5 Space Stars
Audio CD (paid link)
Released in 2012, ‘Onward’ was Hawkwind’s twenty-seventh studio album which saw them gaining new converts and bigger sales after a spell in the doldrums. The Spaceship Hawkwind had found itself in a storm of unrest, changing management and record labels, not to mention band members coming and going almost weekly. This meant most of the releases at the time were hodgepodges of old songs or live recordings. In fact, there had hardly been an album proper since the disastrous ‘Distant Horizons’ in 1997. ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ in 2005 had shown great promise again, but the lineup soon disintegrated, with only Captain Dave Brock and First Mate Richard Chadwick remaining on board from previous recordings.
‘Blood of the Earth’ in 2010 saw a return to form and a more solid lineup. Onward was aptly titled as that is exactly what the band did, stretching out and some would say backwards, reclaiming old territory in the science fiction, psychedelic world of space rock.
(photo by Trevor Saunders).
Brought back into the fold was keyboard wizard Frenchman Tim Blake who had always been a natural fit for Hawkwind with his spacey use of synthesizers, keyboards and the Theremin, putting the space back into Hawkwind’s rock. Mr. Dibs was to occupy the bass guitar position finally vacated by Alan Davey, who had been in and out of Hawkwind over the previous twenty-plus years. Mr. Dibs was a long-time friend and member of the band’s road crew, so had no difficulty fitting in. He would stay for the next three charting albums as bass player and finally frontman of the band, before being forced out due to his popularity with Hawkfans, never become too popular in a ship driven by Captain Dave Brock.
The music on this album put Hawkwind back on top of their particular musical tree. This was to last for another decade before turmoil struck once again.
The album opens up with ‘Seasons,’ a solid slab of space rock featuring and showing off the new Hawkwind with pulsating bass lines from Mr. Dibs and swirling keyboards from Tim Blake. Richard Chadwick has always been a perfect Hawkwind drummer, not too many frills but keeping a rock steady beat whilst driving the engines ever ‘onward.’ Dave Brock slashes out the guitar parts with consummate ease, atoned with vicious flare. The combined vocal power of Hawkwind on this album gives them another dimension.
At over 80 minutes, there is plenty of quantity and quality here.
‘The Hills Have Ears‘ is a great Hawkwind sound being made poignant by the fact it was the last track to feature any contribution from lead guitarist Huw Lloyd Langton before he passed away due to a long illness.
‘Mind Cut’ is one of several Hawkwind space scopes featuring the keyboard wizardry of Tim Blake. ‘System Check’ is good old-fashioned Hawkwind drama followed by an old song rehashed for the album Death Trap, which has now been given a heavy beat.
Hawkwind have segued all the pieces together beautifully here, each song gliding into the next. Worthy of note is ‘Computer Cowards,’ a vicious stab at keyboard warriors as relevant now as it was then. ‘Green Finned Demon’ is given its definitive studio recording as another classic Hawkwind song.
Southern Cross includes all the aspects that make Hawkwind music so compelling: swirling rhythms, a loving back beat and hypnotic effects.
There are three live songs slotted together here, which show the full power of the band in flight. The last track ‘??’ is an amalgamation of riffs that bleed into hawk bubbles and space sounds—a fitting climax to a good album.
Greater things were coming in the near future, but as the final triumph seemed inevitable, Hawkwind, as ever, managed to drag defeat from the jaws of victory as the successful lineup was yet again cast asunder and scattered into space dust. It must be very frustrating to be a dedicated Hawkfan.
Written by Mott The Dog on Pattaya’s Dark Side at Fletchers’ Folly.
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