Hawkwind - Space Ritual

 

 Spacey psychedelia......"Do not panic.......... Do not panic Think only of yourself Think only of yourself Think only of yourself ".

 

 The eyeball searing album cover screams it out and then prepare yourself to be overwhelmed as you jump on board the Hawkwind Spaceship. Brock, Lemmy, Dettmar, King, Turner backed up by the bizarre space effects of Dik Mik and emblazoned over this is the most surreal poetry of Calvert. This is not music, its an adventure into pyschedelia at its highest level. The album sounds like a proto Motorhead journey into space. The Hawkwind trademark of weird spacey effects from keyboards saturate each track and all blend seamlessly into one another with poetry and spaced out wizardry transporting one into another universe.

We begin the voyage with the gatecrashing rocker 'Born To Go'. It drives relentlessly along with the trademark chug-a-chug rhythm that could only be Hawkwind - an absolute delight.

 

Every track is perfection on a live stage. Of note is the fabulous 'Down Through The Night' and 'Lord Of Light'. This is followed by 'Space is deep' that is saturated in space effects as is every track. It's absolutely wonderful prog rock, laden with some interesting guitars and vocals.

 

It gets better with the greatest Hawkwind track 'Orgone Accumulator'. It motors along its 10 minutes length and is mesmirizing with amazing riffing guitars and effects. A wall of sound without remorse. Check out those amazing lyrics sung with echoed downbeat tones by Brock:

 

"I've got an orgone accumulator, It makes me feel greater, I'll see you sometime later, When I'm through with my accumulator, It's no social integrator, It's a one man isolator, It's a back brain stimulator, It's a cerebral vibrator, Those energy stimulators, Just turn your eyeballs into craters, But an orgone accumulator, Is a superman creator, of Orgones!"

 

The iconic lyrics are backed by the relentless chunky riffs that are almost hypnotically trance like. This is a masterpiece track and quintessential Hawkwind by any standards.

 

'10 Seconds Of Forever ' takes us poetically down the maelstrom into 'Brainstorm' - another riff heavy rocker. Then we are inundated by the surrealism of 'Sonic Attack'. Depending on how jaded your sensibilities are will depend on how you take this weird poem, as follows:

 

"In case of Sonic Attack on your district, follow these rules... Use your wheels, it is what they are for, Small babies may be placed inside the special cocoons and should be left, if possible, in shelters, Do not attempt to use your own limbs If no wheels are available, metal, not organic, limbs should be employed whenever possible... Remember, in the case of Sonic Attack survival does mean every man for himself, Statistically more people survive if they think only of themselves, These are the first signs of Sonic Attack:

You will notice small objects, such as ornaments, oscillating, You will notice a vibration in your diaphragm You will hear a distant hissing in your ears, You will feel dizzy, You will feel the need to vomit, There will be bleeding from orifices, There will be an ache in the pelvic region, You may be subject to fits of hysterical shouting, or even laughter, These are all sign of imminent Sonic destruction, Your only protection is flight If you are less than ten years old remain in the shelters and use your cocoon....Do not panic.......... Do not panic..."

 

I rest my case. The high strangeness is a welcome effect in itself. There are other highlights, 2 versions of the classic 'Master Of The Universe' at varying lengths, and another version of 'Brainstorm' and 'Time We Left This World Today' featuring awesome bass from Lemmy showing his dexterity as a player like you have never heard.

 

The bonus tracks are excellent, the artwork and booklet are inspiring, and the sound quality is mind blowing. I never tire of it. Brilliant prog classic! A masterpiece in every sense of the word. This is the best thing Hawkwind have done, make no mistake. Its a live extravaganza that grips you and refuses to let go mercilessly.

 

 

1. it seems to be getting attention

2. they have naked chicks for singers

3. calvets poetry is a must listen to (thanks to his down to earthness, get it)

and

4. i know where the title comes from, and that today is what i do

 

plus mr Jim upstairs^ gave it a real nice post

 

 

The original Cd is a nice package with photos of the band and Stacia  plus some lyrics.

 

now there is a new CD package i missed out on featuring a bonus disk of DVD clips - get that for sure!

This disc had such a great impact in me that i cannot help putting my own review here:

 

I think is logic the controversie running trough the reviews about how many stars this disc should be given. In fact what is strange is having to review this disc in prog related page. I dont think you can give any solid argument for labeling this disc as prog. The only one is that they play space-rock , and they surely do it! Rocking wild gone space rock ( but not progresive space rock , wich is not only a style inside progresive music, as this disc shows). The other one is they use electronics... and i have to admit thats the best one, but... not enough, they use the electronic tools as a disturving purely mindbending play for shocking with ultra-pitched streams and trance style, it have to do more with techno than to progesive electronics . In fact this is not progresive in the way they use the oposite tactic than the prog groups used ( as Peter Hammill tasks in a earlier review). They first time i listen it i was a bit dissapointed i thought it was a prog disc... and no way. I thought it sounds like punk... its weird. Hawkwind is heavy early punk trance space rock , they were in this time a free festival band and they did space rock just with four chords songs and as maximum just one ( or two) changes. They set on this hard rock basic rythm, and they just keep on and on. Thought is clear they are not virtuosos, Brocks guitar fits perfectly with awesome Kilminsters bass and fantastic loops and disonances of Del mar and company, incredibly pagan lisergic violin-like sounds and fantastic gone saxes.They have as Lemmy says a telepatic quality. They are the very begining of trance punk scene. As Moorcock says they were the only band of space rock with electronics that didnt quoted Stockhausen as a influence. Their thing is not high cultured. Is pure low culture without any other pretension than to make you enter as crudely as possibly in never-coming- back trip. But they did it really well. More than that genius.Even lirically were perfect , with all the moorcockian sci-fi methaphysical just punk speeches and tematic, about the endless space not good or bad not annything infinite inmensurable ( just as Moorcock did in literature, stripping psicodelia of any hope in the good tolkienesque ending and the do-the-good hippies simplicity curiously with a much simplier music). What a wild trip! It just go on and on into the dark, jet full of magic and an amazingly feeling, side of the psychedelia and of the british wonderland wich in their case is Avalon in its full paganism. Pure non technical without pretension paganism.Part of their hook is their totally imperfect punky style, it seem your hearing a local group totally gone practicing for friends (! Thanks god they were not! Their quality for my is clear) But Hawkwind travel is one for sure you have to make at least.( I think it will be amazing to hear it in a rave, with top volume, a dizzy mind and few stranged punk friends). If you like psichedelic music you will enjoy of this one at first , and then you end just loving it. I give it 4.5 stars not because it dont deserves the full five stars. Just because its not a progresive record( but for sure is an excellent addition to any prog collection).

 

I will add that they are legendary contraculture living statements or how they like to say: THey were the psychedelic warlords-They were not faking it!

They are the link between the mithical gnosticism of psychedelia and political straightforwardness of punk.

Just love them....i ended loving motorhead by the way.

I recommend Do Not Panic the doc about the hawks strongly.

  

 

Stacia (the "naked chick" in question) was a dancer, not a singer.

 

Space Ritual is one of my favourite albums.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing them supporting Gong.