by Mott the Dog
4 Stars
Nobody would of ever dared believe that when Dave Brock
and his merry band of hippies, buskers, street musicians, poets, and
hangers on got together in 1969, that they could ever have gone on and
made such an impact on the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll. They influenced
generations of musicians, creating their own genre of Rock, inventing what
was to become known as Space/Rock or Stoner/Rock, still practiced these
days by mainstream bands such as “Monster Magnet” or “Foo Man Choo”.
They had a profound influence on Ambient Music, became one of the most
sampled bands in rock history, or most unbelievable of all, they are still
going strong over thirty three years later. Albeit, only Dave Brock
remains from the founder members, and even he left once, although only for
one European tour.
Over the years countless musicians have come and gone
(many returning to the ranks three or four times), some making little
impact and some leaving a lasting impression. Not least their dancer
Stacia, who, although always having difficulty dancing to the pulsating
rhythms from the music, had no such problem in getting her kit off, much
to the delight of the audience. Hawkwind were very popular on the European
College Gig Circuit, making Stacia the first totally naked girl that many
young spotty male students ever saw. Although Stacia had no musical input,
she still left a lasting impression on many a young mind.
Their influence on today’s Nu-Heavy Metal scene
should not be underestimated either. After their bass player was sacked
mid tour of the United States of America in 1975, he came home to the
United Kingdom to immediately form the heaviest metal band of all time, a
certain “Motorhead”. That bass player was, of course, the one and only
Lemmy. Others to have made big impressions have been poet and lead singer
Bob Calvert, who sadly died in the Eighties. However, he had completely
transformed the band when it imploded in the late Seventies. Nik Turner
put saxophone, flute, and most importantly a sense of fun back into rock
music, just as everybody was actually starting to take themselves too
seriously. The drummer from Cream, and arguably the finest drummer of his
time, Ginger Baker also found himself warming the drum stool for a while
in the Eighties. In 1972 they even had a hit single “Silver Machine”,
which in that heady summer was only kept off the top spot by Alice
Cooper’s “Schools Out”.
So, not a bad history then. But what of today? Well,
the band is still going, in actual fact with so many ex-members, there are
two Hawkwinds. One is led by Hawkwind’s original leader Dave Brock with
a group of hired hands (drummer Richard Chadwick has been with Dave Brock
for nearly twenty years, but is still considered to be a new boy by some
of the fans). The other turned into “Nik Turner’s Space Odyssey, the
Hawkwind Experience”, which ‘sometimes’ has as many as four of the
original classic line-up.
Sadly there have been no new recordings out of any
Hawkwind camp since the winter of 1997, Distant Horizons, and to be honest
that wasn’t much cop. As well as losing their minds over the years,
Hawkwind also lost all control of their back catalogue. There are over 300
CDs of various quality floating about on the shop floor, but, as is proved
by the inside of this album’s cover, with its list of twelve current
Hawkwind fan clubs, there is still tremendous interest in the music.
So what do this bunch of late fifties, early sixties
musicians do? Well, of course, you milk them for all it’s worth by
releasing a live album once a year from your Christmas concert. Yes, all
you old hippies out there, horror of horrors, just like Cliff Richard or
Status Quo, they rub the old machine down once a year for a Christmas
jaunt round the country to fill up the coffers once again. But is it any
good I hear you ask? Well, judging by this collection recorded on December
29th, 2000 at the London Astoria by the Dave Brock version of Hawkwind, I
would say absolutely. What you get is over two hours of wonderfully varied
Hawkwind music, a round up of most of their greatest hits including a song
from their first album to a new one. Famous author and long time Hawkwind
collaborator Michael Moorcock phoning in his parts from across the
Atlantic. (Although surprisingly Silver Machine is not dragged out. Or was
it played at the concert but left off the album? Or is Dave Brock still
playing it cool?)
Many surprise guests coming on to play from
Hawkwind’s past, and possible future (a certain Jez Hugget takes a bow
for taking the wind instrument role on this recording), all played by
consummate musicians that they certainly were not at the beginning of this
journey, played with far more enthusiasm than by lesser mortals who drag
themselves around the Rock ‘n’ Roll circuit twelve months of the year.
This was definitely not the way things were planned when it all started
out in Notting Hill London 1969, but a positive way for the nice people
from Hawkwind to spend their twilight years; and like Santa, they only
have to work at Christmas.
Happy Christmas Everybody, Mott the Dog.
Musicians on this recording
Dave Brock - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Alan Davey - Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Richard Chadwick - Drums Vocals
Ron Tree - Vocals, Bass
Harvey Bainbridge - Bass, Keyboards
Simon House - Violin
Tim Blake - Keyboards, Vocals
Jerry Richards - Guitars
Keith Kniveton - EMS, Synthesizers
Jez Huggett - Saxophone, Flute
Captain Rizz - Vocals
Michael Moorcock - Telephone Vocals
Songs
Electronic Introduction
Levitation
Money Tree
Space is Deep
Flying Doctor
Warrior at the Edge of Time
Angels of Death
High Rise
Damage of Life
Lighthouse
Sonic Attack
Freefall
Motorway City
Hurry on Sundown
Spirit of the Age
To contact Mott the Dog email: [email protected]
The
book reviewed this week was written by Anthony Bourdain, the executive
chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York (or at least that is where he was
in 2000 when the book was released). Now in soft cover version (ISBN
0-06-093491-3) the back cover reviews claim that the writing is done in
the style of Hunter S. Thomson, Iggy Pop and a little Jonathan Swift. With
that recommendation, I had to pick it up!
Mott’s CD review: