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Album Details

• Artist: Hawkwind
• Album: Hall Of The Mountain Grill
• Label: United Artists
• Year of Release: 1974
• ME Rating: Indie Classic
• Reviewed by: gwhill on 2012-12-12

Hall of the Mountain Grill probably represents the apex of Hawkwind's popularity in the US, arguably being their best-known album in that country. Arguments can also be made that it is the most straight progressive rock release they have done. Truly it is one of the most consistently entertaining and listenable discs the band ever created, in this reviewer's opinion having few equals in the Hawk-catalog. It entertains over and over again, and really seems to flow together quite well. While this disc would be a great first album for a Hawkwind collection, the fact that the sound is so different from a lot of the rest of the catalog, might negate that a bit.

Lemmy contributed a killer Hawkwind tune in “Lost Johnny.” It’s one that he later redid in his band Motorhead, but those looking for the original version will surely want to check this out. There is a lot of violin on this album adding some different musical elements. The opening “The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke)” is spacey, melodic and still rocking. In some ways, it’s similar to something the band might have done on the first album, but with the intensity and general “cool factor” upped.

There’s a real flow to the set, making the songs seem almost like chapters of a book. It’s the kind of album that’s best heard from start to finish. There is a great balance between instrumentals and vocal tracks, harder rocking ones and the more melodic. It’s just a real masterpiece. It’s clearly and essential Hawkwind album, and still holds up well to this day.  While this album might give a first time Hawkwind listener a rather skewed view of the group’s sound, it’s really a disc any rock music fan should here. It would certainly make my “best albums of all time” list. It is that good. It’s the “Mona Lisa” of the Hawkwind catalog.

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