By 1972, Hawkwind had made several sonic leaps from their origins as Portobello street entertainers into “a bunch of loony spacemen who’d been on a spaceship for a thousand years and gone completely whacko,” in the words of sci-fi author and musical accomplice Michael Moorcock.
The release of Doremi Fasol Latido, their third album, in November 1972 bore all the hallmarks of Hawkwind as futuristic warriors of the cosmos, light years ahead with Barney Bubbles-illustrated chrome and black sleeve. Alongside the visionary identity, they were rocket-propelled by a refreshed rhythm section of drummer Simon King and Lemmy on bass. Together they drove the band into , louder
Somewhat rush-recorded and mixed at Rockfield studio in Wales, the LP arrived in the midst of the surprise success of their second single, Silver Machine. Bob Calvert’s ode to his mother’s bicycle thrust them into the Top 20 and inadvertent stardom in the age of the Raleigh Chopper. Left off the original album, it’s included here, but in its unedited Greasy Truckers’ incarnation, before Calvert’s underpowered live vocal was replaced by the feral Lemmy performance immortalised on the hit 45 (see video, above). It’s the only weak point in an otherwise devastatingly excellent set (Disc 3).
Captain Dave Brock had mastered the art of raising the starship’s altitude, maintaining a plateau and then taking off again. He could always turn his hand to the more poignant and melancholic, such as Space Is Deep, before switching to the euphoric rush of Lord Of Light.
These remastered tracks put you in the same room as the uninitiated punters who ventured to Hawkwind gigs on the strength of Silver Machine and faced terrifying obliteration; the all-conquering 10-plus minutes of Brainstorm, Nik Turner’s battle cry in full tilt. A sonic maelstrom of whooshes, burbles and monumental, monochord riffing, accompanied by dystopian visions, spoken-word interludes of earthshattering doom. (‘The show is over. The audience turn to put on their coats and go home. No more coats. No more homes.’)
The five-disc set includes the original album mix remastered, new stereo mixes and two Blu-ray discs in 5.1 surround sound. Bonuses include a repro poster and the 1973 film promo of Urban Guerilla, featuring dancer Stacia in all her statuesque naked glory. If In Search Of Space was the journey, then Doremi Fasol Latido raised the victory flag. Essential.
