Warrior on the Edge of Time

Hawkwind's fifth album marks several turning points for the band. It was their last record for United Artists, the last to include famed bass man Lemmy Kilmister (the Lemmy-sung bonus track "Motorhead" hints at where he'd wind up next), the first to feature lyrics (and even some vocals) from sci-fi author Michael Moorcock (who'd become a key figure in Hawkwind's history), and the last time they'd dent the American album charts. They also introduced a double-drummer lineup for the first time. But while the expanded percussive force, Lemmy's in-your-face basslines, and the Black Sabbath–in–space guitar riffs of bandleader Dave Brock amp up the album's hard-rocking side, Nik Turner's flute and Simon House's keys and violin keep things swirling in a more cosmic direction. And Moorcock's lyrics not only sound like they could have been taken from one of his novels, they practically were, directly incorporating concepts from his stories. Hawkwind's next album moved into a more conventional rock direction, but Warrior perched perfectly between the earth and the stars.