Space Ritual

Following the release of Doremi Fasol Latido the previous November, Hawkwind staged the concerts from which the live double-album Space Ritual was comprised. Hawkwind's visual side was always a large part of their concert event, from Liquid Len's (Jonathan Smeeton) kaleidoscopic light show to Amazonian dancer Stacia (Blake), the so-called "Barbarella of Notting Hill Gate." Although this visual artistry was reduced to a foldout gatefold cover, the album still presents the full-on live Hawkwind experience over four glorious sides of vinyl. Some of the material came from previous albums, and some of it was new, but none of that really matters. Throughout, Lemmy and Simon King's chug-a-chug rhythm is relentless as Hawkwind's space rock drives forward; the atmospheric synthesizers of Dik Mik and Del Dettmar and the spoken word of Robert Calvert, quite reminiscent of Arthur Brown here, provide interlude. Certainly closer to heavy metal than anything prog rock, Hawkwind's sound is guilty of being monochromatic—but never mind. The songs never really begin or end; the whole ship takes off, and at the end of the journey it stops, its grittiness always rendering it both genuine and enduring. The album reached No. 9 in the UK. Another single, the Calvert sung "Urban Guerilla" b/w "Brainbox Pollution," looked promising upon release, but was scuttled due to an IRA bombing campaign that coincided with its release. Hawkwind would spend the bulk of 1973 touring, reaching the US for the first time in the late fall. December saw a new tour begin, entitled The Ridiculous Roadshow.