Now HW: in Bay Area

[Keith Henderson]

Dane & Alan converse:

>>There are either a lot of Hawkwind fans that shop only at the stores in my
>>one-horse town, or the SF Bay Area is a good bet for a profitable show.
>
>Actually in the Concord area there used be two. Me and the other guy, my
problem was >learning when the other guy shopped so I could get there before
him. Now Concord is >a wasteland. You can wipe the dust from that copy of
Space Ritual, Tower and >Rasputins are worthless IMO.
>
>SF Bay Area is good for around 500-600 people at the gig.

I just recently made my first ever trip to CA, spending the better part of a
week there in the Bay Area (from Livermore to Palo Alto to Mt. Tam).  Almost
as much of a shock as the difference in weather was the difference in
availability of cool discs.

If you *ever* complain about difficulties in finding HW, space rock, and
kraut rock CD's in the Bay Area, I'll come out there personally and slap you
silly... :)
I managed to limit my purchases to only 17 or so discs.  I could've bought
50 more easily, and I've already got more than 800 CD's as it is.

I spent most of one afternoon mesmerized in Amoeba's there in Berkeley, and
also an extended spell in the nearby Rasputin's.  The Tower store just
around the corner was closed (that day only), as they were moving into the
store next door.  Just as well - my credit card had already taken a beating.
Seriously, Amoeba alone has more CD's I'm interested in than all the stores
I've been to in the entire midwest US over the past 8 years.  Columbus has
exactly nothing of any interest whatsoever to any spacerock fan, except
maybe for Quarkspace.  :)  A few years' back, a couple stores carried some
current things (Griffin releases), and a OneWay classic album release, but
since then everything's dried up.  The Best Buy megachain started out with a
fair selection, but all of them have dwindled to nothing, and it's obvious
they don't restock cool groups.  Losers.

The best CD store I've been to in these parts is Ear-X-tacy in Louisville,
KY, but this place pales in comparison to Berkeley.  The places up in
Cleveland (My Generation and Time Traveller) aren't as good anymore as when
I lived up there.  I'm going to Baltimore next month, and hope to check out
Of Sound Mind.  But then they're more of a prog store I believe.

The strange thing is that HW probably gets more fans for Cleveland shows
than any other US city.  Certainly more than 500-600...more like double last
time (1995), even though it seemed a little empty in the spacious Agora
(capacity 2,500 or so?)
And their discs aren't easy to find there.

Keith H. (FAA)

ObCD:  Bring me the Head of Yuri Gagarin - Hawkwind
(I bought one the other day for $5, just so that someone else wouldn't buy
it and be turned off HW.  I figured that since it was used, Dave Anderson
has already gotten his money from it.  I haven't played it yet...matter of
fact, I haven't heard the album in well over 5 years, and don't plan on it
anytime soon.  Now, I'll have to pick up a CD copy with the other cover to
take one more off the market.)  :)

ObGDINoR:  Nektar
(Who can tell me what this abbreviation means?  Should be apparent from
context.)