HW: Review - Yuri Gagarin !!???!?!?!

[Paul G Ward]

   Record Review: Hawkwind 1973 'Bring me the Head of Yuri Gagarin'
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Disclaimer: I've done this a few times now, but I still have *NO*
            literary talent whatsoever! In fact it's getting harder as
            I go :-(
            My humble opinion is mine, and no-one elses! I do know
            what I like though, and that means HAWKWIND!

            Any reference to record labels & catalog numbers reflects
            what my copy is, and is not necessarily the only (or
            original) release.

Artist/s:       Hawkwind
Title:          Bring me the Head of Yuri Gagarin
Label/Cat#:     Demi Monde DM 002
1st Release:    1985
Lineup:         Robert Calvert, Lemmy, Nik Turner, Dave Brock, Dik
                Mik, Del Dettmar, Simon King, Miss Stacia


All Hawkwind does not pass through my ears as if they were lined in
velvet! This release, subtitled 'Meltdown at the Empire Pool' is one
such record. It is a really bad example of live Hawkwind, and I am at
a loss as to why it was ever released. It contains (live from 1973)
'Dissonant archive material previously unavailable'. I wonder why?

The track list itself includes some impressive tracks, most of which
sound like they were performed with typical Hawkwind gusto. It just
doesn't come through on the album due to the poor recording. My first
impression when I bought this album (which incidentally has not been
back on my turntable in the last 10 years until today) was that it was
recorded on a portable cassette recorder from the middle of the crowd.
The only thing which could be considered in any way clear, is a fan
screaming 'Silver Machine' when Brock asks the audience what they want
as an encore.

Throughout the album, any emotional effect which may have been
produced during the gig's is completely drowned out by resonating bass
to the point where you can barely hear the extremely muddy vocals. The
album opens with "Gaga"/"In the Egg" which is a 'Countdown' like
concert introduction, followed by "Orgone Accumulator". The spoken
word "Wage War" leads into what was most likely a great live
performance of "Urban Guerrilla", but who can tell?

Side two begins with a possibly awesome "Master of the Universe",
followed by "Welcome to the Future", and the encore "Sonic Attack"
which seques into "Silver Machine".

If you ever see this album in the store, grab it with both hands ....
and break the stupid thing across your knee!

Assassin Sonique'
--
Paul Ward        aka: Assassin Sonique'          .---.  __  .--------   Long
R & D Manager, P & C Micro's Pty Ltd            /     \( o`-,  -----   may
mail: sonique at aardvark.apana.org.au            ////    '~ (    ---   they
http://aardvark.apana.org.au/~sonique/my.html /////// :    ; ---   Fly!

Thought for the day:
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           -- Stephen Leacock.