'Warrior On The Edge Of Time'
by Hawkwind
(1975)
(1975)
Featuring one of the all-time great progressive rock sleeves courtesy of French artist Pierre D'Auvergne, this 1975 album would see Hawkwind beginning to expand their sound, including more overtly symphonic elements, krautrock-style beats and, additionally, more focused and streamlined song-writing. The album would prove a success, especially amongst the group's loyal fanbase, though the gradual move away from the earlier and heavier sound featured on albums such as 1972's 'Doremi Fasol Latido' and the double-live set 'Space Ritual' wouldn't please everyone, with bassist Lemmy, making his last appearance with the group on 'Warrior On The Edge Of Time', announcing his dis-pleasure at the resulting product and eventually leaving the group altogether, going on to form the early metal pioneers Motorhead. For many, however, 'Warrior At The Edge Of Time', which features lyrics written mainly by sci-fi novelist and part-time member Michael Moorcock(who would go on to become a permanent member after the album's release) would find Hawkwind at their most imaginative. The album featured two drummers, with Alan Powell augmenting regular drummer Simon King, with Lemmy(bass), Dave Brock(vocals, guitar, keyboards), Nik Turner(sax, flute, vocals) and Simon House(violin, keyboards) completing one of the more short-lived Hawkwind line-ups. The increased use of sweeping synthesizers and keyboards is notable, especially on tracks such as the mystical psych-rock opus 'The Golden Void', whilst Neu!-style motorik-grooved drumming impressively adorns the outstanding Alan Powell-and-Simon King-penned 'Opa-Loka', one of the tracks that got Lemmy's knickers in such a twist. The group's trademark fuzz-toned and dirty riffs are still present, though here they sound cleaner and tighter, allowing more space for other instruments such as Simon House's skittering violins to add a new dimension to Hawkwind's overall sonic palette.
Recorded at the isolated Rockfield studios nestled deep in the Welsh countryside and released on the United Artists label in a deluxe, gated, limited-edition fold-out sleeve, 'Warrior On The Edge Of Time' reached an impressive no.13 on the UK album charts. A single, titled 'Kings Of Speed and co-written by Dave Brock and Michael Moorcock, was issued a couple of months before the album's release and was notable for featuring an original Lemmy composition on the B-side called 'Motorhead', a track that in time would become a live favourite for both Hawkwind and Lemmy's hard rockin' group. 'Motorhead' the song featured sci-fi inspired lyrics similar to the ones found on 'Warrior On The Edge Of Time' though the actual music was mush more 'classic'-style Hawkwind, all raging guitar riffs, dirty fuzz-toned melodies and battering drums, marking the last hurrah of the group's older, more simplistic sound.
Interestingly, Hawkwind would be one of the few 'progressive' groups to escape the late-seventies musical cull conducted by the emerging punk-rock set, thanks mainly to their far-from-melodic approach, their uncompromising brand of heavy-rock, their proto-punky aggression, and, finally, their semi-legendary underground status. However, not many rock groups can continue to remain successful by constantly churning out the same old stuff again and again and the synthesized-glaze of 'Warrior On The Edge Of Time' was Hawkwind's own way of adapting to the new musical climate of late-seventies Britain. It was also the album that showed the group growing in terms technical proficiency, with group-leader Dave Brock beginning to utilise the full potential of both the recording studio and advances in musical gadgetry to enhance their once primitive sound. Later albums would be drenched in an array of special effects and shiny keyboard tricks, diluting the raw power that gave Hawkwind's music such exciting vitality and therefore blunting their once unique edge. This exhilarating and surprisingly complex album, however, blends the two different sides of Hawkwind, finding the group at an interesting musical crossroads that combines the imaginative experimental side of progressive rock with the pounding effectiveness of punk, the whole neon-tinged collection wrapped in the group's trademark cosmic musings and highly-psychedelic design. Definitely one of their more unconventional early albums, 'Warrior On The Edge Of Time' is very much the sound of Hawkwind at their most progressive. Sorry Lemmy.
Key songs: Assault & Battery (Part 1), Opa-Loka, Dying Seas
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