HAWKWIND Road Hawks (CD)

Hawkwind

Hawkwind were originally Group X, emerging from Lon-don's Ladbroke Grove, the nearest thing in Britain to a hippie ghetto in 1970. They still manage to maintain that stoned ambience. X became Hawkwind Zoo, then plain Hawkwind when their manager Doug Smith signed them to United Artists. Formed by Dave Brock (guitar, vocals) the original line-up included Huw Lloyd Langton (guitar), Terry 011is (drums), Nick (later Nik) Turner (saxophone), Dave Anderson (bass) and Dikmik (electronics).

The band became known as regulars on the free festival circuit and the first album (Hawkwind, 1970) was unimpres-sive. But the following year, poet and writer Bob Calvert joined the ensemble and inspired Hawkwind's 'space-rock' persona on In Search Of Space (1971), and their surprise hit single 'Silver Machine' (1972). Various personnel changes occurred as Hawkwind con-solidated a large, youthful following on both sides of the Atlantic. Langton, 011is and Anderson left, with Lemmy ass), Simon King (drums) and Del Detmar (electronics) oining.

The statuesque Stacia eventually became a perma-nent fixture as a dancer, while in 1974 Dikmik and Calvert departed, the latter to follow a solo career. The next year mmy formed Motorhead, a hard rock band whose lack of rowess was reminiscent of the early Hawkwind. Further tours and albums (e.g. Space Ritual, 1973) saw awkwind continuing in their time-warp, their anachronistic age and pulp sci-fi material appealing to teenage audi-ces unfamiliar with flower-power and all its trappings.