HAWKWIND/HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN GRILL UAG 29672 (-74) UK

Favoured by critics on release and with healthy sales also remaining the most loved album by the group's fans. In contrast to their earlier right-on space jam recordings this has calculated arrangements and explicite production - made by Roy Thomas Baker. Other important changes was their sound effect persona - Dik Mik - had been replaced by classically trained Simon House on synth and lyricist/vocalist Robert Calvert being absent due to bipolar disorder. It was the beginning of a transition that eventually would lead to a whole new sound with very little left from the early years - not all bad, but completely different. I truly love the first period "In Search Of Space" and "Doremi Fasol Latido". It's dirty and direct with few overdubs and raw audio, much recorded live in the studio with sometimes primitive equipment, giving the impression it was all made on the spot. This has about the same songwriting, but production and synth interludes softens and the sound becomes almost elegant at parts. Back then when synths were relatively new, studios became more advanced and a bigger part of the musical outcome it may have been a novelty, but 2014 that just makes it less special. Today when 99% of all recordings are warped and syth infected it's a lot more fun listening to direct, imperfect and Dik Mik's audio generator. Favorite tracks are the ones most reminding of older stuff - "Psychedelic Warlords", "Lost Johnny" and the live cut "You'd Better Believe It". Early US on United Artists (UA-LA328-G). Most later CD issues also included four bonus cuts with alternate single edits. First UK had label as shown here, thick vinyl and matt cover with picture/credit inner. (ÄZC*) (HÖWK*)