Bands You Wish You had seen... | Page 12 | Vital Football

Bands You Wish You had seen...

And Mike Batt was involved with Hawkwind's album and tour "Road to Utopia" of a couple of years ago - played with an orchestra. Saw them play at Sage in Gateshead on the Friday night with the orchestra, saw them play at a friend's wedding on the Saturday night at Dynamic Earth on Edinburgh and took loads of photos, then down to Skeggie for a few days for my mum's 80th.

When asked to take photos of his wedding, I initially declined "it's your wedding and if I stuff up, you get no photos". His response was - "you might want to take some photos of the band..." They had set the wedding date to coincide with the end of that part of the tour as it ended in the North.
And Eric Clapton guested on that album and tour too...

But not the wedding.

Or Skeggy.
 
Yeah, yeah. Proper proggers are into The Enid. Hawkwind are commercial sell-outs compared to them. 😂
Prog is a four letter word.

Saw the Enid at SRS about six years ago.

Hawkwind are more typically Space Rock although that's only really a genre created for them as they don't fit any other labelling - especially as they vary between heavy rock, electronica, trance - with the occasional bit of reggae and blue grass thrown in.
 
Prog is a four letter word.

Saw the Enid at SRS about six years ago.

Hawkwind are more typically Space Rock although that's only really a genre created for them as they don't fit any other labelling - especially as they vary between heavy rock, electronica, trance - with the occasional bit of reggae and blue grass thrown in.

Good lord. When you said blue grass you really just meant "grass", didn't you? 😉
 
Stupid question, I suspect, but have you read this yet, Barney?
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Is it worth a read even for those of us who aren't as deeply immersed as yourself?
 
Not yet but I do hear that it is quite in-depth and strives to show the influences that they have had on other groups and artists. One of those that I had seen coming but did nothing about. Just ordered it...

It focuses on the first ten years of their fifty-two years, which many hold up as their best era - which, unfortunately misses out their own festivals and some really good albums and tours, the Black Sword tour with Mike Moorcock guesting for example. A major omission though, is that there was no interview with Dave Brock for it.

Ian Abraham's "Sonic Assassin's" and Carol Clark's "Saga of Hawkwind" are also good reads and do cover later/more current years too. And if you can find a copy of "This is Hawkwind - Do Not Panic" by Kris Tait (Dave Brock's wife and manager of the band) there are many amazing accounts in there.
 
Back to original subject of thread: Uncle Tupelo

Hardcore punk meets The Carter Family/Woody Guthrie, with lashings of Neil Young/J Mascis distorted guitar. Apart from on the obligatory acoustic album.

Only discovered them just as they were splitting up. One of the few acts unlikely to reform too.
 
Back to original subject of thread: Uncle Tupelo

Hardcore punk meets The Carter Family/Woody Guthrie, with lashings of Neil Young/J Mascis distorted guitar. Apart from on the obligatory acoustic album.

Only discovered them just as they were splitting up. One of the few acts unlikely to reform too.

Yes, Farrar and Tweedy fell out big-time, I think. Both have had decent careers since, although arguably Tweedy's is better with Wilco. I listened to them occasionally but didn't think them up to Green On Red standards. ;)
 
Yes, Farrar and Tweedy fell out big-time, I think. Both have had decent careers since, although arguably Tweedy's is better with Wilco. I listened to them occasionally but didn't think them up to Green On Red standards. ;)

Fair enough, Notty.

Been listening to Gas, Food, Lodging over the last couple of weeks. Excellent record. It rocks and rolls, spits and snarls, and Chuck plays those souped-up Buck Owens country licks all over it. What the hell is not to like??

Farrar & Tweedy did fall out, it's true. I think Farrar felt threatened by Tweedy's rising star in what, obstensibly, had been Farrar's band. They won't reform because Farrar's star has waned, while Wilco have been feted everywhere. Plus, I think Farrar is one of those rare individuals who's in it for the music, he's got no interest in being famous, and it doesn't suit his introverted personality anyway (that's not a criticism of Tweedy either, love his work).
 
Fair enough, Notty.

Been listening to Gas, Food, Lodging over the last couple of weeks. Excellent record. It rocks and rolls, spits and snarls, and Chuck plays those souped-up Buck Owens country licks all over it. What the hell is not to like??

