I want to like this.
Jack Smith | W-S, NC uSSa | 03/07/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"The tracks are great.
The playing (might be) great.
The recording quality is wretched.
I hate to say that, but it is that bad.
"
Hawkwind - 'Empire Pool Wembley, 1973' (At Discs)
Mike Reed | USA | 06/16/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Unless I miss my guess, I believe this is the full-length unedited performance of the same concert that the poor-sounding 'Bring Me The Head Of Yuri Gagarin' (see my review) was put out as several years back. However, this sixteen track archive live CD also has improved sound, I noticed. Not flawless, but very acceptable. In fact, I thought several of the tunes here managed to sound a bit differently played than the way they appear on 'Space Ritual'. That alone would lure most Hawkfans to hunt down this title. Rather you be a completist, a casual follower or an absolute die-hard collector. Really had a good time hearing performed by the classic line-up of Brock, Turner, Lemmy, Calvert, Dettmar, Dikmik and drummer Simon King those space rock gems like "Born To Go", the powerful "Urban Guerilla" (possibly the best track here), the fantastic tripping "Space Is Deep", "Orgone Accumulator", "Brainstorm", "Master Of The Universe" and "Silver Machine" (Lemmy's vocals are great!). Of course, who could forget Hawkwind's over-the-top recitals, like "In The Egg", "Wage War" (superb lyrics), "Black Corridor" and "Welcome To The Future"? Comes with a 12-page CD booklet packed w/ informative liner notes. A must-have."
Acceptable Sound, Amazing Performance
A. Kesselman | Phoenix, AZ United States | 04/05/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While some may question the sound quality on this release, the performance is amazing. As a huge fan of the Lemmy era of Hawkwind, I was overjoyed to find this concert had been released from a superior source tape, as this era is sorely underrepresented in terms of quality live releases. The band apparently performed a few pieces at this show that were never done before or after.
Having listened to numerous bootleg recordings in the past, I am not too appalled by the sound found on this particular recording. It certainly is far better than what was found on the dreadful "Bring me the Head of Yuri Gagarin" release as well as some other semi-official Hawkwind releases.
In summary, if you are a fan of pre-1976 Hawkwind and are not an absolutist audiophile, this concert is essential listening along with Space Ritual, Greasy Truckers Party, The 1999 Party, and the BBC show from 1972."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1