Nik Q&A

[Dan Witt]

> sorry, TR, you sanctioned the release of a sh**  album, badly played &
> recorded. (2001 Oddysey).
> That this album exists,  is not BS or hearsay, and follows a long
tradition
> of you and DA releasing b***ocks albums, disguised as HW releases.
>
> we HW fans want QUALITY not quantity.
> sort yourself out some original NEW material, and you may recover some
> respect.
>  I'm sure you could do this, with the musicians around
> you.........................

As was discussed here Hawkwind released a similar quality album recently,
and and a few others that didn't have perfect sound (live 79 complete).
Some people have stated that they like these type of recordings and don't
mind.  Well there ya go, don't condemn Nik unless you're going to condemn HW
for the same thing .  My opinion is both camps should label the release
"limited sonic fidelity" or something, so people can decide what they want
to do.
Not to mention, Trans Global has been lauded here.

Nik isn't doing the same thing DA does.  What release has Nik done over and
over with different titles?

I really don't see why there is so much Nik bashing here, if you don't like
his shows don't go to them.  Nik and HW might have their differences, but
this really a very common thing.  We can name bands all day that have fights
about band names and song rights.

Nik's space ritual tour 94-95 was incredible, the shows I saw at Strange
Daze were really good too.  I'm happy with what he's done.

I'll add this.  When his tour hit Minneapolis in 94 I think  I remember the
posters being up saying Nik Turner's Hawkwind(HW in big letters).  It was
obviously done by the club to promote the show.  Now the big question is,
what did Nik tell the club to list it as?  Probably Nik Turner formerly of
HW performing the Space Ritual, or something of the sort.  The next thing
you know the club has made posters with HW in big letters.  I do distinctly
remember after the first number and there was a break, Nik said hello to the
crowd and then said, some of you might have come here tonight expecting to
see a band called hawkwind fronted by Dave Brock, I'm sorry but we are not
that band but we'll do our best to put on a good show for you.  That doesn't
sound to me like a guy trying to steal the name of HW.  I think he can
probably have an event and call it a hawkestra too, if it's a bunch of
former HW members.

But, I think releasing an album called "The Conscious of Hawkwind" , with
the word Hawkwind in the title was probably crossing the line.  But who made
up that title?  Did Nik sell the rights to somebody and they did a Dave
Anderson job on it?  Is Nik to blame here?  Maybe, maybe not, I don't know,
do you?