''Quark, Strangeness and Charm'' is the seventh studio album by the English
space rock
Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...
group
Hawkwind
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 ...
, released in 1977. It spent six weeks on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
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
Nicholas Robert Turner (26 August 1940 – 10 November 2022) was an English musician best known as a member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner played saxophone and flute, as well as being a vocalist and composer. While with Hawkwind, Tur ...
, 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 their previous offerings.
[
The cover is Hawkwind's only design by ]Hipgnosis
Hipgnosis were an English art design group, based in London, that specialised in creating album cover artwork for rock musicians and bands. Their commissions included work for Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, T. Rex, the Pretty Things, Black S ...
, featuring photographs taken inside Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames in Nine Elms, Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) to the design of ...
processed by Richard Manning with graphics by Geoff Halpin.
A new remix and surround mix of the album by Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosi ...
was released in 2023 by Atomhenge records as part of the ''Days of the Underground'' boxed set.
Recording
At the end of 1976, after their '' Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music'' album and tour, Hawkwind were reduced to a five-piece following the departure of saxophonist Nik Turner
Nicholas Robert Turner (26 August 1940 – 10 November 2022) was an English musician best known as a member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner played saxophone and flute, as well as being a vocalist and composer. While with Hawkwind, Tur ...
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 Sahba" and "Damnation Alley".
The group entered Rockfield Studios to record this album in January and February 1977, self-producing the album with help from resident engineer Dave Charles. However, Paul Rudolph left during the recording sessions having been given an ultimatum to "apologis for something or leaving. I chose the latter, not fully understanding the situation". Guitarist Dave Brock
David Anthony Brock (born 20 August 1941) is an English musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the founder, the sole constant member and the musical focus of the space rock group Hawkwind.AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
– Dave Brock biography Brock w ...
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
Robert Newton Calvert (9 March 1945 – 14 August 1988) was a South African-United Kingdom, 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 ...
added that "Rudolph was always carping about not doing umbers influenced by science fictionand 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
Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more a ...
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 Sahba", 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".
Tours and promotion
After recording the album, the group undertook an 11 date tour of Germany and the Netherlands in March, followed by a five date tour of France in April. In June, during which the album received its general release, the group undertook a 10 date tour of England with support from former bassist Lemmy
Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the metal band Motörhead, of which he ...
's group Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
. They followed this with appearances at the Stonehenge Free Festival on 21 June and headlined the Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
on 28 August.
The group appeared on Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex (band), T. Rex. Bolan strongly i ...
's show '' Marc'' at Granada Television
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...
's Manchester studios on 14 September, miming to a pre-recorded version of the single " Quark, Strangeness and Charm", even though it had been released two months previously. Their spot on the show was secured as their management team, Tony Howard and Jeff Dexter, also handled Bolan. Their appearance was significant in that Brock did not appear, due to a long-standing resentment on his part towards Bolan. His role was filled by Shaw recording the guitar tracks at the pre-record, while Calvert mimed guitar during filming.
An extensive 20 date UK tour in September and October was undertaken, with support from Bethnal (who would go on to be Calvert's backing group for his 1981 album '' Hype''). This was immediately followed by an October tour of France, but due to Calvert's erratic behaviour, the tour was aborted after 3 dates. At Calvert's wedding to author Pamela Townley on 5 November, he countered that "Brock convinced the others that I was having a nervous breakdown. What nonsense! They dumped me and my bags on the street in Paris... I was a bit high-spirited – after all, I was going to get married! The truth is that Dave Brock didn't want to do the extra gigs." However, in a BBC4 documentary on the band, several of the band members stated that the reason was indeed Calvert's mental health and that he chased after the band's car waving a sword and climbing over cars to reach them.
In January and February 1978, the group recorded the album '' PXR5'' and in March toured North America, after which they disbanded. Calvert and Brock would then go on to form the Hawklords
Hawklords were an English music group active between 1978 and 1979. Members were from Hawkwind, who were inactive during that period, (Robert Calvert – vocals, Dave Brock – guitar and Simon King (musician), Simon King – drums) and a loca ...
.
There are several live recordings in existence from these tours that have been issued under different titles. The dates given for the live ''PXR5'' tracks do not match the tour dates and if these tracks actually were recorded at a live show, then they were subsequently subject to studio overdubs. All the other tracks, although differing sources are given, are the same recordings, with the exception of "Robot" which is of two different performances.
*''PXR5'': "Uncle Sam's on Mars" – Hammersmith Odeon, November; "Robot" and "High Rise" – Leicester De Montfort Hall, November.
*'' Weird tape 2'': "Quark, Strangeness And Charm", "Master of the Universe", "Welcome to the Future", "Spirit of the Age", "Sonic Attack" – Stonehenge Free Festival and Oxford.
*'' Weird tape 3'': "High Rise", "Damnation Alley", "Uncle Sam's on Mars", "Iron Dream", "Robot" ersion 1– Stonehenge Free Festival.
