First album from Hawkwind with add ons plus a dip into the Dave Brock tape archive.

TEMPUS FUGIT

How time flies. Released in August 1970, a mere 56 years ago, on the Liberty label, the debut Hawkwind album was recorded in March and April of that year. The release earmarked Dave Brock and the gang as one of the most exciting and original bands to emerge from the vibrant UK Underground scene.

Maybe something of a curio in the catalogue. One of those first albums where a band, particularly if that era, records their live set in a no nonsense manner before abandoning the template and moving on having got their foot in the door.

The album conjures up shades of the famous monochrome photo of Dave Brock – all fringed buckskin jacket and acoustic guitar – and the old lady on the pavement outside a London pub. Accompanied by Hurry On Sundown, the jolly old jug band, the soundtrack and image represent a moment in time before things get all psychedelically technicolor and Space Rock-y. A sort of easy in, lulled and kidnapped before…bam!

FROM BUSKING TO RADICAL EXPERIMENTATION

Disc one sees Hawkwind remastered from 2025 – as was – with a handful of bonus tracks. The segue from …Sundown into the opening soundscape vibes of The Reason Is opens the doors to the freeforming avant garde nature of what the expect from the Hawkwind live experience. Be Yourself spotlights some of the honking brass from Nik Turner (still ‘Nick’ at he time) and a funky tempo spotlighting the chops of Huw Lloyd-Langton (aka Huw Lloyd in ’70) and the two parts (not quite sure why even now aside from the obvious necessity to turn over the record) Paranoia might have had a place as a Dr Who soundtrack. Possibly something that might cause Michael Caine some mental torture in The Ipcress File or transform Joe 90 into a superhero, with its increasingly hypnotic/annoying ostinato

DARING TO

Half instrumental, including ten minute workout on Seeing It As You Really Are. A piece that almost pre-dates the sort of electronic experimentation of Tangerine Dream with a little added sign of things to come in the final few minutes where the tempo ups the ante. A familiar Hawkwind trope making a fledgling appearance along with Mirror Of Illusion where the vocals over a celestial and in this case ominous and pulsing soundtrack, sets the scene for their search for space. And to be fair, Dave sounds barely different back in 1970 as he does now. A style built to last.

Of its time, yes, but experimental and daring. Bonus tracks are drawn together showing Brock in busking mode on Bring it On Home and more …Sundowns including the single with an edited Mirror Of Illusion B-side where the busk-y side gets pushed.

More session material skirts around the psych pop that the like of the Floyd and Syd were toying with. Of course, both Hawkwind and the Floyd went off in their own directions. The Kiss Of the Velvet Whip in the same ballpark as Astonomy Domine, with a slightly risque lyric and a shred Cymballine demonstrate a shred starting point to careers that not only went in different musical directions but to varying degrees of commercial success.

REMIXED

Disc 2 is the new mix from Hawkwind go-to man Stephen W Tayler. He merges the two parts of Paranoia into one plus we get the session outtake You Know You’re Only Dreaming. Possibly the personal highlight of the set, it’s a more structured and song based offering by way of contrast to the more experimental and improvised weirdness. Actually a rather fine track that feels like the band have really hit upon a Townshend-esque groove rather that floating in the cosmos. Perhaps too similar to Hurry On Sundown which might explain its being held over and reworked for X – In Search Of Space.

Even a cursory listen to Hurry On Sundown on less than HiFi computer speakers (which kind of defeats the purpose but…) adds a bounce and clarity – less dense, less mud! While the original sounds like 1970, Tayler brings a modern audio-ness to proceedings. Apparently, he’s used previously unrleased takes and ‘unheard elements’ to almost re-imagine the songs. An interesting perspective, but when you have the means – why not?

We know he has a genuine ear for Hawkwind so whatever he does is going to show them in their best light even when the original material is a little scratchy or even thin. The result is literally seeing (or hearing in this case) the songs in a new light.

THE ARCHIVE PLUNDERED

Disc 3 is the Early Days Archive live Recordings 1970 from Dave Brock’s archives. Not an easy listen yet still fascinating record of the band doing their stuff live. More akin to the radical improvisation for which they would become known, even Mirror Of Illusion shifts shape into a spiritual spoken word version, the extended workouts and sonic doodles are given free rein to stretch out into ten minute plus epics of time and space. Glimpses of the motorik riffing drop in and out along with the sort of electronic zaps and blips that would characterise Hawkwind.

The set is completed with an illustrated book with a fabulous detailed (and very insightful) new essay from Robert Godwin (check out the final paragraph), making this boxed set a definitive release of this legendary album to add to the fine work from the Cherry Red stable on the Hawkwind legacy.

As they said, quite rightly, at the time: “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.” Indeed – although the drugs did help. “The great magical album,” said Brock. “It was quite daring, I thought.”

But first off:

Hawkwind: Website

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