HW: Robert Calvert

[M Holmes]

Duane Hoyt writes:

> Hello fellow Hawkfans,
>
> The other day I was in a local record store and ran across a cd in the
> import section by the name of Robert Calvert - Captain Lockheed and the
> Starfighters. I know this is rare on vinyl these days, but does anybody
> know how available this has been made on cd release? It was kinda pricey
> ( $20.95 ), but I traded my Annubian Lights cd ( which I found I liked less
> and less the more I listened to it ) and brought my actual cost down
> a bit. I was sorta surprised to see the majority of HW listed as players
> on this, as being a solo effort, I always assumed he did this totally
> apart from the Hawks. Also, I see credits for a person by the name of
> Twink, and I have seen this Twink reffered to in conversation on the
> group.  Who is Twink?

Twink was in Pink Fairies way back in the early days of Hawkwind when
Paul Rudolph, Lemmy and Alan Powell (?) were in PF. Or something like
that. Jill will know.

Twink was also in the proto-Nikwind band which toured the UK briefly
before the US.

> Anyway, when I listened to this cd, I was
> ROTFLMAO, listening to the parts that re-enact the Germans negotiating
> and buying the planes, also the part where the two mechanics are
> discussing the loose engine was quite funny also.  Needless to say
> the music is excellent.  I especially like Widow Maker, and Right Stuff
> in their original studio forms.

ObBook: Harry Turtledove's "World War". The aliens have reconnoitred
Earth and spotted that their weapons technology is only at the knights
in armour stage. 800 Years later they send out an invasion fleet that's
not too heavily armed. After all, 800 years is a pretty short time when
your history is 50,000 years.

The arrive two years into World War Two and are shocked to detect radio
transmissions and radar. They drop EMP bombs to knock out the radar and
communications. People wonder what the pretty lights are, except for one
guy at Chicago University who figures that this project he's working on
may succeed after all...

So because of valve technology, the nuclear strike fails. The aliens do
however have 1990's equivalent tanks and aircraft which take a hell of a
toll on the human versions. However the humans don't surrender and keep
on throwing tanks and planes at them. Since the aliens have a finite
supply, even an attrition rate of 25 to 1 the aliens will run out of
stuff they brought with them unless they can establish industrial
capacity on Earth. They can't even nuke the place because the
colonisation fleet is already on the way.

The one advantage they have is that the humans were already at war with
each other and history books say that playing off factions is possible.
Unfortunately that hasn't been done in the aliens history for 36,000
years, and the humans seem inhumanly devious about it. Not only that,
but there's a suspicion that the British and Germans may be sharing
technology to fight the aliens.

Written by a historian, this is seriously good stuff.

> Duane

FoFP