WORLD EXCLUSIVE - THE FIRST FULL REVIEW OF
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER
Well it's here and boy has it been a long time coming, no I'm not talking about another royalty cheque from Doug Smith but Take Me To Your Leader the first brand new studio album from the band in some eight years, has it been worth the wait, I'd say a resounding Yes!
Before I continue though I will say that I will try and be as objective as possible with this review, having had such a big part to play in the Spirit Of The Age campaign I have had cause to come into contact with both the band and Rob Ayling from Voiceprint and to a tee I've found them all sterling people so it's easy to be biased but I will as much as possible be critical when required.
So then, what have we got, basically 10 tracks that collectively clock in at just over 50 minutes, a pretty average length for an album in this day and age and it has to be said that I found that the time passes very quickly when you're listening which has to be a good sign.
I've had the album for six days now and unsurprisingly there's been little else on my various CD players and I think I now have a pretty good feel of the whole thing and without sounding to pompous it really is one big galaxy wide trip although much of it actually takes place on our own planet earth, curious to find out more? well read on with this track by track breakdown, starting with
Spirit Of The Age - Or as I now like to refer to it as "the hit that never was!", not hugely different in arrangement to the Calvert vocal'd original from 1977 but more direct and to the point and less cluttered with sound effects than it's predecessor. I can't believe that you're reading this unless your a fully fledged Hawkfan so you know what the score is with this song! Basically classic Hawkwind, androids, space, cloning it's all there, but from this unearthly place we descend back home with -
Out There We Are - And arrive on a beach, looking out across the still sea, early one morning just before sunrise in one of the clubbing capitals of the world, probably Ibiza but maybe Ayanapa as the moody soundscape of this song begins, drifting along without a care in the world, this is very chillin' and then it happens, the sun appears, or in this case Jez Huggets haunting sax makes it's presence felt and the track continues in much the same fashion with the occasional little splash of spaciness thrown in for good measure, you'd be hard pushed to find a more relaxed 6 minutes on a Hawkwind album ever!
Greenback Massacre - The same can't be said for this number however as it's arguably (in theory) the heaviest track on the album. We've moved on to the USA now or rather a scathing attack by Alan Davey on the countries policies politics and (in his opinion) general gung ho attitude.
Now I said it's the heaviest track (in theory) as for me this really doesn't cut it, the song is classic Hawkwind of the highest order but the guitars are just too far down in the mix for it to be effective and in consequence it sounds a bit thin to these ears, a shame because this album is really varied and what it needed amongst other things was a full on Hawkwind wig out and they came very close to achieving this, but the cigar's still in it's packaging
To Love A Machine - For this I'm transported back to the Spanish mainland, simply because the track contains a little bit of Spanish - Flamenco style guitar, nice touch.
Strangely in light of the comments about Greenback Massacre the guitars once more make their way back to the fore and in many ways I see this as Dave Brocks tour de force on the album as this is the only track where he takes sole writing credit on, and it has to be said it's a classic. Mostly mid paced with a lovely dreamy sequence some half way through that then builds towards an intense build up of guitars, before somewhat bizarrely we get transported once more to what sounds like a Jazz bar for a little free form workout that again morphs into a short spacey segment on exit.
Take Me To Your Leader - No doubting where I am now, it's about 2 o'clock in the morning and I'm wandering around the many side shows that make the Glastonbury festival so special and different from all the others, DJ have set themselves up between food vendors and could quite easily be playing this, no-one would be aware that it's Hawkwind.
Hopefully you'll get the picture OF what I'm trying to get across here, I'd describe it as "dreamy trance" and for many could be one of the more controversial tracks on the new album. Personally I think it's the bands best and most successful foray into the world of dance music. Through interviews we've learnt that far from being innovators when it comes to technology in music the band are in fact "barbarians" and have only now adopted the tools that makes this music possible. I wonder if this was how a lot of "It Is The Future..." was supposed to sound but they simply didn't have the equipment to achieve it.
Digital Nation - We could be anywhere in the world with this, being one big (although not necessarily happy) family thanks to the wonders of the Internet and online gaming.
A fairly mellow track that glides along with the added touch of Jez Hugget once more, but this time it's a pleasant flute line that he adds. You get the impression that each member had their own baby on this project, Alan lovingly reared Greenback, Dave changed the nappies on To Love.. and here we see Richard as the doting father to this number and in many ways it reminds me of Richard, slight but perfectly formed! (;-) )
Sunray - And with it probably one of the most bizarre stop off's on our journey, I'm sitting in Germany next June at the World Cup final, it's England V Germany and with Sunray having been a massive hit all over Europe (told you it was bizarre) is the last track played over the PA before the two teams are led out!
