Old info?

[Craig Shipley]

This all may be old news, but I just saw it on alt.music.progressive and
thought someone might be interested...

So I don't step on his toes, here is the _whole thing_.

Craig
----
>From dave at zen.win-uk.net Fri Sep 15 14:38:13 EDT 1995
Article: 63540 of alt.music.progressive
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From: dave at zen.win-uk.net (Dave Barratt)
Newsgroups: alt.music.progressive
Subject: Hawkwind Feedback/uk + European tour dates
Date: 13 Sep 1995 15:13:53 -0500
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The following is a copy of the current issue of Hawkwind Feedback -
a Hawkwind and things Hawkish, newsletter put out by Brian Tawn.
Copies can be obtained from Brian by sending him an SAE at the
address below. Newsletters go out when there is enough info to put
together a newsletter, i.e. tour dates, album releases etc. Brian
also puts out an occasional Hawk fanzine, HawkFrendz (HF), which is
a good read and very reasonably priced, details below.
--------------------------
Hawkwind Feedback                               Brian Tawn
Sept. 1995                                      Hawkwind Feedback
                                                27 Burdett Road
                                                Wisbech, Cambs.
                                                PE13 2PR,  U.K.

Much Greetings!

I'm delighted to be bringing you a clutch of Hawkwind tour dates,
though you might be looking at a bit of travelling since all but
the London gig are to the West of the country. Having said that, I
think the biggest cities tend to be in the West, so most people
will be happy. I should point out that this list is an updated one
and doesn't match the fliers which were recently distributed, so
take note....there have been changes!

Oct.12...Glasgow - Barrowlands
    13...Lancaster - Sugar House
    15...Liverpool - Royal Court
    16...Manchester - Academy
    18...Cardiff - St David's Hall
    19...Bristol - Colston Hall
    20...Wolverhampton
    23...Portsmouth - Guild Hall
    26...Bochum - Zeche
    27...Hamburg - Markthalle
    28...Berlin - Marquee
    29...Erlangen - E Werk
    31...Paris - Arapho
Nov. 1...Brussels - La Lune
     2... Amsterdam - Melkweg

I expect great things of these shows. I didn't get to the
Custom Show gig, but I received many favourable reports. Jerry
(guitar) is no longer with the band, but Ron Tree (vocals and
antics) most certainly is and approaches his work with Hawkwind
with great enthusiasm. Of course, there is new recorded material
to go with the tour...slightly ahead of it in fact.

September 18th is the release date of the new Hawkwind EP called
Area S.4. It's on CD and vinyl and the tracks are Alien I Am
(shorter version than on the album), Death Trap, Wastelands and
Are You Losing Your Mind. The vinyl issue has the bonus track,
Sputnik Stan. Then on September 25th, we get the new album, Alien
4. It's on vinyl and CD and the CD will be available in both
digipack and standard case. The tracks are, Abducted, Alien I Am,
Reject Your Human Touch, Blue Skin, Beam Me Up, Vega, Xenomorth,
Journey, Sputnik Stan, Kapal, Festivals, Death Trap, Wastelands,
Are You Losing Your Mind. The vinyl issue has the bonus track,
Space Sex.

Anne and I visited Hawkwind during the summer (more of that in
Hawkfan) and spent a while in the studio with them while it was
being mixed. Consequently, I've heard most of the album and I can
honestly say that it's very tasty.

Okay, yes, I know...I see it with rose-tinted glasses and hear it
with velvet-lined ears and my judgement must be clouded...but
really, it IS v-e-r-y tasty! Alien I Am is a cracker, Vega is
absolutely beautiful, Sputnik Stan is so much better than it was
in 1993 that I'm glad it was held back and even the endless playing
of Xenomorph during the mixing hasn't made me hate it. Oh yes, if
you're reading this , then you're someone who will enjoy this
wonderful album.

It's been a good year for Hawkwind fans, so far as recorded music
is concerned. Each news letter has brought a clutch of releases
and this one is no exception. The most recent offering (wafting out
of the speakers as I type this) is Yassasim by Simon House.
Music every bit as melodic as you would expect of such an
outstanding musician... and oh the joy of hearing that exciting
violin weaving through the keyboards. Go for it!

