings Of Speed" *** (1975, publication unknown):
Hawkwind exist in some curious time warp in which no account is taken of what may be happening elsewhere. The consequence is that, having taken their initial inspiration from early German bands such as Can, they haven't developed much, if at all, from that point. In the eyes of their followers this is a good thing - for me, on the outside, their music conjures up disturbing visions of nights spent at the Roundhouse surrounded by folk whose idea of a good time was to slowly drift into a stupor and pass out face down on the floor. The title "Kings Of Speed" can hardly have been chosen in ignorance of this preference. The number -I'm loathe to call it 'a tune'- is written by Dave Brock and Michael Moorcock, and its performance, with the usual pretty inaudible vocals over the Hawkwind churning, is illumined briefly by a brisk guitar break which is followed by ditto for violin. Further ritual chanting for the faithful and better than anything since 'Silver Machine'. The figure saying 'Far Out' on the circa-1969 artwork on the sleeve says it all.
Not cosmic. Rather, driving pub boogie with girl back-up singers and indistinct vocals. But sadly, rather ineffectual. Hawkwind are moving into new spheres and this first venture for their new record label, while being far from disastrous, doesn't seem to hold any great promise.
Review of 'Roadhawks' (Melody Maker, 22/05/76):
If Hawkwind had ever had more than one chart success, this might have been called "Hawkwind's Greatest Hits". Featured are such evergreens as Silver Machine, Hurry On Sundown, Paranoia (Excerpt), You Shouldn't Do That, Wind Of Change, and The Golden Void. Perhaps United Artists are banking on the distinct possibility that Hawkwind freaks are too dumb to realise that this is a compilation album of old material, and will put 'Roadhawks' into the chart. Stranger things have happened.
Great for ex-acid heads / moonlight trippers etc. as Hawkwind's sonic rock takes us back to the days when heavy bands packed quite a mean punch. This interesting compilation was compiled and re-mixed by Dave Brock and features some extraordinary tracks: 'Paranoia', with weirdo vocals and an equally outlandish instrumental, sounds as if the end of the world is nigh, complete with heart-throbbing countdown to destruction. And 'You Shouldn't Do That' (very early Pink Floyd-ish) is
-Jan Iles
1976 gig review (unknown publication):
For the last five years I have been puzzled by the astounding success of Hawkwind. How could a bunch of freaks touting the ideals of the late sixties and churning out sci-fi boogie with the ferocity of a vast industrial machine be so popular? So it was with great interest that I trekked out to Salford University last Friday to watch them in action on the first night of their short British tour.
Unicorn were first on stage and they warmed the audience with a pleasant set of soft rock songs and some neat playing and harmonica.
Hawkwind still draw the type of person who wishes to leave reality behind for an hour. Their set has the predictable cycle of a washing machine. Only a slight change of pace indicates that they are playing something different. Among the numbers I think they featured are old favourites like 'Assault and Battery' and 'Brainstorm', and there was plenty of stuff from their new studio album. One of those was a rather tongue-in-cheek number titled 'Reefer Madness', warning young people of the dangers of marijuana.
Their brand new dancer, Ricky, also made her debut. I have to report that she's not quite as curvaceous as Stacia, but her credentials are okay.
-Andrew Harries
If the future of the Hawks looks a bit bleak at the moment, then the past itself has been rather gloomy judging by some of the material on this collation. It illustrates all that's best and worst in the group - sometimes on the same track, for example, if they get a good sound going they stick there in a rut and never let go until they've squeezed it dry. And they always manage to sound as though they were recorded in a tunnel with the band at one end and the microphone at the other. Not a patch on the 'Roadhawks' compilation. Paranoia strikes deep.
-David Brown
News item from Melody Maker, 01/10/77:
Hawkwind are at London Hammersmith Odeon, Wednesday October 5. Circle seats at £2.50 and £2 only left. Support band: Bethnal. Concert starts at 8 p.m.
Birmingham Odeon gig review from December 1973 (uknown publication):
Even though their arrival at the Birmingham Odeon on the planet Earth had been delayed by such a mundane matter as running out of petrol, Hawkwind still felt confident enough to zoom into orbit yet again on their current British tour. So we all became passengers on their fantasy machine for two hours while they operated the controls.
The voyage turned out to be more interesting visually than musically, although this is probalby an unfair comment as the two are very much interwoven. The group certainly have a well-defined sense of the theatrical, though, and during their extremely professional smooth running set they used many auxiliary devices to aid their cosmic progress. The most dominant of these is the light show of Liquid Len and the Lensman which provides an ever-changing picture of the universe behind the group.
