Hawkwindforum

http://www.easyaction.co.uk/detail/DPROMDLP88

Released 28th August 2011

On 27th January 1972, Hawkwind, their comrades in Notting Hill / Ladbroke Grove psychedelic proto-punk agitprop The Pink Fairies, and what would be labelled as The Last Minute Put-Together Boogie Band featuring the elusive Syd Barrett were brought together at The Cambridge Corn Exchange under the title The Six Hour Technicolor Dream by local music promoter and ‘Head Shop’ proprietor Steve Brink. If we’d had the technology of today way back then, then for such a line-up we’d most certainly have on our shelves the DVD with its 5.1 stereo soundtrack, the CD box set, and the Blu-ray package. Instead, what we have is something previously shrouded in mystery and rumour; quarter-inch ReVox open reel sourced recordings that have been whispered of in the circles of those who know. One of only two known copies of this show surfaced in the mid-80s, promptly to vanish into the vaults unheard and unreleased. Thankfully, the other finally emerged from a forgotten loft space in 2005 and made its way into the hands of Easy Action Records via a circuitous route which included an appearance at the famous Bonham’s auction house in London’s affluent Knightsbridge - what a contrast to the anarchic ‘peace and love’ characters decrying the evil tentacles of ‘The Man’ who play on these recordings.

The three bands lining-up that night represent a legacy of huge importance to students, followers and historians of the underground counterculture of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Leave No Star Unturned delivers the Hawkwind portion of that gathering and in doing so illuminates the band at the start of what can be seen in hindsight as its mainstream breakthrough year – if ‘mainstream’ could ever be a label applied at any time across the band’s forty-year-plus history of being the perennial outsiders surviving, if not on the edge of time, then certainly on the outside of the music industry. But it’s 1972 – the year that ‘Silver Machine’ took them to the top reaches of the Singles Chart and on to Top Of The Pops, the year that Radio One embraced them for In Concert and the year that they embarked on their ambitious science fiction theatre Space Ritual tour – the show that yielded the fabulously dense and atmospheric wall-of-sound that is the Space Ritual Alive In Liverpool And London double album.

Featuring among the Hawkwind ranks here are their ever-present figurehead and Hawklord Dave Brock, the thundering pre-Motorhead bass-playing of Lemmy, space poet and lyricist Robert Calvert, and the freewheeling, improvisational and theatrical heart of the band, Nik Turner. There’s an early version of ‘Silver Machine’, before the single version was captured at The Roundhouse and overdubbed at Morgan Studios with Lemmy’s growling vocal, and featuring here an all together different delivery by Calvert (the song’s co-writer alongside Brock). There’s only the second known live recording of ‘Born To Go’, blistering versions of ‘Master Of The Universe’ and ‘You Shouldn’t Do That’, and a contrastingly spacious and spacey rendition of ‘You Know You’re Only Dreaming’. This is Hawkwind building to a crescendo on stage and off – building up the myth and legend that would make them the embodiment of tripped-out space rock in perpetuity.

The Hawkwind back catalogue of this era, their time on United Artists, has been lovingly managed and maintained for availability by EMI who have generously granted a licence for the release of this historic recording. Hawkwind fans are indebted to them for their support in enabling this show to be widely heard and cherished. The deluxe packaging, and the extensive sleevenotes written by Hawkwind biographer Ian Abrahams support this soundtrack but it’s the blistering power and energy of the improvisational Hawkwind that, indeed, leaves no star unturned.


Licensed from EMI Records Ltd

Apologies if there's a thread on this already - seems to be official though!

wingnut wrote:Apologies if there's a thread on this already - seems to be official though!

Yes, I think it's been mentioned once or twice

Hawkwind - The self police parade

I wonder, is it stereo? Was it a multi-channel recording that's been mixed, or just a mic plugged into a lonely Revox at the back of the hall?

Shame it's only down for a Vinyl release.

No it's not, there's a limited edition cd in a long box as well. The link just goes to the vinyl edition. Vinyl only on a previously unreleased release would be commercial suicide.

Dell1972 wrote:No it's not, there's a limited edition cd in a long box as well. The link just goes to the vinyl edition. Vinyl only on a previously unreleased release would be commercial suicide.

Excellent stuff

Bugger just ordered it only to look at the other thread to find it says there its not official.
Confused now. Is it or not? Do I need to cancel?

It's from EMI so the officialness of it is probably one for a technical arguement as to who owns what.

I wonder... do EMI have a contractual claim over all of HW's output from 1969-1975?

And could that (theoretically) include bootlegs such as the 1971 Brum Kinetic tape?

Presumably HW were under contractual obligations to record albums - but, when the Chicago 1974 tape was issued many years later, EMI had control of that as well. Does that kind of thing automatically follow, for any material recorded in that era?

Just to avoid confusion: The title in question was originally announced as The Self Police Parade but was during the discussion changed to Leave No Star Unturned. Other than Easy Action being a dedicated label to release obscuretheties they are also know for actually paying the artists (Not to mention what they have to pay for purchasing the tapes).

After the quick excellant recent releases of Greasey Truckers and the BBC sessions, I hold some hope for this but will still wait for reviews before parting the funds.

Ive never heard the tape but imagine the set to be similiar to Greasey Truckers as only a month earlier.

Should add when I say set similiar, I mean in sound/texture. The actual setlist is virtualy the same.

I see Ian has put an interview up on his blog about this:

http://spacerockreviews.blogspot.com/20 ... ittis.html

Not read it yet, but it looks like it'll be illuminating.

...and much to my surprise, they seem to be shipping copies of this album already...

I've had an e mail today saying my copy has been despatched. Nice one.