HW:Re: The REAL Hawks

Max Wilcox s333271 at STUDENT.UQ.EDU.AU
Wed Dec 25 19:17:44 EST 1996


RJ wrote:
> Maxine: remember,you started this. ;)

        First thing I feel I should point out, my name's Max, as in the male
name - I believe there is (or was) a Maxine on the list, but that is not
I. Just felt I should point out. Feel free to call me Maxine, though,
just as long as you don't think you're addressing another person of a
similar name (and dissimilar sex).

> i try to avoid bringing up topics like this ,as there are so many strong
> oppinions out there,its
> almost like politics or religion...;)

        I'd agree there. It realy comes down to a game of saying "I like this",
"well I don't", etc. It's realy just opinions, but I still find it
interesting as long as there are interesting points made instead of just
saying "well I don't like that" etc.

SNIP>>>

> simon is fine on the studio stuff.by irrelevant,i mean that when they can
> FIND him to get him on the stage,you can hardly hear him.i tried to speak
> with him before the philly gig last year,and he was unable
> to form complete sentences.im sure simon is very intelligent,but at the
> time he was only so much toast.
> not saying i've never been there,but i have never been there when people
> were out of there way to see me.
> he was only on the stage for a couple of tunes,and like i said he mayas
> well not have been.
>     as for the members of pressurehead,i cant stand them as a band,but
> loved them with nik.

        Well, I can't commenet on them live, as I have said, but you can hear
Simon in the live albums. As to playing not much - well, it must change
with each concert. I don't know the exact details of it, but a lot of
the material from "Past or Future?" and Spiral Realms' "Solar Wind" are
drawn from the same concerts: The Great American Music Hall, The Fox
Theater. I don't know wether they play separately, as a support band
kind of thing or just in between the Nik numbers, but there still seems
to be a bit of music there.
        As for not hearing him - perhaps it was a bad night? Bad PA? Who knows,
but, again, the live albums don't show this up.
        Totaly agree on the Pressurehead front, by the way.

SNIPETY>>>>

> yes, but it didnt go from spaceritual to alien four. there are entire
> worlds between. and the two people
> who initiated the most drastic changes are calvert and turner. im not
> slandering anyone, but look at astounding sounds and hawklords for calvert
> changes. no resemblance to spaceritual type whatsoever.
> and nik got so silly in the early 80's that several members said "its him
> or me".

        Well, the Calvert changes are not only obvious, but also bloody
briliant ones, but I'd say that the changes that Nik instigated are less
easily seen. I'd agree that Nik got a bit silly in the 80s, perhaps from
too much ICU? Nut that was a good thing, I think. Looking at the
Solstice video, seeing Nik with his shark (or whatever it is) hairstyle,
was great. A great frontman, but still second best to Calvert, of
course. Dave can beat out a tune, but he's not an overly good performer.
But then again, I guess he's not trying to be...

> and nik just doesn't want to be hawkwind.he (from talking to him) prefers
> to keep that as a project
> sort of thing,and much prefers to work with his several other bands. (punk
> and jazz)

        Which sounds like a very good idea. That's another thing I like very
much about Nik's work - he works in many different genres of music - ICU
was fantastic, Anubian etc...

> dont mean to be insulting by this,but do you like hw because you love what
> they play,or because they play what you love? to me, hw is a ride,a
> starship of which i am definitely not the captain. i just fasten
> my seatbelt and let them take me where they will.
> i am not >completely< satisfied with the way things are going,but what the
> hell.

        It's definately a combination of both - I wouldn't like it if I didn't
like what they play (realy???), which in turn creates a notion of what I
love. I'd agree with the "fasten my seatbelt", but only up to a point. I
mean, if they started to sing Maddona songs, mixed in the a Pet Shop
Boys sort of sound, I think I'd have to use my ejector seat.

> >         Unless I'm grossly mistaken, I believe you are talking about the
> Sphynx
> > CD that was a re-done version of the old one, which has nothing to do
> > with Anubian Lights. Anubian Lights is an official, new, with Nik,
> > recording. Admittedly, Nik doesn't write on all of the songs, but
> > then...
>
> no, i am talking about anubian lights,eternal sky. according to
> cleopatra,the music tracks were
> recorded in the studio,and sent to nik for him to add his bits on.

        Well, Nik plays the fluets and the sax, as well, which would be
difficult (but not impossible) to overdub on some of the tracks. Does
this go for Del and Simon, too. I'd find that a bit dificult to believe.
Not that it would lose out that much to do it this way, though.
Electronic music isn't cut in exactly the same way as other music is.

> i never said i dint like it. i bought it after hearing it twice.i love it.
> but it doesnt remotely compare to HW.

        Ah, I see, sorry about misinterpreting your words, then...

SNIPERLY SNIP>>>>

> >         High energy at the shows? Wop on the Silver Machine from Past or
> > Future, for some high energy.....
>
> aaargh!  i cringe every time i hear that song done by anybody! and i think
> nik does it worst of all.
> it (IMO,of course) was a cancerous growth on an otherwise beautiful show in
> niks past or present tour.
> i think the only two people who ever did it justice were brock and lemmy.
> brock has the good sense these days not to try,and lemmy is gone... nik
> just can't handle the vocals. hurts my ears just thinking about it.

        Well, I bet (well, I won't bet, but it's not that likely, then) you
haven't heard Calvert's "Silver Machine Blues": "A big hit in the blues
clubs in the thirties". Now, that's a REAL version of the song.
        Anyway, your right - it all comes down to the individual's taste.

-Max Wilcox



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