ANTHOLOGY VOL 1

This anthology would certainly be appealing to Hawkwind fans who like to collect live versions as well as outtakes from this prolific cult band, but it is not bad as an introduction to their raw spacey sound. The live setting only accentuates their endearingly amateurish approach, and their ability to set a mood. Sure the rhythm guitar riffing is overdone and makes us wonder when another chord will be added to the repertoire, but there is nothing pretentious about Hawkwind. This is sci fi music for those who read sci fi books. "High Rise", "Spirit of the Age", "Whose (sic) gonna win the war", and of course "Silver Machine" all convey a lot more humanity than a host of better known names could do in a whole career, perhaps more because of their rudimentary nature than in spite of it. "British Tribal Music" and "Ghost Dance" reveal that Hawkwind couldn't quite grasp the electronic trance genre though, notwithstanding the brilliant title of the former. I'm not sure how easily obtained this weird compilation might be, but it is recommended to those who want a first or a thirtieth taste of Hawkwind.

I was lucky enough to find this compilation at a store years ago. Not sure how rare it is or not but its excellent. And was an excellent introduction to Hawkwind for me. I went on to buy several of their other albums because of this one. But I often go back to Anthology for a brief overview/refresher on all the reasons why people love Hawkwind so much. Each Hawkwind album sort of has its own feel, with often less than stellar playing, production and songwriting. The tunes here however give you a nice sample overview of some of their best songs and they all seem to be some of their better produced songs, so you get a pretty crystal clear Hawkwind for the most part.

I still prefer Mt. Grill as my favorite overall Hawkwind album, that captures them in one great sludgy space moment, but Anthology is the best example (I've heard) that demonstrates all the things that made them so great!