The band was formed in 1969 by visionary Dave Brock and although it has been subject to numerous line-up changes it is still led by him. The early line-up featured Dave Brock on vocals and rhythm guitar, Huw Lloyd-Langton on lead guitar, Terry Ollis on drums, Thomas Crimble on bass, Nik Turner on Saxophone and Dik Mik on synthesizer.
The band became established as a space-rock underground band with their renowned concert at the Glastonbury Rock Festival 1970 when they set up in an alternative field and played a free concert, pulling crowds away from the main event. Their debut album, the self titled ‘HAWKWIND’, was released by EMI and to this day still sells steadily. In 1970 they appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival where Jimi Hendrix was spotted in the audience. He was asked to get up and join the band and he replied ‘No I don’t want to spoil it!’ Huw Lloyd-Langton remained with them until late 1971. The band shot to fame in 1972 with their hit record ‘Silver Machine’ featuring Lemmy (now of Motörhead fame) on vocals. (This record featured in the soundtrack of a recent TV Mazda advert in the UK). In 1973 Simon House (Electric Violin) joined, and throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, the renowned World famous Sci-fi author, Michael Moorcock often recorded and appeared with them.
Lemmy was sacked from the band in 1975 after a drugs bust in USA, and went on to form ‘MOTORHEAD’, named after the last track he wrote for the band, a slang term for speed freak. Huw Lloyd-Langton joined Leo Sayer in 1974 and then in 1975 went on to form supergroup ‘WIDOWMAKER’ WITH Steve Ellis (Love Affair), Luther Grosvenor (Mott The Hoople), Paul Nicholls (Lindisfarne) and Bob Daisley (Ozzy Osborne). In 1977, Simon House joined David Bowie. Dave Brock and poet Bob Calvert tour as ‘HAWKLORDS’, performing the stage show ‘METROPOLIS’. Throughout the 70's, Hawkwind released a series of classic albums; ‘IN SEARCH OF SPACE’, ‘DOREMI FASOL LATIDO’, ‘SPACE RITUAL’,
‘HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN GRILL’, ‘WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME’, ‘ASTOUNDING SOUNDS, AMAZING MUSIC’, ‘QUARK STRANGENESS & CHARM’ and ‘PXR 5’. In 1979, Dave formed another nucleus with Huw Lloyd-Langton on lead guitar, Simon King on drums, Harvey Bainbridge (from Hawklords) on bass and Tim Blake from ‘Gong’ on keyboards.
Their live album ‘LIVE 79’ went straight into the national top ten charts chart. In 1980 Ginger Baker replaced Simon King on drums and they recorded their classic album ‘LEVITATION’. Once again, the release went straight into national top ten album chart. Tim Blake and Ginger Baker remaied with the band until after the Christmas Tour 1980. From 1979 to 1985 the band’s singles and albums were never out of the national, independent and heavy metal charts, with albums such as ‘SONIC ATTACK, ‘CHURCH OF HAWKWIND', 'CHRONICLE OF THE BLACK SWORD, 'LIVE CHRONICLES' AND 'XENON CODEX'. Nik Turner who left the band in 1975 briefly rejoined the band 1982-1983 for the ‘CHOOSE YOUR MASQUES’ tour. In 1984 Alan Davey replaces Harvey Bainbridge on bass and Harvey moved over to keyboards and synths. In 1985 the band tour with the spectacular ‘CHRONICLES OF THE BLACK SWORD’, a stageshow portraying music and images based on Michael Moorcock’s epic saga, ‘ELRIC’. During this period the band reached a new audience with the emergence of ambient acts such as The Orb openly acknowledging Hawkwind’s influence.
Huw Lloyd-Langton remained with the band throughout the end of the 80s, departing in 1989 followed
shortly after by Harvey Bainbridge. The band continued to perform live throughout the nineties, and had
some noteable album releases such as, 'SPACE BANDITS', 'PALACE SPRINGS', 'ELECTRIC TEPEE',
'IT IS THE BUSINESS OF THE FUTURE TO BE DANGEROUS', 'THE BUSINESS TRIP', 'ALIEN 4',
'LOVE IN SPACE' and 'DISTANT HORIZONS'. During their entire existence the band have performed numerous free concerts, notably STONEHENGE and have supported various charities, which include SHELTER, when in 1977 at the Blackheath Concert Halls they raised thousands of pounds for the homeless, and even released a charity single version of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" with Samantha Fox guesting on vocals. N.A.S.A. in the USA have also used sound tracks from the ‘LOVE IN SPACE release. In 1997 they headlined the ‘1ST SPACEROCK FESTIVAL USA’. In 2000, the band staged the highly successful ‘HAWKESTRA’ event at the London Brixton Academy, which saw many past members reunited on stage with a nucleus of Dave Brock, Ron Tree, Jerry Richards, Hugh Lloyd-Langton, Simon House, Richard Chadwick, Alan Davey and Tim Blake. In 2001 they were voted the 8th top progressive band in the country on Channel 4 TV. The band have recently released a double live cd recording of their Xmas 2000 'Yule Ritual' show at the London Astoria, as well as the Arthur Brown helmed 'Out of the Shadows' in 2007.The concept of a Hawkestra, a reunion event featuring appearances from all past and present members, had originally been intended to coincide with the band's 30th anniversary and the release of the career spanning Epocheclipse – 30 Year Anthology set, but logistical problems delayed it until 21 October 2000. It took place at the Brixton Academy with about 20 members taking part in a 3+ hour set which was filmed and recorded. Guests included Samantha Fox who sang Master of the Universe. However, arguments and disputes over financial recompense and musical input resulted in the prospect of the event being restaged unlikely, and any album or DVD release being indefinitely shelved.The Hawkestra had set a template for Brock to assemble a core band of Tree, Brock, Richards, Davey, Chadwick and for the use of former members as guests on live shows and studio recordings. The 2000 Christmas Astoria show was recorded with contributions from House, Blake, Rizz, Moorcock, Jez Huggett and Keith Kniveton and released as Yule Ritual the following year.
