Track Listing

1. Automoton
2. 25 Years
3. High Rise
4. Death Trap
5. Age of the Micro Man
6. Spirit of the Age
7. Urban Guerrilla
8. Sonic Attack
9. PSI Power
10. Brainstorm

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11976 in Music
• Released on: 2009-06-29
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

Terrific Live Set--But Where's The Rest?
Hawklords Live '78 records a brief but exceptionally inspired moment in the long career of Hawkwind. Following a grueling American tour in support of their second album for Charisma, Quark, Strangeness, and Charm, Dave Brock and Robert Calvert decided they needed a break from the large touring extravaganza that Hawkwind had become, and a new artistic direction. Recruiting members of a Devon-based group called Ark, with whom the duo had occasionally played as The Sonic Assassins, they formed the Hawklords, a leaner, meaner, some would say punkier, version of their old band. With the aid of Barney Bubble's audacious set design, and a Calvert concept concerning a future ruled by the Pantranscendental Industries, purveyors of "Reality You Can Rely On," the Hawklords hit the road in October 1978. The set list showcased material from the recent Hawklords LP, including Brock's brilliant screed on the drudgery of work, "25 Years On," and Calvert's tale of telepathic madness, "PSI Power," together with some stripped down and reworked Hawkwind standards. The sets, lighting effects, and dancers soon proved both too expensive and too unwieldy to manage, and the show had been partially dismantled as the band made their way to Uxbridge for the penultimate show of the tour.

It's this performance that features on the new Atomhenge disc, Hawklords Live 78. Like all the Atomhenge discs, it's a real gift for Hawkwind collectors: the original tapes have been carefully transcribed and remixed, the packaging is sumptuous, and the sound top notch. For fans who have worn out their copies of the semi-official Hawklords Live disc of the same show, this will be a most welcome addition to the cd shelf. But not one without some surprises. Those familiar with the older disc know that part of the vibe of that show was the power failures that plagued the band, interrupting a particularly fierce version of "Death Trap." The Atomhenge disc has carefully excised these moments, and all of Bob's between song patter, making for a more "professional" recording, but losing some of the spontaneity and excitement of the show.

Close listeners will also soon realize that the version of "Spirit of the Age" on the new disc is not the same as that which appeared on its predecessor. Comparing the two back to back quickly reveals that version on the older disc is not by Hawklords at all--Brock's guitar is processed through the EMS Synthi as on the album, and the drumming, on reflection, is clearly that of Simon King and not Martin Griffin--it's clearly a recording culled from the previous year's Hawkwind tour and unaccountably substituted for the one recorded by the Hawklords. The new Atomhenge disc gives us the version that the Hawklords recorded in Uxbridge, and while not as atmospheric as that performed when Simon House was at the keyboards and Adrian Shaw played bass, it is an impressive effort in its own right, as indeed is the whole of this set.

As delighted as fans of the Calvert era Hawkwind will be to have this show in its unadulterated form, one might have wished that Atomhenge had chosen to release the second half of the set, including versions of Steppenwolf; Free Fall; Robot; Uncle Sam's On Mars; Iron Dream; and a ripping version of Silver Machine. Given that the label is planning on a three disc version (!) of Levitation, certainly a two disc set of this fabulous show would not be out of the question. Or perhaps release the extra tracks as a digital download for hardcore collectors like myself? If so, they might include the original tour booklet, with Calvert's brilliant text for good measure? Or perhaps we're growing spoiled by the riches afforded us by the good people at Atomhenge, and should recall the time not so long hence when we had no such things to look forward to, and should simply be grateful that we have this terrific new cd to enjoy.

Superb Set and Great Quality
Atomhenge are really spoiling us Hawks fans!

This is a fantastic live album showcasing the Hawklords only studio album, "25 Years" and Hawkwind tracks mainly from PXR5 and Quark.

Personally I think this is a much better album than the Hawkwind Live '79 offering, and if you had to choose, buy this one.

Great versions of "25 Years", "Sonic Attack", "High Rise", "Death Trap" and hearing Calvert sing on Brainstorm gives it quite a punky, fresh sound, evolving towards the version that appears on Live '79.

The tracks are of high audio quality, this isn't a tarted up bootleg but a proper release-quality live album.

Highly recommended.

The Spirit of 1978
The Hawklords tour was basically an inspired one off from Dave Brock and Bob Calvert, set against a much changed musical climate. What this fantastic live album does is establishes the credibility of The Hawklords project. The band sound lean,mean,and fighting fit on this well recorded show.Any doubts the musicians and their followers may have had in 1978 are soon dispelled, as the band run through blistering versions of Spirit of the Age, Urban Guerilla [ a track that has an added bite with this line up], and Psi Power. This band are almost the antithesis of previous Hawkwind line ups, sounding tight, controlled, and even sparing in their arrangements,[ just listen to the bands almost punky run through the classic Brainstorm for proof!].

Bob Calvert proves his uniqueness as a front man,[ even ad-libbing vocals to great effect on 25 Years], and his legendary ability to captivate an audience shines through the 10 tracks recorded here. The only slight let down is the version of Sonic Attack,sounding somewhat pale compared to the drugged out menace of the Space Ritual version.

Still as other reviews have rightly pointed out, Atomhenge are doing a fine job of reissuing the musical minefield that is Hawkwinds back catalogue, and this bonus live show from the bands all to brief Charisma period is very welcome indeed.