For me this is a real highlight, what I was trying to get across in the description above is it does have the feel that it could be used as incidental music on television, especially a big sporting event, it's as catchy as you like and the hooks are so big you could catch sharks with them. A nice addition is the use of a Hammond organ sound that's provided by James Clemas, who on doing a bit of research appears to be the keyboard player in Jez Huggets Band Of Gold, put bluntly probably my favourite track on the album at this moment.
Sighs - Not a lot to say about this only that it's a typically short and sweet piece that to me would not be out of place on Church of Hawkwind, towards the end Dave recites a short place that could be entitled "Technoland" but little to add other than that.
Angela Android - And for this we could be in a futuristic Soho or somewhere similar where basically machines provide our sexual kicks.
This track has like a couple of the others been knocking around for some while now in the live set and has caused a split amongst the ranks. Personally I like it, true you're unlikely to win a Mercury music prize with lyrics such as -
Angels
android c'mon and be my babe
I'm feeling horny and I want to get laid
More Whitesnake than Elvis Costello I grant you but I think that's a big part of the songs appeal - It's FUN, get over it! add to that a toe tappingly pleasant tune and whilst I'll be the first to admit it's not a Hawkwind classic it does work in the context (I think) it was meant for! this leads us to the albums final track -
A Letter To Robert - And our mystical journey finally brings me back to my own country of England and two of it's quintessential eccentrics (even if one of them was of South African origin!) in the shape of Arthur Brown and the late lamented Robert Calvert . In a nutshell it's a Brock and Chadwick spacey, dancey jam over which Mr Brown recounts some of his adventures with Bob and we find out that Calvert basically blames women for most of life's woes!
It's clever, different and often amusing but for me it doesn't really work and at some six minutes in length I personally would have preferred another more "conventional" song, although I do have a feeling that I could be in a minority on that one.
So there you have it, overall a huge success and even with my very slight misgivings there's no part of the album that I have to skip over, which is something I find increasingly common these days.
You'll get your own chance to listen when it goes on official release next week and I'm sure many of you will disagree with my views.
I was trying to find a way of best describing the album and where exactly it fits in with the back catalogue and to be honest I'm stumped, so I'd like to leave you with this thought -
"Take Me To Your Leader is classic Hawkwind but sounds like no other Hawkwind album I've heard before!"
I hope that's wetted your appetite for next week.
The following appear in the UK tabloid "The Sun" on the 9th Sept
NEW HAWKS OFFERING IS GREAT STUFF
BY MATTHEW WRIGHT
HAWKWIND
Take Me To Your Leader 4 (out of 5, I presume)
IT must be the most unlikely musical alliance of all time. What is a daytime telly presenter doing with space rock legends Hawkwind?
Well those of you who splash out on their latest album will find yours truly, Matthew Wright of Five’s Wright Stuff, singing!
Before I give you my track-by-track breakdown, let me tell you how it al came about. Hawkwind used to have a singer called Robert Calvert - a madcap visionary and poet who died far too young.
One of his songs was Spirit Of The Age, a nightmarish vision of humans seeking sexual comfort from clones. When I finally met Hawkwind leader Dave Brock he asked me if I fancied singing it.
Whether Dave’s brain is chemically challenged after years of challenging chemicals I can’t say but my version opens the album.
My verdict? Very different from the original but brilliant obviously!
As for the rest of the album. . .
Out Here We Are - Will appeal to anyone from the rave generation, a spacey-chill out number with bone shaking bass and swooping synths.
Greenback Massacre - Kicks in next, a headbanger of a tune with bass player Alan Davey sounding even meaner than his predecessor Lemmy.
To Love A Machine - A showcase of Dave Brocks haunting voice, returns to the theme of humans falling in love with machines. A Hawkwind classic in the making.
Take Me to Your Leader - Sees the Hawks experimenting with Drum ‘n’ Bass. No really! The band has been playing rave parties for years and that experiences shine through.
Digital Nation - Has drummer Richard Chadwick taking over at the mic and clever Calvert-esque lyrics.
Sunray - Sees Arthur Brown, the bloke who used to run around with his head ablaze screaming Fire, leading the Hawks through some hippy-trippy madness.
Sighs - Is an all too-brief slice of synth filler typical of the spacey noodlings Hawkwind serve up live between numbers.
Angela Android - Is another Richard Chadwick number. The stickmeister serves up a mind-warping paranoiac beat for the rest of the band to jam around. Punk siren Lene Lovich delivers high-pitched vocal thrills, too.
A Letter to Robert - Is by far the strangest tune on the album - featuring Arthur Brown raving like a loon about a conversation he once had with Robert Calvert.
THEY'VE BEEN SLOW IN COMING BIT I HAVE UNEARTHER THE FOLLOWING
Mott the dog (2nd review down)
Lowcut (about 3rd of the way down)