Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music
Encyclopedia
Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music is the sixth studio album by the British rock band Hawkwind
, released in 1976. It reached #33 on the UK album charts.
The title makes references to old science fiction magazines (Astounding and Amazing Stories
), the concept being that each piece of music (and its title) would be interpreted as an individual science fiction story. The record cover is a parody of the cover of these magazines, while the inner sleeve carried small ads, with each band member having their own product (e.g. Dr Brock's cure for piles, Paul Rudolph's Manly Strapon, and Simon King's Pleasure Primer).
This album marked the start of a new era for Hawkwind, having left the management of Douglas Smith for Tony Howard and changed record companies from United Artists Records
to Charisma Records
. Musically, the dirty heavy metal lead bass guitar playing of Lemmy was replaced by the cleaner, formally trained bass playing of Paul Rudolph
. All members of the band were now contributing to the writing and arrangement of the music leading to more width in style, and the recording and production is better defined than previous albums.
The greatest change is in the return of Robert Calvert
, this time as a permanent vocalist rather than the peripheral poet role he occupied on Space Ritual
. Not only did he bring crafted lyrics to the band, but he was intent on turning live shows into a piece of music theatre with specific characters for him to act out, Calvert explaining in a 1976 interview that "We're writing numbers now with visual ideas in mind, rather than trying to think of things to impose on numbers we've already got. We're trying to get the visual side of the band focussed on individuals rather than on screen projections. Nik, Dave and myself are, in some parts of the show, playing the parts of actors... All in all, it works up to quite a nice piece of theatre, spontaneous theatre that is."
"Reefer Madness" lyrics are inspired by the 1936 anti-Marijuana propaganda film Reefer Madness
. It was performed during the tour of the album, appearing on the live album Atomhenge 76
, and remained in the set until the formation of the Hawklords
in 1978. The song was added to the setlist in 1990/1 to be performed by Bridget Wishart
, a version appearing on the live album California Brainstorm
.
Calvert had written the lyrics to "Steppenwolf" when Adrian Wagner, for his album Distances Between Us, "wanted a song about living in cities and I was re-reading Hesse's Steppenwolf
at the time. It seemed to me that there was a strong myth in it about city life and it gave me the basic idea." It was performed during the tour of the album, appearing on the live album Atomhenge 76, and remained in the band's set until Calvert left in 1978, versions included on Weird Tape 4 and 5. The song has occasionally been re-instated into the live set, between 1982 and 1984 it was performed by Turner, in 1996 by Ron Tree, and in 2003 by Arthur Brown
.
"City Of Lagoons" is a Powell composed instrumental, although erroneously credited to House on the album's release.
"The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon" is an instrumental, its title references Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band
's 1967 hit single "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago
".
"Kerb Crawler" was released as a single backed by "Honky Dorky" which is the band jamming on "Reefer Madness". There are reportedly two versions of the A-side, the original and a re-mix by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour
- it is the latter that appeared on the album.
"Kadu Flyer" lyrics were written by Turner, who credited them to Jamie Mandelkau for legal reasons (Turner was still under contract either to United Artists or Douglas Smith). Calvert is also given a writers credit on some releases. Kadu is an abbreviation of Kathmandu.
"Chronoglide Skyway" is a House composed instrumental, although erroneously credited to Powell on the album's release. It was performed during the tour of the album, appearing on the live album Atomhenge 76.
(6 November 1976) reviewed the album as "Hawkwind are back on form... their music has acquired about fifteen new levels since the old churn-churn days". He highlights "Reefer Madness" as the "stand-out" track and notes that "Simon House has injected a big shot of tuneful keyboarding into the mix".
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, released in 1976. It reached #33 on the UK album charts.
The title makes references to old science fiction magazines (Astounding and Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
), the concept being that each piece of music (and its title) would be interpreted as an individual science fiction story. The record cover is a parody of the cover of these magazines, while the inner sleeve carried small ads, with each band member having their own product (e.g. Dr Brock's cure for piles, Paul Rudolph's Manly Strapon, and Simon King's Pleasure Primer).
This album marked the start of a new era for Hawkwind, having left the management of Douglas Smith for Tony Howard and changed record companies from United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
to Charisma Records
Charisma Records
Charisma was a record label founded by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969. Manager for The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator at the time, Stratton-Smith was unable to find a record company willing to release an album by one of his favourite groups so he founded his own...
. Musically, the dirty heavy metal lead bass guitar playing of Lemmy was replaced by the cleaner, formally trained bass playing of Paul Rudolph
Paul Rudolph (musician)
Paul Fraser Rudolph is a guitarist,bassist, singer, and cyclist. He made his mark in the UK underground music scene, and then as a session musician, before returning to Canada to indulge his passion for cycling...
