25 Years On
Encyclopedia
Hawklords is the eighth studio album by Hawkwind
, released in 1978. It released under the name Hawklords
for legal reasons, as there was a dispute over ownership of the name "Hawkwind" at the time. It reached #48 on the UK album charts. It was originally titled 25 Years On and the first 25000 were pressed as this until the band decided to simply call it Hawklords. Subsequent re-releases have reverted the name 25 Years On and the band also now use this name on their web site.
Hawkwind had self imploded on a USA tour earlier in the year leaving only Robert Calvert
, Dave Brock
and Simon King
to embark on this project. They were joined by Harvey Bainbridge
who had played bass in Devon group Ark who in turn had performed with Calvert and Brock as the Sonic Assassins
, and by keyboardist Steve Swindells
who had been in Pilot
. During the Devon recording session King returned home to London and was replaced by Martin Griffin (also from Ark), but King subsequently returned giving the band two drummers. Simon House
had left the earlier band to join David Bowie
but contributed violin to the sessions, as did noted British jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther
. Road manager Les McClure also sneaked a performance in.
The music is perhaps as far removed from the generic Space Rock
the band would ever get, these tracks being tightly arranged pieces more in tune with New Wave of the time rather than the band's history. Lyrically this is Calvert's most diverse dealing with themes such as telepathy ("Psi Power"), sky diving ("Free Fall"), Australian drug misuse ("Flying Doctor"), heroic bravery ("The Only Ones") and espionage ("The Dead Dreams Of The Cold War Kid"). There's a light hearted playfulness to these tracks, only the lyrics of "The Age Of The Micro Man" hinted at the bleak cold futuristic factory workers concept that Calvert and Barney Bubbles
put together for the stage show of the album (see tour programme). This programme is reproduced in the CD booklet of the Atomhenge re-release.
"Psi Power
" and "25 Years" were released as singles but are slightly different versions to those that appeared on the album.
with
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, released in 1978. It released under the name Hawklords
Hawklords
Hawklords were an English music group active between 1978 and 1979. They were borne from the disbanded Hawkwind and a local Devon group named Ark with the addition of former Pilot keyboardist Steve Swindells.The use of the name Hawklords instead of Hawkwind may...
for legal reasons, as there was a dispute over ownership of the name "Hawkwind" at the time. It reached #48 on the UK album charts. It was originally titled 25 Years On and the first 25000 were pressed as this until the band decided to simply call it Hawklords. Subsequent re-releases have reverted the name 25 Years On and the band also now use this name on their web site.
Hawkwind had self imploded on a USA tour earlier in the year leaving only Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
, Dave Brock
Dave Brock
David Anthony "Dave" Brock is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He plays electric guitar, synthesizer, bass and oscillators. He is best known as being one of the founders and musical focus of the English space rock group Hawkwind...
and Simon King
Simon King (musician)
Simon King is an English drummer most noted for his work with Hawkwind. He was described in 1985 by British rock magazine 'Sounds' as 'definitive rock drummer.'...
to embark on this project. They were joined by Harvey Bainbridge
Harvey Bainbridge
Harvey Frederick Bainbridge is an English bass and keyboard player. He is best known as the bass player and keyboard player in Hawkwind....
who had played bass in Devon group Ark who in turn had performed with Calvert and Brock as the Sonic Assassins
Sonic Assassins
Sonic Assassins were a UK band formed in 1977, composed of members from Hawkwind and local Devon band Ark.-Formation:Hawkwind main writers Robert Calvert and Dave Brock were living in Devon towards the end of 1977 and had befriended local band Ark, who had often supported Hawkwind at some of...
, and by keyboardist Steve Swindells
Steve Swindells
Steve Swindells is an English singer-songwriter, keyboardist, party organiser, club promoter and journalist.Swindells grew up in the Bath and Bristol area, dropping out of art college to play keyboards with the rock band Squidd. Relocating to London in 1973 and living in squats, he recorded his...
who had been in Pilot
Pilot (band)
Pilot was a pop rock musical group, formed during 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by the former Bay City Rollers members, David Paton and Billy Lyall.-Career:...
. During the Devon recording session King returned home to London and was replaced by Martin Griffin (also from Ark), but King subsequently returned giving the band two drummers. Simon House
Simon House
Simon House is a composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind. His arrival in 1974 introduced a new element to the band's style...
had left the earlier band to join David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
but contributed violin to the sessions, as did noted British jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther may refer to:*Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale *Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale *Henry Lowther , British Conservative politician...
. Road manager Les McClure also sneaked a performance in.
The music is perhaps as far removed from the generic Space Rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
the band would ever get, these tracks being tightly arranged pieces more in tune with New Wave of the time rather than the band's history. Lyrically this is Calvert's most diverse dealing with themes such as telepathy ("Psi Power"), sky diving ("Free Fall"), Australian drug misuse ("Flying Doctor"), heroic bravery ("The Only Ones") and espionage ("The Dead Dreams Of The Cold War Kid"). There's a light hearted playfulness to these tracks, only the lyrics of "The Age Of The Micro Man" hinted at the bleak cold futuristic factory workers concept that Calvert and Barney Bubbles
Barney Bubbles
Colin Fulcher aka Barney Bubbles was a radical English graphic artist, whose work primarily encompassed the disciplines of graphic design, painting and music video direction. He is most renowned for his distinctive contribution to the graphic design associated with the British independent music...
put together for the stage show of the album (see tour programme). This programme is reproduced in the CD booklet of the Atomhenge re-release.
"Psi Power
Psi Power
Psi Power is a 1978 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 6 October 1978, being a slightly different version to the one on the album Hawklords....
