Album review: Hawklords – Live ’78

Hawkwind are rightly famed for their astonishing and musically varied live albums. The ‘Holy Trinity’ of their live albums are Space Ritual (a 1973 double-album blueprint for stoner rock – although, sadly, no-one has taken up the challenge of integrating poetry and spoken word into the very fabric of their musical career as this seminal album does), Live Seventy Nine (1980’s single-album hard-rock return-to-glory, featuring the striking return of Huw Lloyd-Langton’s fluid lead guitar work and the sympathetic recruitment of ex-Gong luminary Tim Blake on keyboards) and Live Chronicles (1986′s triumphant double set showcasing Hawkwind’s mastery of concise rock songs and overarching concept pieces which finds a rejuvenated band at their undoubted best).

Hawklords‘ Live ‘78 isn’t a classic as those premier division albums are but in its new souped-up form (four previously unreleased tracks) it is a sterling second tier effort. What is undeniable is that this, effectively, is a new beast compared to the bodged-together odds and sods collection of its original incarnation (where three of the 1977 Sonic Assassins tracks were welded onto a chopped-up travesty of the original gig). This was part of a disturbing trend in the eighties and nineties for recycling old material or providing substandard live tracks for a whole host of nearly identical – and nearly identically poor – live scraps. Now it sounds marvellous.

And thank God they’ve changed the appalling cover that originally adorned this unnoticed live collection. Using previously little-known stills from the press pack and tour programme designed by the legendary Barney Bubbles (he did all those Stiff Records sleeves that everyone loves so much, as well as earlier Hawkwind stuff) the brief sidestep from Hawkwind-as-we-know-it is given a far better treatment than ever before.

Capturing a surprisingly contemporary live gig (supporting the only Hawklords studio album, 25 Years On, from the same year) it’s a shock to discover the laid-back acoustic vibe of the original studio album has been turned into a jerkily rhythmic ode to the joys of the New Wave. Captaining the ship are Dave Brock (founder member, music, guitar) and Robert Calvert (words, singing, concepts) and they are joined by most of their Sonic Assassins compatriots (soon to become full-time members of Hawkwind): Harvey Bainbridge (bass, vocals), Martin Griffin (drums), Steve Swindells (keyboards). All younger than the band leaders, the fresh recruits brought a new dynamism and a more up-to-date sound to the proceedings.

Perhaps because it concentrates upon the drudgery of factory life and the treadmill nature of work it seems to have great resonance with the then-current punk-influenced scene of New Wave. “25 Years”, “PSI Power”, “Death Trap”, “The Age Of The Micro Man” and even “Urban Guerrilla” would hold up to any band of the era and stands head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries.

“Automoton” sets the production-line scene with its instrumental-mechanical clanking and industrial sounds. Then Hawklords rip through four songs of up-to-the-minute New Wave before the first signs of their fascination with reggae (derived from The Clash?) starts to show through on “Age Of The Micro Man”, the first recorded evidence of the band’s slow descent into dub textures and reggae rhythms. As such it’s an important piece of history in its own right. The updates of a few early songs round out Live ’78 and sets the bar high for the then-forthcoming PXR 5.

Live ‘78 seems to bear an undeniable influence from early XTC (listen to their White Music or Go2 for proof) and their jerky science fiction clashes. It’s a joy to behold, as is Live ‘78. Put it on your shopping list.