1989 -

ROBERT CALVERT - AT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL Lp / CD

This is a live recording from the prestigious gig at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on October 1st, 1986 - Calvert was VERY enthusiastic that he had been asked to play especially this venue - which meant a great deal in terms of publicity and acknowledgement of his former achievements - read a memory of Brian Tawn who became an immediate 'victim' of Calvert's full-blown enthusiasm.
Not all songs match up to the original studio recordings, while some of them are even better. A highlight is Working Down a Diamond Mine - a powerful, emotional version, addressing once more the subject of South-Africa, Calvert's birthplace. "Not a very fashionable place to have been born in these days."
Apart from that, this recording gives an impression of Calvert's way to perform and get in touch with the audience. He was more than happy to hold extensive talks and conversations with the audience in between the songs - sharp and witty comments on his music, the world and other general absurdities - always amusing breaks for the audience, if it could keep up with Calvert's rapid, machine-gun chatter style - especially during his more manic periods.
Material:
> Read a lot more infos about that gig - incl. a wonderful review - and about that period of Calvert's musical activities on the official Inner City Unit/Robert Calvert page - maintained by Steve Pond, member of ICU, and back then the guitar-player in Calvert's band.
> For more live-recordings from that era go HERE
TRACKS:
Evil Rock / Catch a Falling Starfighter (illustrated & sound) / The Song of the Gremlin / The Aerospace Age Inferno / Test Tube Conceived (flash-animation w. sound) / Working Down a Diamond Mine / All the Machines are Quiet / Work Song / Telekinesis / Acid Rain / Lord of the Hornets

1989 - DIE LÖSUNG - Lp / CD / with Amon Düül UK

These tracks were originally recorded in 1987 / 88. Though they do sound good in technical / sound terms, they were never completely finished - due to Calvert's death in August '88. All music was written by John Weinzierl - one of the original members of Amon Düül 2 - he later teamed up for some recordings with Dave Anderson, another former member of Düül and Hawkwind in their early days. They gathered for the recording in Anderson's Foel Studios in Wales.
John Weinzierl: 'We were going to record Bob Calvert and Chris (Karrer) together. You should have seen those two in the studio - real freaks. I don't mean that in any stupid way - it was magical. Bob shouldn't have died, he was one of the brothers.'
The circumstances of the release are somewhat mysterious - but at least some names of the other participating musicians are given on the sleeve: Tony Mcphee, Julie Waring, Ed and Joey Ozric (yes, the ones from the Tentacles by the same name) Guy Evans (from Van der Graaf) a.o. - Apart from two songs Calvert did all the vocals - which is certainly the best part of this record. The songs are powerful straight forward rock-music - very guitar based on this release. Weinzierl meant them to sound much different - but the unauthorized release prevented this. However, Weinzierl might use some of these songs on his forthcoming solo-recordings, so you'll have another chance to hear DIE LÖSUNG - according to Weinzierl.
> Read Weinzierl's memories on the recording sessions for DIE LÖSUNG and on the man he doesn't find mad at all.
TRACKS:
Big Wheel / Urban Indian / Adrenalin Rush / Visions of Fire / Drawn to the Flame (part I) / They call it home / Die Lösung / Drawn to the Flame (part II)

1991 - Hawkwind BBC Recording from 1972

various songs from the SPACE RITUAL period - there are actually two BBC recording releases around: one is (I believe) a BBC 1 live session, the other is entitled 'Space Rock from London' - the latter one is supposedly of better quality.

1992 - REVENGE - cassette / with Pete Pavli

As far as I know these 4 tracks were originally recorded in 1981. The arrangements and basic tracks of these wonderful songs were composed by Pete Pavli (see also: THE KID FROM SILICON GULCH) who then asked Calvert to write the words, melodies and record the vocals. They were also supported by Simon House who delievered some excellent violin tracks. These songs are both quite experimental in the combination of minimal music and string arrangements - and at the same time of a strange beauty.
As far as I can reconstruct, at least two of the songs are based on an idea of Calvert for a novel - or maybe two novels... that he wanted to write for a long time, based on the characters of a certain fictitious character named Luigi Brilliantino and / or the famous dancer Isadora Duncan - but these projects went onto the pile of unfinished masterpieces as well.
I count these four songs amongst the masterpieces in Calvert's and Pavli's works, even if they got stuck on the demo-recording level. They had been deleted for a long time - but luckily the Voiceprint company has recently released those tracks on CD. This is a DEFINITE recommendation!
However, REVENGE was unfortunately the last collaboration of Pavli and Calvert. After some time of close collaboration, Pavli, as many others before him, had to put some distance between himself and the overwhelming, complicated ego of Mr. Calvert.
> Read a comment of P. Pavli on the recording of these tracks - and on a personal encounter of another side of the Calvertian character.
> Read more about Pete Pavli's work and his collaborations with Calvert HERE
[ Pete Pavli also collaborated quite closely with Michael Moorcock as a part of Moorcock's band The Deep Fix. He even re-recorded one of the songs from 'Revenge' ('Bugatti') with Moorcock. Employing different melody lines and new lyrics by Moorcock, who also did the vocals, Calvert's 'Bugatti' track appeared as 'The Brothel in Rosenstrasse' on the re-release of MM's solo-album New World's Fair. ]
TRACKS:
Revenge / Bugatti [ animation w. sound - 320kb ] / Fascism - Futurism / Isadora [ animation w. sound - 120k ]

