"25 Years On" and "PXR5" continue in this vein, embracing a surprisingly forward thinking proto-new wave sound, without ever allowing you to forget who you're actually listening to. The title track, "Spirit of the Age" and "Days of the Underground" are among the band's most memorable songs and in a slightly quirkier world could have been hits on the pop charts. Elsewhere "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" continues the band's move towards more concise, tightly structured songs. It's no wonder David Bowie stole him away in the night for his band. House's playing on atmospheric middle-eastern prog gem "Hassan I Sahba" may well be my favourite single Hawkwind studio moment. Nik Turner had stepped aside by this point allowing phenomenal violinist Simon House a chance to shine. It's certainly one of their most focused as well. "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" followed in 1977, and is rightfully regarded as one of the band's very best albums. There's even an attempt at a hit single on the David Gilmour produced "Kerb Crawler", which gives a hint of things to come. Robert Calvert returns, but is not yet the dominant force he would become on the following three albums, here sharing the limelight with Nik Turner and Dave Brock on roughly equal terms. It's not always 100% successful but it is always interesting and there's a visceral thrill involved in hearing the band stepping out of their comfort zone. "In Search of Space" this is not - but in its own way it's every bit as vital.įirst up is "Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music", a transitional effort that sees the band beginning to venture beyond its space-rock roots with fascinating results.
Truth is though, it was a second golden period for a band that continued to innovate and shift with the times. Given this attitude and the fact that this era is regarded by some as the beginning of the band's decline, you'd be forgiven for not expecting much from these albums. Prog was the enemy and Hawkwind was lumped in with the other dinosaurs, never mind the fact that Lemmy was busy reinventing heavy metal by imbuing it with the most punk of attitudes in his new band Motörhead. Lemmy had just been ousted from the band and the emergent punk scene viewed Hawkwind with distaste, distrust and perhaps worst of all, disinterest. This latest box set from Hawkwind specialists Atomhenge collects the four albums Hawkwind released for the famous Charisma label between 19.
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