Named after the classic song from Hawkwind's Hall of the Mountain Grill album, ex-Hawkwind bassist/vocalist Alan Davey and his Psychedelic Warlords took to the stage in Camden at the Underworld back in 2014 to perform that album in its entirety, along with Bob Calvert's Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters (also released as a separate live release and reviewed here on SoT.) Joining Davey in the Warlords are vocalist/sax player Craig High, drummer Billy Fleming, guitarist Simon Wilkins, keyboard player Zoie Green, with Nigel & Dave Eyre contributing electronics, lights, CGI, and animation.
If you are a Hawkwind fan, chances are Hall of the Mountain Grill might just rank pretty high on your list of favorite albums by the space rock legends. Davey and company do a spectacular job of bringing this classic album back to life, at the time in celebration of its 40th anniversary. Wilkins delivers some stellar guitar solos alongside some massive Hammond organ from Green on "Wind of Change", while the hard rocking, trippy classics "The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke)" and "D-Rider" are performed to perfection, Davey's huge bass grooves permeating a hazy wash of synths, raucous guitar riffs, pounding drums, sax, and High's effective vocals. The atmospheric "Web Weaver" floats majestically, "You'd Better Believe It" rocks hard, the title track bristles with gorgeous piano & creepy Mellotron, and the punk meets prog attack of "Lost Johnny" just sizzles in the hands of the Warlords. My personal favorite song from Hall of the Mountain Grill, "Paradox" just soars here, spooky synths & acoustic guitars giving way to massive bass lines and heavy electric guitar riffs, drums bashing and vocals commanding...job well done on this classic track. "It's So Easy" also comes across just as sensationally, stabbing guitar solos and melodic bass lines permeating the crashing drums & wild synth washes to perfection. Space rock at its finest! As a special treat, the band also throw in Lemmy's classic song "Motorhead" to finish it all off.
If you love Hawkwind's Hall of the Mountain Grill (and if you are a space rock fan, you should!) then I urge you to check out this killer live album from Alan Davey's Psychedelic Warlords. Although Hawkwind are still going strong to this day, spinoff acts such as these guys, Nik Turner's Space Ritual, Hawkestral, Hawklords, and others, are doing their best to keep space rock alive and well.
Track Listing
1.
The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke) 07:53
2.
Wind Of Change 05:06
3.
D-Rider 06:51
4.
Web Weaver 04:41
5.
You’d Better Believe It 07:55
6.
Hall Of The Mountain Grill 03:39
7.
Lost Johnny 04:31
8.
Paradox 07:42
9.
It’s So Easy 08:37
10.
Motörhead 04:51
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