Robert Calvert
Encyclopedia
Robert Calvert was a writer, poet
, and musician
.
, 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 Theatre
group Street Dada Nihilismus. He was best known as the lead singer, poet and frontman of Hawkwind
intermittently from 1972-1979 during which time he co-wrote their hit single "Silver Machine
" and directed their Space Ritual
Tour. Calvert suffered from bipolar disorder
, at one point being sectioned under the Mental Health Act
, Lemmy would sing on the single version of "Silver Machine", his vocal an overdub of a live recording taken at the Roundhouse in London. "They tried everyone else singing it except me" Lemmy later said.
During periods away from Hawkwind duties, and after finally leaving the group in 1979, Calvert worked on his solo career, his creative output including albums, stage plays, poetry, and a novel. His first solo album, Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters
, attained mainstream success.
His other musical collaborators include Michael Moorcock
, Brian Eno
, Arthur Brown
, Jim Capaldi
, Steve Pond, Inner City Unit
, Vivian Stanshall
, Nektar
, John Greaves
, Adrian Wagner, Amon Düül II
, and Spirits Burning
(posthumously).
Calvert died of a heart attack
in 1988 in Ramsgate
, England.
Nik Turner, and other former Hawkwind musicians are currently collaborating as Hawklords as a tribute to Calvert.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Biography
Born Robert Newton Calvert in PretoriaPretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, 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 Theatre
Street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
group Street Dada Nihilismus. He was best known as the lead singer, poet and frontman of Hawkwind
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....
intermittently from 1972-1979 during which time he co-wrote their hit single "Silver Machine
Silver Machine
Silver Machine is a 1972 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single on 9 June 1972, reaching #3 on the UK singles chart. The single was re-issued in 1976, 1978 reaching #34 on the UK singles charts, and in 1983 reaching #67 on the UK singles charts...
" and directed their Space Ritual
Space Ritual
The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London is a 1973 live double album recorded in 1972 by UK rock band Hawkwind. It is their fourth album, reached #9 in the UK album charts and briefly dented the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #179....
Tour. Calvert suffered from bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, at one point being sectioned under the Mental Health Act
Mental Health Act
Mental Health Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom relating to Mental health law.The Bill for an Act with this short title may have been known as a Mental Health Bill during its passage through Parliament....
, Lemmy would sing on the single version of "Silver Machine", his vocal an overdub of a live recording taken at the Roundhouse in London. "They tried everyone else singing it except me" Lemmy later said.
During periods away from Hawkwind duties, and after finally leaving the group in 1979, Calvert worked on his solo career, his creative output including albums, stage plays, poetry, and a novel. His first solo album, Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters
Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters
Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters was a 1974 satirical concept album by Robert Calvert, the former frontman of British space-rock band Hawkwind. It consists of a mixture of songs and comic spoken interludes....
, attained mainstream success.
His other musical collaborators include Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
, Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
, Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
, Steve Pond, Inner City Unit
Inner City Unit
Inner City Unit is a British punk/space rock band fronted by ex-Hawkwind founder Nik Turner on saxophone with Judge Trev Thoms or Steve Pond , Dead Fred , Baz Magneto, Dave Anderson or Nazar Ali Khan , and Mick Stupp or Dino Ferari on drums.-History:Thoms and Ferrari were both key members of...
, Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, painter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his surreal exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for narrating Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.-The great...
, Nektar
Nektar
Nektar is a 1970s English progressive rock band originally based in Germany.- History :The band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett...
, John Greaves
John Greaves (musician)
John Greaves is a British bass guitarist and composer, best known as a member of Henry Cow and his collaborative albums with Peter Blegvad...
, Adrian Wagner, Amon Düül II
Amon Düül II
-Studio Albums:-Live Albums:-Compilations:-Singles:-External links:*...
, and Spirits Burning
Spirits Burning
Spirits Burning is a musical collective that has released a combination of ambient, jazz and full-on space-rock with input from many of the genre's luminaries, most notably Gong's Daevid Allen and members of Hawkwind. Spirits Burning is overseen by American composer/producer Don Falcone.-History:In...
(posthumously).
Calvert died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1988 in Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
, England.
Nik Turner, and other former Hawkwind musicians are currently collaborating as Hawklords as a tribute to Calvert.
Solo
- Captain Lockheed and the StarfightersCaptain Lockheed and the StarfightersCaptain Lockheed and the Starfighters was a 1974 satirical concept album by Robert Calvert, the former frontman of British space-rock band Hawkwind. It consists of a mixture of songs and comic spoken interludes....
(1974) - Lucky Leif and the LongshipsLucky Leif and the LongshipsLucky Leif and the Longships is a 1975 record album by Robert Calvert, produced by Brian Eno.It is a concept album dealing with how American culture might have been different had the Vikings managed to colonise the continent...
