These are highlighted titles from the ‘Rarities’ section that include either a review of the CD or necessary extra information that will help you decide on the selected titles being showcased. Some titles will be given extended reviews with much more in-depth and detailed track-by-track information. This version can be selected by clicking the ‘more product information’ link at bottom right of first review.

It was in 1996 that brought the release of the ‘Choose Your Masques’ album, from a stripped-down line-up of the band consisting of Bainbridge/Griffin/Brock/Lloyd-Langton. It is an 11-track album that, by virtue of the almost electronic sounding drumming, actually sounded remarkably contemporary. The ten-minute opener is a classic slice of Hawkwind, with its first half of driving space-rock and second half of classic space music with synths, deep bass, samples and an atmosphere that could only be one band. Elsewhere you get two newly recorded versions of the classic single ‘Silver Machine’, plus a new recording of ‘Psychedelic Warlords’, originally from the ‘Mountain Grill’ album, and a set of strongly sci-fi oriented songs and instrumentals that all go to make up one of the best yet most underrated albums of their career. This album is now well deleted, so once our stock has gone, that will be it for this Hawkind CD!

531363
Weight: 150.00 g

1997 was the year that ‘Distant Horizons’ was first released, and it really was a good album with 10 tracks that featured lots of instrumental space. The first few tracks have the mix of driving space-rock and atmospherics to a tee, with not too many vocals in there either. The seven-minutes of ‘Reptoid Vision’ sounds just superb, although the track that follows: ’Population Overload’ still sounds really out of place. ‘Wheels’ still surges forth like a space-rock demon, while ‘Taxi’ has a certain charm to its simple instrumental delights. Beware that the advertised 11^th track is not on the CD (hence the ‘Love In Space’ CD single). Overall, this was a good, if not classic Hawkwind release, but it is well deleted now, so this may well be your last ever chance to get it in your collection!

678121
Weight: 150.00 g

This nicely packaged EP was issued in 1996. It features 3 tracks and runs just under sixteen minutes. The remixed title track is a dreamy song that flows along with a huge layer of synths backing it up, plus undulating bass guitar and gently lurching drums, all of which gather intensity, rather than pace as the song progresses. The more you play it, the more it sticks inside your head – A solid and addictive space-rock song. The 2^nd track is the ‘live’ version of 'Lord Of Light' missing from the ‘live’ album of the time, and a cracking workout it is too, with a stinging electric guitar solo and some thunderous bass guitar work. The trademark Hawkwind riffs fly along with the keyboards and synths only coming in at odd intervals. Altogether not quite as full sounding as 'Silver Machine' but an excellent track nonetheless. Then comes a new version of 'Sonic Attack' using Bob Calvert's vocal, and this is sensational, with a really atmospheric and powerful multi-synth backing, plus squalls of feedback, military drum rhythms, buzzing electronics and occasionally echoed vocals that narrate the instructions in fine menacing fashion. When the guitars enter the show, the whole thing becomes denser and denser, almost as though it was about to go into overload itself, and a fine seven-minute piece of high intensity, thickly textured space rock it is. Superb for sure, and the highlight of the whole EP!

785338
Weight: 75.00 g