Hawkwind in the 1970s
Bob Calvert, Lemmy, Stacia – the golden age of Hawkwind. A look at some of the highlights of… Hawkwind in the 1970s.
Derek Shelmerdine author of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
is a guest on The Frank Carlyle Show.
Hear the show live on Facebook – 27 March 2023
Derek Shelmerdine’s look at Hawkwind
starts around 8.15 pm (UK)
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are on tour now…
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PODCAST – Hawkwind in the 1970s
Hawkwind in the 1970s
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
In 1969 Dave Brock and guitarist Mick Slattery toured Netherlands with their band Famous Cure. Along with them was another band, Mobile Freakout, which included saxophonist Nik Turner.
When they arrived back in London, they formed Group X.
On 29 August 1969 Group X played its first set, a 20-minute jam, at All Saints Hall, Notting Hill. The lineup for that seminal performance comprised, Dave Brock guitar and vocals , Terry Ollis drums, Nik Turner sax and vocals, Dik Mik electronic wizardry/keyboards, John Harrison bass and guitarist Mick Slattery.
Group X became Hawkwind Zoo and finally Hawkwind in late 1969.
HAWKWIND
After leaving the Pretty Things Dick Taylor was brought in to produce Hawkwind’s first single, Hurry on Sundown and the first album, Hawkwind. The album and single were released in the summer of 1970 but failed to trouble the charts.
1970 ISLE OF WIGHT
One of Hawkwind’s major early gigs was at the legendary 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. They were not an official part of this Bob Dylan Isle of Wight gig. They performed outside the perimeter in the Canvas City. Pink Fairies also performed there.
Hawkwind saxophonist Nik Turner first met future Hawkwind stage-dancer Stacia at this Isle of Wight Festival.
STACIA
According to an interview with Stacia in Prog magazine in 2019, the first time she danced onstage with Hawkwind was at the Flamingo Ballroom in Redruth, Cornwall on 15 April 1971.
Stacia asked if she could dance onstage and band agreed. There was a proviso though, she had to take all her clothes off and paint her body. She agreed and the rest is history…
Shortly afterwards, Stacia became a regular member Hawkwind’s stage show.
LEMMY
In August 1971, bassist and singer Lemmy joined Hawkwind. He replaced Dave Anderson. By this time, Del Dettmar was a regular band member and provided additional synthesiser and keyboard wizardry alongside Dik Mik.
Before joining Hawkwind, Lemmy was briefly with drummer Simon King in Opal Butterfly. Simon King joined Hawkwind shortly after Lemmy and was with them throughout the 1970s.
IN SEARCH OF SPACE
Their first UK hit album came with In Search of Space. It made Top-Twenty and peaked at #18. The album is sometimes referred to as, “X In Search of Space“.
Barney Bubbles designed the album’s sleeve. When opened out, the sleeve forms a bird-like shape with outstretched wings, rather like a hawk.
BOB CALVERT
In the early 1970s Bob Calvert made guest appearances with Hawkwind. He was a poet, lyricist and occasional vocalist with the band. Having been their “resident poet” for a while, Calvert’s poetry readings escalated and he joined as a full member in early 1972.
GREASY TRUCKERS PARTY
Greasy Truckers Party was a benefit concert at London’s Roundhouse on 13 February 1972. Recorded live, it featured, Man, Hawkwind, Brinsley Schwarz and Magic Michael.
The Hawkwind lineup that night comprised, Dave Brock, Nick Turner, Dik Mik, Del Dettmar, Lemmy, Stacia, Bob Calvert and Simon King.
SILVER MACHINE – first UK hit single
Hawkwind entered the UK singles chart for the first time with Silver Machine, on 1 July 1972, peaking at #3.
The song was recorded live at the Roundhouse during the Greasy Truckers gig. In that live version Bob Calvert provided lead vocals. However, the vocals were not considered strong enough for a single. Bob Calvert was hospitalized at the time of re-recording the vocals so Lemmy stepped into the breach. As a result, it’s Lemmy’s lead vocal on the single version of Silver Machine.
SPACE RITUAL ALIVE
Hawkwind achieved their third UK hit album when Space Ritual Alive entered album charts on 2 June 1973. It made the Top-10 and peaked at #9. This was their only Top-10 album at the time of writing (March 2023).
This double album was recorded live in Liverpool and London in December 1972. Once again, the cover was designed by Barney Bubbles. Sci-Fi writer Michael Moorcock wrote two of the tracks on the album, The Black Corridor and Sonic Attack.
KINGS OF SPEED c/w MOTORHEAD
Kings of Speed c/w Motorhead was released in on 14 March 1975. It failed to trouble the UK Charts. The A-side was a Dave Brock collaboration with Michael Moorcock.
The B-side, Motorhead, has a writing credit for Ian Kilmister, better known as Hawkwind’s bass player and singer, Lemmy. A couple of months later, Lemmy was sacked from the band, resulting in this being his last song composition for Hawkwind. Although, he did put the song title to good use when he formed his own band Motörhead.
