Space Ritual Disc 1 ~ Hawkwind

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5.0 out of 5 stars Hawkwind's apex
Reviewed in Canada on July 17, 2002
The speil I usually give to people who turn their nose up at me when I announce my rabid Hawkwind fandom (people, by the way, who've usually never even heard any of their music) is that Neil from "The Young Ones" TV show ruined Hawkwind for an entire generation. By lumping them in with lily-livered lightweights like Genesis and by tainting them with strong hippie associations, everyone assumes they're either horrendously indulgent prog-rock, or embarrassingly dated peace-&-love musings. Hawkwind never were either.
Hawkwind, at their peak, as on '73's live "Space Ritual" double LP, were an air-tight rock'n'roll demolition unit who combined the best of trancey psychedelia and buttocks-scorching rock'n'roll. If you have the remotist interest in Krautrock or the pre-Punk school of high-energy rock a la MC5/Stooges/Pink Fairies/Deviants, then you need this in your collection.
From Dik's crazy synth whoops and bleeps thru to the sublime sci-fi spoken-word babble right up to the apocalyptic "Orgone Accumulator" (almost 10 minutes of pure sonic fist-shaking bliss), this is an album for both rock'n'roll purists and avant-prog geeks alike (I fall somewhere between the two).
Whilst nothing can compare to the original vinyl version with its fancy fold-out cover, this CD version is almost as good as it contains bonus tracks and a very well put together booklet with new photos, graphics and liner notes. Unlike many other reissues, it's nice to know that someone at the label actually put some care into it.
If you must know, everyone from Jello Biafra to John Lydon has sung the praises of this set, so do the done thing and get on it.---Dave Lang

1. Earth Calling 00:00
2. Born to Go 01:44
3. Down Through the Night 11:40
4. The Awakening 17:55
5. Lord of Light 19:41
6. Black Corridor 27:07
7. Space Is Deep 28:58
8. Electronic No. 1 37:12