SPACE RITUAL

I like this album a lot. I mean, i really do. First time i listened to it i was totally blown away by songs like "born to go", "down through the night" and "master of the universe". The spaciness and heaviness of the album was like nothing i had ever heard before, really. The experience was a lot like that of being stuck in a washing machine, and loving every minute of it.

The structure of each and every song is the same, it's grating guitar riffs and pouding drums for several minutes, combined with some nonsensical lyrics about how "it's not a social integrator" and instructions on how to behave in case of a sonic attack. The music on Space ritual is not terribly sophisticated or complex. I guess it's hard to play stuff like "supper's ready" when you need to be high on lsd on stage (one of the things hawkwind are most famous for) and at the same time have this naked lady dancing in front of you, for two hours a row. Hence, the music is really pretty.. stupid. If you've never heard Hawkwind, imagine a much spacier and trippier "Ace of Spades". Still, for all it's silliness in lyrics and instrumental bluntness (compared to many other bands of the same era), if you just give into the whole idea of a "space ritual", if you swallow the bullshit about "orgone accumulators" and "sonic attacks", it is quite an enjoyable ride. Of course, some say that it is even better if your're stoned, but i wouldn't really know about that..

The flaws, and the reasons this does not get 5 stars from me? Well, the truth is that "space ritual" is extremely repetitive and unvaried, and while i have no problems sitting through the whole thing, provided i'm in the mood for some seriously spacey rock music, it soon becomes very obvious that "Masters of the Universe" is by far the most enjoyable song of the bunch, and most times i just listen to that song over and over, missing out on much of what makes space ritual such an interesting experience. Many songs are, of course, good, but "Master of the universe" is, to me, what the whole album is about, condensed into seven and a half minutes, making many of the other songs a bit... well, superflous.

Still, i recommend this to everybody You know, just listen to it, man..