HW: 70's versus now

[Jon Jarrett]

On Tue, 27 Mar 2001, John Majka wrote:

> Stonehenge:  This is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic--I love this album!  In fact
> it's one of my very favorites.  That version of Psi Power is incredible!

and

> Zones--some of the production sounds like it could be a home studio
> recording, but it doesn't matter a bit.  After all, Guided By Voices are
> brilliant and most of their albums are recorded on 4-tracks or just a
> handheld recorder.  Highlights:  that great Huw Lloyd-Langton lead on "The
> Island," Moorcock's dementedly inflectionless "Running Through the
> Backbrain" and of course a great rendition of "Social Alliance."  And you
> people badmouth this album?!?

        Well, for me it's the fact that they're bits-and-pieces jobs. I
entirely agree that the stuff TIHDNP is top-flight, but only two tracks of
it are from the line-up that issued the album. _Zones_ even more so,
out-takes and unused live material which at the time must have made it
look sadly as if the band was out of material. Much like the last two
years really... But there's just a flicker of new things happening now,
so...

> Out and Intake--I bought this the day of its release and just thought "Wow!"
> when I heard it, because it was so relatively psychedelic compared to the
> Black Sword album that preceded it.  "Cajun Jinx" is one of my all-time
> favorite HW songs!

        But again, only three new songs and the rest 7 years old
already. I agree with you about the rest of the albums' quality by and
large but I don't think there's any arguing that mid-eighties Hawkwind
were treading water rather.

> In Your Area--low on "new" material but heavy on revitalized live and
> reworked studio stuff, this album is very solid!  That performance of "Love
> in Space" segueing into "Aerospaceage Inferno" is one of the most beautiful
> things anywhere...

        Why is it so butchered and short though? The LiS I mean; no more
than eight bars of the refrain either side of `Rat Race'. Maybe that's the
point, but I wonder why they included it at all given they were quite
happy to chop away all of `Reptoid Vision' except the new mid-section. The
`Aerospaceage Inferno' is great though. Nonetheless, the album seems to
have been done by three bands almost, the touring HW, Dave by himself, and
the others by themselves, it doesn't feel like a band effort.

> Well after having summarized each album I feel that I haven't really said
> that much but have really just devolved into fanboy slobbering, which is
> fine since it shows how loved these records are.... basically I am just
> saying that post-1979 Hawkwind is just as valuable as that of the 1970's.
> In fact, I probably listen to and enjoy the newer Hawkwind more than the
> older Hawkwind.

        I'm not sure which I focus on. I tend to carry music about with me
because of frequently not being at home for a few days, and there's almost
always 1 Hawkwind album in the 20 odd or so I keep pooled wherever I am,
but no particular period. Except that if I'm tired when I'm packing them
up it'll almost always be ISoS, DFL or _Space Ritual_ but then they suit
that state quite well :-) Yours,
                                 Jon

--
              Spooky peanut terror bringing pain and death!
   ===================================================================
     Jon Jarrett (01223 514989)      jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk