Hawkwind, introduction
In 2004 I wandered into the Bop Shop in Rochester to browse their dollar-records bin and see if I might find some truffles. I didn’t. But I was greeted with an extremely weird and loud soundtrack that caught my attention.
(Note: My hair really did look like this at the time. Waitresses commonly called me “ma’am.” But anyways…)
It was a live recording and it struck me as being somewhere between shoegaze and hard rock but way cornier and possibly about science fiction. Something like an electric saxophone was blaring away and this sound in particular caught my ear. I asked the nerd at the counter for clarification.
He said “Hawkwind.” The album was called “SPACE RITUAL” and the price tag said $35. This was way too much to spend on a curiosity so I only purchased “Bongos Bongos Bongos” ($1) and left the store.
For the rest of the evening I read about this band on IMDB and downloaded their music from soulseek. It was WEIRD. It was some kind of pre-prog metal, definitely about wizards, and undoubtedly amusing. Entire albums were based off Michael Moorecock fantasy novels and had names like “Warrior on the Edge of Time.” Even better—the roster consisted of British toughguys (AND LEMMY FROM MOTORHEAD FOR GOD’S SAKE).
The band became something of a novelty with my friends. We dubbed their style “Wiz-core.”
The curiosity never wore off. I kept coming back to these weirdos and I started snatching up their records whenever I would see them. Years later, Hawkwind is one of my favorite bands ever. When a band can sing a song about “Magnu” a magic horse from space, and deliver it with unflinching conviction, I can only stand and applaud.
What inspired all this proselytizing is that I just found the Hawkwind biography, “SONIC ASSASSINS” for free on Google Books. I’m pretty sure that’s Lemmy holding the banjo on page 13. HELL YES. Also, please enjoy their song “D-Rider” from Hall of the Mountain Grille.
If there was any doubt, “Bongos bongos bongos” is a terrible record.
