SPACED OUT IN LONDON

Spaced Out In London is a live recording of an exceptional gig in December 2002. It might well be Hawkwinds best live album of the 113 they released in the last 10 years. Too bad it's impossible to come by as this was only for sale directly from the band in the 2003 tour.

First of all there's the set list, Hawkwind rides fiercely through an extensive set of classic tracks and rarities. They unearthed some long-forgotten gems here like Aerospaceage Inferno and Gremlin Song from Calvert's first solo album, also Lemmy's The Watcher, Time Captives from Arthur Brown and a few other rare tracks make their appearance. Second reason to get hold of this album would be the presence of Arthur Brown on quite a few songs. Brown's commanding baritone and occasional craziness fits Hawkwind very well. He handles about half of the tracks here next to Brock and basically everyone else from the line up. Alan Davey does an excellent take on the Watcher.

The sound is excellent and captures this lively concert flawlessly. If you like Brown's eccentric voice you should enjoy this as much as Space Ritual. In fact, the basic sound of guitar, bass and drums and the energy of the performance comes very close to that album. Even the album art echoes the legendary album. On top of that you get tons of synth washes and spacey effects. Yes, on stage, Hawkwind still delivers the goods.

There's a lot of choice in Hawkwind's live discography and even though all albums are likely to please fans, this one really stands out. Almost tempted to five stars here.

Before I even listened to this album Bonnek told me i'd give it 5 stars. I kind of thought to myself : "There's no way, now that you've given me these high expectations". Then I checked out some information about it and noticed it was a live album from 2002. I mean how good could this band be at this point in their careers, lets face it the studio albums leading up to this were suspect at best. Then I see that Arthur Brown is singing on several tracks. What ?! Hmmm well maybe this will be special. It turns out that this is without a doubt the best live album i've heard from the band. It's shocking how great this band sounds on here.

I understand it was recorded late in the tour so they were firing on all cylinders that's for sure. And Arthur Brown absolutely kills on vocals. He sounds like Dio a lot, that's how powerful his voice is. They even play one of his songs called "Time Captives" from the "Journey" album under his band's name ARTHUR BROWN'S KINGDOM COME. It's cool to that when the band members speak between songs their voices echo.

At 74 minutes I usually complain about the length but honestly from beginning to end this album makes me so proud to be a HAWKWIND fan. It would be impossible for me to pick out my three favourite tracks, they're all amazing. Thanks Bonnek.

What are friends for? Mellotron Storm sent me copy of this (I normally like to purchase all my albums to encourage the artist but if its not available, well its not available?.). Yes, I am a devoted Hawkfan ever since I witnessed that brutal sonic assault live in Montreal in 1974 or so, Lemmy's last show with the crew as he was rudely bounced for drug possession. Hawkwind is one of those rare prog bands that are way more interesting live than on record, something about the hypnotic pounding that freezes your body ("The golden void speaks to me Denying my reality I lose my body, lose my mind I blow like wind, I flow like wine"- The Golden Void) .

Live in London 2002 reunites Brock and recent crew members Davey and Chadwick with ex-Gongster and Hawkman Tim Blake (who got fired from the Levitation-era for spending too much time on the phone with his squeeze, legend has it!) as well as introducing the legendary "Fire"man Arthur Brown of Kingdom Come fame, who would be the closest insane person to the sadly departed genius that was Robert Calvert. What a line-up, my goodness! As a rule, I enjoy providing a track by track essay on the merits of each song but if I am to respect the LIVE value of this quixotic band then its time to let this process go. It's all fabulous stuff, a few originals, such as 2 Calvert solo tracks from his mythical Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters debut solo album, the airless "Aerospaceage Inferno" and the spooky "The Gremlin Song". Throw in the stellar Kingdom Come standard "Time Captives", a reptilian space odyssey of the finest pedigree and a few monumental Hawk tracks such as "Angels of Death", "Masters of the Universe" and "Assassins of Allah" ? aka "Hassan ibn Sabba". A Tim Blake composition "Lighthouse" also adorns the set list, as well as Lemmy's "The Watcher". Go figure!

This is a wonderful recording with a different slant than many other classic live albums such as the obligatory Space Ritual, Live Chronicles, Palace Springs and The Business Trip, among a slew of other superior intergalactic wig outs.

Now how do I buy a copy, as the artwork looks really neat?

Easy 5 orgone accumulations.