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FIVE HORSE JOHNSON: The Last Men On Earth CD
No word of a lie, it's like listening to a cross between Alabama Thunderpussy & Rose Tattoo, with ten compositions that ooze a mix of stoner intensity and rabble-rousing rock, the combination of lead and electric slide guitars just sensational, with the lead guitar playing a mighty mix of sizzling riffs, soaring solos and monstrous chords. All the time the rhythm section drives it all along, much of it at boogie pace, in many ways like a stoner Foghat, and just stunning. Track after steaming track offers this plus hollered, in tune and strong, superbly sung vocals from this slightly throaty, more "Suvvern Rock" sounding guy, as well a distinct and similar influence to add to those already mentioned. Even better than before, ther's definitely no stopping this band - a stormer of a CD without a wasted track on the album - turn it way up loud and let it charge through your head - guitars, thunderous bass, drums and tequila-soaked vocals at their peak.
HAWKWIND: Weird Tapes 6 - Live '70-'73 CD
You have to admit that in the realms of having something from the early seventies band that really takes you back to those days, this CD achieves its aim. With 8 tracks from the vintage years, you first get a 7 minute version of 'Make What You can' from 1973, which just oozes feel as the early days of classic space-rock unfold, the fuzz and wah-wah guitars climbing to unparalleled (for the time) heights while the spaceship rhythm section crunches and drives, all around the sound of sonic electronic comets swooping, diving and soaring, just adding to the effect of what is a fantastic track - it sounds "of its time", isn't the clearest (although excellent quality) recording of all time, but what it sounds like and evokes, is priceless. But things get even better after that as we get the non-remastered version of the two tracks from the legendary 'Greasy Truckers' album, starting with a stellar rendition of 'Born To Go' before the driving, pulsing and immense composition that is 'Masters Of The Universe' begins, riffs pushing the ship ever upwards, the crunch of guitars and bass, the spiraling electronics and almost robot-like vocals taking what is the epitome of a space-rock track, all the way to heaven - stunning. Track four is a short instrumental jam from the same period, three minutes of classic riffing and soloing Hawkwind. After that, it's a return to 1970 for the next three tracks which, I think, came from a BBC Radio One "In Concert" broadcast, but the sound quality, although excellent as such, puts it in a decidedly pre-FM era - to be kind you'd call it atmospheric, although every instrument comes shining through. Starting with a version of 'Hurry On Sundown' that starts acoustically then rapidly becomes another slice of pure magic with a searing electric guitar solo in the middle of the jaunty song, again sonics flying all over the mix. After a short, almost throwaway song in the form of 'Come Home', you get 10 great minutes of 'We Do It' starting with driving bass and drums, introducing Turner's spiraling sax, adds thickly riffing guitars and piles on the intensity as synths woops dive and soar, again a hissy and "of its time" sound but so appropriate for the music and the memories. Finally, although uncredited in the booklet, track 8 (no title) is another 3 minute space-rock jam with synths, generator, glissandos and guitars soaring all over the mix in fine non-rhythmic, between-song, classic Hawkwind style. OK, so it sounds like a hissy radio broadcast in parts, but it's one memory-evoking CD of great classic music by anyone's standards.
JET JAGUAR: Billion Year Spree CD
Second album from this new USA space-rock outfit and it's a belter. Their trademark is this swirling, shifting sea of synths and guitars, phased, fuzzed and blasted to infinity, that inhabits many of the songs on this album. But make no mistake, this is space-rock of the purest kind, as songs and instrumentals take to the skies and out beyond the galaxy. The album itself is a loosely based concept album dealing with humanity's endless quest for the stars, and most of the tracks take on the realms of driving space-rock at its best but with a slightly darker feel more reminiscent of something like Helios Creed. There are 3 distinct "sections" each consisting of 5 tracks, of which the first batch is wall-to-wall swirling, soaring , driving space-rock including a blinding version of the 'Captain Lockheed' track 'Aero Spaceage Inferno' and concluding the quartet of rocket-fuelled space-rock songs with a seven minute instrumental that takes synths and guitars on a truly interstellar voyage. The next section carries on from there with multi-layered space-rock synths swooping all over the mix for two minutes until the phased and fuzzed guitars attack, the rhythm section kicks in and we're off on another fantastic space-rock trip, the vocals almost buried in the mix but just up enough for the lyrics to be heard , while the swirling mass of space-rock guitars, synths, bass and drums mess with your head and take you ever higher. Across a continuing universe of classic space-rock of the finest seventies traditions, you'll find songs, atmospheres, narrations, textures, driving rock rhythms and more, the result being an album that puts this band at the top of the USA space-rock tree, without a wasted and less than engaging, enjoyable and jaw-dropping second on the entire album - Hawkwind fans will love it, and no mistake.