Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
About as good as it gets, 2 Oct 2003
By A Customer
This really is a great release. Three CDs full of Hawkwind's best material from the last 30+ years... and excellent value, too. Plus a hefty booklet with most of what you'd ever want to know.There's something for everyone, here - the spaced-out, rumbling heaviness of 'Master of the Universe', the savage proto-punk of 'Urban Guerilla', the techo-rock of 'Right to Decide'... The best tracks though occupy the second half of disc 2 - the late 70s when Bob Calvert was in control. The energy of tracks 'Psi Power' and '25 Years', the humour of 'Quark Strangeness and Charm', and above all the astonishing way in which many of the songs continue to have a resonance with the world today, such as 'Hassan I Sahba' ("Black September, black September... Petro-Dollar, Petrol D'Allah") and 'Spirit of the Age' ("I am a clone, I am not alone..."). There are, of course, a few necessary ommissions of top tracks - 'Lord of Light' would have been nice, as would 'D-Rider', and more of the Hawklords album... but there's only so much you can fit on 3 CDs. A great place to start listening to Hawkwind. If you like what you hear, "Space Ritual" is a great album, and then hope the albums from 76-79 are rereleased sometime! Hawkwind were a truly original band (for much of the time) and their sound is unique. It's a shame they've often (unfairly) dragged around an image of either aging hippies or pretentious proggers. One of the most dynamic bands of the last 30 years, who meant every word. Onward flies the bird...
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14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Set the Controls for Planet (B)rock!, 18 Nov 2004
This three CD compilation spanning the career and development of Hawkwind is far from a comprehensive collection of their output. That said it does give a reasonable flavour of the changing phases and lineups that these stoners have experienced over the last four decades and at the price represents cracking value for money plus a great introduction to the band if you're neither a completist nor hard-core fan. I myself fall into the last category, which is to say I only posess around ten of their albums (which probably makes me something of a lightweight in fans terms!).
Hawkwind, like most bands, started interestingly and enthusiastically yet took time to develop their musical identity. Their proficiency as musicians could best be described as 'rudimentary' yet, by the time they had refined their particular brand of space rock they were experts in delivering the required sonic trip to accompany a 'quiet evening in'.
It is a crying shame though that some of the best material on this retrospective is no longer available from the albums they were lifted (at least for sensible money): the albums 'Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music', 'Live 79' and, particuarly 'Quark, Strangeness and Charm' are probably the best they ever did in my view. At least 'Live 79' was rereleased in a remastered CD but even that seems to have been deleted! And why 'Q,S&C' shouldn't get the remaster/release treatment when other far less deserving albums have I just don't know...I could go on and on about it but I won't. I'll stop. Now.
Edit 12/08/09: Q,S&C, Astounding Sounds..& Live 79 have now been remastered & expanded! They sound terrific - especially Q,S &C. BUY!
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff!!, 23 Jun 2005
By A Customer
OK we can quibble about song selection, (no 'Lord Of Light!), but this is pretty near to a best of.Great that it is in chronological order covering their three main periods. Whilst some of their latter songs are a bit weak, most of the stuff here is tremendous. Buy this CD!!!!
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