Hawkwind | Artist
Hawkwind is an English rock band formed 1969 in London. The principal members were Dave Brock (guitar, vocals), Nic Turner (sax, flute, vocals), DikMik (keyboards), Del Dettmar (keyboards), Robert Calvert (vocals, poetry), Simon House (violin, keyboards), Lemmy (bass), Simon King (drums) and Stacia (dance). Many players came and went over time, with Dave Brock as the mainstay. Bassist Ian Kilmister aka Lemmy was on-board during their peak years but left in '75 to form Motörhead. Hawkwind emerged from the inner-London suburb of Ladbroke Grove which, since the 1958 Notting Hill race riots, found favour with musicians, squatters and individuals who distrusted authority. Hawkwind lived there and eventually bonded and worked with fantasy author Michael Moorcock who was also a resident. Other local musicians included The Deviants, Pink Fairies, and Clash frontman Joe Strummer. Hawkwind's riff-driven Psychadelic Space-rock borrowed from earlier Pink Floyd influences and Krautrock to create a unique and much admired sound. They also collaborated with science fiction writer Moorcock on several sci-fi themed albums. Their song "Silver Machine" became a number-three UK hit single in 1972, and subsequent singles "Urban Guerrilla" and "Shot Down in the Night" also nudged the UK charts. The 1973 double live album Space Ritual is Hawkwind's masterpiece which fully captures their live show, including images of the captivating Stacia, highlighted by tracks such as the emblematic "Orgone Accumulator", "Space is Deep", and "Brainstorm". Other standout albums include In Search of Space (1971), Doremo Fasol Latido (1972), Hall of the Mountain Grill (1974), Warrior on the Edge of Time (1975), Quark Strangeness and Charm (1977), and Levitation (1980). The 1977 compilation Masters of the Universe is also recommended, as is the handy 5 Album Set box issued 2013 on EMI, comprising their first five albums. Hawkwind's association with Moorcock climaxed in their most ambitious project, The Chronicle of the Black Sword, based around the Elric series of books and theatrically staged with Tony Crerar as the central character. Moorcock contributed lyrics and performed spoken pieces on some live dates. The tour was recorded and issued as an album Live Chronicles (1986) and video The Chronicle of the Black Sword (1985). Greasy Truckers Party is a 1972 live album by various artists recorded at a February 1972 concert at the Roundhouse in London. The concert featured Hawkwind, Man, Brinsley Schwarz, and Magic Michael, and in the folklore of British underground rock, the Greasy Truckers Party was to the UK, what the Monterey International Pop Festival was to America. All proceeds from the concert and LP sales from the 1972 event and the second event in 1974, Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall, went to build a hostel in Notting Hill Gate. Among the many bands influenced by Hawkwind, including neo-psych'ers King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, avant-garde metal band Neurosis, and hardcore punks Black Flag, perhaps none was more unlikely than the Sex Pistols, who covered the Hawkwind song "Silver Machine".
Artist Website: hawkwindmuseum.co.uk
Featured Albums: Hawkwind
Related Artists: Michael Moorcock & Deep Fix, Motörhead, Tim Blake, Nik Turner, Robert Calvert, Dave Brock, Simon House, Hawklords, Greasy Truckers Party
