Cheap Yule Ritual: Live at the Astoria (Music) (Hawkwind) Price

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Mott's Yule Ritual
Nobody would of ever dared believe that when Dave Brock and his merry band of Hippies, Buskers, Street musicians, Poets, and Hangers on got together in 1969, that they could ever have gone on and made such an impact on the world of Rock 'n' Roll. They influenced generations of musicians, creating their own genre of Rock inventing what was to become known as Space/Rock or Stoner/Rock, still practiced these days by mainstream bands such as "Monster Magnet" or "Foo Man Choo". They had a profound influence on Ambient Music, became one of the most sampled bands in Rock History, or most unbelievable of all, they are still strong going over thirty three years later. Albeit - only Dave Brock remains from the founder members, and even he left once, although only for one European Tour.

Over the years countless musicians have come and gone (many returning to the ranks three or four times), some making little impact and some leaving a lasting impression. Not least their Dancer Stacia, who, although always having difficulty dancing to the pulsating rhythms from the music, had no such problem in getting her kit off, much to the delight of the audience. Hawkwind were very popular on the European College Gig Circuit, making Stacia the first totally naked girl that many young spotty male students ever saw. Although Stacia had no musical input, she still left a lasting impression on many a young minds.

Their influence on today's Nu-Heavy Metal Scene should not be underestimated either. After their bass player was sacked mid tour of the United States of America in 1975, he came home to the United Kingdom to immediately form the Heaviest Metal Band of all time, a certain "Motorhead". That bass player was, of course, the one and only Lemmy. Others to have made big impressions have been poet and lead singer Bob Calvert, who sadly died in the Eighties. However, he had completely transformed the band when it imploded in the late Seventies. Nik Turner put Saxophone, Flute, and most importantly a sense of fun back into Rock music, just as everybody was actually starting to take themselves too seriously. The Drummer from Cream, and arguably the finest drummer of his time, Ginger Baker also found himself warming the drum stool for a while in the Eighties. In 1972 they even had a hit single "Silver Machine", which in that heady summer was only kept off the top spot by Alice Cooper's "Schools Out".

So, not a bad history then. But what of today? Well, the Band is still going, in actual fact with so many ex-members, there are two Hawkwinds. One is led by Hawkwind's original leader Dave Brock with a group of hired hands (drummer Richard Chadwick has been with Dave Brock for nearly twenty years, but is still considered to be a new boy by some of the fans). The other turned into "Nik Turner's Space Odyssey, the Hawkwind Experience", which 'sometimes' has as many as four of the original classic line-up.

Sadly there has been no new recordings out of any Hawkwind camp since the winter of 1997, Distant Horizons, and to be honest that wasn't much cop. As well as losing their minds over the years, Hawkwind also lost all control of their back catalogue. There are over 300 C.D's of various quality floating about on the shop floor, but, as is proved by the inside of this album's cover, with its list of twelve current Hawkwind Fan Clubs there is still tremendous interest in the music.

So what do this bunch of late fifties, early sixties musicians do? Well, of course, you milk them for all it's worth by releasing a live album once a year from your Christmas Concert. Yes, all you old Hippies out there, horror of horrors, just like Cliff Richard or Status Quo, they rub the old machine down once a year for a Christmas jaunt round the country to fill up the coffers once again. But is it any good I hear you ask? Well, judging by this collection recorded on December 29th, 2000 at the London Astoria by the Dave Brock version of Hawkwind, I would say absolutely. What you get is over two hours of wonderfully varied Hawkwind music, a round up of most of their Greatest Hits including a song from their first album to a new one. Famous author and long time Hawkwind collaborator Michael Moorcock phoning in his parts from across the Atlantic. (Although surprisingly Silver Machine is not dragged out. Or was it played at the concert but left off the album? Or is Dave Brock still playing it cool?). Many surprise guests coming on to play from Hawkwind's past, and possible future, (a certain Jez Hugget take a bow for taking the wind instrument role on this recording) all played by consummate musicians that they certainly were not at the beginning of this journey, played with far more enthusiasm than by lesser mortals who drag themselves around the Rock 'n' Roll Circuit Twelve Months of the year. This was definitely not the way things were planned when it all started out in Notting Hill London 1969, but a positive way for the nice people from Hawkwind to spend their twilight years; and like Santa, they only have to work at Christmas.

Happy Christmas Everybody, Mott the Dog.

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High energy fresh, live Y2K Hawkwind Ritual
This one has 2 CDs. The first is a solid stream of a great Hawkwind show worthy of the title reference to Ritual. Extended jam pieces with powerful base and drum lines opening with Levitation and Spacebrock, the latter coming out the stronger, heavier sound. The Moorecock narrations are a bit disruptive, one of these being Warrior on the Edge on the first disc, the second being Sonic Attack on the second disc, but they are done passionately well, if you have the patience for the interludes. I just hit skip. I love Ron Tree's vocals on High Rise and have come to rank him as my favorite, non-Brock vocalist in the band's history. (The Calvert -led rendition of High Rise on Weird Tapes No. 3 is the best, but as much because of the music and Calvert being unusually subtle with the vocals on that take.) Space is Deep was great to hear, a nice fresh sound to one of the old favorites, though a bit rushed on the resolve. The second CD falls apart a bit and is not subject to endless loop play, my criteria for 5 star, but the first disc more than makes up for it. Only major complaint is the removal of Hippy from the playbill; it would have come after Spacebrock if I recall correctly.