X In Search Of Space

Hawkwind quickly earned a reputation as “the people’s band” from playing free concerts in and around London, and from the counter-culture (Friends magazine, drugs) associated with those events. One of Hawkwind’s most notable free gigs was in late August 1970, at Canvas City, an inflatable “bubble” tent outside the gates of the Isle of Wight Festival. With Thomas Crimble on bass, the band played for hours, but the experience proved too much for Huw Lloyd-Langton, who suffered an unsuspected spike of acid. Dick Taylor briefly subbed on guitar for the band, while Del Dettmar joined the band on electronics. Their inauspicious debut album behind them, In Search Of Space got down to serious business. Bassist Dave Anderson was recruited fresh from the über-German Amon Düül II, providing another sonic clue to the Hawk’s music: It had as much to do with the psychedelia of krautrock as it did with that of London’s underground rock. The album’s first side motors through “You Shouldn’t Do That” before crash-landing on the tripped-out psychedelia of Dave Brock’s “You Know You’re Only Dreaming.” Side two begins with Hawkwind’s first classic, “Master of the Universe,” which centers on a main riff that wouldn’t be out of place in a Black Sabbath song. The balance of the side treads more tentative ground, however, with a couple of acoustic numbers and the excellent “Adjust Me.” The album jacket itself is a lavish affair, complete with a die-cut cover and elaborate comic The Hawkwind Log from Robert “Bob” Calvert and Barney Bubbles, marking their first contributions to the group. The album sold well in the UK, breaking into the Top 20 at No. 18.