1992 - BLUEPRINTS FROM THE CELLAR - CD

The re-release of the two Cellar Tapes - originally published by Calvert on his own mail-order label. They are containing a collection of demo-recordings for the FREQ and TEST TUBE CONCEIVED albums, produced on his home equipment. Furthermore there are some songs which never made it onto an official album release - yet. Many of them are of exceptional musical quality and were very probably meant to appear on Calvert's next solo-album - like 'Radio Egypt' and 'Working Down a Diamond Mine', which were already part of the gig's setlist The latter one focuses again on the subject of South Africa - another theme that Calvert was haunted by through his life - always carrying with him (I suppose...) an ambivalent feeling of guilt - having been born there, having his parents and brother there... - certainly a feeling of anger against the Apartheid regime and all forces and governments that supported it. For more on this subject see also the poem (and song!) White Dynasty on that subject.
TRACKS:
All the machines are quiet / Work Song / Subterraneans / Soweto / Radio Egypt / Over the Moon / Hidden Persuasion / Re-Wind / Working Down a Diamond Mine / Thanks to the Scientists / I hear Voices / Acid Rain / Fly on the Wall / Standing on the Picket Line / The Rah Rah Man / Ned Ludd [animated + sound] / Marathon Man / -- Cats / Your Purple Lid --
(the last two songs only appear on the original tape release The Cellar Tapes)

1992 -

HAWKLORDS LIVE CD / with The Hawklords / Hawkwind

Released 14(!) years (too late) after it's original recording in 1978...
This brilliant compilation gathers various songs of the Hawklords / Sonic Assassins line-up in concert. A furious version of 'Death Trap' (incl. power breakdown) and an industrial-noise-experimental version of the Mike Moorcock 'evergreen' Sonic Attack.
An extra track comes from a Sonic Assassins gig: the gripping and intense improvisation 'Over the Top' - which can be heard as an example of Calvert's current frame of mind - AND his outstanding ability to improvise with lyrics and poetry. Simply Superb. (only too short - the recording of a complete gig would have been the real treat...). This is a definite must-have album.
> NEW: an extensive feature on PAN TRANSCENDENTAL INDUSTRIES Inc. - the int. megatrust - concept behind the 1978 Hawklords tour.
> Read an article / interview with Calvert and Mike Moorcock from that period / Nov. 1978.
> See some exclusive photos from the Hawklords gig at Leicester de Montford Hall, 1978
Tracks:
Automotion / 25 Years On / High Rise / Death Trap (flash animation w. sound) / Spirit of the Age / Sonic Attack (illustrated + sound) / Over the Top

1993 -

BEST OF HAWKWIND - FRIENDS & RELATIONS CD

A compilation of the above mentioned compilations...featuring the live versions of Spirit of the Age, Robot and Over the Top plus Calvert's solo single Lord of the Hornets.
Apart from that the CD contains various other good tunes by Michael Moorcock's Deep Fix
and the supberb New-Wave-ish 'Vampyre' by Pete Pavli.
The picture is another one from Hawkwind's 'Spirit of the Age' tour in 1977 - showing Calvert in his Steppenwolf outfit.

 2000
  Hawkwind live 1976:
  Atomhenge '76 / Thrilling Hawkwind Adventures - CD's

These are recordings from a gig during the 1976 Astounding Sounds Amazing Music tour of Hawkwind - just after Calvert had re-joined the band as it's lead-vocalist. The difference of the CD's: Atomhenge '76, a double cd-set, feat. the entire gig, Thrilling.., a single cd, only a selection.
The credits say the recorded gig was from Hammersmith Odeon, London, October 5th - however, well informed-fan-sources say that the recording must be from the gig in Bristol...
These recordings are certainly among the must-have Calvert/Hawkwind material. You can hear the singles Kerb Crawler and Back on the Streets - pretty catchy fore-runners of the upcoming New Wave - and early versions of Hawkwind classics such as Uncle Sam's on Mars - but the highpoint surely is the long awaited release of a so-far unreleased track from that era: TIME FOR SALE. This track also gives you a good impression of how well the band could improvise around Calvert's lyrics - in this case feat. a great vocal improvisation btw. Calvert and Dave Brock. So, this track alone is worth getting these cd's.
The sound-qualtiy isn't exactly perfect, but still quite good - I guess it also reflects the roughness of Hawkwind's sound during this period, when the band went through a lot of changes.
Tracks - Atomhenge '76 (2 CD's):
Intro / Reefer Madness / Paradox / Chronoglide Skyway / Hassan I Sahba / Brainstorm / Wind of Change / Instrumental / Steppenwolf / Uncle Sam's on Mars / Time for Sale / Back on the Streets / Sonic Attack (illustrated + sound) / Kerb Crawler
Tracks - Thrilling Hawkwind Adventures:
Brainstorm / Wind of Change / Steppenwolf / Uncle Sam's on Mars / Time for Sale / Back on the Streets / Sonic Attack (illustrated + sound)

