Tony L
Administrator
I 'saw' them 30 years ago at Leeds Poly and thought they were pretty good, but it's hard to be objective. I've rarely seen so many people tripping in one room, and that includes large scale raves in '89.
My problem with them is really I only like the first four or five albums (self-titled, In Search Of Space, Doremi & Space Ritual); that classic tripped-out early-70s spacerock stuff on Liberty & UA. At the time I quite liked the later Charisma label stuff, but it does very little for me now, whereas I still love the first four. I’m lucky in that I have stunningly good original vinyl of the ones I want, but I view most of their catalogue as pretty poor to be honest. As such I was bound to be disappointed as really I wanted to see Hawkwind at a free-festival in about 1971, but I’d have been eight so that wasn’t really possible! When I saw them (would have been ‘99, 00, something like that) it wasn’t the full band (no Nik Turner) and I just felt I was watching Spinal Tap!
PS I saw Nik Turner’s Inner City Unit back in the late ‘70s and got to meet him afterwards as I’d missed my train home, a really nice guy. Got handed my first ever joint, which took the back of my head off! I’ve never really been a stoner since, but a good memory for sure. If one is going to try it, that is the way to do it!