Customer Reviews

BBC Radio 1 in Concert

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Quite similar to their hard-to-find import 'Space Rock In London' CD.In fact,I believe both discs are from the same exact Sept.1972 gig at the BBC studio.Just a bit differently edited.Great,crisp and produced sound on all six tracks,"Born To Go"(12:l6),"Seven By Seven"(9:36),"Brainstorm"(10:39),"Master Of The Universe"(9:53),"Paranoia"(9:24)and their smash hit earlier that summer "Silver Machine"(7:28).Keep in mind that this show took place just prior to their timeless unforgetable 'Space Ritual' tour.A must-have for all Hawkfans.

**************************Personnel
Dave Brock - guitar, vocals
Nik Turner - saxophone, flute, vocals
Lemmy - bass guitar, vocals
Dik Mik Davies - Synthesizer
Del Dettmar - Synthesizer
Simon King - drums
Stacia - Announcements
Andy Dunkley - Announcements

***************************Technical Stuff
It was recorded live at the Paris Theatre in London, England on September 28th 1972 for later broadcast on the BBC's "In Concert" series direct to quarter inch tape. There was no mixing, editing, or overdubs; so you are getting the raw feed here. If it was a bootleg the sound quality would be great, but for a professional recording recorded by professional BBC engineers, it's not so good. Moreover, the BBC decided for some reason to release a substandard mono version of this one, even though it was recorded in stereo and when the beeb plays this concert on the radio, it sounds way better.

The mastering is excellent. No loudness war garbage.

***************************The Music
This was one of the better Hawk lineups, and they were still at an age when bitterness and strife had yet to tear the band apart. So if you're hankering some good old fashioned Hawk jamming from the early years and you've burnt out "The Space Ritual", this is a great disc to get.

AMG praises this Space Ritual-souvenir live for the BBC artifact, but then gives it only 2 1/2 stars! Seems strange, but perhaps I can second-guess their rating. It's great on four songs, which get into that groove riff crunch wail that takes off in the form any fan will recognize and presumably crave once more in umpteenth recorded fashion. This sounds sharp, even speaker shredding, in many parts, with at times noticeably more proto-punk aggro than the more streamlined studio renditions of these early favorites. No cheers, and maybe no live audience, but the ambiance of the stage gives the songs roomier ambiance.
An hour of six songs averaging ten minutes, most of these happily for the committed listener who knows what to expect.

But, and perhaps this is due to my tastes, Seven and Seven and Paranoia do drag quite a bit, and lurch along sullen and sludgy. Of course, this being the dawn of the Lemmy era, these adjectives are fitting, but the pace of the album does mean two faster one slower one fast one slow one fast. But, it's not dull, has a great opening chant with Stacia trading deadpan countdown-to-lift-off squawk with our always aggrieved and angsty singer (the liner notes note Dave Brock's "cosmic babble" accurately), and for a live document beats a bootleg. This does capture the start of the band's golden third-of-a-decade, and if you (as I do) play SR frequently, this will complement as a side dish to that main course. They may taste nearly the same to those not used to such subtle distinctions, but spicy vocals and squawking presentation vary the repast satisfyingly for those who appreciate this baroquely bizarre and winningly wild fare.