spacebrock comments

[John Majka]

I have no desire to be a naysayer, but I tend to agree with what you're
saying about the Spacebrock CD.  As Dave's solo albums go, I think this is
the weakest one.  It has so much recycled material first of all... Lifeform
is 27 years old... and another reissue of Assassination (which has appeared
several times previously)... even "You Burn Me Up" was previously issued on
the Elf and the Hawk album.  Certainly it was very questionable to market
this as a Hawkwind album... I don't know what all the issues involved may
have been (perhaps contractual deadlines, and the simple need to sell more
copies), but as has been pointed out endlessly, it's obviously a Brock solo
album and should be considered as such.  Since it's more of a "side project"
kind of a thing, I tend to go a little easier on evaluating it, but I still
think it's fairly weak... more in the nature of just doodling... some
sequencer tracks running as a background with some various words and other
bits added here and there.... I think it sounds pretty uninspired, I guess.
I have the utmost virtually religious respect for the Hawkwind camp, but the
truth of the matter is that a release like this makes me fear that the band
has run its course and will never again have any "new" material.  But of
course it would be easy to be mistaken... there have been points in the past
where the future of Hawkwind was looking bleak and then they suddenly rose
again, stronger than ever.  Although I am sure that the live shows will
continue to be exciting, I think the real future of any band is in its
continued creative output, and in recent years Hawkwind has slowed
considerably in this area.  I would love to see a new studio album coming
out soon, and really this has been the first time in the band's history
where several years have passed without a new one (and without even any
rumors of one), and so naturally this gives me cause for concern.  On a
brighter note, the Family Tree CD is brilliant... this is the best album
Hawkwind never released! ;-) It's chock full of great tracks that are both
extremely psychedelic and rocking!  If anyone has passed up buying this one,
I can't recommend it more!
xoxo,
John Majka
jmajka2 at home.com


> I just recently got the Spacebrock CD and was very disappointed. I think
> whoever made the decision to call it a Hawkwind CD was misleading a lot of
> people. It is clearly a Dave Brock solo venture, as I beleive only one
track
> (Spacebrock) actually has any real band playing. For sure the worst thing
> Dave has ever put out. I enjoy a few tracks but it really has the feel
that
> someone (I woudl guess Dave) went around and just picked up whatever
tracks
> were laying around and slapped them together. There is no cohesiviness in
> the project and it mostly just sound pieces with samples and some vocals,
> but not really all the interesting.. I really liked all the other Brock
solo
> lps but this just does not do it for me.
>
> I really see the end of Hawkwind...... now......sure they will play some
> great gigs but the last real HW cd was in 1994 with ALien 4....Distant
> Horizons was just several disjointed musical pieces slung together for the
> masses... Don't you think..
>
> I am enjoying the Wierd cds a lot but am disappointed we did not get
> anything new with them at all. Sound is also not really any better than
the
> best copies of the tapes I have heard.
>
> Just some ranting to annoy the masses..
>
> scott
>
> ObCD- Gas Giant vs. WE- Riding the Red Horse to the Last Stronghold of the
> Freaks (promo CD- due out in may on Burnt Hippie Recordings)
>