. All members of the band were now contributing to the writing and arrangement of the music leading to more width in style, and the recording and production is better defined than previous albums.
The greatest change is in the return of Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
, this time as a permanent vocalist rather than the peripheral poet role he occupied on Space Ritual
Space Ritual
The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London is a 1973 live double album recorded in 1972 by UK rock band Hawkwind. It is their fourth album, reached #9 in the UK album charts and briefly dented the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #179....
. Not only did he bring crafted lyrics to the band, but he was intent on turning live shows into a piece of music theatre with specific characters for him to act out, Calvert explaining in a 1976 interview that "We're writing numbers now with visual ideas in mind, rather than trying to think of things to impose on numbers we've already got. We're trying to get the visual side of the band focussed on individuals rather than on screen projections. Nik, Dave and myself are, in some parts of the show, playing the parts of actors... All in all, it works up to quite a nice piece of theatre, spontaneous theatre that is."
Songs
- See also the article "Kerb CrawlerKerb CrawlerKerb Crawler is a 1976 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 16 July 1976 taken from the album Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music....
".
"Reefer Madness" lyrics are inspired by the 1936 anti-Marijuana propaganda film Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness is a well-known 1936 American propaganda exploitation film revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try "marijuana" — from a hit and run accident, to manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness...
. It was performed during the tour of the album, appearing on the live album Atomhenge 76
Atomhenge 76
Atomhenge 76 is a 2000 live album release of part of a 1976 concert by Hawkwind.Part of this set was also issued in North America on a single CD as Thrilling Hawkwind Adventures .-Track listing:CD1...
, and remained in the set until the formation of the Hawklords
Hawklords
Hawklords were an English music group active between 1978 and 1979. They were borne from the disbanded Hawkwind and a local Devon group named Ark with the addition of former Pilot keyboardist Steve Swindells.The use of the name Hawklords instead of Hawkwind may...
in 1978. The song was added to the setlist in 1990/1 to be performed by Bridget Wishart
Bridget Wishart
Bridget Wishart is a vocalist and performance artist who performed with Hawkwind from 1989 to 1991, appearing on the albums Space Bandits, Palace Springs, California Brainstorm and Take Me to Your Future and, among others, the Nottingham 1990 video.She obtained BA in Fine Art from Newport Art...
, a version appearing on the live album California Brainstorm
California Brainstorm
California Brainstorm is a live album by the British space rock group Hawkwind, recorded during their North America tour in 1990, and released in 1992 in the USA on the Iloki label....
.
Calvert had written the lyrics to "Steppenwolf" when Adrian Wagner, for his album Distances Between Us, "wanted a song about living in cities and I was re-reading Hesse's Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (novel)
Steppenwolf is the tenth novel by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse. Originally published in Germany in 1927, it was first translated into English in 1929. Combining autobiographical and psychoanalytic elements, the novel was named after the lonesome wolf of the steppes...
at the time. It seemed to me that there was a strong myth in it about city life and it gave me the basic idea." It was performed during the tour of the album, appearing on the live album Atomhenge 76, and remained in the band's set until Calvert left in 1978, versions included on Weird Tape 4 and 5. The song has occasionally been re-instated into the live set, between 1982 and 1984 it was performed by Turner, in 1996 by Ron Tree, and in 2003 by Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
.
"City Of Lagoons" is a Powell composed instrumental, although erroneously credited to House on the album's release.
"The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon" is an instrumental, its title references Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band
Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band
Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band was a psychedelic rock band. They were known best for both producing Norman Greenbaum; and the their own hit "The Eggplant that Ate Chicago", which reached #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.-Albums:...
's 1967 hit single "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago
The Eggplant That Ate Chicago
The Eggplant That Ate Chicago is a psychedelic jug band song about alien invasion by Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band. Although often listed as a "one hit wonder",...
".
"Kerb Crawler" was released as a single backed by "Honky Dorky" which is the band jamming on "Reefer Madness". There are reportedly two versions of the A-side, the original and a re-mix by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
- it is the latter that appeared on the album.
"Kadu Flyer" lyrics were written by Turner, who credited them to Jamie Mandelkau for legal reasons (Turner was still under contract either to United Artists or Douglas Smith). Calvert is also given a writers credit on some releases. Kadu is an abbreviation of Kathmandu.
"Chronoglide Skyway" is a House composed instrumental, although erroneously credited to Powell on the album's release. It was performed during the tour of the album, appearing on the live album Atomhenge 76.