The short monologues delivered before many of the numbers also heightened the dramatic impact and are designed to create atmosphere rather than be profound statements - which is just as well really, because they're not. Add to this the dancing of Stacia and you have a fair idea that the music is only one of many components in their well produced act.
Hawkwind's numbers are mainly a collection of hard, thunderous sound waves that build to a crescendo, then die away again, supposedly reflecting the power rather than the mystery of the heavens. Still, solely on the strength of their approach it is well worth buying a seat for one of Hawkwind's celestial package tours, even if you like to keep your seat planted firmly on mother earth.
-Phil Holt
Most groups that begin their existences as sources of division, derision and discontent gain general acceptance as rawness gives way to familiarity and developing ability. Take a straight sober stare at Hawkwind. Since the success of 'Silver Machine' they have developed strikingly. The increase in earning power has meant more sophisticated equipment, better sound reproduction, a particularly ambitious visal show and indirectly, a more imaginative approach to music.
The commonest accusation levelled against them has been that they lack any musical depth. They were not and are not exceptional musicians. But their true capability is partly masked by their insistence on volume. Hear them practicing or playing informally and it is evident that guitarist Dave Brock and Nik Turner particularly are far more inventive than they are generally credited for.
Belfast, with its surreal juxtaposition of the battlefield with the shopping centre, was a fascinating venue for the Space Ritual. The city and the show are both aspects of transformation. At least, so it is to be hoped.
'Sci-fi scores again!' - review of Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music (1976, unknown publication):
The mighty Hawklords return with a rock rainbow of the weird and wonderful to astonish us all. Hawkwind have become something of a
-David Brown
This could have been a great single. It's all here - a hard-edge riff and plenty of instrumental colour. But whoever sat at the mixer had no idea about dynamic emphasis. Consequently, all the high points end up sounding about as lethal as blank cartridges. Calvert and his cohorts seem to be aiming for a Status Quo kind of simple intensity. They misfire hopelessly. A miss.
Bob Doesn't Go A Bomb On Hawkwind (23/5/75 news item, unknown publication):
Hawkwind have a lot of ground to cover between now and the end of the year. Their globetrotting begins again on August 30 with a trip to Norway, then Sweden, France, Germany and Holland before the States in October for a month. They fly from there to Australia for two weeks.
Asked why so little of Hawkwind has been seen on television, House said: "We probably pose problems in that we've got so much of a light show. Last time we were on TV was three years ago, when 'Silver Machine; got us on Top Of The Pops. The 'Whistle Test'? We've heard that Bob Harris isn't mad keen on Hawkwind."
'Turner Quits Hawkwind' - January 1977 news item (publication unknown):
Hawkwind have a new single 'Back On The Streets' released on February 11. It is a previously unreleased number. Nik Turner has left the group to pursue his own interests. There are no plans to replace him at present. The group will start work on a new LP in the next few weeks.
Alan Powell, one of Hawkwind's two drummers, has quit the band. "I wasn't totally into the things I was playing with the band," he says. "On the last tour I was found to be in possession of cassette music by Herbie Hancock, James Brown, etc. and to be blatantly digging it. This didn't go down too well." He has no definite plans for the future and the band is currently looking for a replacement. Hawkwind have a new single 'Back On The Streets', featured on their recent tour, which is produced by Bob Potter (a former producer of artists including Joe Cocker), and this is the first time they have used a producer. Their next UK dates will be at Christmas time.
'Hawkwind - a few surprises' (review of Doremi Fasol Latido, Sounds, 16/12/72):
The Hawkwind sound will be familiar to most of our readers: loud, insistent, not particularly noted for its brilliance or its technique, but technically brilliant at creating the impression of a continuous rush. And this album holds a few surprises for them, which is perhaps a good thing. Hawkwind have got down here their sound more closely than ever before on record. The bass and drums batter on with unflagging pace, synthesizers twirl and whistle around the thunderous block riffs whose endless repetition generates that numbed hypnosis, tuneless and menacing voices incant largely incomprehensible lyrics. This is not to knock Hawkwind: the sound they are getting is thicker, fuller, more convincing than ever before. Its total effect is pretty devastating, but the means by which the effect is no revolution in sound. None of it adds up to one 'Interstellar Overdrive'. Dave Brock seems to be using an acoustic at various points, which does help to point the tone contrasts, but for the most part this album rushes furiously ahead. Play it loud as you like. Incidentally, the cover art is magnificent.
