HW: Spacebrock - a few comments

[J D]

Hi,
Well, after giving Spacebrock more than a few spins recently, I've got this to say about it ....

HW have always thrived on ambiguity, chaos, obscurity and general vagueness but this release surely takes the biscuit.
Is it really representative to call it a "Hawkwind" CD?
To me it sounds it sounds more of a Dave solo offereing in the vein of Church & Pipe Dreams, despite the participation of Crum, Chadwick & Griffin plus a few unknowns (to me).
As for the track listing, that's a minefield in itself.
At a first glance you may say to yourself "Some People Never Die", oh no, not again! in which case you'd be right, it doesn't appear on the CD at all, other than on the rear sleeve listing.
Similarly the first track "Life Form" is also absent.
The final track "Do You Want This Body" is also missing, however Damage Of Life has been snuck in without any mention on the sleeve.
Of the remaining tracks that are both on the sleeve and actually on the CD, you can choose your own title of at least 3 of the songs as the words in the booklet are listed under different titles to the rear.
Take your pick between :
To Be Or Not / To Be
The Starkness Of The Capsule / Pressing You
1st Landing / The First Landing On Medusa
Wonderfully confusing, intentional or just a mass cock-up?
Despite all these comments on what is largely unimportant anyway, I actually quite like the CD.
Don't expect a HW CD but think of a cross of Church, Agents & Pipe Dreams (I've purposely omitted Earthed).
Who is providing the female voice for Dreamers, The Right Way & Sex Dreams etc?
References to other earlier HW/DB songs........ 
Earth Calling includes the "child choir" voices found on one of the first 2 tracks on IITBOTFTBD or was it just on the tour that I remember them? And I swear the final few seconds of the song consists of live sounds from early 70s.
Could be the end of Earth Calling on Ritual (but maybe I'm being influenced by the song title).
Behind The Face - what the heck's all that about? - Never thought I'd hear "quack, quack" in a HW song!
First Landing sounds like a cross between Holgar Czukay and Daevid Allen.
The final song "The Journey" is a beautiful piece but sadly too short.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, the "Ladies & Gentlemen" announcement (before the throw-up) from Pipe (or is it on White Zone?) also gets an airing somewhere on the CD.
So that's it, quite a bizarre CD all in all !
Why did I feel the need to mention all this?
Cheers,
Jez     



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