Hawkwind
"Year 2000: Codename Hawkwind"
(NMC)
What hath Hawkwind wrought? This time it's the original space-rock band's 30th anniversary and in honor of that momentous gathering Hawkwind are releasing some classic tracks from their auspicious sonic vault. A two-CD set featuring a pair of live recordings from 1972, "Codename Hawkwind" contains some truly vital British psychedelia. Volume One of this collection has the all-time best Hawkwind unit on hand, with guitarist Dave Brock sharing vocal duties with saxophonist Nik Turner and South African-born lyricist Robert Calvert. This ensemble also included synthesizer player Del Detmar and a guy named Dik Mik on "Audio Generator," as well as drummer Simon King and a young man called Lemmy on bass guitar. The CD graphics feature colorful reproductions of both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, making for quite a handsome package. Performing cosmic favorites like "Orgone Accumulator," "Sonic Attack" and "Master Of The Universe," Hawkwind display their swirling space sound in all its inane glory. While neither disc includes Lemmy's notorious signature piece, "Silver Machine," there's still plenty of aural insanity to go around. With their pre-punk mentality, spoof-metal/space-age pretentions and drug-addled lyrics dealing with all sorts of interstellar mythology, Hawkwind were one of a kind and a hell of a lot more fun than Pink Floyd. While Bob Calvert died of a heart attack in 1988 and Lemmy is busy with Motorhead, Dave Brock's Hawkwind is still going strong. Do you think that the brave young men of Hawkwind had any idea when they were performing the song "Welcome To The Future" in 1972 that they'd actually be around to see it all come true?
by Mitch Myers
copyright 1999 New City Communications, Inc.