Warior on the Edge of Time - Hawkwind - 1975
Personell:
Dave Brock - Lead vocals, Guitar, Synthesizer, Bass.
Nik Turner - Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute, Lead vocals.
Simon House - Electric Violin, Synthesizer, Mellotron.
Lemmy - Bass, Backing vocals, Lead vocals on "Motorhead".
Simon King - Drums, Percussion.
Alan Powell - Drums, Percussion.
Michael Moorc
ock - Lyrics, Spoken word vocals.
Some might not actually consider Hawkwind progressive rock, I do, but it depends on the material. Their earlier work is more along the lines of just plain hard rock with synthesizers. But after the departure of singer and lyricist Robert Calvert (with Brock taking over as lead vocalist, at least until Calverts eventual return) and the addition of Simon House (who brought violin and mellotron into the equation) their sound became increasingly progressive and structured, with not quite as much guitar. Hall of the Mountain Grill (74) marked this change, and this followup album is even more prog. It's also notable for being the last album to feature Lemmy, before he was fired for "doing the wrong drugs" and went on to form Motorhead.
Hawkwind are probably most notable for the science fiction and fantasy themes in their music, as well as their collaborations with famed science fiction writer Michael Moorc
ock (seriously that's his name). The whole thing about most prog bands writing songs about spaceships, wizards and dragons is just exagerated and untrue, but I can imagine that Hawkwind (and Uriah Heep) is probably where this stereotype originated. This album is basically a space opera, about what actually I don't know.
This is quite the favorite Hawkwind album among prog fans, and I have to agree, this is a defining space rock album, with all the little things proggers like but also cool and interesting enough that everybody should give it a listen.
Assault & Battery (part 1)/The Golden Void (part 2): Fantastic opener, an epic song divided by two parts. Great opening with mellotron and bass. The Golden Void is especially excellent and already sets a good example of how Hawkwind have improved as musicians and songwriters. Great combo of mellotron, moog, Lemmys very melodic bass parts and some excellent flute and sax work by Turner, pure space rock. This sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly.
The Wizard Blew His Horn: Not really a song, just some weird poem by Moorc*ck accomplied by spacey keyboards and drums, about a wizard natrually.
Opa-Loca: Instrumental jam, a really odd one, with just a basic up-tempo beat that dosen't change during the whole song, along with psychedelic moog and flute. It's so simple, but I quite like it.
The Demented Man: One of my favorites, a great acoustic ballad by Brock and quite a change of pace for this album (and the band), love the interplay with the acoustic guitar and mellotron, quite gorgeous. Proof enough that the band has more range than you would think.
Magnu: Excellent, might be my favorite. I wonder how a song like this never became a classic rock radio staple. Great riff, one of Hawkwinds best hard rock songs. Love the psychedelic guitar and moog and Houses crazy violin playing.
Standing on the Edge: Another spoken word track, with weird delayed voice effects and moog. Even filler tracks like these are interesting just for the feel and weird things going on, thats what I love about this album.
Spiral Galaxy 28948: Another real highpoint here. Fantastic instrumental, a rare example of a Hawkwind song that is actually in odd time. Starts off with some really ugly sounding synth, but it kicks off into an amazing symphony of violin, flute, moog, mellotron and guitar, with a great drum and bass rhythm to go with it. Just gorgeous. And prog purists say these guys aren't good musicians, pfft.
Warriors: Yet another poem for this space opera. With distorted vocals, percussion and moog.
Dying Seas: God I love this one. Great bassline and a lot of ecco. Yet another masterwork of psychedelic rock n roll.
Kings of Speed: This closer for the album is a return to their more basic rock n roll sound. A lot more guitar than the rest of the album, Brock finally lets loose with a great psychedelic blues solo.
Motorhead: Bonus track that can be found on all the CD versions of this album. It's sung by none other than Lemmy, gee, I wonder where Motorhead got their name from, eh? Another great hard rock track, but Houses violin (which has a country flavor here) still makes it quite distinctive.
Once again I have to say that even if you're not a prog fan I still think you should try this one out. And for the prog fans this is certainly a must have for your collection. It's quite the grower.