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 !
Choose Your Masues
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And your armor'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
The lyrics of Hawkwind's "Choose Your Masques" depict a situation where people are being handed weapons as a preparation for a war. The most crucial decision that they have to make is choosing their masks, which represent either Chaos or Law. Once a person chooses a mask, they cannot take it off during the war because it fills their mind entirely. Under their masks, they howl out the slogans of the part they play, portraying the decision to be a vital one, as it affects the side they take in the battle.
The lyrics suggest that the Battle's start is inevitable, and it will be a long one. The tone of the song portrays a sense of urgency and anticipation. It represents the idea of having to choose a side and stick to it during the fight. It is not only about fighting for one side, but it is also about being loyal and representing the team you have chosen.
In summary, the lyrics of "Choose Your Masques" are about making a crucial decision of choosing a mask for a battle. The song portrays a sense of anticipation and urgency, emphasizing the importance of choosing a side and sticking to it during the fight.
Line by Line Meaning
They're handing out the weapons
Weapons are being distributed among the participants of the upcoming battle.
And your armor's ready too
All the participants are also equipped with their armors for the battle.
But the most important item
The most significant item that will determine how you see the war will be left up to you.
Has been left up to you
The decision of which side you choose to stand for was not predetermined for you.
You must make a firm decision
It's essential to make a strong determination and declare which side you will support.
And once it's made you'll find
Your decision will have a momentous impact and consequence on the path you'll follow from that moment onwards.
That the form that you have chosen
The side you have selected will take an undeniable form, which will significantly influence your thinking and actions during the war.
Can entirely fill your mind
The ideology and belief of your chosen side can control your thinking, perspectives, and attitude during the entire conflict.
For the mask you have selected
The side you have chosen has a mask that represents the core values, principles and beliefs of that group.
Stands for Chaos or for Law
The mask which represents the side you have chosen will symbolize either the chaos or rule of law, and all the supporting arguments of that side will be based on this representation.
And you cannot take it off now
Once you've decided which side to side, you cannot revoke that decision until the war ends
Til you're no longer in the War
This implies that such a decision can be reversed when the battle is finally over.
And the Masks of War are grinning
The mask representing the conflict itself is metaphorically represented here as the actual embodiment.
And from under them you howl
In this line, the howling is used abstractly to symbolize the various slogans or taglines supporting each side.
Out the slogans of the part you play
The various slogans or representations of each group will play a significant role in influencing and motivating participation by increasing the morale and sense of belonging in each group.
For the Battle's starting now
The war is about to begin, and it's crucial to make a quick and intelligent choice before it is too late.
Choose your Masks
The song's chorus implies that you must determine from a clear understanding which side you need to take and, accordingly, put on the mask that represents that side.
The ranks are forming
The different sides involved in this war have designated themselves into groups, and their various structures are already taking shape.
The day is dawning
The battle is set to begin, and it's important to make your deposition clear, knowing which side will be the best fit for your beliefs and ideologies.
And choose the side that you'll be on
This line further reinforces the notion that you must critically evaluate both sides and align yourself with the one that represents your perspectives and core beliefs.
And learn the words of your new song
You must incorporate the phrase or slogan binding the group you selected to show your support for the cause rather than the opposition group.
For the Battle will be long, so long
The conflict will be fierce and sustained, which further highlights the significance of thoughtful decision-making.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Papi Elric
At the end of time ?...