Farrar & Tweedy did fall out, it's true. I think Farrar felt threatened by Tweedy's rising star in what, obstensibly, had been Farrar's band. They won't reform because Farrar's star has waned, while Wilco have been feted everywhere. Plus, I think Farrar is one of those rare individuals who's in it for the music, he's got no interest in being famous, and it doesn't suit his introverted personality anyway (that's not a criticism of Tweedy either, love his work).
Jeff Tweedy has popped up as an actor in a few TV shows too - most notably in Parks & Rec and Portlandia.

I'm a big fan of most of the earlier Wilco output (as a pedal steel player I'm a little biased to that particular sound), although have lost track of their more recent work - I guess that is often the way.
 
Jeff Tweedy has popped up as an actor in a few TV shows too - most notably in Parks & Rec and Portlandia.

I'm a big fan of most of the earlier Wilco output (as a pedal steel player I'm a little biased to that particular sound), although have lost track of their more recent work - I guess that is often the way.

I lost them too for awhile. Loved the first 2-3 albums and then thought they disappeared up their own arses on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and gave up (paradoxically that album made them, in many ways). Came back a few years later, and as much a fan now as I ever was. Helps that Tweedy now seems more accepting of all of his influences, rather than just trying to wrongfoot parts of his audience (although probably just following his muse, which is fair enough).

Wow! You play pedal steel! I once bought a cheap Guyatone one, but came to realise that my MO of playing the same 3 chords across a variety of different stringed instruments didn't really apply on a steel, and sold it on (for about 4 times the price I paid for it, happily). I still sort of miss it though.

The one time I saw Jay Farrar live, with his band Son Volt, I stood directly in front of pedal steel player Eric Heywood's amp. Jesus! What a mistake that was! Hearing recovered eventually.
 
The one time I saw Jay Farrar live, with his band Son Volt, I stood directly in front of pedal steel player Eric Heywood's amp. Jesus! What a mistake that was! Hearing recovered eventually.

I think I've mentioned on here that I've seen Hawkwind 3 times in all, I think, all at Newcastle City Hall in the 80s.

At that time, people weren't really forced to sit in their seats. At one of the gigs a guy wandered up to the stage and stuck his head inside a bass woofer and proceeded to stay there head-banging for the whole gig.
 
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I once bought a cheap Guyatone one, but came to realise that my MO of playing the same 3 chords across a variety of different stringed instruments didn't really apply on a steel, and sold it on (for about 4 times the price I paid for it, happily). I still sort of miss it though.

Steel guitar is definitely one of the harder learning curves I've had to climb when learning an instrument. I've always been a ZB guy. That was until I bought this lovely Emmons a couple of years ago. I've yet to make any nice noises on the C neck though.

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The one time I saw Jay Farrar live, with his band Son Volt, I stood directly in front of pedal steel player Eric Heywood's amp. Jesus! What a mistake that was! Hearing recovered eventually.

Ouch! Some of those tones do get you right in the brain. Richmond Fontaine are the loudest alt-country band I've seen. I managed to see them twice, including their farewell tour. Sadly lacking a steel guitarist both times though.
 
Richmond Fontaine are the loudest alt-country band I've seen. I managed to see them twice, including their farewell tour. Sadly lacking a steel guitarist both times though.

Saw them once at the Americana festival at the Sage in Gateshead.

Have you followed Willy's new band, The Delines? Also excellent.
 
At that time, people weren't really forced to sit in their seats. At one of the gigs a guy wandered up to the stage and stuck his head inside a bass woofer and proceeded to stay there head-banging for the whole gig.
Saw a guy do that at a Motorhead gig. He lasted about 2 seconds before staggering away, presumably with significant self induced hearing loss!
 
I think I've mentioned on here that I've seen Hawkwind 3 times in all, I think, all at Newcastle City Hall in the 80s.

At that time, people weren't really forced to sit in their seats. At one of the gigs a guy wandered up to the stage and stuck his head inside a bass woofer and proceeded to stay there head-banging for the whole gig.

In the early days of HW, DikMik and Del would compete to see who could induce bouts of vomiting and loss of balance through playing with oscillators and signal generators and producing "noises" beyond the scope of human hearing.

I certainly recall gigs where you felt the music as much as you heard it.

A more recent recording with Dibs and Niall both playing bass resonates too...