HLO.

[abra cadabra]

A few things i think were the appeal to me and many others as regards
Hawkwind (Paul Eaton-Jones included, who needs som Peace & Love, curmudgeon
that he is with all that fun stuff):

1. They predated a different form of rebellion other than just "peace &
love" but still flaunted an Urban hippie attitude "without being either",
ala Krautrock movement and early punk like Deviants/Pink Fairies etc both
scenes to which they were parallel and pre-dated the "fuck all" attitude of
'76-77 punk ala Sex Pistols, Stranglers etc. These elements have been
documented all over the place as well.

2. They could do "prog" and "dance" without cheesing out or selling out.
They changed with the times yet always had the attitude of pioneers,
incorporating literate attitude via SF authors and poets like Moorcock and
Calvert. They pioneered electronic rock and were along with bands like Roxy
Music, Pink Floyd and Van Der Graaf Generator "cutting edge" of the early
70s yet moved on where the other bands disbanded or became old fashioned.
Hawkwind were futuristic, always looking ahead.

3. They became symbols of many movements, crossing the bridge between the
hippie movement, the punk era and the dance/festival scene as well as
NWOBHM. They were the perfect band for me and few bands have had such
profound impact on my listening and collecting as Hawkwind. VdGG/Peter
Hammill, Here & Now, and The Legendary Pink Dots are the other 3 in my top
4 bands of any desert Island! We all love Hawkwind, and may they carry on
for us in the years to come!

To Jon Hopkins:

Goes to show, Jon, how different HW fan demographics are, I fell IN LOVE in
1988 with the Chronicle of The Black Sword, with Hawkwind. I still think
its fantastic stuff. Electric Tepee was a fave of mine as well, at the time
of LSD tripping in art school in the early 90s! I NEVER had a fallout of
love period with the Hawks EVER. I worshipped the band at the time of
Distant Horizons / Capt Rizz era as well, loved it, and the period with
Arthur Brown as well. The current ONWARD/HLO stuff is a return to form for
me after TMTYL and BOTE albums, both which are not so bad in retrospect. I
follow all the side stuff as well from Alan, Swindells, Hawklords, Nik etc,
i remember HATING "Prophets of Time" when i bought it at a Tower store in
NYC and i thought Nik could not sing at all and did not hold up. This
changed when i got the "Past Or Future" and "SR 1994" Cds, and became a
follower of Pressurehed, Helios and Chrome as well in the mid 90s, via the
BOC-L list i got into BOC, The Moor, The Brain Surgeons as well. Long live
HW!

Happy New Year from Christian :)