Customer Reviews

Live in 1979

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

 

 

Not as good as their 'Complete '79' 2-CD import(see my review).This 'Live '79' is more or less an edited version of the 'Complete '79' although I doubt the two releases come from the same gig.'Live '79' is more polished sounding.Vocalist/frontman Bob Calvert(R.I.P.)does a good job with these tunes.Two I liked the best were "Spirit Of The Age" and ex-Gong member Tim Blake's "Lighthouse"."Brainstorm" is okay,but it shouldn't be played without Nik Turner.Something I even had a chance to ask current HW drummer Richard Chadwick about(Dave Brock wasn't available at the time)is what's the deal with "Silver Machine" being snipped off after a few minutes?

I delayed getting this one because someone made reference to it being covered in "Complete 79." Well, I did not do a side-by-side check for duplication, but the production quality is significantly higher than Complete 79 (which I still also recommend because it has so much more). Glad I got it. Complaints about early cut-of of Silver Machine are unfounded; I thought it an acceptable message that they were done playing that tune for a while. Besides, crank the explosion up a bit and enjoy the rumbling thunder.

79 never really finds its groove. "shot down's" great, but the "brainstorms'" nothing speical. "silver machine" flies only about 30 seconds before exploding. Not horrible by any strech, but not one of thier best.

Of all the live albums that Hawkwind have released (which almost outnumbers their studio albums!), I would have to say this is one of their weaker ones. It is a very good SOUNDING live album. The band sound very energetic and inspired, and I really admire Tim Blake's synthesizer work. The main problem is that the studio versions of most of these songs are much better than these live versions, particularly.....

....." Master of the Universe ", which like most live versions of this song is taken too fast. I don't care for Bainbridge's bass playing on it, but even worse is Brock's vocal...and I usually love Brock's singing! Better off with the original studio version from In Search Of Space. I don't like Brock's singing on " Brainstorm ", either....it is almost enough to make me miss Nik Turner!

The album does get off to a great start, however, with Steve Swindell's high energy, heavy , nearly punk hard rocker " Shot Down In The Night ". I love Dave Brock's vocal on this and Bainbridge's bass playing and I love the song's vocal melody and overall energy. Tuneful, powerful, GREAT! The version of "Motorway City", isn't that bad, though I prefer the studio version from Levitation...I think it has much better drumming on it....Simon King, as good as he is, is no Ginger Baker!

The rest of this is just so-so. They've done much better. For live albums, you are better off with Space Ritual Live, The Business Trip, California Brainstorm and Palace Springs.

This is Hawkwind in a late 70s-early 80s hard rock mode. I never can actually think of "Shot Down In The Night" as really a Hawkwind song, but the boys do a damn fine job of it. After that it begins to sound pretty much like Hawkwind. There is a very late 70s-early 80s sound to the recording that really put me off at first, but once I got past that I found a lot here to like. Granted, it's not "Space Ritual" or "Doremi," but the Hawkwind that did those albums will never be again.

The versions of "Brainstorm" and "Master of the Universe" here are lusciously guitar-heavy and build up to a very satisfying roar; they deserve to be heard in their own right. The sound quality is also very decent, unlike a lot of other live Hawkwind albums. My major complaint with this is the aborted version of "Silver Machine," which is ended with an explosion just as it takes off; I wish they had just left it off completely. Why it was included is a mystery to me.

Overall you could do a lot worse. I wouldn't think this would be a CD for the beginning Hawkwind listener, but for a fan this provides a good look at where they were in 1979. And people who enjoy 70s hard rock in general will find a lot here to like. Not indispensable, but solid nonetheless.

In 1979 after some fairly major line up changes, the Hawks were finding their feet again, starting a period of more guitar based heavier music. This was to lead to some of their best work, LPs like Levitation & The Xenon codex. I saw them in 1979 and it was a bit different but I enjoyed it then and still do. Live 79 isn`t really representative of other Hawkwind music, but it is a nice snapshot of the band at that time, with some really different interpretations of old standards. If Dave Brock reads this , who picked the support band ? they were horrible !

This album is all about knowing the self the psychic self the watcher within.

it touches upon the golden age of magick and opens new doors to the age of aquarious to those that dare to enter into the unknown.
this album is i think the very best space rock from the 60,s70 and beond ever performed by a group buy it today you will not be disapointed if you want to know more about the golden new ways of magick! and psychic awareness.
gary
http://www.psychic-connections.biz

Without any question the worst official Hawkwind album. they trash everything that moves .

Huw Lloyd Langton seemed to have only learnt one set guitar chords and one tone..his lack of suitable style and limited dimensions to his playing severly tested my huge love otherwise of Hawkwind for a decade almost. (I like Huw personally but in Hawkwind he was a disaster!)

A dreadful heavy trash of Swindells "Shot Down in the night" .. a crass ruining of "Spirit of the Age" .. "Lighthouse" is just pathetic.. "Brainstorm" and "Master of the Universe" are insipid and listening to this reminds one of the saying of feeling like you are savaged aurally by a dead sheep!

Urban Guerilla is crass but listenable. Motorway City is ok.

Silver Machine cuts out with an explosion (mercifully!) to save the listener any more pain.

Get the idea.. I hate this album LOL!!