Robert Calvert & The Maximum Effect - live at the Carlisle Stars & Stripes November 3rd 1986 (free!) MP3 files

This one is a real treat! It's a recording of Calvert with his mid-eighties band THE MAXIMUM EFFECT, featuring STEVE POND on guitar and FRED REEVES ('Dead Fred') on keyboards and bass - both throwing in the occasional backing vocals. It was recorded on the tour following their prestigious gig at Queen Elizabeth Hall, which had been recorded and released a few years later. This recording is in a few ways superior to the QEH gig - first off: it containes (almost) the entire set and the band - although without the additional keys of Mary Cason - sounds much tighter than on the QEH album. The highlights are the Calvert solo-tracks like ON LINE, TEEN BALLAD OF DEANO or NED LUDD - these were written in typcial Calvertian minimalist style, so they work very well, even with such a 'slim' line-up. The Hawkwind tracks like DAYS OF THE UNDERGROUND or DAMANATION ALLEY, well, in my opinion they simply demand a bigger line-up, full-blown synth's, a human drummer etc... - still: this is a great recording, especially because you get great versions of some of the latest - and never officially recorded - Calvert compositions like RADIO EGYPT. Fortunately, STEVE POND dug out the tape from his private vaults and made it available via his own INNER CITY UNIT website (see direct url/link below). You can download it from there for free - including ready-made CD-covers - what more can you ask?!

Here's what STEVE POND writes about the recording in the CD's liner notes: The Carlisle Stars & Stripes was a strange show, a large oblong room which could hold maybe 600 people, possibly more... we attracted about 50, the owner assured us this was good, "Last week we had Nazareth and only six turned up..." - The good thing about the venue was the back-stage recording studio with tie lines to the front of house PA. This tape is a product of that facility. Before the show the band were fed by the venue, and the next day we all had food poisoning. Listening to the show it's obvious from the applause that the hall was looking empty, the "crowd" stayed seated at the rear. We were pissed off at first (Witness Bob's sarcasm after the first number) but as time went on we started to have fun, some of the most relaxed playing of the tour happened at this show. We took turns at standing on the dancefloor and playing at ourselves! My favourite moments from this show are Ned Ludd and Acid Rain, both far superior to the versions on the "Live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall" album. I think you can tell we've played the set a few more times on this recording... Enjoy! So, check the following link and get this wonderful album down on your harddrive... For downloading these tracks go to Steve Pond's website: www.doremi.co.uk/icu/calvert.html Tracks: Orgone Accumulator (illustrated + sound) / Lord of the Hornets / Teen Ballad of Deano / Quark, Strangeness and Charm (illustrated - plus sound) / Radio Egypt / Working Down a Diamond Mine / Days of the Underground / Ned Ludd [animated + sound] / Acid Rain / Work Song / On Line / Damnation Alley / All the Machines are Quiet / Telekinesis / Standing on the Picket Line / Robot / Test Tube Conceived (flash-animation w. sound)

The WEIRD TAPES - cassettes / CD's

HIGHLY RECOMMENDABLE are the so-called WEIRD TAPES - at least five of the altogether 8 tapes that were released of those - the five that are featuring Calvert, of course.
These tapes were somehow officially released by Dave Brock via the Wolden Studios in Devon
and are featuring various live tracks from the '77 - '78 Hawkwind / Hawklords period.
The tapes are numbered 101 through 108. -- I am not sure if these are still available in
These recordings have recently been released on CD via the Voiceprint label.
Mostly recommended are: 103 / 102 and 105 - these are featuring the line-up with Simon House and Adrian Shaw - fabulous versions of "Hassan I Sahba / Assassins...", "Steppenwolf" and other tracks.
The ones with Calvert are:

*** WEIRD 101
- this features 'only' the tracks from the Sonic Assassins Ep., so you better get it on CD format.

*** WEIRD 102
TRACKS: Quark.../ Masters.... / Welcome to the Future / Spirit of the Age / Sonic Attack and some
other HW tracks without Calvert

*** WEIRD 103
TRACKS: High Rise / Damnation Alley / Uncle Sam's on Mars / Robot / & other HW tracks without Calvert

*** WEIRD 104
TRACKS: Death Trap / Micro Man / Spirit of the Age / Urban Guerilla / Steppenwolf / Free Fall /
Uncle Sam's on Mars

***WEIRD 105
TRACKS: Back on the Streets / Chronoglide Skyway / Brainstorm / Wind of Change /
Assassins of Allah (= Hassan I Sahba) / Forge of Vulcan / Steppenwolf / Where are they now?

... that's it... so far ...

I call it work. But I love doing it so much that I have
to have a wife to drag me away from my machines.
Otherwise I'd be on them twenty four hours a day. - R.C.