*'' Weird tape 5'': "Brainstorm", "Wind of Change", "Assassins of Allah", "Forge of Vulcan" – Hammersmith Odeon. "Steppenwolf" – Leicester DeMontford Hall.
*'' Hawkwind, Friends and Relations Volume 1'': "Robot" ersion 2– no source stated.
*'' Hawkwind, Friends and Relations Volume 2'': "Spirit of the Age" – Chicago, March 1978.
*'' Hawkwind Anthology'': "High Rise", "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" – USA, March 1978
*''PXR5'' 2009 re-issue: "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" – USA, March 1978.
*''Quark, Strangeness and Charm'' 2CD 2009 re-issue: "Spirit of the Age"; "Robot" ersion 2 edit "High Rise".
On 31 March 2023, Atomhenge Records (via Cherry Red) issued a new Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosi ...
mix and surround mix of the album as part of ''Days of the Underground (The Studio & Live Recordings 1977-1979)'' 8 CD/2 BR boxed set. This set also collated most of the previously issued live recordings of the time (Croydon Fairfield Halls
Fairfield Halls is an arts, entertainment and conference centre in Croydon, London, England, which opened in 1962 and contains a theatre and gallery, and a large concert hall regularly used for BBC television, radio and orchestral recordings. F ...
25 September, Ipswich The Gaumont 27 September and Leicester De Montfort Hall
De Montfort Hall is the largest music and performance venue in Leicester, England. It is situated adjacent to Victoria Park and is named after the ''Father of Parliament'', Simon de Montfort, the 6th Earl of Leicester.
History
The hall was b ...
29 September) with additional previously unissued performances. An abbreviated vinyl release of the live shows followed for the year's Record Store Day
Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
as ''The Iron Dream'' in a quantity of 2500.
Songs
:''See also articles " Spirit of the Age" and " Quark, Strangeness and Charm (single)".''
The lyrics for "Damnation Alley" were inspired by Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominatio ...
's book '' Damnation Alley''. It was first performed on their December 1976 UK tour and remained in the set until the formation of the Hawklords
Hawklords were an English music group active between 1978 and 1979. Members were from Hawkwind, who were inactive during that period, (Robert Calvert – vocals, Dave Brock – guitar and Simon King (musician), Simon King – drums) and a loca ...
in 1978. It was re-introduced to the live set between 1989 and 1992 and a version appeared on the 1991 album '' Palace Springs''.
"Hassan-i Sabbah" (spelt ''Hassan I Sahba'' on the cover) is a Middle Eastern flavoured song, mixing the legend of Hassan-i Sabbah
Hasan al-Sabbah also known as Hasan I of Alamut, was an Iranian religious and military leader, founder of the Nizari Ismai'li sect widely known as the '' Hashshashin'' or the Order of Assassins, as well as the Nizari Ismaili state, ruling fro ...
( assassins and hashish
Hashish (; ), usually abbreviated as hash, is a Compression (physics), compressed form of resin (trichomes) derived from the cannabis flowers. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, As a Psychoactive drug, psychoactive ...
) with contemporary issues (oil and Palestinian terrorism). It is a Paul Rudolph/Robert Calvert collaboration. This version was released as a 7" single in Italy and France. During the live performance of this song, Calvert took on the persona of Aubrey Dawney, which he describes as "a sort of 1914–1918 fighter ace, plus a bit more. Mick Farren
Michael Anthony Farren (3 September 1943 – 27 July 2013) was an English rock musician, singer, journalist, and author associated with counterculture and the UK underground, who had a significant influence on the development of British proto ...
described him as being a cross between Biggles
James Charles Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the Title role#Title character, title character and Protagonist, hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns ...
and Lawrence of Arabia – which he is, he has connections with the Far East and also opium smoking". It was first performed live during 1976's ''Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music'' album tour, a version appearing on '' Atomhenge 76'', and remained in the set until the formation of the Hawklords in 1978. A new studio version was recorded for the 1987 album '' Out & Intake'' and since then it has almost been an ever-present element in the live set, appearing on numerous live albums, usually under the title "Assassins of Allah".
"The Forge of Vulcan" is a Simon House-written instrumental, featuring organ, synthesiser and sequencer with percussion provided by hammering on an anvil in reference to the mythology of Vulcan. It was played live during the tour of the album, a version appearing on '' Weird tape 5'', but then dropped.
"Days of the Underground" is a self-reflective song covering the halcyon days of the band.
"Iron Dream" is an instrumental based on Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...
's "Mars", its name taken from Norman Spinrad
Norman Richard Spinrad (born September 15, 1940) is an American science fiction author, essayist, and critic. His fiction has won the Prix Apollo Award, Prix Apollo and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and multiple N ...
's book '' The Iron Dream''. The track was typically played live as a climax to "Uncle Sam's on Mars", versions of which can be heard on '' The Weird Tapes''. It has also appeared under the title "The Dream Goes On" on 1994's '' The Business Trip'' album and with added lyrics as "Are You Losing Your Mind?" on 1995's '' Alien 4'' album.
