An intriguing round-up of the Charisma years 76-79, taking our space trucking compadres from the attack and sprawl of Reefer Madness and Steppenwolf to punkily focused Hawklords material. Calvert's majestic Ballardian hymns to a dystopian future/present - High Rise and Spirit of the Age - still shimmer coldly down the years. Almost poppily accessible in places - Psi Power, Twenty Five Years, Back on the Streets - and while the absence of deep space jams may not make this a favourite with gnarled veterans of the psychic wars, it does showcase how Hawkwind managed not just to weather the punk storm but to ride the wave into the 80s and beyond with integrity and legend intact. A treat.
Oddi wrth y brawd
cap'n bob
4 comments:
I recall Y Brawd treating me to this during an excess rehearsal at his old gaff in London prior to our heading off to the Canterbury Fayre festival in 2003. By then I'd sold off my old Hwind vinyl while the CD versions of the Charisma catalogue had long been out of print. Mercifully they have been re-released and Pastaman is once again Hawked to the eyeballs. For some the world began and ended with so called "classic" era Hawkwind 1971-75 (rhe United Artist years). Fair enough perhaps, but on reflection the real deal was that 1976-78 Charisma period when Bipolar Bob Calvert was in his High Camp pomp. Biggles outfits, atomhenge, steppenwolves and reefer madness. This is the gear, kids.
Ah yes..the Biggles costumes. Wing Commander Bob.
As fine a summary of late 70s Hawkwind as you'll read, though admittedly I am not a gnarled veteran of the psychic wars. That'll be Mr Moorcock, gawd bless him. I saw them then, with Tim Blake in support, and was compelled to jump in a pond afterwards with my good friend Andrew.
y brawd likes the verb "compelled". continuing the watery theme, y brawd was once manhandled out of a hawkwind concert for being completely off tits and peeing openly near front of stage. happy days.
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