-M.H.
'Harping on Brock' (Melody Maker, 7/9/74):
Q: What harmonica did Dave Brock use of 'Hurry On Sundown'? I have heard that he made some LPs of this sort a few years ago. If this is true, where
A: I used a Hohner Echo Super Vamper in F sharp on 'Hurry On Sundown'. Yes, I did take part in a collective album of such music some years ago. It came out on Immediate and was called 'Blues Anytime, Volume 2.' It featured people like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Tony McPhee, Savoy Brown, Johnne Kelly, etc. and I contributed four tracks with the Dharma Blues Band, which consisted of myself on harmonica and vocals, boogie pianist Mike King and Luke Francis on harmonica and guitar. Luke was originally with the Animals and has become a popular entertainer in Finland. When Immediate collapsed the tapes were bought by RCA, who reissued them as a double album called 'An Anthology Of British Blues Artists.' But these records are no longer available. - Dave Brock
Review of 'Silver Machine', 24/6/72 (publication unknown):
More extra-terrestrial stoned rock'n'roll from those astral travellers Hawkwind, recorded live at a recent Chalk Farm Roundhouse gig and subsequently titivated up by Dr.Technical at Morgan Studios. On the whole, 'tis very basic stuff, which for the most part sounds as though it was recorded in an R.A.F. wind tunnel. Nevertheless, it has a most appealing quality and gives some indication as to why Hawkwind enjoy a cultist following. The flip, cut at the Rockfield hermitage, is again smothered in waves of cosmic star-dust that immediately decorate the mood. Should be a strong seller.
Incomplete Newcastle / Glasgow gig review, 28/12/74 (publication unknown):
The start of a tour is never really any great cause for rejoicing. It's the end of a tour that is usually all fun and party time. The first night is much more likely to be the rock and roll equivalent of Monday morning back to work, or the start of the new term after the hols.
The opening for the Hawkwind 1974-5 British tour with special guests Dr.Feelgood (that's what the dayglo on the black and somewhat unpsychedelic poster said) was no exception. it was the first time for Feelgood on a major tour, and the fact that they are essentially a band used to dealing with small clubs and have little experience of large stages, cavernous acoustics and big audiences showed all over them. At Newcastle they were hurried on to cope with an overcrowded stage, a badly balanced PA, and an audience impatient for Hawkwind and ready to harass Feelgood the moment they faltered.
Hawkwind, of course, had none of these problems. As far as Newcastle is concerned they are the tough pros with a whole bunch of tours under their belts. For them, eveything should have been set fair. The advance figures on the tour indicate a near sell-out, and the stage crew and lightshow have been together so long that they run like a well-oiled machine.
With only minor practical problems to contend with, Hawkwind seemed to fall foul of the the new term / back to the grind malaise. Nothing you could exactly put your finger on, just a general indefinable lack of sparkle. Even before the concert, things seemed to have got off to an unfortunate start with a Dadaist and near violent bout of personality friction that had its storm centre in Lemmy's insatiable lust for promo T-shirts.
Not that it was actually a bad gig. Hawkwind have now been at it sufficiently long to be able to come up with the stuff the kids like under almost any circumstances. It was, however, just a show, the one after the last and before the next. The Newcastle audience appeared to be suitably transported, but me, I passed out.
In the morning it was on to Glasgow, after a slightly surreal breakfast at the Holiday Inn, where the early risers of Hawkwind / Feelgood were juxtapositioned against Peter Osgood and the rest of the Southampton team...
Then there was Hawkwind, who, differences forgotten, paraded a show that had to be a peak, in both high energy and personal innovation. Two notable new goodies were Alan Powell's deftly subtle use of timed percussion and Nik Turner's throwaway mime sequences when, in Frog Lord drag, he first attempts to insert an imaginary pill into his rubber masked mouth and failing to achieve that, slowly unscrews the top of his head to administer the potion direct to his brain. It more than matches the Marcel Marceau / Lindsay Kemp intestine-winding joke, and as a cutaway cameo almost reaches the Harpo Marx league.
