Hawkwind: The Chronicle of the Black Sword

This documents Hawkwind's performance/tour of ''The Chronicle of the Black Sword.'' It was filmed, but the tape is plagued by the limitations of video of the day-- Rock show stages came across as very dark on video tape due to the contrast caused by all the spotlighting, this was the same trouble Pink Floyd faced when filming ''The Wall, Live'' a few years before. Furthermore, the audio comes straight from the video camera's feed, not from the stage audio mix or monitor mix (if there was one). I've got bootleg DVDs of other bands that look and sound better than this authorized release, but Hawkwind video of any kind is scarce.

Wildly popular in the UK, space rock band Hawkwind never was as big in the USA. However, they do have a substantial cult following here.

Over the years, (they formed in the late 1960's) Hawkwind has had nearly as many members as Spinal Tap has had drummers. However, mainstay and founding member David Brock is still there, running the show.

The Chronicle of the Black Sword finds Hawkwind in their mid 1980's inception, with Dave Brock at the helm, and is an adaptation of former member (and special guest) Michael Moorcock's "Elric" series of science fiction books.

Viewers will be treated to some exceptional special effects (considering it's the 1980's), awesome rock and roll, and a great performance overall. Fans of Michael Moorcock's books will be happy to see the bearded college professor-esque author take the role of narrator of the stage show, and then sing along during the encore.

If you've never heard Hawkwind, and you like bands such as Can, early Pink Floyd and Van Der Graaf Generator, chances are you'll enjoy this as well.