Hawkwind Question

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

I seem to recall that the original master tapes for Warrior went missing or are being held hostage by a band member/ex band member and that the US/CDN CD pressings were taken from the master disc used to press the Atco vinyl copies released over here in the 70's..certainly there has been no EMI reissue like the remastered discs from debut album to HallOTMG..

The double Chicago 1999 party CD from EMI is well worth having with the post Calvert line up running through much of HOTMG plus the usual favourites with the added electric violin stylings of Simon House..

[Darren_j]

Obviously you seem to like the 70s stuff.    If you like them then you can't really go wrong with any albums from that era, except that imo Astounding Sounds......... (1977) is a bit of a disappointment, two great tracks aside.
The obvious next step though, I would think, would be Space Ritual, the live album, if you wanted to delve further.

Based on the favourites picked out, I'd also try Hawklords 25 Years On (which is a bit more new wave), Quark Strangeness and Charm, PXR5 and Levitation.  Shame no proper CD reissue of Warriors..is available.

From the later years Electric Teepee was imho much under rated...

Thanks all - yes I was thinking to myself anyway that Space Ritual would be an obvious next choice

[Mister Keith]

I was listening to "Space Ritual" on Spotify last night.  Really enjoyed it!

[davidmjs]

This is a different - but related - question which didn't warrant starting a new thread.  When did Nik leave the Hawklords then?  

That sort of passed me by I think.  (One does wonder quite how its possible to pee off as many bandmates as Nik managed to over the years...)

So...are the Hawklords still worth watching...and is Nik's Project 9 any good?

[Albie]

This is a different - but related - question which didn't warrant starting a new thread.  When did Nik leave the Hawklords then?  

That sort of passed me by I think.  (One does wonder quite how its possible to pee off as many bandmates as Nik managed to over the years...)

So...are the Hawklords still worth watching...and is Nik's Project 9 any good?

I didn't know he had left. I thought they played as The Hawklords if he was with them, and Group X if he wasn't? Last year I saw Group X and it was an excellent set, great fun, a run through many genuine classics. This year I saw The Hawklords and it was a bit flat. I assumed Nik was going to play with them, but he was taken ill just before the gig (he's better now). His illness on the night explains some of the flatness, no doubt, and also there was no Alan Davey. i would have liked to have gone and seen them the other night in Bilston, but couldn't.

Project 9 are quite good, but there was no Brainstorm, which surprised me.

Space Ritual last year were fantastic, that is the best Hawkwind connected band to see, I would think, if you get the chance. Nik was on top form that night.

[Albie]

Just remembered another band I saw this year was the Eclectic Hasbeens, which was Alan Davey and various others, (including Danny from Pre-Med on a few songs) doing Hawkwind classics. They were really good, played all the choice stuff from Doremi/Space Ritual era, top notch.
They were a scratch band, so won't be touring, but it would be nice to see them at a festival again.

[davidmjs]

I didn't know he had left. I thought they played as The Hawklords if he was with them, and Group X if he wasn't? Last year I saw Group X and it was an excellent set, great fun, a run through many genuine classics. This year I saw The Hawklords and it was a bit flat. I assumed Nik was going to play with them, but he was taken ill just before the gig (he's better now). His illness on the night explains some of the flatness, no doubt, and also there was no Alan Davey. i would have liked to have gone and seen them the other night in Bilston, but couldn't.

Well he definitely didn't play with them at The Robin 2 (the set is up at Dime and very good it is too).

[Albie]

I don't know then. If he has left, it passed me by too.

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

I read something to the effect that Nik was still going to play with the Hawklords from time to time but not full time...he was never in the original Hawklords anyway, so aside from the need to find a name that did not include "Hawkwind", it seemed odd to me that Nik got involved..

[davidmjs]

This seemed as good a place as any to post this.

Hawkwind are playing the whole of Warrior on the Edge of Time soon  

http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/tour%20dates.htm#Warrior_On_The_Edge_Of_Time_2013_

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

This seemed as good a place as any to post this.

Hawkwind are playing the whole of Warrior on the Edge of Time soon  

http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/tour%20dates.htm#Warrior_On_The_Edge_Of_Time_2013_

Shame that a remastered version of the original album is not on the horizon (allegedly the master tapes disappeared a while back)..

[Addie]

This seemed as good a place as any to post this.

Hawkwind are playing the whole of Warrior on the Edge of Time soon  

http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/tour%20dates.htm#Warrior_On_The_Edge_Of_Time_2013_

I think I'm gonna have to make the Rotherham gig.  

[Brendan]

This seemed as good a place as any to post this.

Hawkwind are playing the whole of Warrior on the Edge of Time soon  

http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/tour%20dates.htm#Warrior_On_The_Edge_Of_Time_2013_

Do we know who is in the line up touring this?

[davidmjs]

This seemed as good a place as any to post this.

Hawkwind are playing the whole of Warrior on the Edge of Time soon  

http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/tour%20dates.htm#Warrior_On_The_Edge_Of_Time_2013_

Do we know who is in the line up touring this?