If you have to find fault with Hawkwind, their current weakness seems to be in a lot of dubiously repetitive melody lines. There's nothing wrong with a good solid model chug. Didn't the Velvet Underground keep the customers satisfied for hyears with variations on the 'Sister Ray' / 'Waiting For The Man' rhythm? Their advantage was Lou Reed's ability to find at least half a dozen melodies to lay down over the basic formula beat. Dave Brock, unfortunately, only seems to have one at his disposal. It may work OK at the moment, but I fear that in the long run, this limitation could be their ultimate undoing.
-Mick Farren
Reviews of the Quark Strangeness and Charm single (dates & publications unknown):
The warriors come in from the edge of time, tune into new wave happenings (perhaps) and come up with a very Stranglers-ish piece, complete with pumping organ sound. Rather good.
Piss-taking hippies do it well enough if you're suss enough to make it a compulsory purchase for anyone who ever owned a Lou Reed record. Pure genius, the band reaching a new dimension down in the gutter with the rest of us. 'Here it comes now-now!'
Fiercely recommended - great hook and witty words
'Centigrade 232' by Robert Calvert. Quasar Books, 95p
Robert Calvert has always been one of the foremost exponents of the 'intelligent' rock lyric: that is to say, while most tend to write about how their babies have left them and how tough life is on the road etc., Calvert concentrates on rather less mundane matters, such as clones, spacecraft, Captain Lockheed and quark, strangeness and charm.
'Centigrade 232' (approximately the temperature at which writing paper will burn) features a selection of Calvert's poetical contributions to the rock world (dating right back to those hallowed 'Space Ritual' days), plus stuff that first saw light in such publications as Frendz and Science Fiction Monthly and a whole lot more besides.
It's an intense and varied collection, grouped in five cryptically-titled chapters, ranging from 'The First Landing On Medusa' to the final group 'The Red Baron Regrets'.
Calvert excels when tackling subjects of a 'cosmic' nature and for this reason you'll probably find the 'Medusa' selection the most enjoyable of the bunch. However, by far and away the most outstanding poem is a three-liner about the down-to-earth subject of 'Insomnia':
'I must have accidentally
Tripped the switch
That turns the stillness on'
'Centigrade 232' should be available in most Virgin Records branches, or if not, send 95p plus 12p postage to Quasar Books, Flat 4,81 Gloucester Street, London SW1.
Hawkwind shatter the sound barriers (Lancashire Evening Post, 15/3/76):
The sound spaceship Hawkwind touched down to tumultuous acclaim at Preston's Guild Hall. Nearly 2,000 earthmen clustered to see the "electric cosmonauts" perform their space rock. It was a powerful launch with seven supersonic “Hawks” soon blasting their way into a kaleidoscopic sound and pyschedelic light trip.
The mesmerised audience embarking on this heavenly musical journey soon became weightless as minds floated about in an exciting sea of sounds. There was the haunting voice of Bob Calvert, the synthesizer's sonic attack, the wail of Nik Turner's saxophone, the drive of the guitars and the sheer power of drums all moulded together to form a smooth musical journey.
Jamming
Occasionally the Hawkwind band wound down for a few seconds. All the time in the background on a gigantic screen a superb visual lightshow was being projected in harmony with the beat. On our star trekking light travels we were entertained by the Hawks' dancing lady, vivacious Vicky, who appeared in a multitude of dress styles and turned on some evocative poses.
A lot of the numbers were new ones from a so far untitled album to be released in the near future - but immediately identifiable was "Silver Machine," sounding a little tarnished.
In these days of inflation, it is a welcome change to see a group putting on a complete show instead of just jamming a few numbers together. And what a show the Hawks gave, with lighting operated by Jonathan "Liquid Len" Smeeton. Their support, Unicorn, are not quite in the same musical vein but are well worth hearing.
-B.B.
From a joke record to the top of the festival bill (Windsor Evening Mail, 22/9/72):
Things are really happening now for Hawkwind, who top the bill at Windsor. But their overnight fame must be the surprise of the year. It was around the beginning of 1972 that the carpet of relative obscurity was whipped from under the band's feet. Clubs started to bulge at the doors and hysteria showed its first signs.
A few months later their record "Silver Machine" -they recorded it as a joke- shot past the quarter-million mark and won a silver disc. Their second album, "In Search Of Space" re-entered the Top Twenty. Hundreds of fans were turned away from a packed concert at London's Rainbow Theatre and a near riot situation developed. They closed the show at the Oval last weekend, after Frank Zappa, one of the accepted kings of rock. They appeared on “Top Of The Pops”. Ludicrous? But true.
Their new popularity only reflects the position that Hawkwind have established for themselves as a hard-working touring band over the last two years. They have been called a "community band”,a "people’s band.”
