Great Rock Albums of 1982: Hawkwind- Church of Hawkwind

Hawkwind didn't come to my attention until 1983 when a friend of mine introduced me to them. While, I never heard of them, I know that they weren't completely unknown in the US during the 1970s. My friend and many of his college buddies back in the late 1970s listened to them quite a lot. When he introduced me to them,  their 1982 "Church of Hawkwind" album wasn't my first experience but the rather amusing song, "Reefer Madness." After that I listened to more of their stuff so at least I could say that when I got to England a few years later and met more people who were big Hawkwind fans, I could at least claim a familiarity with their music.

Part of my familiarity with Hawkwind was this album. "Church of Hawkwind" marked a swing from more hard rock to an electronic, progressive sound. However, their brand of "space rock" never goes away in the slightest. Some way out intros by way of keyboards and synthesizers still make the average Hawkwind fan want to grab their stash and light up. I would have but I have to go to work later today. One song that really stands out is "Nuclear Drive." I can't explain the little details as to why but I really like the song. I also found "Some People Never Die" very interesting. The song projects the actual news report of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald backed up by the spacey music that is the trademark of Hawkwind. It's definitely a stand out song. "Light Specific Data" is a very classy instrumental. Really, "Church of Hawkwind" reminds me of Pink Floyd but only in the sense that this is an album where you sit back and enjoy while indulging in mind altering substances.

Track Listing:

1. Angel's Voice

2. Nuclear Drive

3. Star Cannibal

4. The Phenomenon of Luminosity

5. Fall of Earth City

6. The Church

7. Joker At the Gate

8. Some People Never Die

9. Light Specific Data

10. Experiment With Destiny

11. The Last Messiah

12. Looking in the Future

[caption id="attachment_2700" align="aligncenter" width="267"] Hawkwind[/caption]

Dave Brock- guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals

Huw Lloyd Langton- guitar, vocals

Harvey Bainbridge- bass, keyboards, vocals

Martin Griffin- drums

One thing I discovered about Hawkwind is that their music gives metalheads and hippies a common ground. There is much in their music for both groups to like. As far as "Church of Hawkwind" goes, this is an album for sitting down and just appreciating.

Next post: Pat Benetar- Get Nervous

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Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Triumphs and Tragedy: 1982

You may remember that when I first entered 1982, I spent eight of the twelve months of that year deployed with the marines. The first six months were especially difficult because I was floating about the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean on a ship. So I didn't get that much news especially news pertaining to music. However, one piece of tragic news that did reach my ears whilst on the ship was the death of comic actor and Blues Brothers singer John Belushi.

Unlike the assassination of JFK, Belushi's death may not have been a where were you moment when you first learned about it to most people. While I can say for sure that I was on board the ship when I learned about his tragic passing, I can't say where exactly the ship was at the time. I do know that it was somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

His career may have been short but John Belushi packed a load of things to remember him by during those few years. For us music fans, the biggest contribution to music was most certainly The Blues Brothers. His collaboration with Dan Ackroyd  gave us a brilliant album and in 1980, a hilarious movie with one hell of a great soundtrack. For those new to 80smetalman, I have visited both on here if you want to take a look. Older statesmen like me, however, will always love Belushi for his antics on the old Saturday Night Live show. I will always love his Samurai character. In 1982, a true musical and comical genius was tragically taken from us. R.I.P. John Belushi.

[caption id="attachment_2678" align="aligncenter" width="259"] John Belushi as Samurai in my all time favourite one: Samurai Night Fever[/caption]

Now on to the triumph. This year saw the third Monsters of Rock Festival at Donnington Park. Attendance was up from the previous two years and evidence that slowly but surely, heavy metal was taking over the UK. A small piece of festival history was made that year when Saxon became the first band to play at there for the second time. Headlining was another British band who failed to make it very far in the US, Status Quo. I have to admit, that I haven't listened to them much over the years over the years. Guess I should rectify that. Other players that year included Gillan, Uriah Heep, space rockers Hawkwind and Canadian metal band Anvil. While it would be another year before I would hear about this great festival, I believe that this varied line up would have been a great thing to see and hear.

Like I said at the beginning, my knowledge of musical events is limited due to the circumstances. So if there is some other event from 1982, triumph or tragedy, let me know and I will post about it because it is part of our history. Call this an urgent appeal.

Next post: Status Quo- 1+9+8+2

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Great Rock Albums of 1979: Hawkwind- PXR5

I had never heard of Hawkwind back in 1979. They came to my attention a few years later from an old friend who was a few years older and listened to them quite a lot through the 70's and as far as I know continues to do so. When he treated me to some of their material from the early and mid 70's, I have to admit I was rather impressed. At the time, I made many comparisons to Pink Floyd in the sense that I thought they were one of those groups you listen to when you want to sit in a secluded room while puffing the magic dragon and contemplating the meaning of the universe. I would later discover that none other than Lemmy from Motorhead fame was a former Hawkwind member and that only made me want to check them out more. I got that opportunity when I first got to England. Not one but two of the friends I made in that first year were hardcore fans and treated me to more of their music.

Confession time, "PXR5" is one of those albums I had to rely on YouTube for before I could write about it here. In fact, it was the first time I heard the album in its full glory. I remembered the great tracks "PXR5" and "Robot" and vaguely remember "Uncle Sam's on Mars" mainly due to the amusing title. Now I can say that the rest of the album is just as good. I hear a hard rock edge to it which I like, especially with the opening track "Death Trap," which it doesn't loose. In short, I really like this album.

Track Listing:

1. Death Trap

2. Jack of Shadows

3. Uncle Sam's on Mars

4. Infinity

5. Life Form

6. Robot

7. High Rise

8. PXR5

Hawkwind

Robert Calvert- vocals

David Brock- guitar, keyboards, vocals

Adrian Shaw- bass

Simon House- violin, keyboards

Simon King- drums

What I love about Hawkwind is that fact that it's hard to put them into a nice fitting category. Wikipedia tries to by referring to this album as "space rock" and while I won't debate that, I wouldn't be so quick as to label them. Hawkwind have a unique sound that incorporates a bit of hard rock, progressive rock and some others. That probably makes it perfect listening for when you are in outer space.

Next post: Bob Dylan- Live at Budokan

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London