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 !
Elric
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing deeper than a child knows
He could sing sand into pearls
So the saying goes
Some said he was a sorcerer
Or a warrior chief
But he was the stealer of souls
The lord of Chaos reaps
Slowly losing power
And he's frightened if he makes a move
The dream will soon turn sour
Sprawling in a Ruby Throne
Head cupped in his hands
The lord of dragons, Elric's thoughts
Were of quests to far off lands
A black sword was at his side
Murmuring in its scabbard cold
Waiting for the moment to arrive
To drink the very essence of soul
He did not know that the sword he'd hold
Would turn his priceless empire into fool's gold
The truth, the shadow of the sword will hide
Til it's too late, a traitor at his side
And as he gazes from his ruby throne
He's growing restless of the life he's sown
To get away, embark on a quest
And put his powers of sorcery to the test
The drugs he takes to keep himself awake
lose their effect, he can no longer wait
To find the sword and gain more power
And make his move before the dream turns sour
The lyrics to Hawkwind's song "Elric" paint a picture of a powerful yet troubled figure. Elric is a lord of Chaos who has the ability to sing sand into pearls, yet is frozen in a time trap and slowly losing power. His thoughts are fixated on quests to far off lands and the black sword at his side that murmurs in its scabbard, waiting for the moment to arrive to drink the very essence of soul. However, he is unaware that the sword he holds will turn his priceless empire into fool's gold, and that a traitor is lurking at his side. As he gazes from his ruby throne, he becomes restless of the life he's sown and embarks on a quest to find the sword and gain more power before it's too late.
The lyrics suggest a character who is both powerful and vulnerable, with the ability to both create and destroy. Elric's reputation as a sorcerer or warrior chief is contrasted with his growing fears and restlessness. The black sword he possesses is both a source of great power and a potential catalyst for his downfall. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of impending doom and the perils of seeking power at any cost.
Line by Line Meaning
The song he sang was surfaces
The song Elric sang had no depth and only scratched the surface of understanding.
Nothing deeper than a child knows
The song's true meaning was simple and could be understood by a child.
He could sing sand into pearls, So the saying goes
Elric had the power to transform something insignificant into something precious.
Some said he was a sorcerer, Or a warrior chief
Some believed that Elric was a powerful magician, while others thought he was a skilled warrior.
But he was the stealer of souls, The lord of Chaos reaps
Elric was no mere sorcerer or warrior, but a soul thief who served the lord of Chaos.
And he's frozen in a time trap, Slowly losing power
Elric is trapped in a time spell and is gradually becoming weaker.
And he's frightened if he makes a move, The dream will soon turn sour
Elric is afraid that any action he takes may have disastrous consequences for his already precarious position.
Sprawling in a Ruby Throne, Head cupped in his hands
Elric is sitting on his ruby throne, with his head buried in his hands, lost in thought.
The lord of dragons, Elric's thoughts, Were of quests to far off lands
Despite his great power, Elric still longed for adventure and sought to explore distant lands.
A black sword was at his side, Murmuring in its scabbard cold
Elric carried a black sword that seemed to sing softly from within its sheath.
Waiting for the moment to arrive, To drink the very essence of soul
The sword was waiting for the opportunity to claim a soul, to take its essence.
He did not know that the sword he'd hold, Would turn his priceless empire into fool's gold
Elric did not realize that the sword would be his downfall, that it would turn his great kingdom into nothing of value.
The truth, the shadow of the sword will hide, Til it's too late, a traitor at his side
The true danger of the sword was hidden in shadow, and a traitor would be by his side before he realized its power.
And as he gazes from his ruby throne, He's growing restless of the life he's sown
Elric is becoming restless with the life he has created for himself, sitting on his throne and pursuing power.
To get away, embark on a quest, And put his powers of sorcery to the test
Elric longs to set out on a journey, to use his sorcery in new and challenging ways.
The drugs he takes to keep himself awake, lose their effect, he can no longer wait
Elric's need for drugs to keep him awake is no longer effective, he must act now.
