Hawkwind‘s debut album, originally released in 1970, is being rereleased as a 3CD box set plus Blu-ray, with the original album completely remastered from the original tapes and several bonus tracks, alongside two other discs which include early days archive live recordings. The new remix by Stephen W Tayler has been described as going beyond a simple remix, more like a subtle reimagining.
Hawkwind were still finding their way when they recorded this album, and there’s little sign of the future direction they were to pioneer and become known for. Only three of the band had any musical experience, and it wasn’t until their third album, 1972’s Doremi Fasol Latido, that they established the space rock sound they would become renowned for. By that point the line-up had changed, with Mick Slattery, Dik Mik and Terry Ollis replaced by Simon King, Del Dettmar, Robert Calvert and Lemmy, arguably the classic Hawkwind line-up.
This remastered debut album, after opening track ‘Hurry On Sundown’, which recalls Dave Brock‘s time as a busker, consists of several pieces of psychedelic wandering. Tracks like ‘Paranoia’, ‘Seeing It As You Really Are’, ‘The Reason Is’ and ‘Be Yourself’ are freeform excursions, extensive psychedelic jams rather than songs. ‘Mirror Of Illusion’, however, gives a hint of the direction Hawkwind were to follow, with its lyrics about escaping from reality. There are also several additional bonus tracks, including mono single versions of ‘Hurry On Sundown’ and ‘Mirror Of Illusion’, plus ‘Bring It On Home’, another nod to Brock‘s busking days, as well as a stellar version of Pink Floyd‘s ‘Cymbaline’.
Disc two is the debut album remixed from the original master tapes by Stephen W Tayler, and the difference in quality is startling. The sound is now so much clearer and brings to the fore elements hidden on the original mix. The sax on ‘Paranoia’ is now noticeable, Mick Slattery‘s guitar on ‘Be Yourself’ is crystal clear and ‘Mirror Of Illusion’ now sounds like a different track altogether. There’s also an early version of ‘You Know You’re Only Dreaming’, which is very different from the one that featured on follow-up album In Search Of Space.
The third disc is a live recording, no details given of where, with ‘Hurry On Sundown’ now minus the harmonica and instead featuring a lengthy guitar break, while ‘Mirror Of Illusion’ becomes a shorter, spoken word piece. There are two unreleased tracks: the fifteen-minute ‘We Do It’, where, during some aimless psychedelic meanderings, the riff to future Hawkwind classic ‘Masters Of The Universe’ can be detected, and ‘Came Home’, with guitar being played over a monotonous bass riff.
Despite the long meanderings, Hawkwind‘s first album is a fascinating historical period piece, highlighting the embryonic steps taken by a band who would go on to become space rock pioneers and, in this reviewer’s opinion, one of the most important and influential UK bands. Sadly, of the musicians on this album, only drummer Terry Ollis and Space Commander Dave Brock, now a sprightly 84 and still playing in Hawkwind, are still with us. Overall, though, this is an album which, if you’re new to Hawkwind, shouldn’t be your starting point. Start with Doremi Fasol Latido, work forward through their 70s classics and then come back to see where it all began to give yourself the bigger picture.