Hawkwind

Hawkwind wasn’t the only space-rock band to emerge from the hippie era (they had Pink Floyd, Nektar, Gong, and others for company), but they came to exemplify the cosmic, post-psychedelic sound more than anyone, becoming synonymous with the genre. Former street busker Dave Brock formed the band in 1969, but as Hawkwind moved into the ‘70s, they lost their psychedelic-folk leanings and developed a harder edge, blending interstellar electronics with hard-rock riffs that prefigured both punk and metal. The latter element was intensified when a pre-Motorhead Lemmy joined the band in 1972; that year, he sang lead on “Silver Machine,” the perennial cult band’s only bona fide hit single. Over the years, the band accentuated its lyrical emphasis on science fiction themes – at one point, SF novelist Michael Moorcock was one of the band's primary lyricists – but their sound remained relatively consistent from the mid-‘70s on, despite innumerable personnel changes. At various points, Hawkwind included everyone from Ginger Baker to Gong’s Tim Blake, but Dave Brock has remained its focal point. Not only has their sound created a template for subsequent generations of space-rockers, Hawkwind has also proven enormously influential on countless electronica, post-punk, and indie rock artists.