HW: Measure of the Man

[Carl Edlund Anderson]

On ons 4 dec 1996 10.35 "Dave Berry" <daveb at HARLEQUIN.CO.UK> wrote:
> On 03 Dec 22:41, Carl Edlund Anderson wrote:
> >      But where now are the likes of "7 by 7", "Down Through the Night",
> > "Lord of Light", "Space is Deep", "Time We Left", "Psychedelic
> > Warlords", "You Better Believe It", "Paradox", "Assault & Battery",
> > "Golden Void", etc.?
> >
> >      Well, there's Alan Davey writing "LSD", "Sputnik Stan",
"Xenomorph"
>
> The lyrics to LSD aren't much to write home about (good music though).
> I'm not keen on the lyrics on "Captured Rotation", either.

     Haven't heard the _CR_ lyrics, I must admit.  But while there aren't
_many_ lyrics on "LSD" they are very "HW sounding" to me.  A lot of the
early lyrics aren't world class literature either, but they have this sort
of "are we stoned or what?" style of mysticism which goes perfectly with
Hawkwind music.  I thought "LSD" wasn't far off.  Considering that it's
about 4 chords and a couple of repeated verses, it's a pretty cool sounding
track IMO :)

> > Best Brock moments of the decade (IMO) go to "Mask of Morning", "Alien
> > (I Am)", and "Love in Space".  I can't imagine the lyrics to "Love in
> > Space" took long, and he already _had_ the lyrics to "Mask of Morning".
>
> I like the lyrics of "Secret Agent"; they're genuinely funny.

     Yes, I agree (though as Jazza pointed out to me, they'd probably be
even funnier sung by Calvert :)
     Heck, I liked "Right to Decide" and "Sadness Runs Deep" as well.
"Festivals" is a nice track but somehow sounds somewhat foolish to me.

     I'm willing to give Brock credit for actually composing a some decent
ambient/electronic pieces as well ("Vega" springs to mind, and I actually
like "White Zone" from _Strange Trips & Pipe Dreams_) but a) they _don't_
count as anything more than linking bits in my book and b) he's up against
equally fine Davey compositions like "Blue Shift" and "Elfin".

     IMO, the most excellent Brock moments hands down since the Lemmy-era
are on the live versions of "Out of the Shadows" (*not* the studio
version).  The versions from _California Brainstorm_ and the _Live Legends_
video are tremendous.  *Lots* of up-front Brock guitar riffing and
wah-abuse.


     O Brock, that art a Hawklord, (David be thy name).  Thy lyrics come,
thy music be done today, as it was in the days of the underground.  Give us
this day our daily blanga and forgive us our continuous pleading even as we
try to forgive your hiding behind the synths.  Lead us not into electronic
dossing about, but deliver us to space rock, for thine is the riffing, the
power, and the glory, forever.

Amen,
Carl

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Carl Edlund Anderson                           "So that's Terra.  Oohwee,
cea20 at cus.cam.ac.uk                             look out wenchlings, here
http://wjh-www.harvard.edu/~canders/hem.html    come the Hawklords."
Dept. of ASNAC, University of Cambridge            -Lord Lemmy (Hawkwind)
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