Joe Banks
Hawkwind: Days Of The Underground: Radical Escapism In The Age Of Paranoia (Book) (Strange Attractor Press)
Does the world need a nearly 500-page tome on somewhat obscure ’70s rock relic? When said band is the hugely influential Hawkwind, the answer is an unqualified yes. Put on the band’s 1973 live album, Space Ritual, with the ferocious openers of “Earth Calling” and “Born to Go,” and try and imagine the sounds, a few years on, of Wire, PiL, My Bloody Valentine, et al. without Hawkwind’s singular attack—impossible. This engrossing work not only recounts the band’s cast, which included Nik Turner and for a while, future Motörhead legend Lemmy, but the world they created around them, including sci-fi author Michael Moorcock. More than just a band bio, this book truly captures the zeitgeist of the times, where freedom ran head on into paranoia, and Hawkwind rode the wave. Essential. (strangeattractor.co.uk)