THE TEXT OF FESTIVAL - HAWKWIND LIVE 1970-1972

Unlike many, I like this release a great deal. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it is a good value for your purchase. You essentially get 2 lps (or cds) in one package. Record one is the same as the material featured on the Demi-Monde release "In The Beginning", in basically the same fidelity, which is admittedly toward the bootleg end of the spectrum. But these are early studio outtakes and demos, a fascinating, primal and powerful snapshot of early Hawkwind, and as there doesn't seem to be a ton of unreleased material available from this time period, this serves as an excellent and essential archival set. Oh yeah, the perfomances are excellent also, fidelity issues aside. Of course if you are the kind if listener who prizes the quality of his audio equipment over the aesthetic quality of the music that you listen to, then that is your problem. For me though, the second record is the real gem here, a monstrous live take on "You Shouldn't Do That" that spans the entire 2nd lp. Again, the audio quality is less than pristine (though nowhere near as shaky as the "Bring Me The Head Of Yuri Gargarin" lp/cd) but the sheer drive, intensity and otherworldly quality of the performance is a marvel. Think "Phallus Dei"- era Amon Duul II put through an industrial grinder, or "Alien Soundtracks" era Chrome timewarped back 5 or 6 years. For early, early, and intense Hawkwind sounds, this is a real treasure for the discerning fan of vintage Hawkwind.