25 Years On

Infobox Album | Name = Hawklords - 25 Years On
Type = Album
Artist = Hawkwind


Released = 1978
Recorded = 1978
Genre = Space Rock
Length =
Label = Charisma
Producer = Dave Brock and Robert Calvert
Reviews = *Allmusic rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:x94uak6k5m3c link]
*Prog Archives rating|3.5|5 [http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_CD.asp?cd_id=3945 link] (9 ratings)
Last album = "Quark, Strangeness and Charm"
(1977)
This album = "Hawklords - 25 Years On"
(1978)
Next album = "PXR5"
(1979)

"Hawklords" is a 1978 studio album by Hawkwind released under the name Hawklords for legal reasons as there was a dispute over ownership of the name "Hawkwind". It reached #48 on the UK album charts. It was originally titled "25 Years On" and the first 25000 were pressed as this until the band decided to simply call it "Hawklords". Subsequent re-releases have reverted the name "25 Years On" and the band also now use this name on their web site.

Hawkwind had self imploded on a USA tour earlier in the year leaving only Robert Calvert, Dave Brock and Simon King to embark on this project. They were joined by Harvey Bainbridge who had played bass in Devon group Ark who in turn had performed with Calvert and Brock as the Sonic Assassins, and by keyboardist Steve Swindells who had been in Pilot. During the Devon recording session King returned home to London and was replaced by Martin Griffin (also from Ark), but King subsequently returned giving the band two drummers. Simon House had left the earlier band to join David Bowie but contributed violin to the sessions, as did noted British jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther. Road manager Les McClure also sneaked a performance in.

The music is perhaps as far removed from the generic Space Rock the band would ever get, these tracks being tightly arranged pieces more in tune with New Wave of the time rather than the band's history. Lyrically this is Calvert's most diverse dealing with themes such as telepathy ("Psi Power"), sky diving ("Free Fall"), Australian drug misuse ("Flying Doctor"), heroic bravery ("The Only Ones") and espionage ("The Dead Dreams Of The Cold War Kid"). There's a light hearted playfulness to these tracks, only the lyrics of "The Age Of The Micro Man" hinted at the bleak cold futuristic factory workers concept that Calvert and Barney Bubbles put together for the stage show of the album (see [http://www.starfarer.net/hawklords_programme.html tour programme] ).

"Psi Power" and "25 Years" were released as singles but are slightly different versions to those that appeared on the album.

Track listing

#"Psi Power" (Calvert/Brock) 6:06
#"Free Fall" (Calvert/Bainbridge) 5:13
#"Automoton" (Calvert/Brock) 1:13
#"25 Years" (Brock) 4:31
#"Flying Doctor" (Calvert/Brock) 5:38
#"The Only Ones" (Calvert/Brock) 4:14
#"(Only) The Dead Dreams of the Cold War Kid" (Calvert) 3:55
#"The Age of the Micro Man" (Calvert/Brock) 3:31

Personnel

*Robert Calvert - vocals
*Dave Brock - guitar, keyboards, vocals
*Harvey Bainbridge - bass guitar, vocals
*Steve Swindells - keyboards
*Simon King - drums (tracks 4,7,8), Congas (track 6)
*Martin Griffin - drums (tracks 1,2,5,6);with
*Simon House - violin (tracks 6,7,8)
*Henry Lowther - trumpet (track 1)
*Les McClure - whisper voice (track 4)

Credits

*Recorded: Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio at Langley Farm, Devon.
*Produced: Robert Calvert and Dave Brock. Engineered by Dennis Smith, Neil Fawcus and Neil Mount.
*Mixed at Wessex Studios, London. Engineered by Tim Friese-Greene and Mike Shipley.
*Sleeve by Barney Bubbles and Brian Griffith.

Notes

*"Free Fall" was originally performed by the Sonic Assassins.

Release History

*October 1978: Charisma, CDS4014, UK vinyl. Initial copies came with an inner sleeve.
*August 1982: Charisma, CHC10, UK vinyl
*April 1989: Virgin, CDSCD4014, UK CD

External links

* [http://www.starfarer.net/hllplive.html Starfarer] - reviews, October 1978