Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hawkwind
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1971
Length: 42:17
Rating: 4.5/5
»X in Search of Space« was the second studio outing from British space rock pioneers Hawkwind, and to this day it remains one of their most recognizable and best-loved albums, since in many ways it defined their sound and laid the groundwork for the decades that followed. Hawkwind were always one of those bands with constant lineup headaches, so it was no surprise that even before »X in Search of Space« came out they had already swapped out two bassists, John A. Harrison and Thomas Crimble. The latter was replaced by Dave Anderson, a member of German krautrockers Amon Düüll II, who, after contributing some electric guitar parts as well, also bailed before this album was released.
The bass troubles were put to rest for a while with Lemmy’s arrival on the next Hawkwind album, »Doremi Fasol Latido« (1972), but that’s another story. Electronic innovator on keyboards Dik Mik Davies also temporarily jumped off the Hawkwind ship, so in his absence they brought in Del Dettmar, who was no less of an ‘electronic terrorist’ on synths. Guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton, who had shone on the self-titled Hawkwind debut the year before, had to leave after a bad LSD experience at the ‘hippie’ Isle of Wight festival, Britain’s answer to Woodstock.
Dave Brock, guitarist, singer, founding member and chieftain of the band (with saxophonist/flutist Nik Turner keeping him company on lead vocals at the time as an unofficial leader), set out to form Hawkwind to make music that would get the listener so ‘high’ that no actual intoxicating substance would be needed. On »X in Search of Space«, Dave’s plan, which on the Hawkwind debut was still riddled with various blues compromises, fell on fertile ground and took things further into the ‘cosmic galaxy’ of space and acid rock, where wild elements of psychedelia, avant-garde and proto-punk merged into a chaotic collage of fatal electronic waves, barbaric rhythm sections and sizzling guitar improvisations. This isn’t music you need to be ‘high’ on to experience properly, but while listening you can easily get an ambient ‘shot in the vein’ without wrecking your health or dying on the installment plan.
The album opens with the nearly 16-minute space rock trip »You Shouldn’t Do That«, ruled by avant-garde improvisations led by fractured rhythms and crazy electronic textures that recall spaceships taking off and landing. The spread of cosmic chaos is mostly down to the raging guitar variations between Brock and Anderson, occasionally sliced up by acid-jazz saxophone attacks courtesy of Nik Turner. Even though it’s an entirely instrumental odyssey, you can still make out some odd vocalizations from Brock and Turner, which only add to the overall chaotic atmosphere. The proto-punk rhythm line, so characteristic of the following years, was already recognizable here, which means it was around even before Lemmy showed up.
»You Know You’re Only Dreaming« is a not-so-successful attempt at a song with an actual structure, a head and a tail, since it quickly morphs into yet another psychedelic proto-punk mess of dissonant electronic variations and crazy saxophone passages. The most interesting thing about it is that the track contains a guitar phrase, atmosphere included, that Hawkwind borrowed from the Steve Miller Band classic »Jackson-Kent Blues«, which is no surprise, since Brock often named Steve Miller as one of his role models. Next up comes one of the most recognizable and beloved creations of Hawkwind’s entire career, the space rock classic »Masters of the Universe«, which still can’t be missing from any of their gigs today. The paranoid intro, with a wailing siren announcing a general cosmic apocalypse, is soon cut off by a snarling guitar phrase and a rhythm section that was brutal and dirty for its time. No other track on the album captures the essence of Hawkwind quite as well, so it’s no surprise it soon became a live favorite. Elements of acid rock, hard rock and proto-punk spin into a wild cosmic dance, with a psychedelic vocal seeping through from somewhere in the ‘depths of space’. Interestingly, the lyrics for »Masters of the Universe« are the only ones on the album that really tie in with sci-fi themes or outer space, though they’re a bit anthropocentric, as if the band members were convinced, in an almost medieval way, that man is the essence of the universe.
»We Took the Wrong Step Years Ago« is a pleasant, psychedelic-pastoral folk ballad with Brock on lead vocals and 12-string guitar, which, with its socially critical lyrics, briefly breaks up the general cosmic chaos. »Adjust Me« is an all-out group improvisation where everything is left to pure chance. All the arrangement ‘laws of physics’ go out the window and dissonant chaos once again gets a free pass on its unbridled journey toward the cosmic nebulae. »Children Of the Sun«, on the other hand, features a lovely acoustic guitar accompaniment, interrupted now and then by an urgent phrase and Turner’s dreamy vocal, although overall it’s yet another complete cosmic trip.
The bonus tracks on the reissue are »Born To Go« plus both the A and B sides of the famous single »Silver Machine«. »Seven By Seven« was the B-side of that single; it boasts wild flute improvisations, while the markedly more aggressive bass lines are already noticeable, since new member Lemmy Kilmister was by then on bass. The passionate vocal approach from the late singer and poet Robert Calvert sits well with the proto-punk rhythmic escapades, while the psychedelic guitar solo is even one of the better ones in Brock’s entire career. Lemmy also proves himself as lead singer on the Hawkwind evergreen »Silver Machine«, which, alongside Master of the Universe«, may even be the best-known Hawkwind achievement ever. This version, like the proto-punk firecracker »Born To Go«, was recorded live at The Roundhouse, so it’s no surprise the production sounds even grubbier than usual. Lemmy’s unusually clean, yet already recognizable, slightly smoky vocal sounded quite different on one of the most commercial creations in the Hawkwind story than what most people got used to hearing in his later Mötorhead days.
»X in Search of Space« is the definitive space rock album, one that shoots the listener straight into the stratosphere of the wildest sonic ideas this side of the galaxy, so it’s no surprise it soon became one of the cornerstones of the fresh progressive rock subgenre. From this album on, Dave Brock and company were the undisputed lords of the space rock universe, and that’s still true today. Hawkwind never really belonged in the ‘first league’ of prog rock virtuosos, nor were they particularly gifted individuals on their instruments, but as a unified band they could conjure up a unique and unforgettable atmosphere. Listen closely to »X in Search of Space« and every ‘sober’, rational perception truly falls away, because boarding the Hawkwind spaceship always means the unconscious triumphing over reason.
Lineup
Dave Brock – electric guitar, 6- and 12-string acoustic guitar, vocals, harmonica, keyboards
Nik Turner – saxophone, flute, vocals
Del Dettmar – synthesizer
Dik Mik (Michael Davies) – synthesizer
Dave Anderson – bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitar
Terry Ollis – drums
ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS ON BONUS TRACKS:
Robert Calvert – vocals
Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) – bass guitar, vocals on Silver Machine
Simon King – drums
Production
George Chkiantz and Hawkwind
Track list
1. You Shouldn’t Do That (15:43)
2. You Know You’re Only Dreaming (6:33)
3. Master Of The Universe (6:15)
4. We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago (4:48)
5. Adjust Me (5:45)
6. Children Of The Sun (3:13)
Bonus tracks from the 1996 reissue:
7. Seven By Seven (5:21)
8. Silver Machine (4:39)
9. Born To Go (5:05)
