Hawkwind -- Hall of the Mountain Grill (review)

Artist: Hawkwind
Album: Hall of the Mountain Grill
Genre: space rock
Year: 1974
Label: United Artists

Majestic.  Hall of the Mountain Grill is quite possibly my favorite album of all time, so expect nothing but praise from this review...

Hawkwind are the most well-known practitioners of a prog/psych rock fusion known as space rock.  Their music is atmospheric, smooth, and full of lengthy jams.  Their 1974 effort consists of nine tracks of mystical bliss that flow together to create one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) albums of all time.
We begin with "The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke)" which is a rockin' tune.  The midsection consists of a kick-ass saxophone solo, and the chorus sees the band letting loose with all their fury.  The track bleeds into "Wind of Change" which is the first of three instrumentals on the album.  "Wind of Change" is a slow buildup from the soothing sound of a synthesizer (imitating the wind) to the emotional, almost symphonic climax where the violin takes center stage.  A hush falls over the listener as "D-Rider" starts.  My personal favorite from the album, Hawkwind create a cosmic atmosphere with the song's soothing verses and powerful chorus.  The use of processed vocals on the track, and throughout the album, melds well with the spacey, atmospheric sound of the instruments.
"Web Weaver" is an uplifting tune due to the use of acoustic guitars.  Synthesizers carry the listener deeper into space before the band go into a nice little jam section.  "You'd Better Believe It" opens with swirling synth lines before the band kicks it into high gear.  Possibly the most rockin' track on the album, the recording was actually made live at Edmonton Sundown.
The title track is a piano-driven instrumental that leads into the oh-so-Lemmy number, "Lost Johnny."  One of my personal favorites, which would later be rerecorded for Motörhead's debut album, the song features Lemmy Kilmister playing all guitar parts and singing.  While the Motörhead version was more of a hard rocker, the original is much more soothing and psychedelic, which I think is very fitting for this album.  The following track is the third and final instrumental, "Goat Willow," which simply serves to lead into the closing track.  "Paradox" was recorded at Edmonton Sundown, like "You'd Better Believe It," and is one of the album's jam-based songs.  The recording sports a relaxed, seemingly distant guitar solo and a hypnotic refrain, which brings the listener to the end of this cosmic journey.
Greatest album of all time.  End of story.  I highly recommend you check out this masterpiece.  You can listen to it on YouTube (with bonus tracks) here.


Rating: 5 / 5
Top Tracks:
D-Rider
Lost Johnny
The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke)
Paradox