Oh no! Not another compilation of Hawkwind! We have way too many of those as it is. Every serious fan and collector of all things related to the oldest continuing and arguably greatest space rock band of all times, has long lost the plot about these collections by now. Well, they should try to grab hold of their space marbles again, because Parallel Universe is no ordinary collection. Not because this package contains three discs and a booklet with great liner notes. That's very nice of course, but it's about the contents of Parallel Universe which consists - even after all the reissues and compilations - of no less than twelve previously unreleased tracks and a host of singles, alternative mixes and alternative takes. This makes Parallel Universe a collection not very suitable for the casual listener or newcomer to the music of Hawkwind, but irresistible for the collector who should seriously consider delving in the money pot to purchase it. Listening to these CDs will bring back the heydays of Dave Brock and his men. Even though you might have heard these songs many times before, the sheer quality of these and the special mixes and takes make you listen with fresh and excited ears. The only thing I don't get is the inclusion of regular tracks which can also be found on recent reissues. The collectors already have these, so this is superfluous for them, and a novice is not going to buy this collection anyway. So why not compile a two-disc package or three discs including more interesting and special material? *** André de Waal (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