Critical reception
Dick Tracy in the NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
(6 November 1976) reviewed the album as "Hawkwind are back on form... their music has acquired about fifteen new levels since the old churn-churn days". He highlights "Reefer Madness" as the "stand-out" track and notes that "Simon House has injected a big shot of tuneful keyboarding into the mix".
Side 1
- "Reefer MadnessReefer MadnessReefer Madness is a well-known 1936 American propaganda exploitation film revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try "marijuana" — from a hit and run accident, to manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness...
" (Calvert/Brock) – 6:03 - "SteppenwolfSteppenwolf (novel)Steppenwolf is the tenth novel by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse. Originally published in Germany in 1927, it was first translated into English in 1929. Combining autobiographical and psychoanalytic elements, the novel was named after the lonesome wolf of the steppes...
" (Calvert/Brock) – 9:46 - "City of Lagoons" (Powell) – 5:09
Side 2
- "The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon" (Rudolph) – 3:03
- "Kerb CrawlerKerb CrawlerKerb Crawler is a 1976 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 16 July 1976 taken from the album Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music....
" (Calvert/Brock) – 3:45 - "Kadu Flyer" (Turner/House) – 5:07
- "Chronoglide Skyway" (House) – 5:04
Griffin CD bonus tracks
- "Honky Dorky" (Hawkwind) – 3:16
- "Back on the StreetsBack on the Streets (single)Back on the Streets is a 1976 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 28 January 1977 and has been included on some North American versions of the album Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music. It featured on Spirit of the Age - a 1988 compilation album...
" (Calvert/Rudolph) – 2:56 - "Dream of Isis" (Brock/House/King) – 2:52
Atomhenge CD bonus tracks
- "Honky Dorky" (Hawkwind)
- "Kerb Crawler" [single mix] (Calvert/Brock)
- "Back on the Streets" [alternate mix] (Calvert/Rudolph)
- "Dream of Isis" [alternate mix] (Brock/House/King)
Personnel
- Robert CalvertRobert CalvertRobert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Dave BrockDave BrockDavid Anthony "Dave" Brock is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He plays electric guitar, synthesizer, bass and oscillators. He is best known as being one of the founders and musical focus of the English space rock group Hawkwind...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocals - Nik TurnerNik TurnerNik Turner is a British musician, best known as a founding member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner plays saxophones, flute, sings and is a composer...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, vocals (on "Kadu Flyer") - Paul RudolphPaul Rudolph (musician)Paul Fraser Rudolph is a guitarist,bassist, singer, and cyclist. He made his mark in the UK underground music scene, and then as a session musician, before returning to Canada to indulge his passion for cycling...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, electric guitar - Simon HouseSimon HouseSimon House is a composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind. His arrival in 1974 introduced a new element to the band's style...
– violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, keyboards - Simon KingSimon King (musician)Simon King is an English drummer most noted for his work with Hawkwind. He was described in 1985 by British rock magazine 'Sounds' as 'definitive rock drummer.'...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Alan PowellAlan PowellAlan Powell is a drummer who was mainly active during the 1970s.In 1964 Alan joined Manchester R&B band Ivans Meads who released their first single for EMI label "Sins of a Family" followed in 1965 with "We'll Talk about it Tomorrow"...
– drums
Credits
- Recorded at Roundhouse StudiosThe RoundhouseThe Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
, February 1976 to March 1976. - Produced by Hawkwind, recorded by Mark Dearnley.
- "Kerb Crawler" remixed by Dave Gilmour.
- Cover by Tony Hyde and Barney BubblesBarney BubblesColin Fulcher aka Barney Bubbles was a radical English graphic artist, whose work primarily encompassed the disciplines of graphic design, painting and music video direction. He is most renowned for his distinctive contribution to the graphic design associated with the British independent music...
.
Release history
- August 1976: Charisma, CDS4004, UK vinyl - some copies were printed with the front and back cover reversed. Original copies contained an inner sleeve.
- March 1983: Charisma, CHC14, UK vinyl
- April 1989: Virgin, CDSCD 4004, UK CD
- August 1995: Griffin MusicGriffin MusicGriffin Music was an independent record label created in 1989 in Toronto, Canada by author/publisher Robert Godwin. It was originally created to finance and record the second album of Led Zeppelin tribute act, Michael White & The White...
, GCD483-2, USA CD; GCD345-0, USA CD with the Michael Butterwoth The Time of the Hawklords book. - 2005: Sunrise Records, LC12774, USA CD
- January 2009: Atomhenge (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
) Records, ATOMCD1005, UK CD
External links
- Discogs.com Discography details
- Collectable Records - Original cover and inner sleeve
- Atomhenge Records