Hawkwind is an English rock band and one of the earliest space rock groups.… Read Full Bio ↴Hawkwind is an English rock band and one of the earliest space rock groups. The band was formed by ex-busker and blues man Dave Brock in Ladbroke Grove, London, who intended to marry simple three-chord rock with experimental electronic music. He cites his influences for the band at the time as The Moody Blues, Steve Miller Band and the krautrock scene of Kraftwerk, Neu! and particularly Can.
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 βHAWKWINDβ, 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 βNo I donβt want to spoil it!β Huw Lloyd-Langton remained with them until late 1971. The band shot to fame in 1972 with their hit record βSilver Machineβ featuring Lemmy (now of MotΓΆrhead 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 βMOTORHEADβ, 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 βWIDOWMAKERβ 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 βHAWKLORDSβ, performing the stage show βMETROPOLISβ. Throughout the 70's, Hawkwind released a series of classic albums; βIN SEARCH OF SPACEβ, βDOREMI FASOL LATIDOβ, βSPACE RITUALβ,
βHALL OF THE MOUNTAIN GRILLβ, βWARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIMEβ, βASTOUNDING SOUNDS, AMAZING MUSICβ, βQUARK STRANGENESS & CHARMβ and βPXR 5β. 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 βGongβ on keyboards.
Their live album βLIVE 79β went straight into the national top ten charts chart. In 1980 Ginger Baker replaced Simon King on drums and they recorded their classic album βLEVITATIONβ. 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 bandβs singles and albums were never out of the national, independent and heavy metal charts, with albums such as βSONIC ATTACK, βCHURCH 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 βCHOOSE YOUR MASQUESβ 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 βCHRONICLES OF THE BLACK SWORDβ, a stageshow portraying music and images based on Michael Moorcockβs epic saga, βELRICβ. During this period the band reached a new audience with the emergence of ambient acts such as The Orb openly acknowledging Hawkwindβs 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 βLOVE IN SPACE release. In 1997 they headlined the β1ST SPACEROCK FESTIVAL USAβ. In 2000, the band staged the highly successful βHAWKESTRAβ 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 β 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 !
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 βHAWKWINDβ, 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 βNo I donβt want to spoil it!β Huw Lloyd-Langton remained with them until late 1971. The band shot to fame in 1972 with their hit record βSilver Machineβ featuring Lemmy (now of MotΓΆrhead 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 βMOTORHEADβ, 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 βWIDOWMAKERβ 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 βHAWKLORDSβ, performing the stage show βMETROPOLISβ. Throughout the 70's, Hawkwind released a series of classic albums; βIN SEARCH OF SPACEβ, βDOREMI FASOL LATIDOβ, βSPACE RITUALβ,
βHALL OF THE MOUNTAIN GRILLβ, βWARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIMEβ, βASTOUNDING SOUNDS, AMAZING MUSICβ, βQUARK STRANGENESS & CHARMβ and βPXR 5β. 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 βGongβ on keyboards.
Their live album βLIVE 79β went straight into the national top ten charts chart. In 1980 Ginger Baker replaced Simon King on drums and they recorded their classic album βLEVITATIONβ. 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 bandβs singles and albums were never out of the national, independent and heavy metal charts, with albums such as βSONIC ATTACK, βCHURCH 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 βCHOOSE YOUR MASQUESβ 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 βCHRONICLES OF THE BLACK SWORDβ, a stageshow portraying music and images based on Michael Moorcockβs epic saga, βELRICβ. During this period the band reached a new audience with the emergence of ambient acts such as The Orb openly acknowledging Hawkwindβs 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 βLOVE IN SPACE release. In 1997 they headlined the β1ST SPACEROCK FESTIVAL USAβ. In 2000, the band staged the highly successful βHAWKESTRAβ 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 β 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 !