BOB CALVERT LEFT HAWKWIND
Bob Calvert parted company with Hawkwind in late 1973. He re-joined the band in 1975, after applying himself to some solo projects.
TWO DRUMMERS
In the summer of 1974 drummer Alan Powell joined Hawkwind.
Simon King joined Hawkwind in early 1972, when he replaced original drummer Terry Ollis. Alan Powell joined to temporarily replace Simon King after, he was injured playing football. Hawkwind retained this two-drummer lineup until early 1977.
By the time Alan Powel joined the band, Simon House was the keeper of the keyboards. Simon House joined Hawkwind in the spring of 1974 when he replaced the departing Del Dettmar.
LEMMY WAS SACKED
Hawkwind was halfway through the North American leg of their Warrior on the Edge of Time Tour, when they played Toronto’s Convocation Hall in Ontario, Canada on 18 May 1975. This gig proved to be the end of the road for Lemmy.
The tour took the band across the border, from America into Canada. Lemmy was stopped by custms officials during this crossing because they believed he had drugs, believed to be cocaine. It transpired that the substance seized was amphetamine rather than cocaine, a much less serious offence in Canada.
There was good news and bad news for Lemmy. On the upside, the Canadian authorities took no further action but the band sacked him mid-tour anyway and he found himself on a plane back to Blighty.
Maybe that was not such bad news for him after all. Before long he had formed his new band.
WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME
On 31 May 1975, Warrior on the Edge of Time entered album charts. This gave them their fifth UK hit album, peaking at #13. It also gave them their last Top-20 studio album (at the time of writing 2023).
The lineup sported Lemmy for the last time and two drummers, Alan Powell and Simon King.
Sci-Fi writer Michael Moorcock provided vocals on two tracks and co-wrote four songs.
He co-wrote The Wizzard Blew His Horn, Standing at the Edge and Warriors with Alan Powell, Simon House and Simon King. Kings of Speed was a collaboration with Dave Brock. The vocals came on The Wizzard Blew His Horn and Warriors.
STACIA LEFT
Stacia danced with the band onstage for the last time at the 1975 Reading Festival.
Shortly after that, Stacia married drummer Roy Dyke.
Roy Dyke was a long-term member of Merseybeat group the Remo Four. Before that, he was with another Liverpool group, Karl Terry and the Cruisers.
Keyboardist Tony Ashton was in the last incarnation of the Remo Four. They formed Ashton, Gardner and Dyke and scored a #3 with Resurrection Shuffle in 1971.
BOB CALVERT RETURNED
Lemmy and Stacia were no longer in the band and 1975 proved to be a time of more significant lineup changes. Bob Calvert re-joined, after leaving Hawkwind in early 1974 to pursue solo projects.
1977 MORE CHANGES – NIK TURNER LEFT
Despite being a founding member of the band, sax player Nik Turner was fired in early 1977. He formed his own band, Sphynx.
In early 1977 more departures followed. Second drummer Alan Powell and bass guitarist Paul Rudolf left and formed Kicks.
SONIC ASSASSINS
Dave Brock and Bob Calvert also developed a side project in 1977. The duo hooked up with a Devon-based band, Ark. As the Sonic Assassins, they played a gig in Barnstable in late 1977.
1978 AMERICAN TOUR
In the Spring of 1978 they embarked on their fateful American tour. It was beset with problems and Hawkwind effectively imploded.
HAWKLORDS
By the middle of 1978 they were back performing but this time as Hawklords. Contractual problems prevented them from using the name Hawkwind.
In late 1978 Dave Brock, Bob Calvert and Simon King from Hawkwind with Steve Swindells from Pilot, and the rhythm section from Ark, drummer Martin Griffin and bassist Harvey Bainbridge, released the album 25 Years On as Hawklords. The album peaked at #48 on the UK album chart.
Simon King left this first Hawklords lineup and was replaced by Ark drummer Martin Griffin. Although, King did return to the Hawklords lineup.
In early 1979 Bob Calvert once again left Hawklords/Hawkwind to pursue solo projects.
HAWKWIND WAS BACK
The album Live in Seventy Nine captured Hawkwind’s 1979 winter tour. It was released on the Bronze label and entered the charts on 9 August 1980. This gave them their tenth UK hit album and peaked at #15.
The band featured some familiar faces from earlier Hawkwind lineups: the ever-present Dave Brock, guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton who joined Hawkwind in 1969, drummer Simon King joined in 1972 and played through to the Hawklords era and beyond, bass player Harvey Bainbridge a relative newcomer who joined through the Sonic Assassins, and keyboards/synthesizer player Tim Blake ex-Gong and also the guy who was instrumental in Group X playing their first gig at All Saints Hall in 1969.
DRUMMER GINGER BAKER
Levitation was the eleventh Hawkwind album to make the UK charts. It entered on 11 August 1980 and peaked at #21.
With one exception, the lineup was the same as on Live in Seventy Nine album. Ginger Baker replaced Simon King on the drum stool.
AND ONWARDS…
At the time of writing, 2023, Hawkwind have a series of gigs booked across the year.
