Hawkwind and science-fiction/fantasy author Michael Moorcock had been hovering around each other's vicinities for years before they finally got around to recording this adaptation of Moorcock's Elric novels (long a favorite on the old DAW paperback line).
They seemed made to order for the project, and by and large they are; the band rocks their way through the story of Elric and the sword that becomes the basis for his survival and his doom, breaking it up with a few ethereal keyboard-dominated interludes.
"Needle Gun" could have been a single by the original band had it been released a few years earlier.
They aren't quite as melodic here in their writing, singing, or playing as they might have been, say, a decade earlier, and some of the songs are a bit predictable, but overall this is a fairly successful contribution to rock's rarefied body of literary adaptations, well suited to its subject.
The lineup here is Brock (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Bainbridge (keyboards, vocals), Langton (lead guitar, vocals), Alan Davey (bass), Danny Thompson (drums), and Dave Charles (percussion).
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Song of the SwordsDave Brock | Hawkwind | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | Shade GateHarvey Bainbridge | Hawkwind | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 3 | The Sea KingHuw Lloyd-Langton | Hawkwind | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | The Pulsing CavernHarvey Bainbridge, Alan Davey | Hawkwind | Play | 02:32 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 5 | Elric the EnchanterAlan Davey, Michael Moorcock | Hawkwind | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | Needle GunDave Brock | Hawkwind | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | ZaroziniaDave Brock, Kris Tait | Hawkwind | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 8 | The DemiseHarvey Bainbridge, Dave Brock | Hawkwind | Play | 01:02 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 9 | Sleep of a Thousand TearsDave Brock, Michael Moorcock | Hawkwind | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | Chaos ArmyHarvey Bainbridge, Dave Brock | Hawkwind | Play | 00:52 | 2 MB | 4 MB |
| 11 | Horn of DestinyDave Brock | Hawkwind | Play | 06:20 | 14 MB | 36 MB |
| 12 | The War I Survived (Live) | Hawkwind | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 13 | Voice Inside My Head (Live) | Hawkwind | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 46 mins | 105 MB | |||||
| 46 mins | 275 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvey Bainbridge | Bass, Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Synthesizer, Vocals, Voices |
| 2 | Dave Brock | Composer, Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Producer, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 3 | Dave Charles | Drums, Engineer, Mixing, Percussion, Producer |
| 4 | John Coulthart | Design |
| 5 | Alan Davey | Bass, Composer, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Hawkwind | Primary Artist |
| 7 | Lloyd Langton | Guitar |
| 8 | Huw Lloyd-Langton | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 9 | Michael Moorcock | Composer |
| 10 | Kris Tait | Composer |
| 11 | Danny Thompson | Bass, Drums |
| 12 | Bob Walker | Design |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |