HW: The Ambient Anarchists

[Keith Henderson]

Hi Folks...

The Ambient Anarchists....where the hell did this compilation come from??  I
just picked it up on Saturday, as there were things on there I didn't
recognise...after listening to some of it, I still don't.

It's a two-disc compilation on the Snapper Music Label (SMD CD 121), and it
says licensed from EBS so it's legit (one of the few?), and has a total of
27 tracks.  It covers the entire history of HW, and is fairly representative
of all the various styles.  Although the title suggests it focusses more on
the ambient style of Hawkwind, there are lots of exceptions, like Right to
Decide, Motorhead, Streets of Fear, Uncle Sam's on Mars, etc.

OK, now on to the previously unknown (to me) material.  There is a version
of Sonic Attack (one of two on the compilation....very strange) that doesn't
sound familiar to me.  It suggests in the liner notes that it's from 1973,
and the vocals seem to be Calvert.  There are also three tracks I know I've
never heard before...entitled UFO Line, Earth, and Time & Space.  All three
are ambientish instrumentals.   UFO Line is very brief and simply leads into
Abducted.  Earth is a 4-minute or so piece that sounds quite a bit like
something from Brock's 'Earthed to the Ground' solo noodling. Pretty decent
track I'd say.  Time & Space seems more recent (Alan is credited along with
Brock)...an ok track also.  Finally, there is a version of the Assassins of
Allah/Space is Their (Palestine) live bit they've been doing for awhile now
in concert.  I think this may be from the Love in Space EP....is that right?
However, it's shorter than what I remember, as the first 'half' of AoA is
simply the intro bit, and then it cuts right into the middle SiT(P) part.
Unfortunately, Lord of Light from LIS isn't on this one...I'd like to have
that recording sometime...don't understand why they left it off the Love in
Space double.

Another strange thing....I'm listening to disc one right now, and track
three is definitely PXR5, although it says that it's supposed to be High
Rise.  And yet another thing.....song credits (which we've seen change many
times) are changing again.  Motorway City says (Brock/Nevill)....who the
hell is Nevill???  and the second Sonic Attack says
(Ferreira/McBean/Moorcock), whereas the other one (the 1981 studio version)
says just (Moorcock).

Wait a second....Motorway City just came on....I have never heard this
(obviously live) version before.  Maybe there's more new stuff to come on
the rest of this disc. So what's the deal with this comp.???  Where did all
this stuff come from??

I've been gone for most of the last three months...maybe there's been some
discussion before about this one that I missed.  If so, can anyone fill me in?

Thanks for any help....Keith H. (FAA)

ObCD:  La Dusseldorf-Viva

P.S.  Psychedelic Warlords just came on...it's also something I've never
heard...it's from early 80's, as Huwy is singing and playing lead.