HAWKWIND Quark, Strangeness And Charm LP Charisma First Press 1977 EX throughout

	£		21
	$		28

HAWKWIND Quark, Strangeness and Charm LP 1977 First Press CDS 4008 EX condition

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

This is Hawkwind's seventh studio album, hence "The Hawkwind Part 7" title on the inner sleeve. It is the band's first album without co-founding member Nik Turner, and drummer Alan Powell had also departed. In addition, Adrian"Ade" Shaw from Magic Muscle replaced Paul Rudolph during the recording session. The music on this album is more pop-oriented than with their previous offerings.

At the end of1976, after their Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music album and tour, Hawkwind was reduced to a five-piece following the departure of saxophonist Nik Turner and drummer Alan Powell.They recorded the single "Back on the Streets", and undertook an eight-date tour of England in December which featured embryonic versions of the Quark, Strangeness and Charm tracks "Spirit of the Age", "Hassan I Sahbah", and "Damnation Alley".

The group entered Rockfield Studios to record this album in January and February 1977, self-producing the album withhelp from resident engineer Dave Charles. However, Paul Rudolph left during the recording sessions having been given an ultimatum to "apologise for something or leaving. I chose the latter, not fully understanding the situation". Guitarist Dave Brock expanded on his leaving with the explanation "You get an idea and you like things to be a sort of unit and we were in the studio and he was in a chair playing his bass and we were doing a high energy number!", while singer Robert Calvert added that "Rudolph was always carping about not doing [numbers influenced by science fiction] and it affects you." The 2009 2CD re-issue of the album includes early versions of tracks with Rudolph's contributions.

Rudolph's replacement was Adrian"Ade" Shaw, bass player from the group Magic Muscle, who had shared Hawkwind's management and been the support act on the 1972 Space Ritual tour. Shaw's introduction to the group was after the backing tracks had been completed, so he was required to overdub his bass parts onto the existing tracks. Drummer Simon King lamented "I only wish that I'd recorded the rhythm tracks with him in the first place. For me the switch of bass players happened at just the right moment.With going back to using one drummer I needed help from a bass player and as things were I wasn't getting it."

Paul Rudolph plays some instrumental parts on the track "Hassan I Sahbah", though he is not credited. On the later extended release his bass playing can be heard on the early outtakes of several songs, including an alternative version of the song "Damnation Alley".

It should be noted that this item is one of the cleanest and best copies of any record of this age I have seen. Condition on visual inspection is LP -EX, Sleeve - EX, Inner Sleeve - EX.

Tracklist

A1                           Spirit Of The Age              Written by – Brock, Calvert

A2                           Damnation Alley               Written by – Brock,Calvert, House

A3                           Fable Of A Failed Race    Written by – Brock,Calvert

B1                           Quark,Strangeness And Charm       Written by – Brock, Calvert

B2                           Hassan I Sahba                                Written by – Rudolph, Calvert

B3                           The Forge Of Vulcan                        Written by – House

B4                           Days Of The Underground               Written by – Brock, Calvert

B5                           The Iron Dream                                Written by – King

Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Amberley Court, Monmouth, February 1977

Personnel

Adrian Shaw - Bass [Base-guitar], Vocals, Handclaps

Simon King - Drums, Percussion, Other [No-vocal] – Simon King

Dave Brock - Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals, Effects [Sound Fx], Other [Quark], Engineer [Assistant]

Simon House - Keyboards, Violin, Percussion [Anvil], Vocals, Other [Charm] – Simon House

Robert Calvert - Voice, Percussion, Effects [Morse], Other [Strangeness] – Robert Calvert