HW: technique (was: '80's sound...)

[K Henderson]

Tim said...

>"it sounded to me like someone who'd learned how to play like Lemmy, and
>then taken it a bit further"
>
>- of course, if HW didn't play so many old songs, maybe bass players
>wouldn't be inclined to play like Lemmy. A friend set me his set list (from
>memory) of the February 2000 Sydney concert, and I was fairly appalled when
>I worked out that the average first recording date of the songs they played
>that night was 1976. They had a newer setlist than that back in 1983.

>I hope
>it was just a sort of one-off thing on account of it being the first time
>they'd played this country.

I think this is absolutely true.  Look at the set lists from the 1989
(supposedly) Xenon Codex NA tour, the first time in the states since 1978.
Again, it's a lot of 70s stuff.  Of course, Huwy had just split, so they
dumped a lot of stuff that featured his guitar leads, but since then,
they've thrown back in some of the 80s stuff (now with Jerry, I guess it's
easier).  But I think the 'first time here' (in a long time) was a factor
back in 1989 also. Steve Taylor may also have been an issue for
OZ/NZ...perhaps there wasn't enough time for him to learn much 'newer' stuff.

I'm not sure where all of this discussion about the presumed talent level of
the group is going.  I didn't realise that I was opening a can of worms or
anything. And I wasn't really referring specifically to Brock, though I know
in that interview he did for the LP collectors' box (?), he basically said
the same thing at length.  "Well, we can get by...." and all that...

But I seem to get the impression that nobody's really contesting the main
point here (yeah, a Simon House here, a HLL there, ok)...so that we all
pretty much agree that they've continually succeeded in making great music
without a cast of virtuosos.  I mean, I think it's a given that a 'Learn
Dave Brock's guitar soloing technique' set of videocassettes wouldn't sell
too well (except to some of you kollektors)...because I imagine that the
kind of people that buy this sort of thing and aspire to the stardom of
Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads would've already missed the point about
what makes good music.*  (Plus, they never would have heard of him.)  And so
anything that Brock could tell them (like "Don't play too many notes at
once.") would be lost on them.  But of course, what Brock does best is what
makes Hawkwind the band that it is...brilliant songwriter, outstanding
arranger of live performances (and always given a different cast of
characters to work with), and so within that framework, his guitar leads
(when he does decide to play them) work fabulously, like on that 1989 tour I
was talking about earlier.  Oh yeah, and of course, rhythm guitar is always
more important, and he's not too shabby at that either.  :)

And is/was Lemmy really a great bass player, technically-speaking?  (I
really don't know and don't care, 'cause I *know* he's been a great
bass-playing innovator which is the key.  They don't call him the Bass
Assassin fer nuthin'.) So again, perhaps we're mainly in agreement here,
just not keeping estimation of 'talent' v. 'style' entirely straight.

At least there's no doubt that he's got a great singing voice.  :)

Keith H. (FAA)

(*No, I'm not saying that these guys didn't make good music...just that
those who aspire to become what they were are probably not going do anything
worthwhile.)