Silver Machine
Encyclopedia
Silver Machine is a 1972 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind
. It was originally released as a single on 9 June 1972, reaching #3 on the UK singles chart. The single was re-issued in 1976, 1978 reaching #34 on the UK singles charts, and in 1983 reaching #67 on the UK singles charts. The original mix has been rereleased on the remasters version of X in Search of Space.
, London on 13 February 1972 and this version was released on the Various Artists compilation album Glastonbury Fayre
and the 2007 box set of Greasy Truckers Party
. Overdubs were applied and mixing took place at Morgan Studios with Douglas Smith and Dave Robinson
overseeing the process. Dave Brock took production credits using an alias of Dr Technical. The sleeve was designed by Barney Bubbles
(uncredited).
boogie whose riff is an adaption of the standard riff that can be heard on the likes of Johnny and the Hurricanes
' "Red River Rock" .
The lyrics are a send-up of space travel, inspired by the Alfred Jarry
essay How to Construct a Time Machine which Calvert interpreted as a description of how to build a bicycle:
. However, the group felt ill at ease at the prospect of miming a performance in front of a studio audience who didn't represent their following, so a compromise was reached with the BBC recording the band performing live at Dunstable Civic Hall on 7 July 1972, this clip being shown with the single version dubbed over it.
show on the 14th, "Brainstorm" also being part of the session. These two recordings have subsequently been included on the 2010 EMI release Hawkwind: At the BBC - 1972
. The song was also recorded live at the Paris Cinema, London on 28 September 1972 as part of the hour long In Concert series broadcast. This full concert was released in mono in 1991 as BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert
, and in mono and stereo in 2010 as Hawkwind: At the BBC - 1972..
On 3 December 2007, Cleopatra Records
in the USA issued a limited edition of 500 10" vinyl EPs consisting of both BBC versions of "Silver Machine", the live version as the A-side and the session version as the B-side.
with vocals by Arthur Brown
.
Lemmy continues to make guests appearances with the band when their paths cross. Some live versions of the song on which Lemmy has appeared include The Friday Rock Show Sessions
from the Reading Festival 24 August 1986 and Motörhead's Stone Deaf Forever!
boxset from Wembley Arena
19 October 2002.
(RCA267, 27 August 1982). The b-side was a 33RPM extended play featuring the full 7:25 version and a new version of "Psychedelic Warlords" with a Huw Lloyd-Langton
vocal.
Receiving criticism over the release, Brock defended their actions: "It was only done as a tenth anniversary thing, and wasn't supposed to come out just as a picture disc. That was RCA's decision, and I didn't like it one bit. The only reason we cut it was as a special souvenir."
In addition to the single release, the record company included it on the Choose Your Masques
album, leaving Marion Lloyd-Langton to complain: "[Huw and I] actually had three tracks for the Masques album, but RCA insisted that Silver Machine went on, so the third track was dropped; pity about that."
The song has been used for two different UK television advertising campaigns: Mazda cars in 2000 and Red Square alcopops in 2004 (preview).
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....
. It was originally released as a single on 9 June 1972, reaching #3 on the UK singles chart. The single was re-issued in 1976, 1978 reaching #34 on the UK singles charts, and in 1983 reaching #67 on the UK singles charts. The original mix has been rereleased on the remasters version of X in Search of Space.
The single
"Silver Machine" was recorded live at a Greasy Truckers benefit gig at The RoundhouseThe Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
, London on 13 February 1972 and this version was released on the Various Artists compilation album Glastonbury Fayre
Glastonbury Fayre (album)
Glastonbury Fayre is a triple album released in 1972, comprising performances by acts who had appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in 1971...
and the 2007 box set of Greasy Truckers Party
Greasy Truckers Party
Greasy Truckers Party is a 1972 live album by various artists recorded at a February 1972 Greasy Truckers concert at the Roundhouse in London. The concert featured three bands, Man, Brinsley Schwarz and Hawkwind, and musician Magic Michael...
