HW: Astoudning Sounds, Amazing Music Review

[M Holmes]

HERBERT119 at delphi.com writes:

> This is indeed an major turning point (Turner Point?) for the
> Hawks. The departure of Lemmy is a large factor and a
> progression from space-out jams to more compact, to-the-point,
> guitar-driven songs, and crisper production. It doesn't
> surprise me that this is Turner's last album w/HW in the '70s.
> There seems to be less room now for the whacky waterfowl in
> this new sound. As someone who gets totally freaked out by
> Space Ritual, numerous whirling sounds and audio intrusions, I
> feel a bit of a loss. But, that was then, this is now, and as a
> whole seperate work, I like this a lot. This is where Calvert
> takes over as main vocalist/lyricist, god of sarcastic lyrics,
> scathing political/social commentary. Well, "Reefer..."
> actually does have a pretty weird abbreviated (compared to
> older HW) jam. Gotta do something silly when you're singin'
> about marijuana. This song has a sorta catchy chorus, indicates
> that HW are progressing to different winds. "Steppenwolf" -
> There's no doubt that Calvert has a twisted mind. What do the
> German lyrics mean? Something taken from a book by Herman
> Hesse?

A german girl I was going out with thought this meant either "I don't
know what to say now" or "I don't know what I'm saying".

> Great lyrics, the man had a certain way with words.
> Repetitive in the HW style, but cleaner. "City Of Lagoons" -
> Real different style here! Laid-back for HW. Something jazzy
> about it. Not one of my favorites. "The Aubergine That Ate
> Rangoon" - Musically, a sign of the times. Has a distinctive
> mid-'70s keyboard riff to it. I don't know if I'd have guessed
> this was HW, if I hadn't known better. "Kerb Crawler" - Another
> fun little ditty from Calvert. Mixed by David Gilmoure, heavy
> on guitar and the bass comes in maxin'. Great chorus,
> accompanied by black chick back-up singers (Gilmoure's
> influence?). One of my favorites on the album. "Kadu Flyer" -
> More psychedelic, but more innocent-hippyish sounding, rather
> than their earlier, heavier, brain-curdling sound, and has a
> bit of a Barrett-esque Floyd style. Good vocal from Turner.
> "Chronoglide Skyway" - A slow, contemplative instrumental.
> Again, seeming a little tame for HW. I guess this album leans a
> bit more towards technicality than inspiration. Good, but not
> quite HW unleashed...

This was actually quite incredible and much better in concert. It
compared to something like "Lost Chronicles" for a great mellow track.
They really didn't seem to capture the real power of the track on the
Astounding album. I think there's a good version on one of the Weird tapes.

> Chuck

FoFP