Innovative additions to the Hawkwind canon such as ‘Aldous Huxley’ and ‘They Are So Easily Distracted’ introduce a gradual, almost lounge-like quality, with deliberate piano, audio samples and saxophones lamenting over a futuristic backdrop and roaming guitar solos. Maybe not quite placed beside their classics but definitely worth a spin and of course these songs are going to sound amazing live.

The Future Never Waits - Burning Shed The Future Never Waits - Burning Shed

There have been several CDs and DVDs that have been privately pressed by the band and made available for either members of the band's fan club, or for the audience at gigs. It was secured by Cherry Red in the UK for their Atomhenge imprint in 2008 and has been re-issued with the inclusion of previously unreleased bonus tracks. The discography of the British space rock group Hawkwind spans from their formation in 1969 through to the present day, with consistent output of live and studio albums, EPs and singles. Hawkwind have been imaginative and brave, they should be congratulated and hopefully the fanbase will enjoy the journey of ‘The Future Never Waits’ as much as I have.Between 1999 and 2007, the band released both new and archive material through Voiceprint, this catalogue now being out of print. It was probably inevitable they’d finally do a tribute to British philosopher Aldous Huxley, who drifted off this mortal on an LSD trip, as they throw in some samples that give a real sense of a fellow traveller on the astral plane. It’s merely the Hawkwind way of doing things; Trapped In The Modern Age starts with a piece of electric piano that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a Supertramp album before Brock joins in with that voice, the voice that makes something, however it sounds, whatever seam of music it mines, pure ‘Wind.

Hawkwind | The Future Never Waits Albums Of The Week: Hawkwind | The Future Never Waits

There are a couple of overseas releases included as they are significant in that their A-side and/or B-side were unavailable in the UK. Now that may be the case, but I originally approached this album as individual songs, being unaware of this fact, and did not immediately connect them. The album clocks in at sixty-nine minutes, but they have managed to create a feel that ensures tht this is not too long. They make use of piano and saxophone, which is to the fore, ably supported by the other instruments.Despite a run of albums, many bands would sell their children to have released, they’ve never come close to being ‘stars’ or lauded with critical kudos, but for fifty-plus years (was it really 1972 I first saw Hawkwind? As any fan will know, their catalogue is varied, and this release may be seen as a progression of their signature sound. This section contains Various Artists compilations that contain Hawkwind material that was unavailable elsewhere. The band’s 35 th studio album is an outstanding progression to their varied and celebrated catalogue. It is testimony to Brock that in his more senior years he can continue his flow of ideas and song writing, which enables the band to continue to move ever forward.

Hawkwind: The Future Never Waits – Album Review Hawkwind: The Future Never Waits – Album Review

And on the very doomy ‘The Beginning’, we’re told “ upload your consciousness here and leave your body at the door marked Incinerator”and how “ the phasing out of all carbon based humans is now unavoidable”in a song which brought the film Soylent Green to mind. Throughout the remaining tracks, the band continue to try out new styles, which are seamlessly absorbed into their signature sound.The Space Lords have been around for well over 50 years now, and this is their 35th studio album, plus of course numerous live albums and compilations. Its not ‘Sonic Attack’ or 10 Seconds of Forever’, but a modern update that certainly doesn’t sit easy and the lyrical content should give you pause to think and reflect. Rama' also visits this particular atmosphere with an eight-minute-long version that is guitar washed, maybe more subdued than 'The End', but has a great 80’s sounding synth solo in the middle. Third track ‘Aldous Huxley’ takes us on a journey of exploration and whilst the musical backdrop is reassuring, the spoken word parts are deeper in content. I found it to be not an instant hit, which in my mind is good because it's a grower and those kind of records have the longest legs in my experience.

The Future Never Waits Hawkwind! - RAMzine The Future Never Waits Hawkwind! - RAMzine

He would subsequently license these recordings to various independent record companies, such as Flicknife, former bass player Dave Anderson's American Phonograph, the then band manager Jim White's Samurai and later Voiceprint. Eponymous title track ‘The Future Never Waits’ opens and reaffirms the fact the starship Hawkwind has long lurked outside the realms of mainstream acceptance.The line-up differing again this time, showing once again that Dave Brock has the power to rebuild his band of merry space rockers. Rama (The Prophecy)’ picks up the pace in the time honoured Hawkwind manner, driven along by guitar, bass and drums with suitable guitar solos and keyboards weaving in and out. Other tracks like ‘Rama (The Prophecy)’ and ‘I’m Learning To Live Today’ sit tightly in the Hawkwind groove, providing old and new fans alike with the intense and concentrated fusion of musical styles they’ve come to expect and celebrate. This leads us into The End, which has a punky edge to the guitars at the start before shifting towards a more spacey feel, whilst still maintaining that edge throughout.