. Overdubs were applied and mixing took place at Morgan Studios with Douglas Smith and Dave Robinson
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
overseeing the process. Dave Brock took production credits using an alias of Dr Technical. The sleeve was designed by Barney Bubbles
Barney Bubbles
Colin Fulcher aka Barney Bubbles was a radical English graphic artist, whose work primarily encompassed the disciplines of graphic design, painting and music video direction. He is most renowned for his distinctive contribution to the graphic design associated with the British independent music...
(uncredited).
Personnel
- Robert CalvertRobert CalvertRobert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
- vocals - 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...
, 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 - Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) - 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...
- Del DettmarDel DettmarDel Dettmar is best known as synthesizer and keyboard player with the English space rock band Hawkwind from 1971 to 1974....
- Synthesizer - Simon KingSimon King (musician)Simon King is an English drummer most noted for his work with Hawkwind. He was described in 1985 by British rock magazine 'Sounds' as 'definitive rock drummer.'...
- 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 ....
Music
The music was composed by Dave Brock who used his then wife Sylvia Macmanus' maiden name for credits in order to put pressure on his publishing company to improve his deal. The verse is an 8-bar Rock and RollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
boogie whose riff is an adaption of the standard riff that can be heard on the likes of Johnny and the Hurricanes
Johnny and the Hurricanes
Johnny and the Hurricanes was a rock and roll band that began as The Orbits in Toledo, Ohio in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris , they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer.-Career:They signed with Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of...
' "Red River Rock" .
[The Greasy Truckers] was about my third gig, and I didn't know what I was doing. I hadn't done any rehearsals and I thought that Silver Machine was a Chuck Berry number - really. - Simon King
Vocals and lyrics
The lyrics were written by Robert Calvert and he sang the lead vocal on the original live recording. However, the vocals were considered too weak for the single release so they were re-recorded in the studio. Calvert, who suffered from bi-polar disorder, had been sectioned at the time so was unavailable to attempt another version, and the lead vocals were eventually recorded by Lemmy:[Calvert's] vocal was fucking hopeless, but he never realised it. That's how mad he was. It sounded like Captain Kirk reading 'Blowing In The Wind'. They tried everybody singing it except me. Then, as a last shot, Douglas said, 'Try Lemmy'. And I did it in one take or two.
Lemmy just had the best voice for it. Of course, Bob was not pleased when he found out. - Douglas Smith
The lyrics are a send-up of space travel, inspired by the Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother's side....
essay How to Construct a Time Machine which Calvert interpreted as a description of how to build a bicycle:
I read this essay by Alfred Jarrey called, "How to Construct a Time Machine", and I noticed something which I don't think anyone else has thought of because I've never seen any criticism of the piece to suggest this. I seemed to suss out immediately that what he was describing was his bicycle. He did have that turn of mind. He was the kind of bloke who'd think it was a good joke to write this very informed sounding piece, full of really good physics (and it has got some proper physics in it), describing how to build a time machine, which is actually about how to build a bicycle, buried under this smoke-screen of physics that sounds authentic. Jarrey got into doing this thing called 'Petaphysics', which is a sort of French joke science. A lot of notable French intellectuals formed an academy around the basic idea of coming up with theories to explain the exceptions to the Laws of the Universe, people like Ionesco the playwright. The College of Metaphysics. I thought it was a great idea for a song. At that time there were a lot of songs about space travel, and it was the time when NASA was actually, really doing it. They'd put a man on the moon and were planning to put parking lots and hamburger stalls and everything up there. I thought that it was about time to come up with a song that actually sent this all up, which was 'Silver Machine'. 'Silver Machine' was just to say, I've got a silver bicycle, and nobody got it. I didn't think they would. I thought that what they would think we were singing about some sort of cosmic space travel machine. I did actually have a silver racing bike when I was a boy. I've got one now, in fact. - Robert Calvert
Top of the Pops
Hawkwind have very rarely appeared on television, but the success of the single necessitated an appearance on the BBC chart show Top of the PopsTop of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. However, the group felt ill at ease at the prospect of miming a performance in front of a studio audience who didn't represent their following, so a compromise was reached with the BBC recording the band performing live at Dunstable Civic Hall on 7 July 1972, this clip being shown with the single version dubbed over it.