The current lineup:

Dave Brock
Tim Blake
Richard Chadwick
Mr Dibs
Niall Hone

[rich w]

Esoteric/Atomhenge (Cherry Red) confirmed in an email out yesterday that they finally secured the rights and are working on a remastered reissue of the Warrior album , should be released around the time of the tour if all goes as planned.

Even if the U.K. masters no longer exist, which I believe is false (Dojo just didn't have access to them at the time of the last U.K. CD release). ATCO Records transferred the American 1st Gen master copies to Rob Godwin at Griffin records for the U.S. CD release in the 90's, so at worst those would be the source. The use of those masters is why the Griffin CD version is always more sought after than the DOJO/Castle version.

So now finally we will get a fully remastered issue on CD. Who knows what bonus materials are available, Esoteric are usually pretty sharp about finding everything they can.

Rich

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

Esoteric/Atomhenge (Cherry Red) confirmed in an email out yesterday that they finally secured the rights and are working on a remastered reissue of the Warrior album , should be released around the time of the tour if all goes as planned.

Even if the U.K. masters no longer exist, which I believe is false (Dojo just didn't have access to them at the time of the last U.K. CD release). ATCO Records transferred the American 1st Gen master copies to Rob Godwin at Griffin records for the U.S. CD release in the 90's, so at worst those would be the source. The use of those masters is why the Griffin CD version is always more sought after than the DOJO/Castle version.

So now finally we will get a fully remastered issue on CD. Who knows what bonus materials are available, Esoteric are usually pretty sharp about finding everything they can.

Rich

Thanks for the update..Like you I suspect the UK masters are available but are "lost" due to the ongoing feuds between various band members (Dojo I think had some connection with Nik and Dave Anderson)..Atomhenge have done an excellent job so far with the Charisma and beyond material, so fingers crossed for the WATEOT reissue..

[davidmjs]

An update from the band (particularly pleasing news about the Steven Wilson 5.1 mix).

Warrior Press Release -

Atomhenge, the Cherry Red Records label managed by Esoteric Recordings, the home of the entire HAWKWIND catalogue released between 1975 and 1997, are very pleased to announce that the classic HAWKWIND album “WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME”
will be released in May 2013 as a newly remastered edition from the original stereo master tapes. Atomhenge label manager Mark Powell said; “Contrary to popular myth, the master tapes of this classic album were never lost. They remained in the United Artists vaults. The Atomhenge reissue will be the first ever CD edition to be taken from the original first generation master tapes. All previous editions have been taken from vinyl transfers or inferior copy master tapes”.

Aside from a single disc remastered edition, there will be two other expanded editions of the album. Mark Powell adds; “I’m extremely pleased to say that Steven Wilson has mixed the album into a stunning 5.1 Surround Sound mix from the original multi-track master tapes and has also undertaken a new stereo mix of the album which has an amazing depth and clarity whilst remaining faithful to the original release. “Warrior” is one of THE classic albums of the 1970s and is a land-mark album in Hawkwind’s history. The forthcoming reissues will do justice this magnificent record”.

Full details of the editions of “Warrior” will be announced in the coming weeks.
Cherry Red managing director, Adam Velasco added; “The album “Warrior on the Edge of Time” has been unavailable officially on CD for many years and it is our intention to make the forthcoming releases definitive editions in terms of audio remastering (from the original master tapes), content and packaging”.

Hawkwind will be touring in April 2013 performing WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME, with further dates planned later in the year. Confirmed dates are:

Saturday 30th March – Sunday 31st March
HawkEaster, Seaton Devon
Tuesday 2nd April - Cardiff The Coal Exchange
Wednesday 3rd April - Bath Komedia
Friday 5th April - Preston 53 Degrees
Saturday 6th April - Hawkwind headline Hard Rock Hell (HRH) Prog
Sunday 7th April - Norwich Epic Centre

Visit www.hawkwind.com for further details

[Andy]

I got this in the USA many years ago. Sounds sonically fine to me.

[rich w]

The USA Griffin Version is fine, the Dojo UK release was substandard having been mastered from vinyl (the drums sound particularly **** on that version). Cherry Red of course are making much out of the use of the original tapes, and I look forward to hearing the remaster.

I'm not to fussed about getting an extra 5.1 mix, hopefully though they will be able to dig out a few extras for those expanded editions.   Probably I would expect a Single Disc Edition, Two Disc Edition with bonus tracks, and a 3 Disc Edition with the 5.1 Audio on DVD. They'd also be silly not to do a Ltd Vinyl.

In recent years Warrior was available only as a dubious German Bootleg CD release via 'Rock Fever' which was in turn re-bootlegged for other releases including a Replica Sleeve Korean Issue. So it's good that there will be a final definitive release to squash all those boots out there. Looks like they're spending the money on it at least, and I've been very happy with all there Hawkwind releases so far.

[davidmjs]

I'm not to fussed about getting an extra 5.1 mix

Generally I'd agree with you, but having heard what he's done with the King Crimson remasters, I definitely want to hear this.  the man's a genius.  I love Porcupine Tree anyway, but he's got different ears to the rest of us mere mortals...definitely.