Hawkwind
Hawkwind

THE REVIEW

Exploring their endless discography, one discovers that Hawkwind (although stylistically unmistakable) were perhaps a bit too generous with ideas over the years. Luckily for us, this self-titled debut belongs to the list of inspired works. A classy debut that, by introducing us to the lysergic enchanted hemisphere of Dave Brock and his companions, foreshadows the stylistic breakthrough of the subsequent “In Search Of Space” (1971).

Start spinning this CD in the player, and upon listening to “Hurry On Sundown,” the splendid opener of the album, one risks thinking they've got the wrong band. Actually, it is an isolated episode, against the background of which one might almost discern a country rock backdrop (!). We will probably never know to what extent Brock (who is said to be the band's mastermind) was forced to steer his inclinations, adulterating his sound with hard rock and the excessive use and abuse of loops. With the exception of “Hurry On Sundown” I was saying, “space rock” is already clearly distinguishable. However, the tones are not yet exaggerated: the band has not yet pursued a cliché. So, psychedelia also finds asylum here, primarily managed with taste. This happens in the experiment named “Be Yourself”: the interplay of sounds (skillfully intertwined with the crescendo of dynamics) and the refrains that act as a curtain on the fugue state into which the track descends, seem wisely rationed, like an acid of which one wants to prolong the effect as much as possible. At this point, the spectral notes of “Paranoia” emerge, divided into two chapters, both introducing us to “Seeing It As You Really Are.” In these latter two episodes, there is very little “played,” but the final result is anything but redundant. This characteristic, which the band will not take into account (with excessive self-indulgence) in some subsequent works. It closes with that driving hymn to exhilaration known as “Mirror Of Illusion.” Even among these notes, launched by the guitar solos, psychedelic digressions unfold. This time, however, they are almost sketched, our hallucinations dance in the outer space to which the band's sound has always alluded.

In conclusion, it must be said that the right ear with which to approach this disc would presuppose a certain background. Some melodies, however, are so compelling as to convince me otherwise. Recommended to anyone who likes good music.