Customer Reviews

Atom Henge: 76

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As a huge fan of the Hawkwind of the mid 70s, I awaited this release eagerly: the idea of hearing tracks from 'Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music'(one of Hawkwind's most underrated records) in a live context was more than a little exciting.
Boy was I disappointed. The sound quality of this recording is of the standard of a poor bootleg - if you're expecting something like the quality of the live cuts on 'PXR5' for example, you'll be pretty upset.
There is still room for a definitive live release from this period featuring such masters of the universe as Turner, Calvert, Brock and House together, but I'm afraid this is not it. Avoid.

***************************Personnel
Robert Calvert - vocals
Dave Brock - guitar, vocals
Nik Turner - saxophone, flute, vocals
Paul Rudolph - bass guitar, guitar
Simon House - violin, keyboards
Simon King - drums
Alan Powell - drums

***************************Technical Stuff
This is an archive 2 track recording from the soundboard. Most of the problems with the sound quality here are caused by the mix as the only mix possible is the one that the live engineer created during the show. Calvert is too loud, sometimes the guitars nearly dissappear, the keyboard & sax are always too low. The engineer is also very poor with his fading and cues; he was either incompetent or not quite all there that day.

The recorded quality is fine as far as archive material goes. Just be prepared for a bad mix, mike leakage, restricted highs, and the occasional glitch. Although during the last track things become fairly bad, and the song cuts off abruptly.

***************************The Music
The Hawks were strong this night in 1976, and had the big three in the lineup (Brock, Turner, Calvert). Rudoph's bass and the twin drumming of Kin and Powell provide a solid thundering basis for the show. Brock's guitar is Gilmour-like. Simon House does his usual outstanding violin work. Calvert is nice and focused. And Nik Turner is...well Nik Turner.

This was the phase when the Hawks changed from a free form jam band into a professional band. Marginal musicians (Dik Mik and Dettmar) were replaced by more professional people like House. As such, the material on Amazing Sounds (which this tour was supporting) were quite different than the earlier material. The playing is tighter, and more focused then earlier.

The set list includes several from Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music. "Reefer Madness," "Chronoglide Skyway," and "Steppenwolf" are highlights, the latter in an extended form including a nice violin solo. "Hassan I Sahba" (also known as "Assassins of Allah") constitutes another highlight, as do "Uncle Sam's on Mars" and "Sonic Attack," but these two are available in better performances on other recordings.

****************************Summary
A great concert from the Hawks transition period. Highly recommended for dedicated fans, optional for newbies.

Two CD's,a total of 84 minutes of a certain Hawkwind tour,thought by many to have been lost forever into obscurity.Must admit,this is so much more enjoyable than what I had originally expected.Not a perfect sounding recording,but in my humble opinion,that's what makes it so much fun.Sort of like a fan had taped the gig,saved the cassette all these years,then recently found it in excellent condition and then mastering it on 2-CD's.Very nice!Some tunes are on here I've never heard live versions of,like "Paradox","Chronoglide Skyway","Wind Of Change","Back On The Streets" and "Kerb Crawler".Not to mention the unreleased cut,"Time For Sale" which REALLY sort of caught me off guard.This was co-founder Nik Turner's last tour with the band before being sacked for the first time.As most of you know,he returned between 1982-84.Some great Hawkwind staples are present,such as "Brainstorm","Uncle Sam's On Mars" and "Sonic Attack".This truly incredible gig took place in October,1976 at the Hammersmith Odeon.Love these archive recordings!Nifty 14-page mini-program like booklet with exclusive artwork,photos,etc.A shorter version of this release is available on the Griffin label,titled 'Thrilling Hawkwind Adventures'(see my review).