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 !
Nuclear Toy
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Harrisburg, Windscale, it's no use to fake
Potassium iodide radiation drug
Won't save yourself from being a mug
It's a nuclear toy
A generator pumping out active gas
Polluting the atmosphere and killing en-masse
Strontium-90 cancer in the blood
M4 missile cruising in the sky
Setting off catastrophe in a flickering of an eye
Radiation fallout it's a setting sun
Looking down the barrel and firing the gun
Nuclear death is sweeping the Earth
Babies being born deformed from birth
Mutations are working in the factories
The landscape's full of artificial trees
The lyrics of "Nuclear Toy" by Hawkwind are a warning about the dangers of nuclear energy and weaponry. The song starts off by stating that nuclear facts are hard to accept because of the disastrous consequences of nuclear incidents such as Harrisburg and Windscale. The mention of potassium iodide radiation drug refers to the fact that it is used as a treatment for radiation exposure, but it cannot completely protect someone from the harmful effects of radiation.
The chorus refers to the idea of nuclear energy being a toy that we are playing with, and the consequences of this game include a polluted atmosphere and mass death caused by radiation. The line "Who's gonna pay for the radiation flood?" suggests that the consequences of nuclear energy are not just physical but also economic.
The second verse specifically discusses the issue of nuclear weapons, referencing the M4 missile and the catastrophic consequences that could occur if these weapons were to be used. The mentions of strontium-90 and radiation fallout are references to the long-term effects of nuclear weapons and radioactive pollution. The final verse describes the consequences of nuclear energy on a more personal level, with mutated babies and artificial landscapes.
Overall, "Nuclear Toy" serves as a reminder of the destructive power of nuclear energy and weapons and the need for caution and regulation.
Line by Line Meaning
Nuclear facts are hard to take
The reality of nuclear energy and its hazards is difficult to accept.
Harrisburg, Windscale, it's no use to fake
The disasters at Harrisburg and Windscale nuclear facilities cannot be denied or ignored.
Potassium iodide radiation drug
Potassium iodide pills are used to prevent damage to the thyroid gland from radiation exposure.
Won't save yourself from being a mug
Taking potassium iodide pills only provides minimal protection and does not prevent all the harmful effects of radiation exposure.
It's a nuclear toy
Nuclear energy is a dangerous and potentially catastrophic technology, yet humans still treat it like a toy to be played with.
A generator pumping out active gas
Nuclear power plants generate electricity by producing highly radioactive materials.
Polluting the atmosphere and killing en-masse
The radioactive materials released by nuclear energy production pollute the air and have the potential to cause widespread death and illness.
Strontium-90 cancer in the blood
Strontium-90, a highly radioactive isotope, can cause cancer if it enters the body and accumulates in the bones or other tissues.
Who's gonna pay for the radiation flood?
There is no clear plan for how to deal with the long-term effects of nuclear disasters and the financial cost of cleaning up radioactive waste and compensating victims is uncertain.
M4 missile cruising in the sky
Nuclear weapons in the form of missiles can be launched from airplanes and other vehicles.
Setting off catastrophe in a flickering of an eye
A nuclear missile could cause a catastrophic explosion in a matter of seconds.
Radiation fallout it's a setting sun
Nuclear radiation can travel long distances through the air and cause fallout, which can contaminate entire regions and last for decades or even centuries.
Looking down the barrel and firing the gun
Continuing to rely on nuclear energy and weapons is like playing Russian roulette.
Nuclear death is sweeping the Earth
Nuclear energy and weapons have the potential to cause widespread death and destruction on a global scale.
Babies being born deformed from birth
Exposure to nuclear radiation can cause mutations and birth defects that affect future generations.
Mutations are working in the factories
The workers who produce nuclear materials are also at risk of exposure to radiation, which can cause mutations and cancer.
The landscape's full of artificial trees
Nuclear power plants and other facilities are often disguised to blend in with the natural landscape, but they are anything but natural or safe.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Emberlini Toof
Holy crap Soundwave went hard on this 🔥🔥🔥
Gerald Brush
Great song a real lost classic
Blackhorse 11th ACR
Saw them in early 70s. Fantastic, what a trip.
nicklas siponen
Love it
Michael Mcveigh
great track
freddy aitch
Thanks for posting !!
Νικος Ραπτης
Really great song
ayra_c3
voicemod in a nutshell