in praise of... ((( HAWKWIND )) (( SPACE RITUAL ))) oO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0Oo

Heaven 17 with Hannah Jones

New Model Army featuring Tom Jones

Cud with Sandie Shaw

Kingmaker

Thunder

Little Angels

Hawkwind and Samantha Fox

Pop Will Eat Itself vs Gary Clail vs Ranking Roger vs
The Mighty Diaminds vs The On-U-Sound System

Blue Pearl

Credit
10 versions of the Stones' classic on one single release!
#############################^^^^^^^^^^^^^^#########################

Hawkind: I tell you love, sister
Samantha: Love, sister
Hawkind: It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
Love, love, sister
Samantha: Love, sister
Hawkind: It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
Love, love, brother
Samantha: Love, brother
Hawkind: It's just a kiss away
Samantha: Kiss away
Hawkind: It's just a kiss away
Love, sister
Samantha: Love, sister
Hawkind: It's just a kiss away
Both: Kiss away, kiss away
Hawkind: It's just a kiss away (kiss away)
Both: Kiss away
Samantha: Kiss away, kiss away, kiss away - yeah
(fade)

yes. it's not really like a live album, anyway, consider it a giant collage of everything great that hawkwind did played by the band at their best, and it's like uh a total experience you know?

best live album ever.

I've got an Orgone Accumulator
And it makes me feel grater
I'll see you sometime later
When I'm through with my Accumulator

Also, before CD bonus tracks and all that jazz, Space Ritual was basically the only place to hear classic songs like Silver Machine (without seeking out the original single) and Orgone Accumulator.

The single version was built up from the sketchy version on the the "Glastonbury Fayre" triple.

NB that there is one of those dodgy live comps out, w/the complete concert for one of the 2 gigs the made "Space Ritual" from. It has the bit cut out from "Masters of the Universe", which = the best cut on S.R. for me.

The missing bit from S.R. is the live version of "You Shouldn't do That" which was on the '70's "Roadhawks" comp. THIS CUT IS FUCKING AWESOME.

I owned this years ago on disc because I got all crazy for Monster Magnet, and went back to the source. Then I got poor and sold tons of CDs, and Space Ritual was one of em.

And then one day, the pull was great. Space Ritual was beckoning me. I was dreaming about it. And thinking about it all the time. Then I bought it at Aquarius in SF and listened to it tons and tons and wondered how I could possibly get rid of a record so monolithic and time-travelled.

I'm going to listen to it tonight real loud.

OTM. It doesn't even SOUND like a proper live album - all the songs are performed without interruption, linked by narration or electronic squiggles, so you don't even hear the audience till the very end. And there's no 10-minute drum solos or anything. Best live LP ever? - sure, why not?

As for the Dave Brock vs. George Clinton thing, Clinton wins easily - but Space Ritual still beats P-Funk Earth Tour (a pretty great live LP itself.)

Otherwise, while i like Hawkwind (the first album), it's really not indicitave of FUCKIN' HAWKWIND as we know and love them, but it's worth investigating. I think Hall Of The Mountain Grill is great though. Robert Calvert's presence is usually a good sign with most Hawkwind releases. Robert Calvert's initial solo stuff is great too.. if for anything the Gremlin songs... "EYE FOOOOOOOKUSSSED ON THE MAHG-NIFYING GLAHSSSSS THAT BRAUUUGHT THE DOWNFALL OF IKKARRRUS!!!"

that's the drum machine and synth remake. not the best.

'silver machine' wasn't on 'space ritual' because the band couldn't stand it. it was the record label that picked it from the outtakes as a single and got lemmy to re record the vocals. i saw hawkwind about a half dozen times in the early 80's and they NEVER played 'silver machine' live.

dave brock or nik turner: i suppose you want us to play bloody "silver machine" again, eh?

audience: nooooooo...! play something else

hawkwind: (launches into silver machine again)

http://s9.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=21ORMC42KJNX63CZ5ZDMC8ZWTJ

in search of space
doremi fasol latido
in the hall of the mountain grill
warrior on the edge of time
quark, strangeness and charm
astounding sounds, amazing music

bear in mind that those last two sound like a completely different band and many people don't rate 'astounding sounds...'. don't listen to them!

if you like 'quark...' and astounding sounds....'. also check pxr5 and the hawklords '25 years' which are also much maligned but much loved in my house.

anything post '79 is pretty iffy though 'leviation', 'sonic attack' and 'church of hawkwind' have their moments. after that, pretty much forget about it.

The original "Space Ritual" double is compiled from 2 gigs on the tour, one at Liverpool, one at Brixton. The "sundown vol 2" disc is the Brixton gig, complete and not overdubbed/mixed. It's interesting (rawer sound quality, you get the bit off the end of "Brainstorm") but not worth paying much $$ for. Be warned that this recording is available under multiple different titles.

A list of them here:
http://www.starfarer.net/bringme.html

Basically, it's worth buying, but only if it's REALLY cheap.

I shelled out for the new (Dutch) reissue of <i>Space Ritual</i>. The restored "Brainstorm" kicks much ass. Bonus "Orgone Accumulator" and "Time We Left this World Today." 2 encore takes of "You Shouldn't Do That." And a fucking PAL DVD audio version with videos for "Silver Machine" and "Urban Guerilla." I have no self-control.

It's affecting my ability to format.
The booklet goes into great detail over Barney Bubbles art direction.

Basically, it's worth buying, but only if it's REALLY cheap.

Got it in a car boot sale for £2! Hurrah!

... that's "Space Ritual Sundown Vol 2"

i knew it would happen at some point.

yesterday this arrived :

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81vfDUdE%2BYL._SL1500_.jpg

i have held back from buying any HW knowing that if i got one album i would definitely need to get the complete set (of the UA era), so the boxset does the job perfectly.
these are new remasters, with the extra tracks/single edits etc that were on older editions are collected together on a seperate disc which is the best way to do it if you ask me.
so far i have heard HW and now onto Doremi.
needless to say, this is fucking insanely good.

I've been blasting "Space Ritual" all week. Close to perfection.

If they lost the spoken word segments then it would be perfection imho.

saving that one for this evening with a glass of wine or two.

I had a previous set of remasters (Castle/Sanctuary) at one point, but got rid of the physical versions and kept the files in my iPod. Just bought this set on eBay. Not 100% sure I need three double live sets (Greasy Truckers, Space Ritual and The 1999 Party) but what the hell. At that price it's impossible to go wrong.

I haven't heard Greasy Truckers, but the other two are damn essential.

My copy of the box arrived today. I am extremely excited.

If they lost the spoken word segments then it would be perfection imho.

Nah the spoken word bits are an important part of the whole vibe of it imo.

yeah I love that aspect of them - WE ARE WARRIORS AT THE END OF TIME AND WE ARE TIRED OF MAKING LOOOOOVE

i can't imagine it without the spoken word bits. "and never, and never, and never, and never....." then, kaboom!!!

Crazy talk upthread, the spoken word parts (with wibbly electronic noises) are fucking ace!

Yeah you guys are probably right it's just I've been spinning it over and over while playing Dark Souls so I'll be rocking out for a solid 30-45 minutes and then "Sonic Attack" happens and suddenly what was once righteous droney space metal is a guy talking about "You will feel the need to vomit" and "There will be bleeing from orifices". Which I guess is probably appropriate for Dark Souls but whatevs.

And yes Hawkwind can do whatever the hell they want, obviously.

i once played "sonic attack" in its entirety at a fairly large rave in the early 90s. many years later a guy came up to me and told me the experience had been so brain shattering and traumatic that he ended the night in a psychiatric unit. oops!

well done!

Yes I can imagine lots of people on acid at that Hawkwind show losing their shit

Yes I can imagine lots of people on acid at that Hawkwind show losing their shit

When I interviewed Lemmy a few years ago, he told me they used to lock people in at their shows.