Here are the first two solo recordings by
Hawkwind guitarist and singer
Dave Brock.
Earthed to the Ground was done completely solo on synths and other keyboards, and feels like a bad-seed, biker
Kraftwerk album. No, that's not necessarily a good thing.
Brock's excesses as both a producer and engineer with
Hawkwind are well documented. None of the songs stand out except for "Green Fin Demon," which was issued previously as a
Hawkwind B-side; the rest is just drunken keyboard swirl, apocalyptic vocals, and tripped-out silliness.
The Agents of Chaos, from 1988, fares far better in that
Brock's wildness is balanced -- and set off sometimes -- by Crum, a songwriting pal of
Brock's. While the deep
Kraftwerk groove is evident on very nearly every track, so is the
Neu!-ish pulse and ringing guitar work associated with
Brock's other band. However, the vocals sound as if they were recorded by
Throbbing Gristle's
Genesis P-Orridge. The song selection is varied, and standout tracks include the blackly humorous "In the Office," the metallic "Hades Deep," the spacy, near synth pop of "Wastelands of Sleep," and the
Manuel Göttsching and
Bill Nelson-inspired "Mountain in the Sky."