Love in Space

Album review

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a band emerged from the bitter end of the '60s, a group seeded by the ideals of the hippie/acid scene with feelers reaching into the spacy side of Krautrock, while germinating an aggressive sound all its own. Hawkwind's ability to forge their own path, yet remain open to incorporating new styles of music that grew up in their wake, is legendary, and never more apparent than on this double album. Originally released in 1996 and recorded live during the band's 1995 Alien 4 tour, this is not the sound of a 25-year-old band limping around stage lost in space and time, but a defiant celebration of everything Hawkwind had accomplished and were still set to do. Simultaneously embracing the contemporary electronic scene and the omnipresent long-haired rockers, the band burns brightly at both ends; never has the group sounded so futuristic, yet so thoroughly modern. The much revisited "Death Trap" is a revelation, a storming rendition boasting all the hyper-energy of Motörhead and the spit and fire of first-wave punk; this is what early Ultravox aspired to (the two, song and band, are contemporaries) but never quite reached. A lush take on "Wastelands" was an equal object lesson to post-punkers and the new-breed electro bands, gorgeously shadowed and providing the perfect intro to the even spacier "Are You Losing Your Mind?" until that number kicks into overdrive. It's this phenomenal mix of punk rock fury and glorious, gilded electro soundscapes that perhaps best defines the band -- and never more so than on the spectacular title track, a nearly ten-minute extravaganza that effortlessly melds together a plethora of styles and ages, a musical time capsule launched into outer space. In contrast, Hawkwind cheekily deconstruct "Silver Machine" down to its barreling R&B roots, time traveling back to the early days of rock & roll. Prophetically, the set ends with the Arabic-flavored "Assassins of Allah" whirling like dervishes through the shadows, grinning like wolves at their hapless victims, and sliding seamlessly into a ferocious "Space (Is Their Palestine)." In today's climate, the final pair of songs is like a punch to the gut. All these years on, this two-disc set still can take your breath away. Not only hasn't it dated one iota; it sounds even more modern and forward-looking now than when it was first released. The Esoteric reissue appends a trio of tracks from the band's highly sought-after Love in Space EP -- a remix of "Love in Space," the jubilant "Lord of Light," and the anarchic "This Is Hawkwind Sonic Attack," the latter two's muddy live sound quality barely interfering with their power.

© Dave Thompson /TiVo