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 !
Psychedelic Warlords
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playing spaced out rock and roll
Hang on to your heads now
Because we were born to go)
We're sick of politicians
harassment and laws
All we do is get screwed up
You think you know the answers
But we don't tell no lies
We can take you any way
Through seven different highs
The world's turned upside down now
There's nothing else to do
Except live in concrete jungles
That just block up the view
We're the psychedelic warlords
And that ain't no joke
Travel with us to lands far out
And just disappear in smoke
In "Psychedelic Warlords" by Hawkwind, the band introduces itself as the creators of spaced out rock music. The song features an anti-establishment message, with lyrics taking a dig at the government and societal norms. The song describes the disillusionment of the youth with those in power, as they feel trapped and oppressed by the system. The lyrics suggest that the solution lies in escaping into a different realm, one that can be achieved through music and drugs. The band speaks on behalf of young people feeling lost and restless, who wish to leave behind their mundane lives and go on a journey of self-discovery.
The recurring line "we were born to go" encapsulates the idea that the band members were born with a natural inclination to seek something beyond the ordinary. The song challenges the listener to let go of inhibitions and societal norms and join the band in a journey to lands far out. The band affirms that they can take listeners on this journey through "seven different highs," suggesting the usage of different drugs to achieve this mental state.
Overall, "Psychedelic Warlords" is an imaginative and thought-provoking song that reflects the counterculture of the era. The song encourages listeners to break free of societal norms and explore their consciousness through music and drugs.
Line by Line Meaning
We're the psychedelic warlords
We are the leaders of those who embrace psychedelic culture
Playing spaced out rock and roll
We create and perform music that reflects the psychedelic experience
Hang on to your heads now
Prepare yourselves for what we are about to express
Because we were born to go
We were destined to explore outer and inner space
We're sick of politicians
We are tired of the hypocrisy and corruption shown by political leaders
harassment and laws
We feel oppressed by the constant surveillance and regulations imposed on us
All we do is get screwed up
We only end up hurting ourselves by following the outdated rules made by others
By other people's flaws
Our mistakes are often caused by the limitations and inadequacies of those around us
You think you know the answers
You might think you have all the solutions
But we don't tell no lies
We are honest about our feelings and experiences
We can take you any way
We can guide you through various states of consciousness
Through seven different highs
Seven distinct types of mental and emotional journeys can be taken with us
The world's turned upside down now
The current state of the world is far from ideal
There's nothing else to do
We feel like there are no other options or solutions to the problems we face
Except live in concrete jungles
Our daily existence is confined to urban environments saturated with technology
That just block up the view
These surroundings suppress our connection to the natural world
And that ain't no joke
We are serious about our beliefs and intentions
Travel with us to lands far out
Join us on a journey of exploration beyond the confines of everyday life
And just disappear in smoke
Become one with the transcendent through altered states of consciousness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID BROCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BAlvn-yr6ej
one of the greatest space/rock records ever made, and really, just one of the best albums to come out of England in the early 70s.. ( and I fucking know how tough the competion was too)....probably a top 100 all-time rock album, period. this album has it all.
@nix4pool
Remember mid 70's, sitting around in my back room with mates listening to this, still in school then, now nearing pensioner age now but this is still the bollocks, timeless music.
@hopebgood
Not quite as old as you but I've been a Carer in old people's homes and I've often wondered about what music they'll be playing to us in a few years time! 😉
@Civavijus
A masterpiece of Space Rock!
@hippydippy
I love early Hawks. Saw them in 74 with Lemmy. A couple night's after the 1999 Party album was recorded in Chicago. It was Mind Blowing! These daze this is my go to album. It just combines everything I love about the band.
@charliealbers8171
I was at the show recorded for the 1999 party tour. Saw them twice at the Auditorium theater, and several other times. Liquid Len added at tremendous amount to the shows also
@dinorockwell7670
Saw them in Chicago in 78 at the Riviera. Insane subsonic sound! The place rumbled.
@johnbarrert3732
The person who designed the "Blake seven" spaceship surely owned this album 😊, great album, great cover.
@markwilliams265
Incredible song from a better time gone by!
@karencrewe435
Love this track! production everything!....takes me back to my youth