Discography
| Year | Format | Silver Machine | Seven By Seven | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 7" single | Original mix - 45UP35381 A-1U | Original mix - 45UP35381 B-1U | Winged monkey in clockwork sleeve |
| 1976 | 7" single | Roadhawks Roadhawks Roadhawks, is a 1976 compilation album by Hawkwind covering the years 1970-1975. The band referred to their live shows with the term "Roadhawks" for many years.. However, there is only one live song on the album... version - UP35381 |
Remix - UP35381 (available on Stasis) | |
| 1978 | 7" single | Roadhawks version - UP35381 A-4 | Space Ritual Space Ritual The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London is a 1973 live double album recorded in 1972 by UK rock band Hawkwind. It is their fourth album, reached #9 in the UK album charts and briefly dented the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #179.... version - UP35381 B-4 |
Black Doremi Doremi Fasol Latido Doremi Fasol Latido is the third studio album from Hawkwind, released in 1972. It reached #14 on the UK album charts.-New Members:The rhythm section of Dave Anderson and Terry Ollis was replaced by Lemmy and Simon King, both of whose style differed notably from their predecessors. This changed the... shield on white background |
| 1978 | 12" single | Original mix - 12UP35381 A-1U | Remix - 12UP35381 B-2U | Silver foil sleeve with embossed Doremi shield |
| 1983 | 7" single | Roadhawks version - UP35381 | Space Ritual version - UP35381 | White Doremi shield on black background |
| 1983 | 7" pic disc | Roadhawks version - UP35381 A-4 | Space Ritual version - UP35381 B-4 | White Doremi shield on black background |
| 1983 | 12" single | Original mix - 12UP35381 A-1-1 | Remix - 12UP35381 B-1-1 | White Doremi shield on black background |
BBC Sessions
A version was recorded at Maida Vale Studios, London on 2 August 1972 for broadcast on the Johnnie WalkerJohnnie Walker (DJ)
Johnnie Walker MBE is a popular British veteran radio disc jockey and broadcaster....
show on the 14th, "Brainstorm" also being part of the session. These two recordings have subsequently been included on the 2010 EMI release Hawkwind: At the BBC - 1972
BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (Hawkwind album)
BBC Radio One Live in Concert is a 1991 live album of a 1972 concert by Hawkwind."It was recorded straight to quarter inch tape - there were no overdubs and no possibility of remixing...
. The song was also recorded live at the Paris Cinema, London on 28 September 1972 as part of the hour long In Concert series broadcast. This full concert was released in mono in 1991 as BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert
BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (Hawkwind album)
BBC Radio One Live in Concert is a 1991 live album of a 1972 concert by Hawkwind."It was recorded straight to quarter inch tape - there were no overdubs and no possibility of remixing...
, and in mono and stereo in 2010 as Hawkwind: At the BBC - 1972..
On 3 December 2007, Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
in the USA issued a limited edition of 500 10" vinyl EPs consisting of both BBC versions of "Silver Machine", the live version as the A-side and the session version as the B-side.
Live versions
The song has sporadically been played live by the band. Its first reappearance is on the 1980 live album Live Seventy Nine, but it explodes after a minute and is suffixed with "(requiem)" in Brock's attempt at laying the song to rest, sick of having to play their "hit single". Further live versions have been released, most notably a version on the 2002 live album Canterbury Fayre 2001Canterbury Fayre 2001
Canterbury Fayre 2001 is a 2001 live album by Hawkwind.-Track listing:#"5th Second of Forever" – 3:52#"Levitation" – 9:18#"Spiral Galaxy" – 3:16...
with vocals by Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
.
