Hawkwind are relatively unheard of by some people, but they're seen by those in-the-know as an important link between psychedelic rock and later punk and even 90s grunge bands.
When the Isle of Wight festival started charging high prices for entrance, Hawkwind famously staged their own free concert outside the grounds. Their anarchic lyrics had at least one single - Urban Guerrilla - withdrawn by their record company.
The lineup constantly changed through the years, formed around guitarist Dave Brock and saxophonist Nik Turner, but also including (at various stages) Lemmy, of Motorhead fame, the poetical Robert Calvert, and Stacia, a six-foot tall lady who danced naked on the stage. Time hasn't aged their drive, and like the Rolling Stones or The Grateful Dead, they seem to want to carry on performing until they die.
X In Search of Space was their second studio album (released in 1971) and is my favourite. Ostensibly it's themed on a fantasy/sci-fi concept (the band were noted collaborators with award-winning fantasy author Michael Moorcock and often labelled as an iconic "space rock" group), but it's as much a reflection of the world they perceived around them at the time. As such, it perfectly captures their energy and brio during the early 70s.
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