Customer Reviews

This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic

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

 

 

An excellent live album from Hawkwind, a legendary band that has a good many live recordings available. This features great versions of 'Circles', 'Levitation', 'Space Chase' and 'Watching The Grass Grow'. None of the performances are less than fine though, and the sound quality is excellent. Mandatory for Hawkwind fans and serious space-rock enthusiasts. What Hawkwind achieves live most bands can't do in the studio, and this is fantastic.

I remember first finding out about this CD reissue.Always thought it was some exclusive import that had a bunch of otherwise unavailable material of the band.Turns out that 'This Is Hawkwind...' is actually a compilation disc.But,a good one at that.Originally released in 1984,as Nik Turner was allowed to return to the band and here,we get the first legit release of Turner's futuristic-like "Watching The Grass Grow".Also on this nine-track disc are some newer versions of a couple of older Bob Calvert tunes,"Death Trap" and "Psi Power".Also liked the somewhat hard rocking version of "Levitation".Noticed that some heavy guitar work on 'This Is Hawkwind...' is provided by Huw Lloyd Langton.Most will probably enjoy the two cuts that were reportedly recorded live at that summer's Solstice Festival,"Stonehenge Decoded" and the previously mentioned "Watching The Grass Grow".Griffin put out a LOT of great Hawkwind lp's reissued on CD.Check them all out.

Never heard of Hawkwind? I'm not surprised, they're not exactly a household name but since you have never heard of them you may find this surprising - over one hundred Hawkwind albums have been released since 1970. That's right, almost three albums a year. True many of them are live bootlegs box compilations and EPs but still, I don't think even the most prolific artist out there has come close to that. Hawkwind is a Space Rock or Experimental Rock band from England.

Obviously there is a lot of history behind this band, which one could probably write a book about but here's the condensed version. Hawkwind was formed in the late '60s by Dave Brock (Singer/Songwriter), Mick Slattery (Guitar) and Nik Turner (Sax/Flute/Singer). Brock was the leader and glue of the band and managed to keep the band afloat through forty personnel changes over 35 years.

Their sound has continued to evolve and morph over the years. Starting with a semi-jazz feel in "Hawkwind," followed by experimental acoustic sounds of early releases - "In Search of Space." They adopted more of a metal sound in the late 70's, a contemporary electronic feeling on "Electric Teepee." They went on to virtually invent a new sub-genre of Progressive rock called psychedelic space-rock, featuring the use of the versatile new instrument - the synthesizer. Their creativity seemed to reach their acme with the use of the synths to augment their acid-space rock expressions.

HAWKWIND

STONEHEDGE - THIS IS HAWKWIND DO NOT PANIC is a live album that was recorded in two locations. The first seven were recorded in Lewisham Odeon theater in London in 1980 and the last two in Stonehenge in 1984. The album was subsequently released in 1984. The music of this album is a curious mix of straight rock, almost sounding like a garage rock (Psi Power)on some tracks and progressive rock sometimes spacy rock ("Angels of Death" & "Shot Down in the Night")on others

CONCLUSION
The more you listen to Hawkwind the more it grows on you. While there's nothing on this particular album that I couldn't go on without hearing again, as a whole it is an interesting, if not impressive, listen and like I said the more you hear it... Overall, for a live album, the production, while not great, is more than acceptable.

If you are interested and have not heard Space Rock with all it's attendant psychedelic nuances, this may be a good place to start. Final Rating - high 3 stars.

*********************Personnel
Tracks 1-7 (recorded at Lewisham Odeon, 18 December 1980)
* Dave Brock - electric guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Huw Lloyd Langton - guitar, vocals
* Harvey Bainbridge - bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Keith Hale - keyboards
* Ginger Baker - drums
Tracks 8 & 9 (recorded at Stonehenge Free Festival, June 1984)
* Dave Brock - electric guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Huw Lloyd Langton - guitar, vocals
* Harvey Bainbridge - bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Nik Turner - saxophone, flute, vocals
* Alan Davey - bass guitar, vocals
* Danny Thompson Jr - drums

*****************Technical Stuff
I have the 1994 Griffin cd. I know there is also one on Cleopatra, but I've found that their releases are always bricked (google 'loudness war' for more info). The Griffin cd sounds great, no loudness war stuff. And the recording and mixing of the tracks is excellent.

****************The Music
Although the album is subtitled 'live at stonehenge', only two tracks were recorded at that festival in '84. The bulk of the album comes from a gig during the "Levitation" tour in 1980.

The "Levitation" line-up was really solid, with Ginger Baker (from Cream) on drums, Tim Blake (from Gong) on keys, and the newly rejoined Huw Langton on guitar. This lineup produced a heavy sound, and they stayed away from the punk and new wave sounds of the preceding two years. And the result is one of the best live Hawk albums of all time.

The album kicks off with a fantastic heavy version of "Psy Power", great hooks. Two songs from the "Levitation" album are included, "Levitation" and "Space Chase", great stuff. Probably the best song from the 1980 gig is "Shot Down in the Night", where the double guitars of Langton and Brock jam mercilessly.

The two tracks from the free and disastrous Stonehenge festival fit quite nicely in with the 1980 material. The playing and sound quality is excellent.

**************************Summary
This is one of those Hawk albums that captures the spirit and the essence of the band. It is great for newbies, and essential for fans.

Although incomparable with "Space Ritual" (recorded in late '72), this CD marks an interesting stage in their career, and is socio-politically interesting in the context of the "Stonehenge Free Festival" (alas, no more !).