HW: Urban Guerilla

[Doug Pearson]

On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 14:19:05 +0100, M Holmes <fofp at HOLYROOD.ED.AC.UK> wrote:

>eddie jobson writes:
>
>> The live one recorded on the '79 tour, I much prefer the version on
>> Anthology where it doesn't fade out unlike the B side of the Shot Down
>> in the Night single.

There's a full-length version on the Voiceprint 'Complete 79', too, of
course.  And the fade is better than what they do to "Shot Down In The
Night" on the single (surgery that removed most of the middle jam, and the
entire final verse).

>>Maybe the 7" vinyl run out of room?
>
>I reckon. It's a top version of the song though it misses out on the
>sheer energy of the one from the Weird tapes.

Yeah, of all the versions, the Hawklords/Weird Tapes version is my
favorite, as Mike says, both for the sheer energy and for Calvert's manic
rant (one of his best-recorded-moments IMHO).  I *love* a good Calvert
rant!  Interestingly, the rant is more-or-less the words to "Wage War" (as
on 'Yuri Gagarin'), considerably hyped-up.

Dave does a good job of carrying over a similar arrangement to the 1979
version, and sounds appropriately angry for his semi-chanted take on the
rant, but not as *manic* as Bob.  Probably the "meatiest" version, but the
keyboard is a bit over-the-top for me (it's much more of a *guitar* song).

Ron Tree also did a great rendition of the song on the '95 US tour,
probably the highlight of the beginning of the set.  He's probably the most
manic frontman HW have ever had, so he was ideal.

I can't imagine Arthur Brown being the right singer for this one.  However,
he excels on some of the other songs that Bob wrote, so that's no problem.
Just another stage in the evolution of Hawkwind ...

    -Doug
     jasret at mindspring.com