HAWKWIND LIGHT ORCHESTRA: STELLAR VARIATIONS

Hawkwind Light Orchestra: what does that mean? The clue is the term "light"; it's not that this is an easy listening Hawkwind, it's more that this is a smaller, pocket-sized sub-unit of the larger Hawkwind mothership. On Stellar Variations, the Light Orchestra is a trio of Dave Brock, Niall Hone, and Richard Chadwick - with then-current other members Mr. Dibs and Tim Blake away on shore leave.

This leads to a somewhat more stripped-down sound than Blood of the Earth and Onward - less in the way of electronic ambient textures, more in the way of actual songs. It's a neat little experiment in doing something a bit different without putting the main project on hold - a concept which would later be revisited in lockdown - and whilst I wouldn't call this top-notch Hawkwind material, I'd say it's an interesting and pleasant listen which fans will probably enjoy - call it three and a half stars, rounding up to four if you are keen on space rock stuff.