Critical reception
The album was warmly received by the British weekly music papers at the time of its release, '' Sounds'' noting that "the band are still capable of making a stir", and ''Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' that they had "gone part of the way n rehabilitating themselves.
Critics especially praised Calvert, with ''Sounds'' stating that "Calvert, having adapted to his role as frontman, now pulls out the stops, his poetical-lyrical contributions working particularly well", ''Melody Maker'' observing that "the band have developed a real sense of humour" and the album "finds Calvert in very fine form as a lyricist", while the ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' assessed it as "sci-fi comic book thrills to the proles, only this time around Bob Calvert's psychotic sense of humour is well to the fore".
The critics were less complimentary about the progress in the band's music, with ''Melody Maker'' noting that the lyrical improvement "has not been matched instrumentally nor structurally. The only musician of note... is Simon House for his consistently impressive violin passages", while the ''NME'' stated that "musically it's all battering ram riffs and monoplane synthesised drones, with Dave Brock occasionally cutting loose on guitar (rather than just providing frenetic rhythm) and Simon House contributing some hypnotic violin solos". ''Sounds'' felt the "production may be naff in parts", believing the "magnificent mugginess" of '' Doremi Fasol Latido'' more suited to the band's sound.
Track listing
Side 1
#" Spirit of the Age" (Robert Calvert
Robert Newton Calvert (9 March 1945 – 14 August 1988) was a South African-United Kingdom, 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 ...
, Dave Brock
David Anthony Brock (born 20 August 1941) is an English musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the founder, the sole constant member and the musical focus of the space rock group Hawkwind.AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
– Dave Brock biography Brock w ...
) – 7:20
#"Damnation Alley" (Calvert, Brock, Simon House) – 9:06
#"Fable of a Failed Race" (Calvert, Brock) – 3:15
Side 2
#" Quark, Strangeness and Charm" (Calvert, Brock) – 3:41
#"Hassan I Sahba" (Calvert, Paul Rudolph) – 5:21
#"The Forge of Vulcan" (House) – 3:05
#"Days of the Underground" (Calvert, Brock) – 3:13
#"The Iron Dream" ( Simon King) – 1:53
Atomhenge bonus tracks
#"Damnation Alley" ive studio version– 10:33
#"A minor Jam Session" – 9:49
#"Spirit of the Age" emo – excerpt– 2:59
#"Hash Cake Cut" – 4:25
Atomhenge bonus CD
#"Damnation Alley" irst studio version– 10:34
#"Spirit of the Age" ull extended version– 11:20
#"Days of the Underground" irst version– 5:38
#"Quark, Strangeness and Charm"/"Uncle Sam's on Mars" – 9:18
#"Fable of a Failed Race" xtended version– 6:49
#"Damnation Alley" lternate harmony vocal version– 8:23
#"Spirit of the Age" ive 1977– 5:54
#"Robot" ive 1977– 5:57
#"High Rise" ive 1977– 5:39
Personnel
;Hawkwind
*Dave Brock
David Anthony Brock (born 20 August 1941) is an English musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the founder, the sole constant member and the musical focus of the space rock group Hawkwind.AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
– Dave Brock biography Brock w ...
– guitar, synthesisers, sound effects, vocals
*Robert Calvert
Robert Newton Calvert (9 March 1945 – 14 August 1988) was a South African-United Kingdom, 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 ...
– vocals, spoken word, percussion, morse
* Simon House – keyboards, violin, anvil, vocals
* Adrian Shaw – bass guitar, vocals
* Simon King – drums, percussion
Charts
Release history
*June 1977: Charisma, CDS4008, UK vinyl – original release contained an inner sleeve with typed lyrics on graphic paper.
*June 1977: Sire, SRK6047, USA vinyl – original release contained an inner sleeve with typed lyrics on graphic paper.
*June 1977: Charisma, 9124012, Germany/Italy – contained 6 slides of Calvert/Brock/Rudolph/House/King performing Atomhenge
*June 1977: Charisma, 9211–4008, Canada
*October 1986: Charisma, CHC50, UK vinyl
*April 1989: Virgin, CDSCD4008, UK CD
*June 1995: Griffin Music, GCD370-0, USA CD; GCDHA162-2, USA CD with the Michael Butterworth ''Queens of Deleria'' book.
*March 2009: Atomhenge ( Cherry Red) Records, ATOMCD2009, UK 2CD
*August 2020: Atomhenge, ATOMLP2002, UK 2LP. Record Store Day
Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
edition, cut at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
and pressed on clear vinyl with a bonus LP featuring five alternate studio session takes.
*31 March 2023: Atomhenge ( Cherry Red) Records, ATOMCD101050, UK 8 CD/2 BR
References
Footnotes
Citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quark, Strangeness And Charm
Hawkwind albums
1977 albums
Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis
Charisma Records albums
Sire Records albums
Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios