Hawkwind (album)
Encyclopedia
Hawkwind is the self-titled
debut album
by Hawkwind
, released in 1970, originally on Liberty Records
.
guitarist Dick Taylor
, who was looking for a new venture after leaving the band, was pulled into Hawkwind playing some gigs and producing this album. After several unsuccessful attempts to capture the band's sound in the studio, it was decided simply to record it live in the studio.
The bulk of the album is composed of a freeform instrumetal piece that the band named "Sunshine Special" but it was separated into different tracks on this album. On the LP, "Paranoia" ends after the first minute with the music slowing down as though the turntable is stopping, and then picks up as the first cut on Side 2. Lyrics are scant, but those that are present and the song titles are a reference to the drug experience, as the sleeve notes explain:
The two book-end pieces of "Hurry on Sundown
" and "Mirror Of Illusion" are more of a nod to Brock's alternative activity of busking and were released as a single in edited form.
Adverts for the album proclaimed Hawkwind Is Space Rock.
reviewed the album in the context of electronic music as "interesting and exciting. The reason for this is that the group never goes too mad, and they keep within musical bounds, using sound discriminatingly, and only when they are needed to convey a feeling." adding that "Seeing It As You Really Are is a lesson in electronic music itself. Any group thinking of using weird sounds should listen to this album, it's tremendous."
Side 1
Side 2
bonus tracks on 1996 Remasters CD:
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, released in 1970, originally on Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
.
Recording
Pretty ThingsPretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
guitarist Dick Taylor
Dick Taylor
Richard Clifford 'Dick' Taylor is an English musician who was an early bass guitarist for The Rolling Stones. He left to become an art student at Sidcup Art College and while there formed The Pretty Things in September 1963...
, who was looking for a new venture after leaving the band, was pulled into Hawkwind playing some gigs and producing this album. After several unsuccessful attempts to capture the band's sound in the studio, it was decided simply to record it live in the studio.
Songs
All songs on the original release were credited to Dave Brock to the amazement of the others as they had been borne from band jams. From the 1996 Remasters onwards the tracks have been credited to the entire band.The bulk of the album is composed of a freeform instrumetal piece that the band named "Sunshine Special" but it was separated into different tracks on this album. On the LP, "Paranoia" ends after the first minute with the music slowing down as though the turntable is stopping, and then picks up as the first cut on Side 2. Lyrics are scant, but those that are present and the song titles are a reference to the drug experience, as the sleeve notes explain:
This is the beginning. By now we will be past this album. We started out trying to freak people (trippers), now we are trying to levitate their minds, in a nice way, without acid, and ultimately a completely audio-visual thing. Using a complex of electronics, lights and environmental experiences.
The two book-end pieces of "Hurry on Sundown
Hurry on Sundown
"Hurry On Sundown" is a 1970 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 26 June 1970, being an edit of the version that appeared on the album Hawkwind.-Hawkwind Zoo EP:...
" and "Mirror Of Illusion" are more of a nod to Brock's alternative activity of busking and were released as a single in edited form.
Sleeve
The cover is a fantasy painting that shows several dragon figures emerging from piles of leaves that also spell out the name of the band. On the front cover, the dragons are shown with human arms, while the reverse cover shows a dragon's head as an automobile with a driver wearing sunglasses.Adverts for the album proclaimed Hawkwind Is Space Rock.
Critical Reaction
Mark Plummer from Melody MakerMelody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
reviewed the album in the context of electronic music as "interesting and exciting. The reason for this is that the group never goes too mad, and they keep within musical bounds, using sound discriminatingly, and only when they are needed to convey a feeling." adding that "Seeing It As You Really Are is a lesson in electronic music itself. Any group thinking of using weird sounds should listen to this album, it's tremendous."
Band members
Members of the band warmly regard the album, many feeling that it was the band's best. Various reactions include:- "That was the great magical album. It was quite daring, I thought" - Dave Brock
- "I remember being a bit apprehensive because Dick Taylor was the main man there and he was an older guitarist — I felt intimidated and didn't really enjoy doing it. It was a good album though and I still enjoy hearing it, even now." - Huw Lloyd-Langton
- "We're very much a live band — with the exception of the first album which I had nothing to do with, and which I think was the best studio album Hawkwind's done — I think the "Space Ritual" album is the best one we've done, because that was live, that's Hawkwind, that's us as we are." - Simon King
- "My fav Gong album, and my fav H-W one, curiously-or obviously, I don't know, are records I've not played on... Camembert & Hawkwind (1) !" - Tim Blake
- "Some of the band hated that album, but I thought it was the most musical they did" - Dik Mik
Track listing
- Tracks 1 copyright Essex Music, Ltd. All others copyright United ArtistsUnited ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
Music Ltd.