Choose Your Masks
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're handing out the weapons
And your armour's ready too
But the most important item
Has been left up to you
You must make a firm decision
And once it's made you'll find
That the form that you have chosen
Can entirely fill your mind
For the mask you have selected
Stands for Chaos or for Law
And you cannot take it off now
'Til you're no longer in the War
And the Masks of War are grinning
And from under them you howl
Out the slogans of the part you play
for the Battle's starting now
Choose your Masks
The ranks are forming
Choose your Masks
The day is dawning
Choose your Masks
And choose the side that you'll be on
And learn the words of your new song
For the Battle will be long so long
And your armour's ready too
But the most important item
Has been left up to you
You must make a firm decision
And once it's made you'll find
That the form that you have chosen
For the mask you have selected
Stands for Chaos or for Law
And you cannot take it off now
'Til you're no longer in the War
And the Masks of War are grinning
And from under them you howl
Out the slogans of the part you play
for the Battle's starting now
Choose your Masks
The ranks are forming
Choose your Masks
The day is dawning
Choose your Masks
And choose the side that you'll be on
And learn the words of your new song
For the Battle will be long so long
In "Choose Your Masks," Hawkwind paints a picture of soldiers preparing for battle by donning their metaphorical masks. The song speaks to the idea that in war, individuals are not only fighting for their nation or cause but also for the ideals and principles that they believe in. The lyrics suggest that the most crucial decision a soldier makes when preparing for battle is the choice of the mask they will wear- the embodiment of either Chaos or Law.
The song's lyrics suggest that the mask a soldier chooses will entirely fill their mind, emphasizing the idea that one's beliefs and principles are critical in war. The masks also represent slogans and ideals that the different factions stand for, further emphasizing the power of ideology in times of war. The Masks of War are depicted as grinning, perhaps indicating the mocking nature of conflict and its inevitable consequence of loss.
Overall, "Choose Your Masks" can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the power of ideologies during war and the importance of choosing one's principles wisely before going to battle.
Line by Line Meaning
They're handing out the weapons
You are being given the tools to fight
And your armour's ready too
You have protection but there is more to come
But the most important item
Despite the tools and protection, something else is needed
Has been left up to you
It is your responsibility to decide
You must make a firm decision
A strong commitment is required
And once it's made you'll find
The decision will shape your perspective
That the form that you have chosen
The choice you have made
Can entirely fill your mind
Will consume you completely
For the mask you have selected
The choice you have made
Stands for Chaos or for Law
Represents the two opposing sides
And you cannot take it off now
You cannot change your decision
Til you're no longer in the War
Until the conflict is over
And the Masks of War are grinning
The two sides are preparing to fight
And from under them you howl
You join in the battle cry of your chosen side
Out the slogans of the part you play
You adopt the beliefs and values of your chosen side
for the Battle's starting now
The conflict is about to begin
Choose your Masks
Decide which side you are on
The ranks are forming
Each side is preparing for battle
Choose your Masks
Make your decision
The day is dawning
The conflict is about to begin
Choose your Masks
You must choose your side
And choose the side that you'll be on
It's up to you which side to join
And learn the words of your new song
Adopt and embrace the beliefs and values of your chosen side
For the Battle will be long so long
The conflict will be intense and difficult
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVE BROCK, L. STEELE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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John Jameson
I have come
But I do not choose now
To do what I came to do
Navigation computer report:
Orbital status now maintained
Target zone vectors logged in
The tube is now ready
Please swallow your blue dreamer
And place the helmet on your head
Simonize41
By far my favourite Hawkwind album; this record has everything: prog, fantasy, heavy rock, psychedelia and groove. An absolute masterpiece! 10/10. This deserves a Record Store Day special edition vinyl release, 100% it does. Vote now!
David Forshaw
πππβ―οΈ
Rush Shukla
A band I've seen a countless times. Trips, some bad, most good but boy did they see the NWO coming. Blue Oyster Cult also borrowed from Moorcock's themes another amazing band.
Spirit Of The Age
They were the main voice of the real 'counter culture' and carried it all the through the 70's and 80's and beyond....the lyrics of the mid to late 70's Calvert Hawkwind albums were especially visionary and had massive warnings and insights about the corporate dystopia being unleashed , was about to get a lot worse (unless people came together and re-connected with Mother Nature.....some of us did, and many didn't even hear the message becuase the MSM blocked Hawkwind from the airwaves and from nearly all other MSM outlets.....the battle is still being fought, and I do believe the 'wholesome counter culture' is now about to win....it wont happen overnight...but it's well on it's way
As the ealry Hawkwind song says...''we are Children Of The Sun'' πβπππππ±π³πΊ
wayne titus
wow 30 years and still sounds like it was done next year
Shane Seccombe
Everyone needs some hawkwind in their lives. Makes you feel better. They don't make stuff like this now. I want to go back to these times again.
David Forshaw
So so true! πππβ―οΈ
WinChun78
What they are singing about is coming real now...
Sid Hawkwind
β@WinChun78 Leaving on a knife edge.
PaulLonden
Hawkwind kept a surprisingly high quality in the 80's.Such a legendary band,Yet one should give baron Brock the credit for keeping this show going to this day.ο»Ώ