(1975) - "Cricket Star" (1979, one sided flexi single recorded under Robert Calvert and the 1st XI)
- "Lord of the Hornets" / "The Greenfly and the Rose" (1980, single)
- HypeHype (album)Hype is a 1981 album by singer Robert Calvert, the former frontman of British space-rock band Hawkwind.It is subtitled The Songs Of Tom Mahler as a tie-in to Calvert's only published novel Hype, the novel being a fictional account of the rise and death of a rock star.The musicians used for the...
(1981) - FreqFreqFreq is a 1985 album by English singer and musician Robert Calvert.It was recorded during the time of the UK miners' strike and in between the songs it features snippets of field recordings by Calvert with miners on a picket line, with Calvert displaying his sympathy for their cause.The lyrics...
(1984, inspired by the UK miners' strike) - Test-Tube ConceivedTest Tube Conceived-Side 1:#"Invitro Breed"#"The Rah Rah Man"#"Telekinesis"#"I Hear Voices"#"Fanfare for the Perfect Race"-Side 2:#"On Line"#"Save Them From the Scientists"#"Fly on the Wall"#"Thanks to the Scientists"#"Test-Tube Conceived"-Personnel:...
(1986) - At the Queen Elizabeth Hall (Clear Records 1989, live album recorded on October 1, 1986. Reissued in 1993 as BGOCD 187)
- Blueprints from the Cellar (Home-recorded demos)
- Revenge (Demos with Pete Pavli - Released 1999, recorded 1980s)
- Centigrade 232Centigrade 232Centigrade 232 is an album of poems by English writer and musician Robert Calvert, recorded in 1986 and released in 2007. The poem Centigrade 232 was set to music by Spirits Burning in 2001...
(Words only - Voiceprint VP403CD 2007) also see book below - Centigrade 232Centigrade 232Centigrade 232 is an album of poems by English writer and musician Robert Calvert, recorded in 1986 and released in 2007. The poem Centigrade 232 was set to music by Spirits Burning in 2001...
(Words & music, issued as the Brock/Calvert Project - Voiceprint HAWKVP42CD) - Robert Calvert And The Maximum Effect Live At Carlisle Stars And Stripes - (Stereo Records 2009)
- The single "Ejection" is on the United Artists RecordsUnited Artists RecordsUnited Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
2004 sampler All Good Clean FunAll Good Clean FunAll Good Clean Fun was originally a promotional sampler issued by United Artists Records in 1971. This original release was a double album containing 23 tracks by 20 different artists, with three artists; Morning, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Canned Heat, having 2 tracks each.Most of the...
CD re-package (Liberty 8660902), but was not on the original 1971 LP
With Hawkwind
- Space RitualSpace RitualThe Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London is a 1973 live double album recorded in 1972 by UK rock band Hawkwind. It is their fourth album, reached #9 in the UK album charts and briefly dented the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #179....
(1973) - Astounding Sounds, Amazing MusicAstounding Sounds, Amazing MusicAstounding Sounds, Amazing Music is the sixth studio album by the British rock band Hawkwind, released in 1976. It reached #33 on the UK album charts....
(1976) - Quark, Strangeness and CharmQuark, Strangeness and CharmQuark, Strangeness And Charm is the seventh studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1977. It spent 6 weeks on the UK albums chart peaking at #30....
(1977) - Hawklords25 Years OnHawklords 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...
(1978) (Also known as 25 Years On and recorded using the band name Hawklords) - PXR5PXR5PXR5 is the ninth studio album by Hawkwind, released in 1979. It reached #59 on the UK album charts.-Overview:The album was recorded and mixed at Rockfield Studios in January and February 1978. "Uncle Sam's On Mars", "Robot" and "High Rise" were originally recorded on the preceding UK tour but were...
(1979)
Guest appearances
- Adrian Wagner - Distances Between Us (1974)
- NektarNektarNektar is a 1970s English progressive rock band originally based in Germany.- History :The band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett...
- Down To EarthDown to Earth (Nektar album)- Track listing :*All Songs Written By Nektar. # "Astral Man" – 3:07# "Nelly the Elephant" – 5:02# "Early Morning Clown" – 3:21# "That's Life" – 6:49# "Fidgety Queen" – 4:04# "Oh Willy" – 4:00# "Little Boy" – 3:03...
(1974) - The Imperial Pompadours - Ersatz (1982)
- Amon DüülAmon Düül UKAmon Düül was the British splinter of the German krautrock group Amon Düül II that was active during the 1980s. The band released four original studio albums during their career, and one compilation...
- Die Lösung (recorded 1988, released 1989)
Musical plays
- The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice (1976, about Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
) - The Kid From Silicon Gulch (1981)
- Test-tube Baby of Mine (1986)