Hawkwind and Space Rock: A Serious Session in Brain Damage 1975-1977 Part 2
(The below paragraph has been paraphrased from part 1)
Part 1 had shown how Hawkwind and their brand of space rock, were firmly based around the science fiction and astronomical themes of writer Michael Moorcock and on that basis, they turned out to be one of the most bizarre bands on the rock circuit throughout much of the 1970s and certainly one of the most impregnable to listen to, for the untrained ear that is! With the band’s main focal point always being frontman Dave Brock and with a revolving cast of band vitals such as Nik Turner, Lemmy, Robert Calvert and the crucial Simon House who arrived on
Warrior on the Edge of Time album. The band had over the years, solidly taken space rock and turned it into a far heavier creature, which usually lumbered around in some kind of daze most of the time! Their own unique melange of guitar based heavy space rock with ambient electronica and strong experimental touches, had become their dominant sound by the middle of the decade. But as the decade went on, their newer sound started to challenge the albums that the band had laid down earlier in their discography. There was certainly a band transition from the
Warrior on the Edge of Time to the following album
Astounding Songs, Amazing Music just a year later. It’s around this time that the band became less focused but more unpredictable in their music and direction. Their sound actually lightened up quite a bit after the departure of Lemmy and also due to the influences of Lemmy’s replacement Paul Rudolph (for one album) of the Pink Fairies and the return of Robert Calvert who steered the band in this lighter direction, and the band were now taking on a more cleaner and theatrical musical stance to their overall sound. It now seemed that the band were evolving from their manic spaced-out brain damaged state, to that of a band that sounds like its rehabilitating itself, but without ever trying to find sanity again and
Quark, Strangeness and Charm is the perfect example of this.
Warrior on the Edge of Time: Stylish and atmospheric and possibly the best constructed album in the whole Hawkwind discography. With Del Dettmar having already left the band, it would now be the turn of Lemmy after this release, which would also spell the end of the band’s classic line-up and their heavier sound. When I re-listened to this album, it became my overall favourite in their discography.
Astounding Songs, Amazing Music: Interesting songs, lighter music may well have been a better album title here. Here the band attempt to shift from the dense and impregnable space rock sound of which they were known for to a more accessible lighter brand, but that’s not to say that it was particularly listener friendly either.
Quark, Strangeness and Charm: The new sound of the band has fully flowered here and an album that is held very high in esteem by the band’s devotees. The album is a charming kaleidoscope of diverse sounds and is one of the band's essential releases.
Hawkwind Warrior on the Edge of Time 1975 (United Artists)
Hawkwind Astounding Songs, Amazing Music 1976 (Charisma)
Hawkwind Quark, Strangeness and Charm 1977 (Charisma)
