Official Post From Hawkwind

[Bryan Young]

----- Original Message -----
> From: John Majka <jmajka2 at COMCAST.NET>
> > Actually, despite all the negative publicity, "Bring Me the Head of Yuri
> > Gagarin" is a fine quality bootleg recording...
> > ---snip---
> > The real problem is that it gets re-issued every other
> > week with a new title and artwork.


----- The Reply Was -----
From: "Michael Blackman" <michael_1968 at OZEMAIL.COM.AU>
> Ahhhhh.  Fair enough then.  Perhaps one day I will fork out the money.
But
> I need a few others before I get that one.  I would imagine that the
quality
> from release to re release is of the same quality so it wouldn't matter
> which one I happened to buy? (be it the latest or the earliest release)
>
> Cheers
> Mb

Everybody should have one copy of Yuri Gargarin, but I'm not sure everybody
should pay for their copy.  It's worth a listen, and it's got historical
significance.  I actually listened to one of my many copies last month
(using headphones) and was able to enjoy it for the first time ever.  I
listened to it as if it were a bootleg, and not as an album, and gave it the
technical listen I would give any other illicit recording (trying to hear
flaws, such as tiny clicks, etc that might be improved upon in other
versions).  But to pay for it is something else, as it won't benefit the
band in any way.  I've bought it enough that I cringe now when I catch
myself getting yet another copy and forking over my cash.

My point is actually this -- I've got about 5 of these Yuri Gagarin discs,
even though I've never really enjoyed it.  From time to time I've had some
money in my pocket, and I needed to buy Hawkwind, and the latest Yuri
Gagarin was all there was, so I've snapped them up.  It doesn't stop
there -- I've had every single Hawkwind title multiple times.  I've often
sold some of them for money, but I've always bought them back again later
elsewhere.  I've bought vinyl, cassettes, cds, videotapes, dvds, etc.  And
my collection is pretty insignificant compared to some of the guys out
there.

So, considering that I've got everything (most in multiple quantities), and
that I'm continuing to buy more (on a continual basis), and I STILL NEED
MORE, does that make me a bit insatiable or something?  I understand it's
totally the band's decision if they support or discourage any fan like
myself who might want to collect even more recordings.  I can't fault them
either way -- they've got the freedom of choice.

But you've argued tonight that we should not get disappointed when the band
makes such a decision.  You've written emails that say how the various live
albums should be good enough.  "There's lots of official live albums from
every era, so that should be good enough."  But Michael, if your collection
doesn't even include Yuri Gagarin (and I've got many of them), then do you
really understand where I'm coming from?  Do you really think you can
persuade me that I don't need any more live recordings?

With some other bands that I collect (such as Blackmore's Rainbow), all the
songs basically sound the same, so one or two live recordings per tour is
good enough.  No big deal.  But with Hawkwind, you might get a different
sound on each night.  There's a good chance of hearing something totally
unique from one night to the next.  This is part of the whole appeal of
Hawkwind to me.  Not only do I have a voracious appetite for listening to
this band, I also have a compelling interest in building up some historical
archive of the various musical moments in the band.  If that means seeking
out ten or fifteen live recordings per tour, then it sounds good to me.

So you see, I think we're coming from slightly different perspectives. You
say that you'll buy Yuri eventually, but that you've got a few others you
need first.  I've got all the Yuri's that I can fit on my shelf (and I'll
buy more if I find any other variations and if I have the cash on hand that
day), and I'm building up a stock of extra copies of the other more
essential albums, too.  And I'm not even what I'd consider a Kompletist.
(I've only been collecting for about 16-18 years, so I'm a raw rookie
compared to some people here.)

So please, don't try to persuade me that a lack of taping for future gigs
will not be disappointing for me.  I live so far from any city that even if
Hawkwind came to Canada I'd be too far away to see them play.  Any limit to
trading is going to be quite personally difficult to deal with.  Should you
feel sorry for me?   No.  Should the band change their policy to appease me?
No.  But should you try to persuade me that this was a good decision and
that there'll be plenty of official album releases to console me?  No,
that's impossible.  They'd have to come out with a new recording at least
once a month to keep me busy and happy.  And that's not going to happen,
unless they begin releasing boots online.  (And not for download, as I'm on
a slow modem and won't be able to access anything that way....)

Given the choice, I'd always take an official album over an audience
recording.  But there's only so much that you can buy, and then you've got
it all, and then the audience recording starts to seem pretty important,
too....

Sorry if this sounds personal, as I'm not angry at you in any way.  You're a
great guy, and I appreciate that you're sticking up for the band despite
some negative comments.  But I do hope to give you some added insight and
perspective.  And I hope that I've not offended anybody here.

That's all I've got on this thread (on this mailing list).  Peace to all the
Hawkpersons.

Bryan