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 !
Dragon Song
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Those ancient gods of mine and thine
Proclaimed our twin fates intertwined
And named our day of destiny
Calling all to come and feast
To witness blood of man and beast
Intermingled West to East
North to South and sea to sea
Share blood in virtue and in sin'gainst common enemies shall win
And ever bound in twain shall be! Now dragons wake to dragon's flight
Dragon beauty, dragon bright
Rise in vengeance, soar to fight
Dragons roar fills up the night
Firedrake's form blots out the Moon
Dragons rise from sleeping grave
When brothers sing the dragons tune
Echoing through the dragon's cave
Dragon singer, dragon cry
Dragon rider mounts the sky
Dragon brother, legends fame
Hear me call the dragon names: Flamefang! Hornblow! Rainbow Wing!'Tis time we heard the dragons sing
Spiketail! Sharpclaw! Snout-On-Fire! Create our enemies' funeral pyre
Steelcrest! Blackscale! Golden Bone! Rise to defend the Dragon Throne(Dragon steed bears dragon kin
Towards the howling battle din
Dragon rider's cry is wild
Dragon mother, dragon child
Dragons' wings unfolded wide
Aloft now spreads the dragon tide
Dragons dive and dragons sear
Bring the death which all men fear
For Death is now the dragon's bride
Upward now the dragons spear
Higher where the air is clear
Above the clouds, close to the Sun
Dragon brothers, we are one! Dragons kill and dragons slay
Dragons fly towards the fray
Pay the price all dragons pay
For victory brings our funeral day!)
The lyrics of Hawkwind's "Dragon Song" can be interpreted as a sort of mythical tale with prophetic undertones. The song describes a time long before the present, where ancient gods have prophesized the fates of mortal men and dragons alike. They are intertwined and bound together, sharing both kinship and enmity. The song speaks of the awakening of the dragons, who rise to fly and fight together against their common enemies. The dragons are described as powerful and fearsome creatures, with the ability to blot out the moon and bring the death that all men fear.
The song can be seen as a metaphor for the cyclical nature of war and conflict throughout history. The dragons represent the destructive power of war, while the humans represent the inevitable casualties of such conflicts. The prophetic nature of the song suggests that this cycle cannot be broken and that victory is always temporary, as it ultimately leads to the "funeral day" of both sides. The song's lyrics also suggest a sense of unity among those who are fighting, both human and dragon alike. It speaks of the "dragon tune" and the "dragon names" that are called out, uniting the fighters under the banner of the dragon.
Line by Line Meaning
In a time before this time
The events of this song occurred in the distant past
Those ancient gods of mine and thine
Gods of antiquity, belonging to both the singer and listener of the song
Proclaimed our twin fates intertwined
The destinies of the singer and listener are interwoven
And named our day of destiny
A specific day was designated as the day of fate for the singer and listener
Calling all to come and feast
An invitation was issued to all to gather and celebrate
To witness blood of man and beast
Those gathered were to witness the sacrifice of both humans and animals
Intermingled West to East
The sacrifice occurred across vast geographical locations
North to South and sea to sea
The sacrifice occurred across all directions and bodies of water
Mortal shall have dragon kin
Humans will share a bond with dragons
Share blood in virtue and in sin
Humans and dragons will be linked through both good and bad actions
'Gainst common enemies shall win
Humans and dragons will fight together against shared foes
And ever bound in twain shall be!
Humans and dragons will remain forever intertwined
Now dragons wake to dragon's flight
The dragons are rising to take flight
Dragon beauty, dragon bright
Dragons are aesthetically pleasing
Rise in vengeance, soar to fight
The dragons are rising to retaliate and engage in battle
Dragons roar fills up the night
The dragons emit thunderous cries that are heard throughout the night
Firedrake's form blots out the Moon
A dragon's figure overshadows the moon
Dragons rise from sleeping grave
The dragons are emerging from their resting place
When brothers sing the dragons tune
The dragons are roused by the voice of their kindred
Echoing through the dragon's cave
The dragons' footsteps and roars reverberate through their dwelling place
Dragon singer, dragon cry
The dragons sing and cry out
Dragon rider mounts the sky
A dragon rider ascends into the sky
Dragon brother, legends fame
The dragon is a renowned figure
Hear me call the dragon names: Flamefang! Hornblow! Rainbow Wing!
The rider is summoning dragons by name
'Tis time we heard the dragons sing
It is appropriate that the dragons' voices be heard
Spiketail! Sharpclaw! Snout-On-Fire!
More dragons are being summoned by name
Create our enemies' funeral pyre
The dragons are going to burn their enemies' corpses
Steelcrest! Blackscale! Golden Bone!
Additional dragons are being summoned by name
Rise to defend the Dragon Throne
The dragons are rising to protect their kingdom
(Dragon steed bears dragon kin
A dragon serves as transportation for a kin of dragons
Towards the howling battle din
They are headed towards a loud and chaotic fight
Dragon rider's cry is wild
The rider is screaming excitedly while riding the dragon
Dragon mother, dragon child
A mother and her offspring are present
Dragons' wings unfolded wide
The wings of the dragons are fully extended
Aloft now spreads the dragon tide
The number of dragons in the air has increased
Dragons dive and dragons sear
The dragons swoop down and breathe fire
Bring the death which all men fear
The dragons are causing death that is feared by humans
For Death is now the dragon's bride
Death is closely linked to the dragons' actions
Upward now the dragons spear
The dragons take flight vertically
Higher where the air is clear
They are ascending towards clearer air
Above the clouds, close to the Sun
They are flying high, near the sun and above the clouds
Dragon brothers, we are one!
The dragons are united
Dragons kill and dragons slay
The dragons are causing death and destruction
Dragons fly towards the fray
The dragons are flying into the battle
Pay the price all dragons pay
The dragons will face consequences for their actions
For victory brings our funeral day!
The dragons acknowledge that their victory could lead to their demise
Writer(s): Stephen Marston, Baz Hawkins Copyright: Parthenon Media Group Ltd.
Contributed by Jayden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joseph Loehr
Behold The Moorlock!