Hawkwindforum

Prepare yourself for another of my pointless posts about HW albums that i perceive to be 'less talked about'!!!....

So, first got my hands on this album back in 1996, bought it from the indoor market in Sheffield, on the Charisma label i think.....first impressions were "rubbish"....fast forward a decade and a bit, i now think of this is a totally different light.
It was childish of me to think HOTMG was the last proper HW album made, the stuff that came after is very different, and, i now rate this album very highly, up there with the best.
Highlights for me are Reefer Madness, Kerb Crawler and Kadu Flyer.....
The more i pick up the albums i originally dismissed as rubbish, and force myself to listen to them, the more i am getting to appreciate them.

I agree. more often than not, the best records are those that take
a bit of growing accustomed to. though not the case (for me) with
ASAM - my favorite Hawkwind album. Its like a bridge between phases,
really a one-of-a-kind. Calvert as frontman worked well on this one.

I know some have struggled to like this one, but I've always liked it, pretty much from the first listen. That said I rarely listen to it, it is I think well overdue several more outings. Reefer Madness and Steppenwolf are absolute classics and Kerb Crawler is one of the great lost tracks - I still play it regularly on guitar. I'm assuming it's Paul Rudolph doing the solo.

I'm guessing The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon is the key example of the introduction of funk, which resulted in all the discord and sackings (along with the live Time For Sale, and the decidedly iffy disco basslines that were added to many classics in the live environment).

Probably my least favourite track is actually Kadu Flyer and even that is still pretty good.

The only problem I have with it is that while I like the tracks individually, it doesn't flow that well as an overall album composition.

The Atomhenge release improves matters with the fantastic Back On The Streets, but ultimately the omission of the extended version of Reefer Madness is a fairly inexcusably devious marketing ploy to get you to purchase the 3CD introductory compilation Spirit Of The Age. It would be nice to have everything on one release, even if the middle section is just Honky Dorky.

In conclusion, I really like it, but it ultimately suffers from a slightly awkward tracklisting, and is the meat in the sandwich of two of Hawkwind's best studio albums:
Warrior and Quark.

It's certainly a strange one. Probably the second studio album I bought after Quark. Although I had Roadhawks I guess the sound wasn't as much of a surprise If I had heard Space Ritual, Hall of the Mountain Grill and Warrior on the Edge of Time. It doesn't, on the face of it, stand up that well against those albums. I always liked Steppenwolf, Kadu Flyer, Reefer Madness and Kerb Crawler. It had a restrained quality and I guess as other albums were purchased It fell down the pecking order.

But it made it back and it's now in the top five of played albums. There are problems - the messy middle of Reefer Madness and the fairly pointless Chronoglide Skyway and City of Lagoons (and I still don't know who actually wrote these tracks). I find I quite like The Aubergine that ate Rangoon these days. Steppenwolf is the absolute classic and contender for the best Brock riff, though Reefer Madness also has a sublime riff.

The really outstanding thing is Nik Turner. He saves Chronoglide Skyway, makes Aubergine and lets not forget Kadu Flyer. I have never fathomed why he stopped playing sax like this and decided that an impression of a foghorn was the way to go.

Worth noting with "Astounding Sounds Amazing Music" is the original vinyl release, with reversed cover variant and original inner sleeve.

Documented here.

http://www.spacerocktrading.com/hawkwind-astounding-sounds-amazing-music-reversed-cover-t123.html

Love this album. It is probably the album I listen to the most which probably means I am out of step with most Hawkwind fans. Don't get me wrong it is not their best album by a long shot but I can't stop listening to it. Doremi is my favourite album closly followed by In Search Of Space but this is pretty close. Can't even say why I like it but in all honesty I love it. Have fond memories of me being in college back in the eighties and being completely out of my head and listening to this on cassette on my walkman. Sometimes music reaches you beyond all rationale of why you should like it and this album is that for me.
Was dismayed when I found out that Dave Brock hated it. Couldn't disagree more with his "I threw it out of the window like a frisbee" comment, but we all have our individual tastes and this closlely combines with my tastes pretty well.
I don't even like funk but this is just fine. Not one dud track on it, but Steppenwolf has to be the best amongst a rosta of pretty fine material.
Agree with the previous posters comment that the full length 'Reefer Madness' should have been included in Atomhenge's re-issue, but when an album is as good as this then you don't even need any extras to begin with!

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL - I have always loved the production and it's one HW album I'd never be without, Aye thankyou.

I hated this when I acquired it. Probably about the 5th Hawkwind I bought. It just didn't fit my expectations of Hawkwind my familiarity being with Quark and the earlier stuff. But it grew and grew on me. There is only one track that really doesn't do a lot for me "City of Lagoons". The rest eclectic would be a fair description and I like eclectic. "Reefer" is probably the nearest to trad Hawkwind, then you get their better than Roxy "Steppenwolf", the crazy funk of "Rangoon", Status Quo meets Hawkwind of "Kerb Crawler", "Kadu flyer" is uncomfortably similar to "D-Rider" and was first time around impenetrable due to the sound, but remastered sounds a lot better. "Chronoglide Skyway" is a most beautiful Simon House composed instrumental, one of his classics.

So a great album.

I have always loved this one, especially Steppenwolf and Reefer Madness. Its a shame that they didn't follow the funk direction a bit more. Anyone thinking that funk and psychedelia are incompatible needs to listen to Funkadelic.

Lost Johnny wrote:I have always loved this one, especially Steppenwolf and Reefer Madness. Its a shame that they didn't follow the funk direction a bit more. Anyone thinking that funk and psychedelia are incompatible needs to listen to Funkadelic.

Funkadelic was a funking great band !

Lost Johnny wrote:. Anyone thinking that funk and psychedelia are incompatible needs to listen to Funkadelic.

Or Krangstrahler Projekt

Thanks for that lead. I'll follow it up.

Lost Johnny wrote:I have always loved this one, especially Steppenwolf and Reefer Madness. Its a shame that they didn't follow the funk direction a bit more. Anyone thinking that funk and psychedelia are incompatible needs to listen to Funkadelic.

Right on man.

Free your mind and your ass will follow..................

Freak out music at its finest IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiqmEibSY0I

But George Clinton isnt close to the cosmic philosophy of Sun Ra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2FnIzSf48k&feature=related

Like Robert Calvert, Sun Ra was a pioneer of bringing poetry to the cosmic table.

Ian Abrahams did a review of Sun Ra's cosmic Sci Fi poetry in a recent record collector magazine and his conclusion was like mine; that space rock bands aka Hawkwind should not forget there roots and embrace the cosmic Sun Ra!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M-TGCLUmjs&feature=related

I personally wish Hawkwind had followed Astounding Sounds into a venture of cosmic jazz.

Now listening to this for the 2nd time today.....This is a very clever and polished album....all killer, no filler.....

jamun wrote:..... Like Robert Calvert, Sun Ra was a pioneer of bringing poetry to the cosmic table.

Ian Abrahams did a review of Sun Ra's cosmic Sci Fi poetry in a recent record collector magazine and his conclusion was like mine; that space rock bands aka Hawkwind should not forget there roots and embrace the cosmic Sun Ra!

I agree 100% !!!!

jamun wrote:....I personally wish Hawkwind had followed Astounding Sounds into a venture of cosmic jazz.

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO COOL FOR THIS WORLD!!!!