HW: Kings Of Speed Instrumental

[starfield]

Synths used - Hawkwind used, as you say, several EMS Synthi AKS machines,
and a Korg 700. Simon House has vague recollections of a rented  Minimoog
being used in the studios for Warriors and Astounding.

Captain Bl at ck


----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Pearson <ceres at SIRIUS.COM>
To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU>
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2000 8:28 PM
Subject: Re: HW: Kings Of Speed Instrumental


> On Fri, 1 Dec 2000 14:54:53 -0000, david hall
> <dave at PARMA29.FREESERVE.CO.UK> wrote:
> >This was released by Flicknife in the early 80's when was it recorded 74
> or 75?
>
> The short answer is that, to me, it sounds exactly like the released
track,
> minus any vocal overdubs, so that would put the recording date as early
'75
> (same as the rest of the 'Warrior' LP ... I don't know the *exact* dates
> they were in the studio, but the album was released in May? 1975, right?).
>
> What I *suspect*, is that during the recording of 'Warrior', the band (or
> at least Dave, and presumably the "soloists"/vocalists - Nik, Simon House
&
> Lemmy), received rough mixes of the basic tracks, before any overdubs were
> recorded (definitely standard practice in multi-track recording).  That
> would explain why the version of "Motorhead" doesn't have the original
sax,
> violin and vocal overdubs.  The Flicknife versions of both "Kings of
Speed"
> AND "Motorhead" would have come from these (hypothetical) tapes - the
> former in its original form, the latter with Dave's vocal & synth overdubs
> done contemporary to the release, NOT the original recording.  The
giveaway
> for that hypothesis (overdubs done late 70s/early 80s, NOT '75) is the
> "popping" synth noises.  Had they been recorded in '75, the synth used
> would have been either EMS (Synthi AKS), Moog (Minimoog), or possibly ARP
> (Odyssey or 2600).  The sound is clearly an LFO-modulated resonant filter,
> and it sounds nothing like the filters of those instruments.  However, it
> does sound A LOT like the resonant filter of a Korg MS-20 (first
> manufactured in 78 or 79), which Dave & Hawkwind were using extensively
> circa 80/83 (it's listed on the 'Church of Hawkwind' gear list).
>
> I prefer the synth overdubs of the Flicknife version to the violin & sax
on
> the original (those instruments just don't seem right for the band that
was
> named after the song, but the synths are sufficiently aggressive ... and
> the synth "notes" [as opposed to "noises] sound awful close to the guitar
> solo Fast Eddie played on live versions the song - 'No Sleep Til
> Hammersmith' etc.), but nobody can sing that song like Lemmy can!
>
> Anyone else have thoughts on this?
>
>         -Doug
>          ceres at sirius.com