And just when you thought it was safe to go back into the archive, another box load of Hawkwind rarities tumbles out and this time, someone hit the mother lode. Welcome as they have been, the bonus tracks affixed to the Atomhenge reissues have simply reiterated or reawakened fans' feelings about the original LPs they are bolstering. The 16 or so cuts that this three disc-box pronounces either rare or unreleased, however, are Hawkwind in excelsis, offering whole scale revisions of the once-immutable truths and establishing Parallel Universe as perhaps the most important Hawkwind compilation yet released. A chronological march from the first album in 1969 to the 1974 American tour, the set rounds up all the little things that you may not ever have realized you missed, like the original single mix of "Silver Machine," which is so punchy and powerful. There's an alternate vocal for its B-side, "Seven by Seven," which is imploring and sinister. Studio versions of "It's So Easy" and "You'd Better Believe It" are here, along with a seven-minute "full-length" version of "Brainbox Pollution," a radically alternate version of "Winds of Change," and a stab at "You Know You're Only Dreaming," recorded during the sessions for the first album. Even in cold black-and-white, such details scream out to be heard, and there is no disappointment to be found among them. Indeed, the only real disappointment comes when the album slips into the familiar territory of straightforward album cuts, between two and four per original LP, and the dizzying thrill of discovery is put on hold for a few moments. Economically packaged but bolstered with a very serviceable booklet, Parallel Universe does not replace any of the Hawkwind albums you already own. Rather, it supplements them like no other comp ever has, and leaves the committed collector wondering what could possibly be left in the archive. Apart from the still unreleased, and ever-more legendary 1974 Edmonton Sundown concert, that is.
© Dave Thompson /TiVo