Atomhenge have done a repress of the expanded CD edition of Hawkwind’s PXR5 album from 1979.
All the eight bonus tracks included. This reissue has been remastered from the original master tapes.
Hawkwind experienced something of a turbulent time towards the end of the 1970s. Things fell apart during a US tour with Dave Brock regrouping and reappearing under the name of Hawklords and the wonderful 25 Years On album in 1978.
Prior to that, what would become PXR5 was recorded between 1977 – 1978 and included some tracks which were recorded on the 1977 tour before seeing a 1979 release and marking the end of Hawkwind’s tenure with Charisma Records.
The original 5,000 albums included the Hawkwind family tree poster and the (ahem) “controversial” cover art of a plug incorrectly and dangerously wired up. I had one of those 5,000 and recall an article about the wiring appearing in the newspapers. I cut out the article and taped it to the inner sleeve.
Measures were taken to put a sticker over the plug on further issues for obvious reasons.
Back to the album – whilst there is something of contractual obligation about it, there’s plenty on here to recommend it and it is certainly proper Hawkwind and with Robert Calvert at his lyrical best.
Deathtrap is an urgent opener punching along with a bit of a new wave thing going on. Jack of Shadows is atmospheric and hooky quasi-pop.
Then the superb Uncle Sam’s on Mars. A typical Hawkwind spacey affair with Calvert’s biting lyrics. The live recording adds to the effect of it all. For me (and may be you) it brings back memories of seeing the Hawks perform this back in the day with Calvert meandering around the stage with his Stars and Stripes flag.
Here is Uncle Sam’s on Mars:
Infinity is a bit weird then the short throw-away Life Form.
What was side two on the original vinyl is a three-punch combo of (in my opinion) some of Hawkwind’s best.
First, the hypnotic Robot with a fine riff and all sorts of spaceyness underpinning Calvert’s twist on the dronery of work and Asimov’s three laws of robotics followed by the marvellous High Rise and more lyrical genius from Calvert about the bleak drudgery of, well, living in a block of high rise flats.
Both Robot and High Rise recorded live. High Rise has some marvellous bass work to the fore.
Then the powerful yet catchy space rock blast of the title track to close out the old side two.
The bonus tracks here on the expanded edition bring in other versions of most of the above including some studio cuts of the live tracks and assorted other things.
All good stuff indeed from a period of upheaval for the Hawks. Captain Dave Brock sorted that out regrouping again to take the revised line-up out on the UK tour in 1979 and bagging a new recording deal for the band resulting in the excellent Levitation album in 1980.
PXR5 stands up well today – especially Uncle Sam’s on Mars, Robot and High Rise. Worth it for those three tracks alone.
>> HAWKWIND PXR5 REMASTER EXPANDED EDITION ON AMAZON <<
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