Hawkwind announce orchestral album 'Road To Utopia' featuring Eric Clapton | Planet Rock

"Space rock torchbearers Hawkwind have drafted in Eric Clapton to appear on their new album.

Released on Friday 14th September via Cherry Red Records, ‘Road To Utopia’ sees the band join forces with acclaimed conductor and composer (and founder of Wimbledon Common dwellers The Wombles) Mike Batt and features orchestral reworkings of nine Hawkwind classics.

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Batt first met Dave Brock at the US embassy in London while both were applying for VISAs, and Hawkwind recently announced autumn 2018 shows at London Palladium with Batt conducting and scoring. With the first Palladium show sold out, this paved the way for a full nationwide tour.

Hawkwind originally intended to record an acoustic album, however due to their blossoming relationship they invited Batt to create arrangements for some of their most celebrated songs.

Batt says: “Dave was delightfully free-spirited and generous to me, using a small ensemble of additional musicians and giving me a pretty free hand with the arrangements.”

Alongside the string quintet, sax quintet and brass section the album features Dave Brock (vocals, electric, acoustic guitars, harmonica, keyboards), Richard Chadwick (drums, percussion, vocals), Mr Dibs (vocals), Haz Wheaton (bass) and Magnus Martin (acoustic guitar).

Eric Clapton lends his trademark guitar playing to a reworking of ‘The Watcher’, which was Lemmy Kilmister’s first composition for Hawkwind back in 1972 on their third studio album ‘Doremi Fasol Latido’.

Dave says of ‘Road To Utopia’: "Reinventing these familiar songs has been an interesting experience...We hope you like them."

The track-listing is as follows:

1. Quark, Strangeness and Charm
2. The Watcher
3. We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago
4. Flying Doctor
5. Psychic Power
6. Hymn To The Sun
7. The Age of the Micro Man
8. Intro The Night
9. Down Through The Night"

David Gilmour's fabled Black Strat sets world record at auction | Planet Rock

"Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour's iconic guitar, The Black Strat, has set the world record for the most expensive guitar sold under the hammer.

The fabled guitar was famously played on the ‘Comfortably Numb’ solo and was integral to the recording of the Pink Floyd albums ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ (1973), ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975), ‘Animals’ (1977) and ‘The Wall’ (1979), together with Gilmour’s solo albums.

At the David Gilmour Guitar Collection auction at Christie’s in New York last night (Thursday 20th June), The Black Strat was the last lot of the sale and fetched $3,975,000 (£3,134,000) obliterating its asking price of $100,000 to $150,000."

The best rock guitar solo of all time, imo, was recorded with that guitar!

A little pricey for my bank account mind you haha.

The Pulse version is my favourite guitar solo of all time, 4 and a half minutes of music that never fails to make the hairs stand up, good fun to play too :nod:

Which is?

Comfortably Numb (second solo) :nod:

I should listen to more Pink Floyd. The only one i have is The Division Bell and a best of from several years ago. I used to have Pulse when it first came out with it's red flashing light.

My problem is, i used to go in a pub every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and shit like Money, Time, Another Brick in the Wall was played every ****ing night guaranteed. I hate that stuff with a vengeance.

Sheesh. Playing Time in a pub? That's sick. Get The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn D. It may not be wyrd, but weird it certainly is ;):nod:

In a pub .... :pound:

And of course, the greatest geetar solo is ....

Maggot Brain by Funkadelic :tongue1:;)

Interstellar Overdrive is the perfect hangover cure

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