Doremi Fasol Latido | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 24 November 1972 | |||
Recorded | September–October 1972 | |||
Studio | Rockfield Studios | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:37 | |||
Label | United Artists (most of the world) Liberty (Japan) One Way (1991 US reissue) | |||
Producer | Dave Brock & Del Dettmar | |||
Hawkwind chronology | ||||
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Doremi Fasol Latido is a 1972 album by English space rock band Hawkwind. Recorded at Rockfield Studios and released on United Artists Records, it was their third album since their debut, Hawkwind , in 1970. [3] [4] It reached No. 14 on the UK album charts.
The rhythm section of Dave Anderson and Terry Ollis was replaced by Lemmy and Simon King, both of whose style differed notably from their predecessors. This changed the band's overall musical direction. Lemmy was a self-confessed inept guitarist who used volume and stagecraft to cover his lack of ability. [5] He became a bassist by accident after joining the band, thinking he was replacing Huw Lloyd-Langton. Lemmy said
I knew the guitarist because he took eight tabs of acid and then we never saw him for five years. [6]
However, Dave Brock decided to play lead and continue without a second guitarist. Hawkwind's bass guitarist failed to turn up and Lemmy was available. He said:
I learned to play bass onstage with Hawkwind… I go out onstage with this bass around my neck, and it was a Rickenbacker, too. The bass player, like an idiot, left his bass in the truck. So I'm learning. Nik Turner says to make some noises in E. "This one's called You Shouldn't Do That." Then he walks away. [6]
This led to Lemmy's very unorthodox technique. Lemmy stated:
I just don't play like a bass player. There are complaints about me from time to time. It's not like having a bass player; it's like having a deep guitarist. [5]
King's drumming was more square-beat and "rock" than the jazzier free-flowing Ollis.
Rockfield Studios was in its infancy and the environment at the time was spartan, Lemmy explaining that they "recorded it at the barn, before they modernised it, with mattresses on the walls and things." [7] Some band members have expressed concerns with the quality of the production, Simon King feeling that "It sounded as if all the bass was turned off, your amp wasn't working properly and your stereo was bunged up all at the same time." [8] and Lemmy adding "It was just not very well recorded. It was all thin and tinny." [7]
Dave Brock explained their method of working as "we recorded bass, guitar, drums and vocals together, so it's as live as it can be, and then we put on the other things afterwards... We just let the tapes run and play like we do when we're playing live; do a three-hour track and then cut it up into pieces, use one piece as a complete section, and join it up to another piece with a synthesiser link or something... It's improvised, but it's together in the first place." [9]
"Brainstorm" is Turner's first solo composition for the band, and features an extended middle section that would be reworked throughout the years (including Ginger Baker's drum solo in 1980). Before its appearance on this album, it was recorded on 2 August 1972 at the BBC's Maida Vale studio for broadcast on the Johnnie Walker show along with "Silver Machine", followed by an appearance on the In Concert hour-long BBC broadcast from the Paris Cinema on 28 September 1972. It has almost remained an ever-present in the live set with numerous live versions being released, and was covered by Monster Magnet on their 1993 album Superjudge .
"Space Is Deep" lyrics are derived from Michael Moorcock's "The Black Corridor" poem. The first vocal part is an acoustic piece played by both Brock (on 12-string) and Lemmy with layered electronic effects, the second instrumental part being the full band in an electric workout, finally returning to an acoustic coda. It was dropped from the live set during 1973 as the band moved away from the Space Ritual show, only briefly being resurrected for some reunion shows during 2000, a version of which can be heard on the Yule Ritual album.
"One Change" is a brief sedate instrumental featuring a heavily echoed keyboard contribution from Del Dettmar.
An edited version of "Lord of Light" (see Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light ) was released as a single in Germany (UA35492, June 1973) backed by an edited version of "Born to Go" from the Greasy Truckers Party album. It was dropped from the live set in the mid-1970s, but reinstated for the 1995 "Alien 4" tour, a version being released as the B-side to the 1997 single "Love in Space".
"Down Through the Night" is another Brock acoustic number with layered electronics, flute and reverse echoed vocals. For the Space Ritual set it featured the full electric band.
"Time We Left (This World Today)" is a song in four movements, the first being a chanted Call and response bemoaning the direction society was heading in the same vein Brock was exploring with "We Took the Wrong Step Years Ago" and "Psychedelic Warlords". The second movement is an instrumental dissonance passage leading into the third movement featuring a powerful bass guitar and lead guitar interchange, eventually returning to the first movement. It appeared in the Space Ritual set with "Paranoia" replacing the middle section, and also made an appearance during 1989–91 with "Heads" as the middle section, as can be heard on Palace Springs .