Side 1
- "Hurry On SundownHurry on Sundown"Hurry On Sundown" is a 1970 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 26 June 1970, being an edit of the version that appeared on the album Hawkwind.-Hawkwind Zoo EP:...
" (Brock/Hawkwind) 4:50 - "The Reason Is?" (Brock/Hawkwind) 3:30
- "Be Yourself" (Brock/Hawkwind) 8:09
- "Paranoia – Part 1" (Brock/Hawkwind) 1:04
Side 2
- "Paranoia – Part 2" (Brock/Hawkwind) 4:11
- "Seeing It as You Really Are" (Brock/Hawkwind) 10:43
- "Mirror of Illusion" (Brock/Hawkwind) 7:08
bonus tracks on 1996 Remasters CD:
- "Bring It On Home" (Willie DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
) 3:18 - "Hurry On Sundown" (Hawkwind Zoo demo) (Brock) 5:06
- "Kiss of the Velvet Whip" [aka "Sweet Mistress of Pain"] (Brock) 5:28
- "CymbalineCymbaline"Cymbaline" is a Pink Floyd song from the album, Soundtrack from the Film More. Its lyrics vividly tell the tale of a "nightmare", which was the title of the song when it was first introduced in Floyd's The Man and the Journey shows....
" (Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
) 4:04
Personnel
- Dave BrockDave BrockDavid Anthony "Dave" Brock is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He plays electric guitar, synthesizer, bass and oscillators. He is best known as being one of the founders and musical focus of the English space rock group Hawkwind...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Nik TurnerNik TurnerNik Turner is a British musician, best known as a founding member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner plays saxophones, flute, sings and is a composer...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, vocals, credited as Nick Turner on the original release - Mick Slattery – guitar (bonus tracks)
- Huw Lloyd-LangtonHuw Lloyd-LangtonHuw Lloyd-Langton is an English guitarist, best known as the guitarist for Hawkwind. He also had his own band, the Lloyd Langton Group with bass player Kenny Wilson and drummer John Clark , and is the session lead guitarist for UK band The Meads of Asphodel.As a member of Hawkwind he appeared on...
– guitar, vocals (original album), credited as Huw Lloyd on the original release - John A. Harrison – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Dik Mik (Michael Davies) – SynthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, credited as Dikmik on the original release - Terry Ollis – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Credits
- Recorded at Trident StudiosTrident StudiosTrident Studios was a British recording facility, originally located at 17 St. Anne's Court in London's Soho district. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield a drummer of former 1960's group The Hunters and his Brother Barry....
, London, March and April 1970. Produced with Dick TaylorDick TaylorRichard Clifford 'Dick' Taylor is an English musician who was an early bass guitarist for The Rolling Stones. He left to become an art student at Sidcup Art College and while there formed The Pretty Things in September 1963...
. - Sleeve by Arthur Rhodes.
- "Bring It On Home" was recorded pre-Hawkwind by Dave Brock.
- The other bonus tracks were recorded by Hawkwind Zoo at Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
1969, produced with Don Poole.
Release history
- August 1970: Liberty Records, LBS83348, UK vinyl — gatefold sleeve. First pressing had blue label, subsequent ones had black label.
- 1971: United Artists Records, UAS-5519, USA vinyl
- September 1975: Sunset Records, SLS50374, UK vinyl — single sleeve
- February 1980: UA Rockfile, LBR1012, UK vinyl — single sleeve, red on green Doremi shield.
- February 1984: Liberty Records, SLS1972921 UK vinyl, single sleeve; SLSP1972921, UK picture disc. In this guise (its 5th), the album made its only chart appearance, a single week at #75, nearly 14 years after its first release
- September 1992: One Way Records, S2157658, USA CD
- March 1996: EMI Remasters, HAWKS1, UK CD — initial issues in digipak
- 11 October 2010: Rock Classics, RCV010LP, UK, 2x12" blue vinyl 1000 copies