Search - Hawkwind :: Hawkwind

Shapes of Things to Come

happydogpotatohead | New Orleans, LA USA | 09/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The first Hawkwind album (released in 1970) was basically a Dave Brock album with assistance from his friends. However, Nik Turner on sax, Terry Ollis on drums and DikMik on sound generating devices would make it to the next record, "In Search of Space," as official members. The back of the original release states, "This is the beginning. By now we will be past this album. We started out trying to freak people (trippers), now we are trying to levitate their minds, in a nice way." That tells you a lot about the music on here. Although it lacks the sonic and rhythmic heaviness (known as "blanga" among Hawkfans) of later releases, it makes up for it with sheer psychedelic freakery and trippy sounds galore. DikMik's contributions are especially interesting when one considers that he was not using a keyboard synthesizer, but rather a set of industrial sound generating devices that he modified to make these unusual sounds.The music is jamming hippie freakery and shows hints of Hawkwind to be. "The Reason Is/Be Yourself" in particular sounds very Hawklike in its middle section. Tribal pounding on the bass and drums commences, and Huw Lloyd-Langton's Hendrix/Clapton influenced guitar flies overhead while DikMik makes growling, burbling and swooshing noises from his tablefull of electronics and Nik Turner wails and honks on sax. The rest of the album consists of similar mysterious and sometimes downright peculiar sonic workouts. The exceptions are the first song, "Hurry On Sundown," which is a bluesy folk number, and the closer, "Mirror of Illusion." This last song combines the LSD-swirl of the previous tracks with Brock's folky tendencies to make something that sounds a lot like what Hawkwind will become on their next album.All of it sounds like the work of a band that's developing a sound, but it's fascinating to hear in its embryonic state. As it stands this is a great piece of psychedelic rock music. There are many Hawkwind fans that don't care for this one because it doesn't "rock out" as hard as they're accustomed to, but they're wrong. This is a good album and an auspicious beginning to what would become a 30-plus year career."

Freak metal blues

happydogpotatohead | 04/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although Hawkwind had been highly influenced by Pink Floyd, it's sound is pretty original, more bluesy (check out "Hurry on Sundown" and "Mirror of Illusion") and heavier than Floyd. This CD is excellent. "Paranoia-Parts I & II" and "Seeing It As you Really Are" are simply incredible!"