Hawkwind - Space Rock From London

This CD probably exists for one reason, and that is to satisfy the seemingly endless appetite among Hawkwind fans for material from their ‘Space Ritual’ period. It was recorded live at the Paris Theatre (London) on 28th September 1972 for subsequent radio broadcast on the “In Concert” series, on 14th October 1972. This was after Hawkwind’s hit single success with Silver Machine but before the actual Space Ritual tour.

Recorded for the BBC in the Paris Theatre in London, this album provides another snapshot of Space Ritual era Hawkwind, a thing which has recently become desirable. Now the 1991 album of this gig may or may not feature a mono audience recording of the exact same gig, in good SQ…. but I don't think this is it. This album features some well sloppy mixing from the BBC, with the guitar non-existant at the start of Silver Machine, but hey, its the best live version from this era by far… Elsewhere, Dikmik (the cad) produces whistling noises over the entire album, whic hgets sickening after the third number… wheeeeeee, there he goes again. Hell's teeth. Also, some randomer (probably DIKMik again) provides needlessly stoned backing vocals in really bad pitch. Go away, this is poor! The same idiot is heard on the Live at the Roundhouse tracks (great backing vocals on Silver Machine, shame they removed them when they made that track into a single… eh no). Actually, to digress, if the band had left the original Silver mAchine track without overdubbing in the studio, it would have been a Dawg!!!

The BBC therefor made a lumpy recording, but why was space ritual recorded on 2 seperate nights for any other reason than Hawkwind were a damned hard live band to record? Same with The Who, Cream, Pink Floyd… any good band really…

Bootleg CD recorded at Dream Machine on 14th October 1972.
Remix of the BBC Transcription Disc - Live In Concert album.
Reissued as the Space London 1972 CD.
Transcription disc manufactured for the BBC to promote the band on BBC Radio.
This disc is extremely rare as the radio stations were instruction to destroy the disc after the radio broadcast.
It is rumoured that they were even supplied with a hammer to aid in the discs destruction.
Remixed as the Space Rock From London CD later reissued as the Space London 1972 CD.