RARE Unique HAWKWIND IN SEARCH OF SPACE Psych Prog

$

38

                In Search Of Space

                          Australia - United Artists -  UAG 29202

RARE 1971 original issue with laminated cover and 'flipback' cover seams...never had or seen this version complete with a non-gimmix folds cover, and of course the strange 'flipback' seams ...figure probably correctly, the pressing is rarer than rare ...and the album, well:

Hawkwind—
X In Search Of Space  delivers a collection of huge, metronomic epics and wistful, lysergically-tinged ballads with electronics pushed to the fore as everything funneled through a battery of echo, reverb and phasing, “X In Search Of Space” showed how hard Hawkwind had willed themselves forward in terms of both arrangement and performance, creating a collection of material that for all its hard-won confidence was still as roughhewn as ever. Indeed, the sound of the album reflects the decision of several members’ requests that their own tracks be turned down, resulting in a weirdly hollow, highly imbalanced and inadvertent space rock dub mix years ahead of its time. Side one has only two tracks, but they sound and feel like one single massive and barely structured jam that builds, fades, collapses, re-builds and re-fades all over itself with drastic, chaotic ease. The first track, “You Shouldn’t Do That” takes about four minutes to finally achieve lift-off into a roaring, brittle flight that threatens to never, never land. The boomeranging jamming always returns back and when the two chants start up with barely ‘sung’ double-tracked lyrics, everything but the roaming and always unexpected VCS3 trajectories of Del Dettmar are crowded to the back of the mix. Other instruments will assemble, fall away altogether or gain in prominence but at all times the constant un-folding-ness is upheld. Nik’s interstellar message relay sax transmits over the lightly-produced drums which thud out hollow pagan fills until a quietly shuddering VCS3 line wobbles as wah-wah’ed guitar and electronic gulls wheel and climb above the crashing waves of Breath-Land. This pre-ambient freakscape ushers in “You Know You’re Only Dreaming (Visions Of Beyond Recall)” with hurried clusters of Brock’s psy-wah-wah/distortion guitar riffing. The feel of the background vocals are soothing comfort itself utilised for full windy autumn night while the rain spatters lightly against your bedroom window effect. Flutes echo trippily all around Anderson’s distinctly Amon Düül 2-ish bass architecture until Turner switches to sax to rejoin the fray until it slowly blacks out into electronic breathing and a neat, filigree guitar passage. Anderson’s bass continues into the locked inner groove of breath that ends side or leaves it spinning into eternity, depending on the turntable or your state of mind.

“Master Of The Universe” starts up the second side with a high-pitched electronic signal rising upward and taxiing off the ensuing Dave Anderson bass line, splintery guitar rhythm and a background reverbed and distorted riff that burns unabated throughout the track’s psychic rollercoastering. Turner releases a gloriously stoned and backward-echoed vocal and the harsh background guitar grind of Brock recedes and returns with each and every wax and wane of the ever-fanning wave of propulsive rhythms. Phasing appears and covers everything like a glowing layer of treacle but for all the honeyed mind-melt, even that sticky mess cannot keep it off its unswerving path. “Master of The Universe” was the beginning of a far harder direction of Krautrocking metronome-drone that Hawkwind would pursue further over the next four years, and it would grow into a monstrously heavy track over the coming months, as well as becoming one of their best known album tracks, ever. A final, phased explosion crossfades with the shimmering acoustic 12-string guitar that sets sail into “We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago” and it would be the most soothing of lullabies were it not for its many unquiet warnings. This is followed by the unsteady and freaked-out “Adjust Me”: Freaky electronic oscillations, saxophonic wah-wah-ing and mere cymbal taps all float by in a set up for disconcerting and cryptic instructions, intoned from the lowest of all evil robotics into tripping chipmunks as it speeds up into the nearest black hole and stretches into infinity. The instrumental section enters cautiously, as though sniffing around to make sure the vanished narrator will not return and commences carefully with a brief freak-out borrowed from “Phallus Dei” (which Amon Düül 2 themselves borrowed from Jefferson Airplane’s “Spare Chaynge”) as additional wafting of ghostly electronic oscillations pass overhead until then the instrumental is next up to be unmercifully swept up in speed and into a shattering, electronic stutter right up against the wall of The Void and cross-cut into the downered acoustic “Children Of The Sun,” which draws the album to a numbed, stupefied close. Whew....

1. "You Shouldn't Do That" (Turner/Brock) 15:42
2. "You Know You're Only Dreaming" (Brock) 6:38

1. "Master of the Universe" (Turner/Brock) 6:17
2. "We Took the Wrong Step Years Ago" (Brock) 4:50
3. "Adjust Me" (Hawkwind) 5:45
4. "Children of the Sun" (Turner/Anderson) 3:21                       

CONDITION: The front cover is heavily laminated, VG++ has small delete drill at bottom right, otherwise pretty cool look and uniqueness in an otherwise unseen cover to a hallmark spacerock album from 1971.

The vinyl (has Los Angeles, Ca. U.A. credits on label), may in fact been an "export" only item, whatever the case, has clean grooves, "EX" (excellent) playing thoroughly enjoyable as only this music could deliver...sonic bombardment on your head-space...

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record