In 2001, Davey agreed to rejoin the band permanently, but only afiter the departure of Tree and Richards.
Meanwhile, having rekindled relationships with old friends at the Hawkestra, Turner organised further Hawkestra gigs resulting in the formation of xhawkwind.com, a band consisting mainly of ex-Hawkwind members and playing old Hawkwind songs. An appearance at Guilfest in 2002 led to confusion as to whether this actually was Hawkwind, sufficiently irking Brock into taking legal action to prohibit Turner from trading under the name Hawkwind. Turner lost the case and the band now perform as Space Ritual.
An appearance at the Canterbury Sound Festival in August 2001, resulting in another live album Canterbury Fayre 2001, saw guest appearances from Lloyd-Langton, House, Kniveton with Arthur Brown on "Silver Machine". The band organised the first of their own weekend festivals, named Hawkfest, in Devon in the summer of 2002. Brown joined the band in 2002 for a Winter tour which featured some Kingdom Come songs and saw appearances from Blake and Lloyd-Langton, the Newcastle show being released on DVD as Out of the Shadows and the London show on CD as Spaced Out in London.
In 2005 the long anticipated new album Take Me to Your Leader was released. Recorded by the core band of Brock/Davey/Chadwick, contributors included new keyboardist Jason Stuart, Arthur Brown, tabloid writer and TV personality Matthew Wright, 1970s New Wave singer Lene Lovich, Simon House and Jez Huggett. This was followed in 2006 by the CD/DVD disc Take Me to Your Future.
The band were the subject of an hour-long television documentary entitled Hawkwind: Do Not Panic that aired on BBC Four as part of the Originals series. It was broadcast on 30 March 2007 and repeated on 10 August 2007. Although Brock participated in its making he did not appear in the programme, it is alleged that he requested all footage of himself be removed after he was denied any artistic control over the documentary.. In one of the documentary's opening narratives regarding Brock, it is stated that he declined to be interviewed for the programme because of Nik Turner's involvement, indicating that the two men have still not been reconciled over the xhawkwind.com incident.
June 2007 saw the departure of Alan Davey, who left to perform and record with two new bands: Gunslinger and Thunor. He was replaced by "Mr Dibs", a long-standing member of the road crew and bassist for the bands Spacehead and Krel (who had supported Hawkwind during 1992). The band performed at their annual Hawkfest festival and headlined the US festival NEARfest and played gigs in PA and NY. At the end of 2007, Tim Blake once again joined the band filling the lead role playing keyboards and theremin. The band played 5 Christmas dates, the London show being released as an audio CD and video DVD under the title Knights of Space.
The band's official Website is to be found at www.hawkwind.com
HAWKWIND and solo projects: Dave Brock, Nik Turner, Inner City Unit, Lemmy, Motorhead, Huw Lloyd Langton Group, Robert Calvert, Alan Davey, Bedouin, Michael Moorcock Deep Fix, Harvey Bainbridge, Agents Of Chaos ,Space Ritual, Spiral Realms,ect.A truly prolific act !
Assassins of Allah
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hashish-hashin Hashish-hashin
Hashish-hashin Hashish-hashin
Hashishin
Black-September Black-September
Black-September Black-September
Black-September Black-September
Death unto all infidels, in oil
Guide us o thou genie of the smoke
Lead us to a thousand and one nights
In the perfumed gardens of delight
Petro-dollar Petro-dollar
Petrol-D'allah Petrol-D'allah
Petro-dollar Petro-dollar
Petro-dollar
It is written in the soul of the desert
It is written in the signs in the stars
It is written in the sands of the hour-glass
It is written
It is written in the eye of the falcon
It is written in the shade of the scorpion
It is written in the wealth of the sun
It is written
It is written that man's truth is a mirage
It is written that death is an oasis
It is written for all unbelievers
It is written
The song "Assassins of Allah" by Hawkwind touches upon themes of religion, politics, and the use of drugs to gain insight into these matters. The repeated phrase "Hashish-hashin" and "Hashishin" refers to the Hashshashin, a Muslim sect known for their affiliation with hashish, an intoxicating drug made from marijuana resin. The Hashshashin were notorious for carrying out assassinations on their enemies, leading to the term "assassin" being derived from their name. The song suggests a parallel between this historical group and modern-day Islamic extremists, as the phrase is repeated alongside "Black-September", a Palestinian terrorist organization that carried out several attacks in the 1970s.