It's been natural for them to play for free or just for expenses, at all kinds of venues including free festivals, and even the Portobello Road kerbside. Now they've started work on their third album and an American tour is planned.
And it's fair to say that their strange combination of powerful pulsating sounds, spectacular lighting, effects and vibrations make them much more than just another rock group. Personnel: Nik Turner (flute, sax, vocals); Dave Brock (guitar, vocals); Dik Mik (audio generator); Del Dettmar (oscillators); Lemmy (bass, vocals); Simon (drums); Stacia (dance).
“Show Talk” (Mid-Kent Messenger, Sept. 1972):
Tunbridge Wells has never seen anything like it - when Hawkwind played at the Assembly Hall on Monday they took over what looked like the whole of the town's young, plus large numbers from Maidstone, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks. The place was bursting at the seams -"a capacity crowd," said promoter John Sullivan- as the group took all those present on a space trip of their very own. Hawkwind specialise in a brand of rock music that only they seem able to play -a mixture of Dan Dare and 2001- and with the aid of an excellent light show somehow manage to take their audiences "to the moon and back," to quote one young devotee.
There were two support acts - Magic Michael, an amiable idiot, and Magic Muscle, a very average and loud rock band - but it was Hawkwind's show, without a doubt. One of the highlights of their act was, of course, Silver Machine, their freak hit single. Another was the unashamed display by their "topless" dancer, 19-year-old Stacia, of her ample charms. Star Trek was never like this.
-M.C.
Hoary Old Masters Of Spaced Out Rock (Lancashire Evening Post, May 1992):
Hawkwind live in a dimension of their own, which even spoof rockumentary Spinal Tap cannot parody and last night the hoary old hippies proved they are still the undisputed masters of space rock.
Hawkwind seem to have been going since the dawn of time but their basic rock beat with loads of synthesizers over the top is still as effective today as when they first played Stonehenge.
Now reduced to a three-piece after often using ten people in their 1970's heyday,they still make a hell of a row even if the grizzled bass player has to double up on synths. Singer and guitarist Dave Brock is the mainstay of the band and when he feels like it he shows he's still one of the most underrated and intelligent guitarists around.
Thankfully there was only one song that lasted 25 minutes and although most of the others clocked in around ten minutes, it's not as dull as it sounds. Early in their set a net curtain was dropped and the half full Guild Hall was kept amused by the psychedelic patterns and rather primitive cartoons projected on to it.
Drifting
I must admit it was all pretty relaxing and during one of their frequent new age synthesizer interludes I found myself drifting off, but when I came back the same song was still going. Or I least I think it was, as it got difficult to tell after a while.
The biggest surprise all night was the age of the crowd. Most people would expect an audience full of wasted acid casualties clutching Michael Moorcock novels but the average age was well under 30. Hawkwind are the ultimate cult band who will always be guaranteed an audience as colleges continue to spew out students who see Dungeons and Dragons and Hawkwind as essential parts of their lives.
-Paul Clarke
All-conquering space rockers beam down (Worthing Herald, 22/8/97):
Hawkwind beam down in Worthing as part of their first major tour for two and-a-half years. Far from resting on their laurels during this period, the original trance dancers are attracting a new generation of festival-goers and techno freaks with the release of Ritual of Solstice. This is a collection of Hawkwind originals remixed by the likes of Salt Tank. Astralasia and Zion Train among others, who cite the group as a seminal influence.
They formed in 1969 and played their first gig as Group X. Hawkwind started their mission to boldly go where no band have gone before. Facing and conquering perils that would be the demise of any lesser band and surviving countless line-up changes, they have earned a reputation as being a psychedelic institution. Dave Brock, the band's one constant member and driving force behind the Hawkwind universe, continues to steer the musical tiller of the mothership 28 years on.
The show lands at Worthing's Pavilion Theatre on Tuesday, September 30, and tickets are available from the box office.
Herald readers have the chance to win a promotional collectors' item CD of Hawkwind's single, Love In Space. A first prize of a CD and a pair of concert tickets is up for grabs, along with two runners-up prizes of a CD. To enter, answer the following question: Who is the band's one constant member and driving force?
Send your answer on a postcard, with your name, address and daytime telephone number, to: Phillippa Arnell, Hawkwind Competition, Cannon House, Chatsworth Road, Worthing, BN11 1NA, to arrive by Wednesday, September 3.
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