"The Watcher" is Lemmy's first composition for Hawkwind, this being a spacious acoustic number with fuzz-bass. The lyrics were written from the perspective of someone from afar (perhaps God or an alien master race) watching the inhabitants of Earth destroy themselves through their own greed. This is the only song from the album that wasn't featured in the Space Ritual set, but it did briefly make an appearance during 1973 and 1974 as can be heard on The 1999 Party , slightly re-arranged as a more uptempo band performance. Lemmy re-recorded the song with Motörhead on their eponymous 1977 debut album.
New acoustic versions of "Down Through The Night" and "The Watcher" were included on The Road to Utopia (2018), produced and arranged by Mike Batt with additional orchestrations, and a guest appearance by Eric Clapton on "The Watcher". [10]
The package was put together and titled by graphic artist Barney Bubbles and is a continuation on themes he introduced with In Search of Space carried through and culminating in the Space Ritual . The title refers to the assignment of syllables to steps of the diatonic scale (Do-Re-Mi, etc.). It alludes to the music of the spheres which Bubbles expounds upon:
The basic principle for the starship and the space ritual is based on the Pythagorean concept of sound. Briefly, this conceived the Universe to be an immense monochord, with its single string stretched between absolute spirit and at its lowest end – absolute matter. Along this string were positioned the planets of our solar system. Each of these spheres as it rushed through space was believed to sound a certain tone caused by its continuous displacement of the ether. These intervals and harmonies are called 'The Sound Of The Spheres.' The interval between Earth and the fixed stars being the most perfect harmonic interval. [11]
The original cover came in a silver foil sleeve with black print, the front depicting a shield which became an ident for the band, being used on many other album and single covers. The rear cover, inner sleeve and poster depict barbarian-type warriors in futuristic settings. The back cover includes in the legend:
The legend tells of the Hawklords last and defeated stand against the "tyranny of the corrupt forces for law and evil", but the inner sleeve has redemption in the legend:
And in the fullness of time, the prophecy must be fulfilled and the Hawklords shall return to smite the land. And the dark forces shall be scourged, the cities razed and made into parks. Peace shall come to everyone. For is it not written that the sword is key to Heaven and Hell?
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
The UK music press warmly received the album, Nick Kent in NME confessing "I'd be ashamed to say I didn't love it" describing the music as one chord short of "the strongest high energy cosmic hubcap this side of the Metal Zone". [14] Andrew Means of Melody Maker commented that "It's not melody and it's not harmony, and it's not really rhythm... it is ambiguity. It is the spaced out slipstream, the rushing, gurgling torrent of weightless sound that first turns the circle of mental pictures, associations and impressions picked out from space, time and earth... The listener is as much a traveller as the musician." [15] Sounds' Martin Hayman meanwhile described the music as "the bass and drums batter on with unflagging pace, synthesisers swirl and whistle around the thunderous block riffs whose endless repetition generates that numbed hypnosis, tuneless and menacing voices incant largely incomprehensible lyrics. This is not to knock Hawkwind: the sound they are getting is thicker, fuller, more convincing than ever before. Its total effect is pretty devastating, but the means by which the effect is achieved is no revolution in sound." [16]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Brainstorm" | Nik Turner | 11:33 |
2. | "Space Is Deep" | Dave Brock | 6:22 |
3. | "One Change" | Del Dettmar | 0:49 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
4. | "Lord of Light" | Brock | 6:59 |
5. | "Down Through the Night" | Brock | 3:04 |
6. | "Time We Left This World Today" | Brock | 8:43 |
7. | "The Watcher" | Ian Kilmister | 4:00 |
Total length: | 41:37 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "Urban Guerrilla" | Robert Calvert, Brock | 3:41 |
9. | "Brainbox Pollution" | Brock | 5:42 |
10. | "Lord of Light" (single version edit) | Brock | 3:59 |
11. | "Ejection" | Calvert | 3:47 |
Additional musicians
Chart (1972-1973) | Peak position |
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UK Albums (OCC) [17] | 14 |
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock. They are regarded as an influential proto-punk band. Their lyrics often cover themes of urban life and science fiction.
Space Ritual is a 1973 live double album recorded in 1972 by UK rock band Hawkwind. It is their fourth album since their debut, Hawkwind, in 1970. It reached number 9 in the UK Albums Chart and briefly dented the Billboard Hot 200, peaking at number 179.