" and "25 Years" were released as singles but are slightly different versions to those that appeared on the album.
Side 1
- "Psi PowerPsi PowerPsi Power is a 1978 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 6 October 1978, being a slightly different version to the one on the album Hawklords....
" (Robert CalvertRobert CalvertRobert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
, Dave BrockDave BrockDavid Anthony "Dave" Brock is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He plays electric guitar, synthesizer, bass and oscillators. He is best known as being one of the founders and musical focus of the English space rock group Hawkwind...
) – 6:06 - "Free Fall" (Calvert, Harvey BainbridgeHarvey BainbridgeHarvey Frederick Bainbridge is an English bass and keyboard player. He is best known as the bass player and keyboard player in Hawkwind....
) – 5:13 - "Automoton" (Calvert, Brock) – 1:13
- "25 Years" (Brock) – 4:31
Side 2
- "Flying Doctor" (Calvert, Brock) – 5:38
- "The Only Ones" (Calvert, Brock) – 4:14
- "(Only) The Dead Dreams of the Cold War Kid" (Calvert) – 3:55
- "The Age of the Micro Man" (Calvert, Brock) – 3:31
Atomhenge bonus tracks
- "PSI Power" [single version] – 4:26
- "Death Trap" [single mix] (Calvert, Brock) – 3:52
- "25 Years" [single mix] – 3:30
Atomhenge bonus CD: "The Sonic Assassins"
- "Over the Top" (Calvert, Brock, Bainbridge, Paul Hayles, Martin Griffin) – 7:50
- "Magnu" (Brock) – 3:12
- "Angels of Life" (Brock) – 1:12
- "Freefall" (Calvert, Bainbridge) – 7:56
- "Death Trap" (Calvert, Brock) – 4:30
- "The Only Ones" [acoustic demo] (Calvert, Brock) – 4:38
- "(Only) The Dead Dreams of the Cold War Kid" [demo] (Calvert) – 3:31
- "Flying Doctor" [live studio rehearsal version] (Calvert, Brock) – 5:37
- "25 Years" [take one] (Brock) – 8:00
- "Assassination" – 3:56
- "Freefall" [take two] (Calvert, Bainbridge) – 5:28
- "Only the Dead Dreams of the Cold War Kid" [take two] (Calvert, Brock) – 3:16
- "The Age of the Micro Man" [take one] (Calvert, Brock) – 5:44
- "Automoton" [full extended version] (Calvert, Brock) – 2:33
- "Digger Jam" – 2:38
Personnel
- Robert CalvertRobert CalvertRobert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
– lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
(track 7) - Dave BrockDave BrockDavid Anthony "Dave" Brock is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He plays electric guitar, synthesizer, bass and oscillators. He is best known as being one of the founders and musical focus of the English space rock group Hawkwind...
– acoustic and electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocals - Harvey BainbridgeHarvey BainbridgeHarvey Frederick Bainbridge is an English bass and keyboard player. He is best known as the bass player and keyboard player in Hawkwind....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Steve SwindellsSteve SwindellsSteve Swindells is an English singer-songwriter, keyboardist, party organiser, club promoter and journalist.Swindells grew up in the Bath and Bristol area, dropping out of art college to play keyboards with the rock band Squidd. Relocating to London in 1973 and living in squats, he recorded his...
– keyboards - Simon KingSimon King (musician)Simon King is an English drummer most noted for his work with Hawkwind. He was described in 1985 by British rock magazine 'Sounds' as 'definitive rock drummer.'...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(tracks 4,7,8), Congas (track 6) - Martin Griffin – drums (tracks 1,2,5,6)
with
- Simon HouseSimon HouseSimon House is a composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind. His arrival in 1974 introduced a new element to the band's style...
– violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(tracks 6,7,8) - Henry LowtherHenry LowtherHenry Lowther may refer to:*Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale *Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale *Henry Lowther , British Conservative politician...
– trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
(track 1) - Les McClure – whisper voice (track 4)
Credits
- Recorded: Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio at Langley Farm, Devon.
- Produced: Robert Calvert and Dave Brock. Engineered by Dennis Smith, Neil Fawcus and Neil Mount.
- Mixed at Wessex Studios, London. Engineered by Tim Friese-Greene and Mike Shipley.
- Sleeve by Barney Bubbles and Brian Griffith.
- CD 1 tracks 9-10: A & B sides of "Psi PowerPsi PowerPsi Power is a 1978 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 6 October 1978, being a slightly different version to the one on the album Hawklords....
" single, released as Charisma CB323 in October 1978 - CD 1 track 11: A-side of "25 Years" single, released as Charisma CB332 in May 1979
- CD 2 tracks 1-5: Sonic AssassinsSonic AssassinsSonic Assassins were a UK band formed in 1977, composed of members from Hawkwind and local Devon band Ark.-Formation:Hawkwind main writers Robert Calvert and Dave Brock were living in Devon towards the end of 1977 and had befriended local band Ark, who had often supported Hawkwind at some of...
: Recorded at the Queens Hall, Barnstaple on 23 December 1977 - CD 2 tracks 6-15: Unreleased session tapes: Recorded at Langley Farm, Devon between June and August 1978
Release history
- October 1978: Charisma, CDS4014, UK vinyl. Initial copies came with an inner sleeve.
- August 1982: Charisma, CHC10, UK vinyl
- April 1989: Virgin, CDSCD4014, UK CD
- January 2009: Atomhenge (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
) Records, ATOMCD2006, UK 2CD
External links
- Atomhenge Records
- Starfarer – reviews, October 1978