Lord Of Light
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 ‘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 !

Lord Of Light
Hawkwind Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Of lines that match across the world
For travel which no man has ever heard

The moon that shines its beam so bright
Of stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year

A day shall come, we shall be as one
Perhaps the dying has begun
From the realms beyond the sun
Here our lifetime has begun

The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Of lines that match across the world
For travel which no man has ever heard

The moon that shines its beam so bright
Of stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year

The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Of lines that match across the world
For travel which no man has ever heard

The moon that shines its beam so bright
Of stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year

A day shall come, we shall be as one
Perhaps the dying has begun




From the realms beyond the sun
Here our lifetime has begun

Overall Meaning

In "Lord of Light," Hawkwind sings of a mystical gathering on a hill where the elements combine without fear. The lyrics describe stones that measure the silvery light and the energy that travels there, said to happen on the seventh year. The moon shining bright overhead adds to the aura of the event, which promises to bring together all humanity as one. The song hints at an end of times, a dying beyond our comprehension, but also promises that something new will arise, beginning the lifetime of a new reality.


The lyrics of "Lord of Light" are full of ambiguity and mysticism. The elements that gather on the hill seem to represent a powerful force that is bringing humanity together in a time of change. The song's reference to the seventh year could be a nod to the biblical idea of the Sabbath year, where the land rests and people are forgiven their debts. The song speaks of a new beginning where everyone comes together; perhaps it is a call to shake off the old ways and make changes for the better.


Line by Line Meaning

The elements that gather here
The various natural forces and energies that converge upon this place


Upon this hill shall cast no fear
This hill is not to be feared, but instead embraced


Of lines that match across the world
The patterns and connections that exist throughout the world


For travel which no man has ever heard
For journeys and experiences that are beyond the reach of human understanding


The moon that shines its beam so bright
The moon, a celestial body that radiates with a luminous light


Of stones that measure the silvery light
Of stones that have the ability to gauge the intensity of the moon's light


Of energy that travels here
Of the powerful and mysterious energy that courses through this place


It happens on the seventh year
It occurs during a seven-year cycle


A day shall come, we shall be as one
A time will come when we will all be united


Perhaps the dying has begun
Perhaps this is the start of the end


From the realms beyond the sun
From the worlds and dimensions that exist beyond our sun and solar system


Here our lifetime has begun
Here is where our lives start anew




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID BROCK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@BryanOblivion

The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Of lines that march across the world
For travel which no man has ever heard

The moon that shines its beam so bright
Of stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year

A day shall come, we shall be as one
Perhaps the dying has begun
From the realms beyond the sun
Here our lifetime has begun



@SRSOS

Lyrics by Dave Brock:


"The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Lines that march across the world
Travel which no man has ever heard


Moon that shines its beam so bright
Stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year


A day shall come, we shall be as one
Perhaps to die, it has begun
From the realms beyond the sun
Here our lifetime has begun


What can I be?
What can I be?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
Will it be me?
Will it be me?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?
What can I see?


The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Lines that march across the world
Travel which no man has ever heard


Moon that shines its beam so bright
Stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year


A day shall come, we shall be as one
Perhaps to die, it has begun
From the realms beyond the sun
Here our lifetime has begun


Flying is trying is dying
Flying is trying is dying
Flying is trying is dying
Flying is trying is dying


The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Lines that march across the world
Travel which no man has ever heard


Moon that shines its beam so bright
Stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year


A day shall come, we shall be as one
Perhaps to die, it has begun
From the realms beyond the sun
Here our lifetime has begun"



@MrMoon-cg2yy

From Lau Tzu, Book of Tao 2500 years ago:

"Before the heavens and Earth existed
There was something nebulous,
Silent, infinite, unfathomable,
Without beginning or end,
Standing alone changing not,
Ever present and revolving eternally,
The source of the ten-thousand things...

I do not know it's name
And call it Tao;
If a name must be given,
I shall call it the Ultimate...

The way of heaven achieves all without striving;
Answers all without speaking;
Accomplishes all without deliberate design;
The net of Heaven is broad, with wide meshes.
Yet nothing slips through..

He who walks in harmony with the eternal Way
Shall be the master of existence;
Knowing the ancient beginning
Is the essence of enlightenment.
This is the mystic unity of the Way..."



All comments from YouTube:

@chasmenear7130

...One of (if not THE) greatest tape flange experiments in human history! Dave Brock is my superhero!

@BryanOblivion

The elements that gather here
Upon this hill shall cast no fear
Of lines that march across the world
For travel which no man has ever heard

The moon that shines its beam so bright
Of stones that measure the silvery light
Of energy that travels here
It happens on the seventh year

A day shall come, we shall be as one
Perhaps the dying has begun
From the realms beyond the sun
Here our lifetime has begun

@roblangsworld

Use to play this in the garage when I was a kid, Mum use to run outside thinking a plane was about to crash in our backyard!

@robertrogers2264

Lemmy's bass work on this track is phenomenal!!!  On the whole Doremi Fasol Latido album in fact!!!

@Monkeyspankerelite

The entire album is a true piece of art!
Cheers to you all old freaks!!

@andrewrogers1097

Listening to it, I do wonder if he's speeding. I mean it's not out of the question, is it?

@chasmenear7130

... Yeah, considering the degree of acid distortion! Lol 😂!!!

@josephwright6154

I was a patient in a Psychiatric ward in Liverpool 1973 I listened to this album all the time in there. The nurses said no wonder your in here listening to that. I was in there due to mental problems caused by acid. I still suffer pretty bad today

@robjones2408

Lemmy was up there with John Entwhistle, Flea, and Jack Bruce. A colossal talent. I saw the Hawks in 1975 with Lemmy and Stacia in the
line-up, and they were magnificent. They have remained immortal.

@philboboggins

well thats made my would be comment pointless. Because i was about to say the same bloody thing, so!..Well said sir, well said!!

More Comments

More Versions