HW: Re 1st Album

[Keith A Henderson]

Hi Folks...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  Well, I may have already offerred my intro to
HW once before here, but that was probably a few years back, and this seems to
be the main thread going, so here goes again...

I think it was either 1979 or 1980, while I was a 16-year old high school
student in my very small and conservative hometown in western Pennsylvania,
when my older brother returned home from college (U. of Illinois) for a short
visit.  He played for me an album that he had picked up there - it was called
'Quark, Strangeness, and Charm'.  I believe the first track I heard was the
title track, although I listened to the entire album several times over the
next few days.  I believe he took a chance on this one because of the title
alone, it being somewhat bizarre, and my brother being a science major (now a
Ph.D. chemist).  Up to that point, my tastes in music were similarly derived
from my older siblings (four older brothers) - and included Deep Purple, Uriah
Heep, Steppenwolf, BOC (of course).  I wasn't really aware of too many more
obscure artists at all (although Whitesnake was another favourite, and they
were completely unknown at that time...and they were pretty *good* then too,
completely opposite of what was to follow in the mid-80's...ugh!).

But Hawkwind very quickly became my favourite group, and that has never
changed.  I taped QSC first, and then I also taped Levitation as that one just
came out, and my brother found that in Illinois also.  The first LP I bought
personally was 'Space Ritual' at the National Record Mart in Sharon,
PA....still in shrink wrap.  I didn't seem to weird to me at the time, but I
don't believe any NRM has carried HW since!  I loved that one as well, but was
surprised at how different it was from QSC and Levitation.  Eventually, after I
started making trips down to Pittsburgh for concerts and such (my first concert
was Iron Maiden (before Dickenson), Whitesnake (still unknown), and Judas
Priest), and got all the HW LP's in used stores there.  'Sonic Attack' was the
first I got as a new release...I used to order them from 'Moby Music' out in
California.  Dunno whatever happened to them.  But strangely, my first
three albums are still three of my top four favourites (Warrior being No. 1).

Two years later, I entered Penn State, and quickly expanded my collection to
included lots of other interesting stuff like Amon Duul II, Gong, Nektar, and
Steve Hillage.  I remember only hearing Hawkwind twice EVER on the radio,
Silver Machine and (I think) Kings of Speed, both on PSU's college station.
But then I saw Hawkwind live on Canadian TV last year (Much Music), and that
was really odd.

Keith H. (FAA)

P.S.  My next concert will be Deep Purple in Pittsburgh, PA (12-6-96 or
6-12-96), with that same brother, who now lives in WVa. and who's nine year old
son's favourite album is Pink Floyd-Animals.  He likes Porcupine Tree as well,
thanks to Yours Truly...  (His Mom doesn't get it.)