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 !
Psychic Power
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They showed me symbols on a card
Then they sent them from a locked and bolted room
I had to fake that it was hard
Circle, square, triangle, waves
I got them crystal clear by the hour
And all I said was ""may I please take a rest?""
I didn't want them to know I was possessed
Psi Power
Psi Power
I can read your mind like a magazine
I see where you're at I know what you mean
I get all the secrets that you'd rather keep
When I was a teenage kid
And I hung around the streets
I could see inside the mind
Of any girl that I wanted to meet
Wave, triangle, circle, square
They opened to me like a flower
How would you like to have your mind caressed?
Can't you feel that I'm possessed
With Psi Power
Psi Power
Psi Power
I can read your mind like a magazine
I see where you're at I know what you mean
I get all the secrets that you'd rather keep
Psi Power
Psi Power
Psi Power
I can read your mind like a magazine
I see where you're at I know what you mean
I get all the secrets that you'd rather keep
It's like a radio you can't switch off
There's no way to get peace of mind
I'd like to live inside a lead-lined room
And leave all this Psi Power behind
Circle, square, triangle, waves
It's a gift that soon turns sour
Why don't they let me get some rest?
It's too much to understand and to digest
Psi Power
Psi Power
Psi Power
I can read your mind like a magazine
I see where you're at I know what you mean
I get all the secrets that you'd rather keep
"Psychic Power" by Hawkwind is a song that explores the experiences of someone with psychic abilities. The lyrics depict the journey of the singer from their childhood to teenage years, showcasing their ability to perceive and understand the thoughts and secrets of others. The song discusses the struggle of constantly being bombarded with information and the desire for peace of mind. It delves into themes of isolation, the longing for rest, and the overwhelming nature of possessing psychic power.
The first verse presents the singer's early encounters with symbols and tests in school. They pretend that it is challenging for them, hiding their true psychic ability. The use of symbols such as circle, square, triangle, and waves represents the different psychic impressions they receive or manipulate. The chorus emphasizes their capacity to read minds effortlessly and obtain the secrets that others wish to keep hidden.
In the second verse, the narrative shifts to the singer's teenage years spent on the streets. They describe how they could peer into the minds of any girl they desired to meet. Again, the symbols emphasize their psychic powers, as these geometric shapes symbolize their ability to unlock the minds of others. The chorus reiterates their aptitude for peering into people's thoughts.
The final verse delves into the burdensome nature of psychic power. The singer compares it to a radio that cannot be switched off, causing a lack of peace of mind. They express a longing to retreat to a lead-lined room to escape the constant influx of information. The symbols are once again used to convey the overwhelming nature of their abilities, questioning why they are not allowed to rest and highlighting the difficulty of comprehending and assimilating the amount of knowledge they receive.
Overall, "Psychic Power" delves into the complexities and challenges of possessing psychic abilities. It navigates themes of isolation, the burden of constantly reading minds, and the longing for peace amidst a constant influx of information.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a kid in school
During my childhood years when I was attending school
They showed me symbols on a card
I was presented with various symbols on a card for observation
Then they sent them from a locked and bolted room
They would send the symbols from a room that was securely locked and bolted
I had to fake that it was hard
I pretended that deciphering the symbols was a difficult task
Circle, square, triangle, waves
The symbols I encountered included shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, and waves
I got them crystal clear by the hour
As time passed, I became extremely proficient at understanding these symbols
And all I said was ""may I please take a rest?"
At some point, I politely requested a break and some relaxation
I didn't want them to know I was possessed
My intention was to conceal the fact that I possessed an extraordinary ability
With Psi Power
This exceptional ability is referred to as Psi Power
I can read your mind like a magazine
I have the capability to understand your thoughts as effortlessly as reading a magazine
I see where you're at I know what you mean
I can perceive your current state and comprehend your intended message
I get all the secrets that you'd rather keep
I am able to unravel all the confidential information you would prefer to conceal
When I was a teenage kid
During my adolescent years
And I hung around the streets
Spending time in the vicinity of the streets
I could see inside the mind
I had the ability to delve into the thoughts and consciousness
Of any girl that I wanted to meet
Specifically, I could gain insight into the mind of any desired girl
Wave, triangle, circle, square
These symbols, including waves, triangles, circles, and squares
They opened to me like a flower
They revealed themselves to me in a similar manner to a blossoming flower
How would you like to have your mind caressed?
Wouldn't you appreciate having your thoughts gently explored?
Can't you feel that I'm possessed
Can you not perceive that I possess an extraordinary power?
Psi Power
This exceptional ability is known as Psi Power
It's like a radio you can't switch off
This ability is comparable to a radio that cannot be turned off
There's no way to get peace of mind
Consequently, achieving a state of tranquility becomes unattainable
I'd like to live inside a lead-lined room
Ideally, residing within a room lined with lead would be preferable
And leave all this Psi Power behind
In order to escape the burden of Psi Power, I desire to abandon it altogether
Why don't they let me get some rest?
I am bewildered as to why I am not granted the opportunity to take a break
It's too much to understand and to digest
The amount of information and knowledge to assimilate is overwhelming
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: David Brock, Robert Calvert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind