HW: Hawkwind

[Max Wilcox]

Jon Jarrett wrote:
>
>         Dear All,
>                   I got this on a very old tape copy over the summer and
> the more I listen to it the more I come to the conclusion that it's
> worryingly like `Ummagumma', particularly in the drum work. The beginnings
> of `Set the controls' and `The Reason is?' are the real examples, but you
> could say the same for the sort of cymbal punctuation in `Saucerful of
> Secrets' and bits of `Paranoia'. Does anyone know if Dave or people ever
> saw the Floyd in that period? With the timing it's not impossible as far
> as I can see. Also, how do people rate this as an album? Interested to
> hear some views,
>                  Jazza

        I'd agree that there certainly are some sililarities between Floyd and
HW. Probably my two favorite bands of all time. If you have the new
release of "Hawkwind", with the extra tracks, you'd have "Cymbaline",
which is from "More", quite a nice Floyd album in my mind.
        I think the diference between Floyd and HW, at least in the begining,
is the themes that they dael with. I always take Floyd as being a more
serious experimental kind of thing, wheras HW are more for the
drug-crazed person that pops up in me every now and then. Floyd aren't
space rock, even though people may say that Syd Barrett invented it
(well, he wrote one song about space, and another that had space in the
title, and that's it).
        I think that upon examination of both bands' debut albums, you can see
that their influences are perhaps what separates them. "Hawkwind" has a
very country/blusey feel to it, not to mention a dash of psychadelia,
whereas Floyd had Syd's inspired creation, who knows where he got it
from. Floyd, before Piper, were doing Buddy Holly numbers and just
general R&B sort of stuff.
        Anyway, I'd be quite interested in other people's opinions, too.
-Max Wilcox