To find the sword and gain more power, And make his move before the dream turns sour
Elric's plan is to find the sword he desires and gain more power, so he can act before it's too late.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALAN PHILIP DAVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Emulous79
The song he sang was surfaces
Nothing deeper than a child knows
He could sing sand into pearls
So the saying goes
Some said he was a sorcerer
Or a warrior chief
But he was the stealer of souls
The lord of Chaos reaps
And he's frozen in a time trap
Slowly losing power
And he's frightened if he makes a move
The dream will soon turn sour
Sprawling in a Ruby Throne
His head cupped in his hands
The Lord of Dragons, Elric's thoughts
Were of quests to far-off lands
The Black Sword was at his side
Murmuring in its scabbard cold
Waiting for the moment to arrive
To drink the very essence of souls
And he's frozen in a time trap
Slowly losing power
And he's frightened if he makes a move
The dream will soon turn sour
He did not know that the sword he'd hold
Would turn his priceless empire into fool's gold
The truth, the shadow of the sword will hide
'Til it's too late, a traitor at his side
And as he gazes from his ruby throne
He's growing restless of the life he's sown
To get away, embark on a quest
To put his powers of sorcery to the test
The drugs he takes to keep himself awake
Lose their effect, he can no longer wait
To find the sword and gain more power
And make his move before the dream turns sour
@Emulous79
The song he sang was surfaces
Nothing deeper than a child knows
He could sing sand into pearls
So the saying goes
Some said he was a sorcerer
Or a warrior chief
But he was the stealer of souls
The lord of Chaos reaps
And he's frozen in a time trap
Slowly losing power
And he's frightened if he makes a move
The dream will soon turn sour
Sprawling in a Ruby Throne
His head cupped in his hands
The Lord of Dragons, Elric's thoughts
Were of quests to far-off lands
The Black Sword was at his side
Murmuring in its scabbard cold
Waiting for the moment to arrive
To drink the very essence of souls
And he's frozen in a time trap
Slowly losing power
And he's frightened if he makes a move
The dream will soon turn sour
He did not know that the sword he'd hold
Would turn his priceless empire into fool's gold
The truth, the shadow of the sword will hide
'Til it's too late, a traitor at his side
And as he gazes from his ruby throne
He's growing restless of the life he's sown
To get away, embark on a quest
To put his powers of sorcery to the test
The drugs he takes to keep himself awake
Lose their effect, he can no longer wait
To find the sword and gain more power
And make his move before the dream turns sour
@marlonmagog2120
It is never too much to talk about Elric of Melnibone and Michal Moorcock´s work. Long live Hawkwind!
@markkettlewell7441
The song is about Stormbringer the soul stealer. He chafes at the side of Elric needing to be wielded to increase his power. When dormant he loses power and urges Elric to adventure so he can steal souls and increase his power. The greatest tragedy for Elric is Zarozinia, the only women Elric loved, and cruelly slaughtered by Stormbringer while in Elric’s fevered grasp.
@psyxypher3881
Cymoril was killed by Elric frenzying with Stormbringer. Zarozinia chose to give her life to Elric after being mutated into a horrible chaos monster.
@markkettlewell7441
@psyxypher You are correct. I can’t believe I forgot that. I read this book when I was 19. I am 55 now. I guess I romanticised it in my mind. Thanks for the correction 😃
@paulsnell534
Elric throws the Black Sword in victory to the air and the Sword plunges down through Elric's heart and declares "I am thou art more evil than you"
@jtejada615
Such a kick ass song.
@azrael666ethereal
Indeed. But Moorcocke put his whole heart and soul into this stuff with the band, like I said he even went on tour with them and read excerpts from the books on stage, ect...
@synthonaplinth5980
Just bought this CD yesterday from a used shop, it has a mini copy of Moorcock's 'The Dreaming City' inside.
@zellorz
I think BÖC also had some collaborations with Moorcock, not only being inspired by them. In fact, just googled it. "Black Blade"'s lyrics were written by both Eric Bloom and Moorcock himself.