Dave Brock's Strange Trips and Pipe Dreams is another beauty...and
again, Yes, I know you'd expect me to say that, but it really is
great stuff. It makes a good companion CD to The White
Zone...indeed, a couple of the tracks are on both CD's. My own
reservation was the reworking of Space Is Deep, but I have to
admit that I got a lot of letters from people who were pleasantly
surprised to find it there, so I bow to the majority. Certainly,
it's the best solo album Dave has done so far. It's nice too to see
the cover art used at last. That artwork has been in the Hawkwind
camp since the mid seventies and was originally intended to be a
poster (and what a classic it would have been). As it happened,
the poster was never done and the artwork was reproduced in
miniature in the 1977 tour programme. It can be seen, with the
lettering, on the cover of the CD Quark Strangeness And Charm as
released by the mighty Griffin label. This is a box set
containing the Quark CD and the long out of print book, Queens Of
Deliria by Michael Butterworth. There is a companion to this set
in the form of a box set comprising the Astounding Sounds CD with
the Time Of The Hawklords book. I haven't seen a copy yet, but I
believe it is now available.

And there is video! Oh yes indeed! Most of you no doubt have the
Castle video of the Bedrock show, an edited version of which later
appeared in the Cue The Music series, but I have had letters from
people who haven't got it and wish they could get it. Well, now you
can...and since it is on the 4 Front budget label, it won't cost
you much. I know the band aren't too keen on this video because the
high lighting levels don't allow the band's light show to
show through. However, the music reveals Hawkwind at their best and
the bright lights allow you to see the band clearly, something
which doesn't often happen, so it's quite unique. Nik's 1994 USA
tour is also now available on video in the UK (from Visionary), or
at least, an hour of it is...for the full set, you still need the
Cleopatra double CD. The line up is Nik, Del Dettmar, Alan Powell,
Helios Creed, Genesis P. Orridge and members of Pressurehead and
the bulk of the songs are Hawkwind tracks.

The Anubian Lights are basically Nik Turner, Del Dettmar, Simon
House and Pressurehead folk and they've released an excellent cd
called The Eternal Sky on the American Hypnotic label (the ambient
label for Cleopatra). Versatile folk, Pressurehead. Also from
Hypnotic is Space Does Not Care by Zero Gravity, which is
basically Pressurehead's Len Del Rio, with some assistance from
Tommy Grenas and various sampled guests which include Nik Turner.
Getting further away from Hawkwind, but still of interest to us is
another Cleopatra cd. This one is called Upon The Solar Winds, by
Melting Euphoria and is (it says) 'a hybrid of Hawkwind, The Orb &
Ozric Tentacles'. Certainly much of it is reminiscent of the first
Hawkwind album and the jams of In Search Of Space, very much a
case of the rhythms and electronics of early Hawkwind with not much
sign of Dave's guitar and no sign of Nik.

I've a few other interesting cd's here, such as A Saucerful Of
Pink, a double cd tribute to Pink Floyd which includes tracks by
Nik Turner and Simon House, but I'll keep them for the next
Hawkfan, which is, I think, a more suitable place. I will just
mention though that Darxtar have issued a compilation cassette
which includes some unreleased tracks. Write to SBM Sweden,
VoxJovagen 55, 57010 Kossberga, Sweden.

Foremost in our minds though, must be Alien 4. Some thing to really
look forward to with eager anticipation. This is the one we're
waiting for!

Due to the nature of my job, I've had another summer of all work
and little play, so not much progress on HF24 or the Mike Moorcock
music book, though I should be back on the case in a week or two.
However, Adrian Parr tells me that Hawk Eye 4 will be ready in mid
September, or thereabouts and you'll find it well worth a read.
It's UKP2.50 in the UK, UKP3.00 (or 5 US dollars to Europe) and
UKP3.50 (or 6 US dollars outside Europe).

        All the best,
                  Brian
---------------------





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