Great Rock Albums of 1982: Hawkwind- Church of Hawkwind

Hawkwind didn’t come to my attention until 1983 when a friend of mine introduced me to them. While, I never heard of them, I know that they weren’t completely unknown in the US during the 1970s. My friend and many of his college buddies back in the late 1970s listened to them quite a lot. When he introduced me to them,  their 1982 “Church of Hawkwind” album wasn’t my first experience but the rather amusing song, “Reefer Madness.” After that I listened to more of their stuff so at least I could say that when I got to England a few years later and met more people who were big Hawkwind fans, I could at least claim a familiarity with their music.

Part of my familiarity with Hawkwind was this album. “Church of Hawkwind” marked a swing from more hard rock to an electronic, progressive sound. However, their brand of “space rock” never goes away in the slightest. Some way out intros by way of keyboards and synthesizers still make the average Hawkwind fan want to grab their stash and light up. I would have but I have to go to work later today. One song that really stands out is “Nuclear Drive.” I can’t explain the little details as to why but I really like the song. I also found “Some People Never Die” very interesting. The song projects the actual news report of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald backed up by the spacey music that is the trademark of Hawkwind. It’s definitely a stand out song. “Light Specific Data” is a very classy instrumental. Really, “Church of Hawkwind” reminds me of Pink Floyd but only in the sense that this is an album where you sit back and enjoy while indulging in mind altering substances.

Track Listing:

1. Angel’s Voice

2. Nuclear Drive

3. Star Cannibal

4. The Phenomenon of Luminosity

5. Fall of Earth City

6. The Church

7. Joker At the Gate

8. Some People Never Die

9. Light Specific Data

10. Experiment With Destiny

11. The Last Messiah

12. Looking in the Future

Hawkwind

Dave Brock- guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals

Huw Lloyd Langton- guitar, vocals

Harvey Bainbridge- bass, keyboards, vocals

Martin Griffin- drums

One thing I discovered about Hawkwind is that their music gives metalheads and hippies a common ground. There is much in their music for both groups to like. As far as “Church of Hawkwind” goes, this is an album for sitting down and just appreciating.

Next post: Pat Benetar- Get Nervous

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