Hawkwind – Days Of The Underground (The Studio & Live Recordings 1977-1979) (Deluxe Edition) (2023) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Artist: Hawkwind
Title: Days Of The Underground (The Studio & Live Recordings 1977-1979)
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock, Space Rock
Label: Atomhenge
Release Date: 2023
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Duration: 00:40:16+01:24:23
Audio#1: English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 96 kHz / 4608 kbps / 24-bit
Audio#2: English / LPCM Audio / 5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit
Size: 39,22 GB

Nearly a decade after the release of the acclaimed surround mix of Warrior on the Edge of Time, a limited edition 8 CD / 2 Blu ray boxed set from Hawkwind that showcases the band’s tenure with Charisma Records in the late 1970s is released in March 2023. On this deluxe box set titled “Days of the Underground: The Studio & Live Recordings 1977-1979” fans will find the music that breaks new ground, producing a series of classic albums that adapted to the changing musical times with invention and flair. Specifically, the boxed set features three albums: “Quark, Strangeness and Charm,” “Hawklords: 25 Years On,” and “P.X.R. 5” each with immersive 5.1 surround sound and Stereo remixes by Steven Wilson.

But there is much more, there is a host of rare studio outtakes from that era, as well as four additional CDs of live material. These performances have been newly mixed from the original multi-track tapes, including all the surviving recordings from the September 1977 ‘Sonic Assassins’ concert, the Hawklords’ concert from November 1978 and a previously unreleased promotional film of Hawklords at Uxbridge University in 1978.

The boxed set also comes with a lavishly illustrated book, essay, and a poster. Fans will be able to dig deeply into the history of this groundbreaking period in Hawkwind’s career. Experience their live performances, with Robert Calvert as an able frontman, and hear previously unreleased tracks from these legendary concerts.

Each of the three albums that have been remixed in surround by Wilson extend the territory of their music style. “Quark, Strangeness and Charm” was the first to depart from Hawkwind’s traditional space rock sound and marked their shift towards pop and accessible melodies. The album featured songs that fed into the traditional Hawkwind mythos, such as “Damnation Alley” and “Forge of Vulcan,” as well as a Middle Eastern epic called “Hassan I Sabha.” Their new sound was a shock to loyal fans back in the day, but ended up receiving airplay and the band even made their first mainstream UK TV appearance in some five years. The album has gone on to remain one of Hawkwind’s most endearingly enduring albums.

Then there is “Hawklords: 25 Years On” which emerged as one of the band’s last great albums before Hawkwind’s decline in the 1980s. This album continued the band’s experimentation with electronics and quirkiness, which had been heard on their previous album, Quark Strangeness and Charm. The album featured a range of themes, including comedy, sci-fi, and futurism, and was in line with the current music scene. Yet, despite the album’s quality, it failed to achieve major success, and now surround immersionists can enjoy this album from their sweet spot.

PXR5 is the last album in the boxset to be remixed in surround, and it closes out the-’70s incarnation of the group, which features vocalist/poet Bob Calvert along with other members. It is the final album in a sequence of pop-inflected records that the band released that have been critically acclaimed to have astounding sounds and amazing music. Featuring punkish intensity and fashionability with themes of life atop spacy pastures and roughshod tracks that easily could have slipped out of songs like “In Search of Space.” Although the album is not an all-out classic, it does contain very worthy tracks, and “Death Trap” is among those songs.

While I may have preferred these albums to be released separately, I also appreciate the multi-album boxset that packs in the live material, bonuses, and of course the 5.1 surround mixes of three of Hawkwind’s late ‘70s output. Best for serious fans of Hawkwind, surround music collectors, and psychedelic progressive rock listeners.

Tracklist

Quark Strangeness & Charm (Steven Wilson’s 5.1 Surround Sound & Stereo Mixes (96kHz / 24-bit))
BD1-1 Spirit Of The Age
BD1-2 Damnation Alley
BD1-3 Fable Of A Failed Race
BD1-4 Quark, Strangeness & Charm
BD1-5 Hassan I Sahba
BD1-6 The Forge Of Vulcan
BD1-7 The Days Of The Underground
BD1-8 The Iron Dream

Bonus Visual Content
BD1-9 Quark, Strangeness & Charm (Marc Bolan TV Show Appearance)
25 Years On (Steven Wilson’s 5.1 Surround Sound & Stereo Mixes (96kHz / 24-bit))
BD2-1 PSI Power
BD2-2 Freefall
BD2-3 Automaton
BD2-4 25 Years
BD2-5 Flying Doctor
BD2-6 The Only Ones
BD2-7 (Only) The Dead Dreams Of The Cold War Kid
BD2-8 The Age Of The Micro Man

Bonus Visual Feature
Hawklords Live At Brunel University, Uxbridge
BD2-9 PSI Power
BD2-10 25 Years

P.X.R. 5 (Steven Wilson’s 5.1 Surround Sound & Stereo Mixes (96kHz / 24-bit))
BD2-11 Death Trap
BD2-12 Jack Of Shadows
BD2-13 Uncle Sam’s On Mars
BD2-14 Infinity
BD2-15 Life Form
BD2-16 Robot
BD2-17 High Rise
BD2-18 P.X.R. 5

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     HAWKWIND: The Days of the Underground 1977 – 1978 Blu-ray Disc 1
Disc Label:     BD1
Disc Size:      14,085,857,940 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BDInfo:         0.7.5.6

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00001.MPLS
Length:                 0:37:15.274 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   12,735,995,904 bytes
Total Bitrate:          45.58 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description
-----                   -------             -----------
MPEG-4 AVC Video        17000 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description
-----                           --------        -------         -----------
LPCM Audio                      English         4608 kbps       2.0 / 96 kHz /  4608 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio             English         7541 kbps       5.1 / 96 kHz /  7541 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz /  1509 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM Audio                      English         13824 kbps      5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit
Disc Title:     HAWKWIND: The Days of the Underground 1977 – 1978 Blu-ray Disc 2
Disc Label:     BD2
Disc Size:      28,031,497,956 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BDInfo:         0.7.5.6

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00001.MPLS
Length:                 0:38:33.853 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   13,157,498,880 bytes
Total Bitrate:          45.49 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description
-----                   -------             -----------
MPEG-4 AVC Video        17000 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description
-----                           --------        -------         -----------
LPCM Audio                      English         4608 kbps       2.0 / 96 kHz /  4608 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio             English         7449 kbps       5.1 / 96 kHz /  7449 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz /  1509 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM Audio                      English         13824 kbps      5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit

Blu-ray Disc

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