Quark, Strangeness and Charm (song)

Last updated

"Quark, Strangeness and Charm"
Single by Hawkwind
from the album Quark, Strangeness and Charm
B-side "The Forge of Vulcan"
Released29 July 1977
Recorded Rockfield Studios, February 1977
Genre Space rock
Length3:06
Label Charisma Records
Songwriter(s) Robert Calvert/Dave Brock
Producer(s) Hawkwind
Hawkwind singles chronology
"Back on the Streets"
(1977)		"Quark, Strangeness and Charm"
(1977)		"Psi Power"
(1978)

"Quark, Strangeness and Charm" is a 1977 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind, being the title track from the Quark, Strangeness and Charm album.

Contents

The title references quarks which are sub-atomic particles; "strangeness" and "charm" are playful terms used by physicists to refer to how many strange and charm quarks are within a particle. The lyrics take a humorous look at certain famous physicists' romantic failures.

1977 single

It was released as a single in the UK (CB305) on 29 July 1977, being a slightly different version to the one on the album. Some European copies had a different B-side, such as Germany, which featured "The Iron Dream" instead. The single version was subsequently included on the 1980 Repeat Performance compilation album.

At the time Hawkwind shared the same management as Marc Bolan and so were given a slot on the Marc Granada Television programme to promote it. Brock declined to appear, either being unwilling to drive to Manchester for the filming or holding a long time grudge against Bolan. For the pre-recording of the music on this show, Shaw played guitar while Calvert mimed playing guitar during the filming. [1]

Track listing

  1. "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" (Calvert/Brock) – 3:06
  2. "The Forge of Vulcan" (House) – 3:05

Personnel

Credits

Live versions

The song only briefly featured in Hawkwind's live set in 1977 with one recording surviving, released on both the Hawkwind Anthology and Weird Tape Volume 2 albums. It was briefly resurrected at the end of 1993 for the tour of the It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous album and remained until the end of 1994.

1994 EP

Quark, Strangeness and Charm
EP by
Hawkwind
ReleasedSeptember 1994
Recorded1994
Genre Space rock
Label Emergency Broadcast System Records
Producer Hawkwind
Hawkwind EPs chronology
Decide Your Future EP
(1993)		Quark, Strangeness and Charm
(1994)		Area S4 EP
(1995)

In 1994, Hawkwind recorded a new version of the song with significant rewriting of the music. This version was also included on the album The Business Trip .

Track listing

  1. "Uncle Sam's on Mars" (Red Planet Radio Mix) – 2:43
  2. "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" (Calvert/Brock) – 6:24
  3. "Black Sun" – 9:34
  4. "Uncle Sam's on Mars" (Martian Conquest Mix) – 6:53

Personnel

Release history

Other versions

A new acoustic version of "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" was included on The Road to Utopia (2018), produced and arranged by Mike Batt with additional orchestrations. [2]

Cover versions

The Stranglers' Jean-Jacques Burnel has long been an admirer of the song, stating it was "a song I'd really fucking wish I'd written". He has performed versions of the song with Three Men and Black. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawkwind</span> English rock band

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Calvert</span> English poet, writer, musician (1945–1988)

Robert Newton Calvert was a South African-British writer, poet, and musician. He is principally known for his role as lyricist, performance poet and lead vocalist of the space rock band Hawkwind.

<i>Levitation</i> (Hawkwind album) 1980 studio album by Hawkwind

Levitation is the tenth studio album by English rock group Hawkwind, released in 1980. It peaked at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>In Search of Space</i> 1971 studio album by Hawkwind

In Search of Space is the second studio album from Hawkwind, released in 1971. It reached No. 18 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Quark, Strangeness and Charm</i> 1977 studio album by Hawkwind

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.

<i>Doremi Fasol Latido</i> 1972 studio album by Hawkwind

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. It reached No. 14 on the UK album charts.

<i>PXR5</i> 1979 studio album by Hawkwind

PXR5 is the ninth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1979. It reached No. 59 on the UK album charts.

<i>25 Years On</i> 1978 studio album by Hawklords

25 Years On is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Hawkwind, released in 1978. The band released it under the name "Hawklords" for legal reasons, as there was a dispute over ownership of the name "Hawkwind" at the time. It reached No. 48 on the UK album charts. It was originally titled 25 Years On and the first 25000 were pressed as this until the band decided to simply call it Hawklords. Subsequent re-releases have reverted to the name 25 Years On and the band also now use this name on their website.

<i>The Business Trip</i> 1994 live album by Hawkwind

The Business Trip is a 1994 live album by the English space rock group Hawkwind. It was recorded at the Slough gig of the group's 1993 tour to promote the It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous album.

<i>Palace Springs</i> 1991 live album by Hawkwind

Palace Springs is a 1991 live/studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind.

<i>The Weird Tapes</i> 1980 compilation album by Hawkwind

The Weird Tapes are a set of music tapes by the English rock group Hawkwind. Issued in the early 1980s, they contain live, radio sessions, out-take and demo performances.

<i>Choose Your Masques</i> 1982 studio album by Hawkwind

Choose Your Masques is the thirteenth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1982. It spent five weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 29.

<i>Spirit of the Age</i> (album) 1988 compilation album by Hawkwind

Spirit of the Age is a 1988 compilation album by the British space rock group Hawkwind covering their Charisma Records period 1976–1979. It was issued by Virgin Records after they had acquired the Charisma catalogue, to test whether there was a viable market for the Hawkwind albums included in the deal. There was, and the company then re-issued each of the four albums the following year as part of the Compact price series.

<i>Epocheclipse</i> 1999 box set by Hawkwind

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.

<i>Live Chronicles</i> 1986 live album by Hawkwind

Live Chronicles is a 1986 album by Hawkwind recorded of a live performance of their The Chronicle of the Black Sword concept album based on the Michael Moorcock character Elric of Melniboné. The Hammersmith Odeon dates on 3 and 4 December were professionally audio recorded and the stage show video taped.

<i>Out & Intake</i> 1987 compilation album by Hawkwind

Out and Intake is a 1987 live/studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind.

Spirit of the Age is a 1977 song by the UK rock group Hawkwind. It was originally recorded and issued on the album Quark, Strangeness and Charm.

<i>Spirit of the Age Anthology</i> 2008 compilation album by Hawkwind

Spirit of the Age and The Dream Goes On are two triple CD anthologies released in 2008 covering the periods 1976-84 and 1985-97 of the British rock group Hawkwind.

<i>All Aboard the Skylark</i> 2019 studio album by Hawkwind

All Aboard the Skylark is an album by space rock band Hawkwind; released in 2019 on Cherry Red Records, it was their thirty-second album since their debut, Hawkwind, in 1970.

References

  1. ↑ The Saga of Hawkwind, Carol Clerk, p. 179.
  2. ↑ "Hawkwind: Road To Utopia". Cherry Red Records . Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  3. ↑ The Saga of Hawkwind, Carol Clerk, p. 176.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.