In late 1979, Dave Brock, Simon King and Harvey Bainbridge were eager to resurrect the old Hawkwind banner and hit the road. To complete the lineup, they reached out to two old friends from the very beginning of the band, nearly a decade before: ex-Gong member Tim Blake, a friend from the Ladbroke Grove scene, and guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton, who had last played with Hawkwind on their debut album. Signing to Bronze Records (courtesy of their former manager Doug Smith), Live Seventy Nine was released out of the blue in June 1980, yet to great acclaim: It reached No. 15 on the UK charts.

Early 1978 saw Hawkwind now consisting of Dave Brock and Robert Calvert, with Simon King, Simon House and Adrian Shaw also entering Rockfield studios to record a follow-up to the 1977 release Quark, Strangeness And Charm. Using live recordings from their previous UK tour as a starting point, the band recorded a handful of tracks before heading off to America in March for their first tour of the country since 1975. But all was not well.

Robert Calvert returned full-time to Hawkwind, following a guest spot with the band at the Reading Festival the previous August. Now consisting of guitarist Dave Brock, saxophonist Nik Turner, drummers Simon King and Alan Powell (the so-called "drum empire"), bassist Paul Rudolph and Simon House on keyboards and violin, Calvert now fronted Hawkwind. With new management in place, they signed to Charisma Records and released their eighth studio album, Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music, in August 1976. True to its title, the album features a more refined and contemporary sound.

Hawkwind's ranks continued to revolve: Dik Mik left the band the previous August, followed by Robert Calvert, who left to record a solo album. Hawkwind returned to the US in March, for their 1999 Party tour, adding Simon House, ex-High Tide and Third Ear Band, on keyboards and violin. The album, Hall Of The Mountain Grill, its title taken from a cafe the band liked to frequent, also gives a nod to the work of classical composer Edvard Grieg.

By the end of 1971, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister (previously in Sam Gopal), drummer Simon King (previously in Opal Butterfly) and poet Robert Calvert had been thoroughly integrated into the Hawkwind fold. The summer of 1972 saw a surprise hit single for the band: "Silver Machine" b/w "Seven by Seven" rode the UK charts all the way to No. 3, providing the band with bona fide success. The song, sung by Lemmy, was culled from the Greasy Truckers' benefit concert at London's Roundhouse.