This morning I stumbled upon a blog by a guy who owns more than 3,000 CDs. His plan was to write about one of them each day for 3,000 days, a goal with the virtue of insanity. He started back in June of 2012, writing about (for some reason) an album called New Gold Dreams by Simple Minds.
After a few months of feverish production the blog posts slowed, and ground to a halt early this year. Then, in March, he announced that he would be taking on a more manageable load, writing about one song per day. For some reason he was soon into Hawkwind, and after writing eight increasingly dispiriting posts about Hawkwind songs, production again stopped.
Having invested 6+ minutes listening to Hawkwind’s The Psychedelic Warlords, and getting to know just a bit about a band I’d heard of but don’t think I’d ever actually heard, it seemed like something to share. I don’t actually have anything to say about it, except I’m glad I’m not tripping.
But that’s from 1974. What did Hawkwind sound like at the beginning, in 1969? Their first album was produced by Dick Taylor, of the Pretty Things, and was recorded live in the studio.
The first song is a folk-rocker, Hurry On Sundown. Pretty nice.
But the song that drew attention for its visionary electronics is the long jam, Seeing As You Really Are.
As it happens, I did first hear them while tripping. This is what I heard and I spent years looking for it on record. When the Sex Pistols reunited in I think 1996, this is what they opened their sets with. It’s hippie and it’s proto-punk and it still sounds good except for the hopeless guitar solo, which has a dumb charm of its own.
I know this song, I have the sense I heard it just recently, but I wasn’t aware of its origins.
Not clear why it’s Proto-punk, but if the Sex Pistols covered it I guess it has to be. I wonder if they had the bubbles (and the flute)?
The chord changes and, you will pardon the expression, momentum.
I’d rate these:
1) This. I saw the Pistols in Chicago in 1996 and, honest, they didn’t play this song. But I do like those bass drums in this video. Like studio apartments.
2) The first song.
3) The folky song.
4) The really long song.
I guess they didn’t play it in America where few knew it. But it was a big hit in England, #3 on the charts. Here you go:
And I hope I never have to watch John Lydon again. He wrecks this. The band sounds good, a 1955 Chevy stripped down and souped up.
But this is 2002. Maybe it was just a different tour.
yeah, I’m sure I just got the date wrong.