A belated happy 70th birthday to Dave Brock

Taken at the release party for Take Me To Your Leader, The Borderline, September 205

Photo Hunt - Rock

The theme for this week's Photo Hunt is rock so here is a photo of a rock! This rock, which is in the Millstreet Country Park, Co Cork, Ireland, was the site of a Hedge School. During the 18th Century catholic schools were banned in Ireland so many catholic pupils were given lesons in clandestine locations (more often indoors than outdoors, despite the name) The schools died out in the 19th century with the introduction of primary (elementary, national) schools..

Alternatively...


Here's Dave Brock, a founder member of my favourite band Hawkwind. He is the only person from the original line up still with the band 40 years on (in August)

Here is Hawkwind with one of their poppier songs Quark, Strangeness and Charm (which, like the Dave Brock photo, I have posted before). The singer is Robert Calvert who, sadly died in 1988, but still serves nobly as my Avatar

Photo Hunt Music

The theme for this week's PhotoHunt is music. Now I am tone deaf and can't play a musical instrument to save my life. Instead I have taken photos at some of the concerts I have attended over the last couple of years. All have appeared on previous blog posts.

Dave Brock of Hawkwind at the launch party for their last album Take Me To Your Leader, September 2005

Robyn Hitchcock performing at a Medecins Sans Frontieres benefit, December 2006

Peter Buck playing as part of the Venus 3 with Robyn Hitchcock, January 2007

Clare Szembek, keyboard player of a band called Captain, March 2007

Robyn Hitchcock, performing May 2007

Kimberley Rew, formerly of the Soft Boys and Katrina and the Waves, playing with Robyn Hitchcock at another MSF benefit, June 2007

I saw Robyn Hitchcock four times in the space of just over six months.You may have guessed that I like him a little!

The Brock/Calvert Project Finally Sees the Light of Day

I have been neglecting my Yahoo groups of late. I missed a post from Voiceprint records on Monday announcing the release of the Brock/Calvert Project CD.

Brock

Dave Brock is the mainstay of Hawkwind and the last founder member still in the band. Robert Calvert (whose image I use as my avatar) was also a member of the band, co writing Silver Machine with Brock and appearing on some of the band’s best albums (Space Ritual, Quark, Strangeness and Charm and Hawklords). He was also a poet and playwright. Calvert died in 1988. I was very fortunate to see him twice at the Hammersmith Clarendon in the year before his death. I never saw him perform with Hawkwind.

Dave Brock had a cassette tape of Calvert’s poems for many years. Rob Ayling, the Managing Director of Voiceprint Records, and asked him to put some music to the poems. The album draws a line under marks the final collaboration between the two artists (I am sure something of the sort would have been done long before had Calvert not died). The album also features musical contributions from Hawkwind drummer Richard Chadwick, keyboardist Jason Stuart, and former bassist Alan Davey.

Calvert

Two of the pieces, Small Boy and Ode to a Timeflower appeared on last year’s sampler album Take Me To Your Future . The album, which is issued as a limited edition of 1,000, is available online via a dedicated website.

I've bought my copy. I would imagine it will sell out pretty quickly.