The lyrics also mention "petro-dollar" and "Petrol-D'allah", referring to the economic and political power exerted by oil-rich countries in the Middle East. The phrase "death unto all infidels, in oil" seems to suggest the idea that oil is seen as a symbol of power and control by extremist groups, who are willing to use violence to protect their interests. The lines "It is written in the sands of the hour-glass" and "It is written in the eye of the falcon" suggest that this worldview is deeply ingrained in the culture and traditions of the Middle East, and cannot be easily erased.
Overall, the song reflects on the complex nature of religion, politics, and ideology in the Middle East, as well as the ways in which these issues intersect with drug use and addiction. The use of repeated phrases and a hypnotic rhythm create an eerie and haunting atmosphere that captures the intensity and passion of these themes.
Line by Line Meaning
Hashish-hashin Hashish-hashin
Repetition of "Hashish-hashin" to create a hypnotic effect
Hashishin
Assassins who were rumored to use hashish to achieve a fearless state, allowing them to carry out their missions
Black-September Black-September
Repetition of "Black-September" to emphasize an extremist Palestinian organization responsible for carrying out the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972
Death unto all infidels, in oil
Calling for the death of all non-believers, with the added motive of controlling oil resources
Guide us o thou genie of the smoke
Requesting for guidance from the hashish spirit or influence
Lead us to a thousand and one nights
Asking to be transported to the land of Arabian nights or a mythical paradise
In the perfumed gardens of delight
Describing an idyllic place abundant in pleasures
Petro-dollar Petro-dollar
Repetition of "Petro-dollar" to highlight the economic leverage provided by oil money
Petrol-D'allah Petrol-D'allah
Wordplay on "Petrol" and "Allah" to suggest the union of religion and oil power
It is written in the soul of the desert
Suggesting that ancient wisdom and knowledge is ingrained in the spirit of the desert
It is written in the signs in the stars
Referring to the belief in astrology and that prophecies are written in the stars
It is written in the sands of the hour-glass
Symbolizing the inevitability of fate and destiny
It is written in the eye of the falcon
Invoking the image of a bird of prey with sharp vision and the ability to strike from great heights
It is written in the shade of the scorpion
Suggesting that hidden danger and betrayal can be found in even the smallest or most obscure places
It is written in the wealth of the sun
Referring to the belief that solar energy and light possess divine qualities
It is written that man's truth is a mirage
Suggesting that human understanding and perception of reality is elusive and not entirely trustworthy
It is written that death is an oasis
Imploring the idea that death can be a welcoming refuge in the afterlife
It is written for all unbelievers
Claiming that these beliefs and prophecies are intended for those outside the faith
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Brock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hlamart1
This is one of those Hawkwind songs with them at a peak. Davey and Brock collaboration showing just how great they were and could be given the right moment and energy. Assassins could have been from any of the early albums. Calling it “timeless” is off point as everything they during their peak performances was above Time. Alan Davey brought out the energy and song-craft they needed. Hurts to speak of his departure, and yet it was necessary since he was mistreated by them all at a time when he was stressing on pulling Hawkwind up from the cold at a time when they most needed him.
@KennethDonnellyStargazer21
Addictive.. This song will not let go.
Love the Hawks!
@cunobelinusX31
Best band ever when you're tripping?
@lowharvey66
Quark Strangeness and Charm was a quirky, strange, but generally charming album from the band, and this song, in its studio-recorded form, was probably not much more than join-the-dots Hawkwind. But this version, with its extended overture section, musical explosion at about half way with the 'it is written' section (originally the endpiece of the song) being brought to the front of the exposition section and the ditching of the verse/chorus/verse/chorus approach of the original turns an ordinary song into a magical and spine-tingling experience. With Hawkwind at the top of their game here, you just won't get a better more involving musical experience than this.
@jherekcarnelian882
Except that when seen live it left everyone feeling incomplete. It builds and builds, promises soo much and yet fails to deliver the full punch. Have seen the Hawks do far better versions "live", Brixton 1992 for the all nighter being a great example when they ended on this!
@iosifanastasiadis2751
K 3000 ATOMA NA KANOUN TIN XORO TIS SUNAULIAS GIPEDO ANAFONTAS KAPNOGONA K TRAGOUDONTAS TO STA ASTERIA THELO GYPEDO KAYLA MEGALI
@tomabram6563
Absolutely outstanding 👌👌
@cunobelinusX31
This is shit, you talk nonsense
@nodiggity9472
Hi Harvey
@Summerisle1961
This is one of their greatest segue pieces, I never tire of listening to it and they must have played it for a good eight years on tour. But why the credits? I'd love a clean video.