Official Post From Hawkwind

[Michael Blackman]

You wouldn't happen to have a spare ASAM for sale then would you?  :)
Or anyone?? hehe
I'm also sadly lacking a griffin Warrior cd - box or otherwise (but I was
lucky enough to get a dojo copy - cheers! you know who you are!)
The good news is that I have secured a QS&C cd!! Yahhhhoooo!!

I fully understand and appreciate where you are coming from.  I also have a
huge need or wanting to hear as many recordings as possible.  Different
version of favourite songs and possibly occassionally  some jams that I may
not have heard.
and I freely admit that I have a nice collection of shows from 1970 to 2001
to listen to.  Even the worst quality of the batch are a joy for me to hear.
But now that there has been word that the band would like concert recording
to cease and trading (whatever it is/was) to cease and that it will soon be
an official announcement I will personally choose to do that.
Theres no way in hell I'm gonna look down on anyone if they choose to
continue collecting and trading.
But I will say something if I think an unfair comment is made about
Hawkwind.
The only reason I haven't bought a Yuri cd yet is because the cd's I need to
complete my collection are mostly in the extremly hi price range and only
available seemingly via ebay apart from the new stuff that is becoming
available thru voice print lately.   Its on the list but further down the
list :)

Peace
Mb



----- Original Message -----
From: Bryan Young <jwhe10 at SK.SYMPATICO.CA>
To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 5:16 PM
Subject: Re: Official Post From Hawkwind


> ----- Original Message -----
> > From: John Majka <jmajka2 at COMCAST.NET>
> > > Actually, despite all the negative publicity, "Bring Me the Head of
Yuri
> > > Gagarin" is a fine quality bootleg recording...
> > > ---snip---
> > > The real problem is that it gets re-issued every other
> > > week with a new title and artwork.
>
>
> ----- The Reply Was -----
> From: "Michael Blackman" <michael_1968 at OZEMAIL.COM.AU>
> > Ahhhhh.  Fair enough then.  Perhaps one day I will fork out the money.
> But
> > I need a few others before I get that one.  I would imagine that the
> quality
> > from release to re release is of the same quality so it wouldn't matter
> > which one I happened to buy? (be it the latest or the earliest release)
> >
> > Cheers
> > Mb
>
> Everybody should have one copy of Yuri Gargarin, but I'm not sure
everybody
> should pay for their copy.  It's worth a listen, and it's got historical
> significance.  I actually listened to one of my many copies last month
> (using headphones) and was able to enjoy it for the first time ever.  I
> listened to it as if it were a bootleg, and not as an album, and gave it
the
> technical listen I would give any other illicit recording (trying to hear
> flaws, such as tiny clicks, etc that might be improved upon in other
> versions).  But to pay for it is something else, as it won't benefit the
> band in any way.  I've bought it enough that I cringe now when I catch
> myself getting yet another copy and forking over my cash.
>
> My point is actually this -- I've got about 5 of these Yuri Gagarin discs,
> even though I've never really enjoyed it.  From time to time I've had some
> money in my pocket, and I needed to buy Hawkwind, and the latest Yuri
> Gagarin was all there was, so I've snapped them up.  It doesn't stop
> there -- I've had every single Hawkwind title multiple times.  I've often
> sold some of them for money, but I've always bought them back again later
> elsewhere.  I've bought vinyl, cassettes, cds, videotapes, dvds, etc.  And
> my collection is pretty insignificant compared to some of the guys out
> there.
>
> So, considering that I've got everything (most in multiple quantities),
and
> that I'm continuing to buy more (on a continual basis), and I STILL NEED
> MORE, does that make me a bit insatiable or something?  I understand it's
> totally the band's decision if they support or discourage any fan like
> myself who might want to collect even more recordings.  I can't fault them
> either way -- they've got the freedom of choice.
>
> But you've argued tonight that we should not get disappointed when the
band
> makes such a decision.  You've written emails that say how the various
live
> albums should be good enough.  "There's lots of official live albums from
> every era, so that should be good enough."  But Michael, if your
collection
> doesn't even include Yuri Gagarin (and I've got many of them), then do you
> really understand where I'm coming from?  Do you really think you can
> persuade me that I don't need any more live recordings?
>
> With some other bands that I collect (such as Blackmore's Rainbow), all
the
> songs basically sound the same, so one or two live recordings per tour is
> good enough.  No big deal.  But with Hawkwind, you might get a different
> sound on each night.  There's a good chance of hearing something totally
> unique from one night to the next.  This is part of the whole appeal of
> Hawkwind to me.  Not only do I have a voracious appetite for listening to
> this band, I also have a compelling interest in building up some
historical
> archive of the various musical moments in the band.  If that means seeking
> out ten or fifteen live recordings per tour, then it sounds good to me.
>
> So you see, I think we're coming from slightly different perspectives. You
> say that you'll buy Yuri eventually, but that you've got a few others you
> need first.  I've got all the Yuri's that I can fit on my shelf (and I'll
> buy more if I find any other variations and if I have the cash on hand
that
> day), and I'm building up a stock of extra copies of the other more
> essential albums, too.  And I'm not even what I'd consider a Kompletist.
> (I've only been collecting for about 16-18 years, so I'm a raw rookie
> compared to some people here.)
>
> So please, don't try to persuade me that a lack of taping for future gigs
> will not be disappointing for me.  I live so far from any city that even
if
> Hawkwind came to Canada I'd be too far away to see them play.  Any limit
to
> trading is going to be quite personally difficult to deal with.  Should
you
> feel sorry for me?   No.  Should the band change their policy to appease
me?
> No.  But should you try to persuade me that this was a good decision and
> that there'll be plenty of official album releases to console me?  No,
> that's impossible.  They'd have to come out with a new recording at least
> once a month to keep me busy and happy.  And that's not going to happen,
> unless they begin releasing boots online.  (And not for download, as I'm
on
> a slow modem and won't be able to access anything that way....)
>
> Given the choice, I'd always take an official album over an audience
> recording.  But there's only so much that you can buy, and then you've got
> it all, and then the audience recording starts to seem pretty important,
> too....
>
> Sorry if this sounds personal, as I'm not angry at you in any way.  You're
a
> great guy, and I appreciate that you're sticking up for the band despite
> some negative comments.  But I do hope to give you some added insight and
> perspective.  And I hope that I've not offended anybody here.
>
> That's all I've got on this thread (on this mailing list).  Peace to all
the
> Hawkpersons.
>
> Bryan