"Urban Guerrilla" is a 1973 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single in the UK on 27 July 1973 with "Brainbox Pollution" as the B side, reaching #39 on the UK singles chart before being withdrawn after 3 weeks. It is also on the remastered version of Doremi Fasol Latido.
Hawkwind is the debut album by Hawkwind, released in 1970, originally on Liberty Records, later reissued on Sunset Records. This album is historic since it is one of the first space rock LPs.
Levitation is the tenth studio album by English rock group Hawkwind, released in 1980. It peaked at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart.
| length = 42:22 (LP): 57:27 | label = United Artists (most of the world)
Liberty (Japan & South Africa) | producer = George Chkiantz and Hawkwind | prev_title = Hawkwind | prev_year = 1970 | next_title = Doremi Fasol Latido | next_year = 1972 }}
Hall of the Mountain Grill is the fourth studio album by space rock band Hawkwind, released in 1974. It is regarded by many critics as a career highlight.
On Parole is a studio recording released by British rock band Motörhead. It was intended as their first album and left unreleased at the time of its completion in 1976, and it was not released until over three years later, in October 1979, after the commercial success of Overkill and Bomber that same year. It was released without the band's permission, and they consequently distanced themselves from it. As a result, it was not considered an official release by the band at the time and they did not want it released, as they had moved on, since then, first to Chiswick Records and then to Bronze Records. The LP entered the UK charts on 8 December, where it peaked at No. 65.
Warrior on the Edge of Time is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Hawkwind. Many of the lyrics are by Michael Moorcock, and the album is loosely based on the concept of Moorcock's novel The Eternal Champion. It was the band's highest-charting studio album on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at number 13, and was their third and last album to make the U.S. Billboard chart, where it peaked at number 150. Reviews have been mixed, with Melody Maker panning the album and particularly criticizing the vocal work while the All Music Guide has praised the album for features such as the songwriting. This would also be the last album to feature the band's bassist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, who was fired from the band one day before the album's release.
Quark, Strangeness and Charm is the seventh studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1977. It spent six weeks on the UK albums chart peaking at number 30.
The Chronicle of the Black Sword is the fourteenth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1985. It spent two weeks on the UK albums chart peaking at #65. The album is based upon the adventures of Elric of Melniboné, a recurring character in the novels of science fiction author Michael Moorcock, a long-standing associate of the group, who contributes lyrics to one track on the album.
Space Bandits is the sixteenth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1990. It spent one week on the UK albums chart at #70.
Roadhawks is a 1976 compilation album by Hawkwind covering the years 1970-1975, and it peaked at #45 on the UK album charts. It is the first compilation release from the group, marking the end of the group's tenure with United Artists Records. The music was compiled and mixed by the group's Dave Brock.
Masters of the Universe is a 1977 compilation album by Hawkwind covering the years 1971 to 1974 while the group were contracted to United Artists Records. It is the group's second compilation album, after the previous year's Roadhawks, and was compiled and released without the band's input or approval.
Epocheclipse is a 1999 compilation set by Hawkwind covering their entire career. It was released in two formats, a triple CD box set 30 Year Anthology and a single disc The Ultimate Best of.
"Silver Machine" is a 1972 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally released as a single on 9 June 1972, reaching number three on the UK singles chart. The single was re-issued in 1976, again in 1978 reaching number 34 on the UK singles charts, and once again in 1983 reaching number 67 on the UK singles charts. The original mix has been re-released on the remasters version of In Search of Space.
Simon King is an English drummer most noted for his work with Hawkwind. He was described in 1985 by British rock magazine Sounds as the 'definitive rock drummer.'
Greasy Truckers Party is a 1972 live album by various artists recorded at a February 1972 Greasy Truckers concert at the Roundhouse in London. The concert featured three bands, Man, Brinsley Schwarz, and Hawkwind, and musician Magic Michael. Originally a double vinyl album, in a limited edition of 20,000 and sold at just £1.50, it rapidly sold out, and became a collector's item.
In the world of British underground rock, the Greasy Truckers Party ... ... looms about as large as the Monterey International Pop Festival does in American rock lore; it wasn't the biggest gig ever played by the bands involved, but for reasons of exposure, and resulting word-of-mouth, and the excerpted live album that followed, it came to define what they were capable of.
Del Dettmar is an English musician, best known as synthesizer and keyboard player with English space rock band Hawkwind from 1971 to 1974.