Lemmy continues to make guests appearances with the band when their paths cross. Some live versions of the song on which Lemmy has appeared include The Friday Rock Show Sessions
The Friday Rock Show Sessions
The Friday Rock Show Sessions is a 1992 live album release of Hawkwind's headline set at the Reading Festival, August 24, 1986.The set was recorded by the BBC and transmitted soon after on Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show. The broadcast excluded performances of "Paradox", "Shade Gate", "Choose Your...
from the Reading Festival 24 August 1986 and Motörhead's Stone Deaf Forever!
Stone Deaf Forever!
Stone Deaf Forever!, released in 2003, is the first fully comprehensive box set collection covering the British band Motörhead's career from 1975–2002 and is the first box set to be issued with full band approval: the track listing was compiled in association with the band and its fan club.The...
boxset from Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
19 October 2002.
10th Anniversary
In 1982 the band recorded a new studio version of the song which received general release on 7" and 7" picture disk by RCA/ActiveActive Records
Active Records is a record sublabel of RCA. Label focuses mainly in heavy metal music.-Bands:* Atheist* Budgie* Candlemass* Therion* Destiny...
(RCA267, 27 August 1982). The b-side was a 33RPM extended play featuring the full 7:25 version and a new version of "Psychedelic Warlords" with a Huw Lloyd-Langton
Huw Lloyd-Langton
Huw 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...
vocal.
Receiving criticism over the release, Brock defended their actions: "It was only done as a tenth anniversary thing, and wasn't supposed to come out just as a picture disc. That was RCA's decision, and I didn't like it one bit. The only reason we cut it was as a special souvenir."
In addition to the single release, the record company included it on the Choose Your Masques
Choose Your Masques
Choose Your Masques is the thirteenth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1982. It spent five weeks on the UK albums chart peaking at #29....
album, leaving Marion Lloyd-Langton to complain: "[Huw and I] actually had three tracks for the Masques album, but RCA insisted that Silver Machine went on, so the third track was dropped; pity about that."
Remixes
- Utah SaintsUtah SaintsUtah Saints is a dance band based in Leeds, England. The music is produced by Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt, who are joined on-stage by other musicians whenever the band plays live...
version for the 1996 album Future Reconstructions - Ritual of the SolsticeFuture Reconstructions - Ritual of the SolsticeFuture Reconstructions - Ritual Of The Solstice is a 1996 album featuring remixes of Hawkwind tracks.-Track listing:vinyl#Sonic Destruction - The Advent#You Shouldn't Do That - Translucent#Master Of The Universe - Salt Tank...
. - Jimi Cauty version for a single and the 1999 album Epocheclipse – 30 Year AnthologyEpocheclipseEpocheclipse is a 1999 compilation set by Hawkwind covering their entire career. It was released in two formats, a triple CD box set 30 Year Anthology and a single disc The Ultimate Best of....
. - Richard Chadwick version for the album The Hawkwind Remix ProjectThe Hawkwind Remix ProjectThe Hawkwind Remix Project is a 2000 album featuring remixes of Hawkwind tracks.-Track listing:#Golden Void - Future Loop Foundation#Sonic Attack - John Avery#Brainstorm - Speedranch#Earth Ritual - Hawkwind...
. - 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...
version for the 2006 album Take Me to Your FutureTake Me to Your FutureTake Me to Your Future is a 2006 dual disc of new studio audio and archive live videos by Hawkwind.-Audio side:#"Uncle Sam’s on Mars" - 8:18 - new version...
.
Cover versions
- James LastJames LastJames Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...
performed a version on his Non Stop Dancing 1973 album. Currently available on James Last: Best Of The 1970s DVD and The James Last Collection boxset. - NWOBHM band VardisVardisVardis were an influential three-piece heavy metal band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who enjoyed hits between 1978 and 1986.They formed a prominent part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, then prevalent in the United Kingdom. They consisted of frontman Steve Zodiac on guitar and lead...
recorded a version in 1980. - DischargeDischarge (band)Discharge is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and to mix punk with metal...
's guitarist Bones riffles through 8-bars at the beginning of Why (Reprise) on their 1981 hardcore punkHardcore punkHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
mini-album Why?. - The ChurchThe Church (band)The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
recorded a version on their covers album A Box of Birds and also have performed the song live regularly - most notably as the second and final encore during their world tour promoting A Box of Birds. - 1980's psychedelic revival band Doctor and the MedicsDoctor and the MedicsDoctor and the Medics are a London based psychedelic rock band which enjoyed greatest success in the 1980s and are best known for their UK No. 1 song, "Spirit in the Sky"...
recorded a version for single, played the track live and also performed a version on UK television. - Sex PistolsSex PistolsThe Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
opened the set with the track on their 2002 tour. The song used to be an integral part of the Sex Pistols set list up until mid 1976. The song was reintroduced to the set list on the 2008 Harvester Combine tour as an encore. - The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain performed a version at their 2005 Festival shows (the Cropredy FestivalCropredy FestivalFairport's Cropredy Convention is an annual festival of folk and rock music held on the edge of the village of Cropredy in Oxfordshire, England. It has taken place in August since 1976....
and GuilFestGuilFestGuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues is a music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England each July. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop...
) Dreamworker. They also did a version (as part of a medley with Ride of the ValkyriesRide of the ValkyriesThe Ride of the Valkyries is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851...
) at a BBC Proms concert in August 2009, which was released on their DVD of the concert. - Alien Sex FiendAlien Sex FiendAlien Sex Fiend is a deathrock band from the UK, composed of the married couple Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend . Currently, the band is based in Cardiff, Wales.-History:...
included the song on their 1988 LP Another PlanetAnother PlanetAnother Planet is an album by Alien Sex Fiend, released in 1988 on Anagram as LP , cassette and CD . The cassette version includes "Satisfaction" which is also on the CD... - Jarvis CockerJarvis CockerJarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
performed the track at The Roundhouse in December 2006 as a tribute to its place of birth. - SkullheadSkullheadSkullhead was a 1980s English Rock Against Communism band from the Newcastle area. Along with Brutal Attack, Skrewdriver and No Remorse, they are one of the most notable bands of that genre. Led by Kevin Turner, they started out as an Oi!-style band and then adopted elements from heavy metal...
recorded the song and released it on their Victory Or Valhalla and Ragnarok albums. - Japanese noise group HijokaidanHijokaidanHijokaidan is a Japanese noise and free improvisation group with a revolving lineup that has ranged from two members to as many as fourteen in its early days. The group is the project of guitarist Yoshiyuki "Jojo" Hiroshige its one constant member, who is head & owner of the Osaka-based Alchemy...
included a version of the song on their 1986 LP Tapes. - London based folk/rock group Bruise included an acoustic version on their 2004 album 'B' .
- UK hardcore band Electro Hippies cover the song at their last ever gig recorded for posterity and released as the Live album in 1987 by Peaceville Records.
- The Mars VoltaThe Mars VoltaThe Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
have covered parts of the song live on their 2008 tour, most notably during Drunkship of Lanterns. - German band Die SterneDie SterneDie Sterne is a two/three/four-piece indie pop band, from Hamburg, Germany. They were formed in 1992 and have released eight studio albums, the most recent in 2010.-Members:...
used parts of the song in their own "Risikobiographie", from the album "Posen", 1996. - The Japanese hardcore band Struggle For Pride covered "Silver Machine" on their EP "Cut Your Throat" in 2009.
- The IndecentThe IndecentThe Indecent are a New York City-based rock/grunge band featuring triplets Emily, Madeline, and Bo Brout, along with Windsor, Canada-based Nicholas Burrows. The Brout triplets were born on May 28, 1994, and have been performing together since the age of 8...
cover "Silver Machine" on their album "Her Screwed Up Head," to be released in June 2010. - The band Silver Machine from Asheville, NC is said to have derived their name from the song by Hawkwind.
Uses
Joel Veitch has used it for his Stephen Hawkwind sketch on his Rather Good Videos Channel 4 show.The song has been used for two different UK television advertising campaigns: Mazda cars in 2000 and Red Square alcopops in 2004 (preview).
External links
- Jon's Attic - Press reviews