"Kings of Speed" is a 1975 song by the British

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

group

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

. It was originally released as a single in the UK (UP35808) on 7 March 1975 and was subsequently included on the album ''

Warrior on the Edge of Time ''Warrior on the Edge of Time'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Hawkwind. Many of the lyrics are by Michael Moorcock, and the album is loosely based on the concept of Moorcock's novel '' The Eternal Champion''. It was the band ...

'', although its B-side, " Motorhead", was not. Although failing the chart in both the U.S. and the U.K., the track became an underground success, particularly with significant play in dance clubs. The parent album also did well, climbing up the Billboard album chart in the U.S.

Kings of Speed

The lyrics for this song were written by

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...

, "Frank and Beasley" refer to characters from Moorcock's Cornelius books. Simon King stated that it was originally intended for inclusion of the Deep Fix album ''

New Worlds Fair ''New Worlds Fair'' is a 1975 concept album by UK rock group Michael Moorcock & The Deep Fix. The brainchild of science-fiction author Michael Moorcock, bassist Steve Gilmore, and guitarist Graham Charnock, Fair featured a host of guest players ...

''.Sounds, January 1975
- No Change in the Wind :"It's very powerful - it's got two drums on it and it sounds fucking great. It's like a

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

thing." -

Alan Powell Alan Powell may refer to: * Alan Powell (actor) (born 1985), American actor and singer * Alan Powell (drummer), British musician * Alan Powell (entrepreneur) (born 1967), American businessman * Alan Powell (historian) (1936–2020), Australian hist ...

, drummer

Other versions

Neither song made it into the live set. It would be years until "King of Speed" would surface for a 1989 tour, while "Motorhead" has only recently been added to the band's current retro-show, with Alan Davey playing the part of Lemmy.

Outtake

The original backing tracks were taken by Brock from this Olympic Studio session, and he later added overdubs and released them through independent record companies. "Kings of Speed" was released as an instrumental (and claimed to be 'live') on the '' Hawkwind Zoo'' 12" EP (Flicknife Records, FLEP100, 1-May-1981). "Motorhead" was released as the A-side to a 7" and 12" single (Flicknife Records, FLS205, 2-July-1981), this time having a Brock vocal and synthesizer overdubs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings Of Speed Hawkwind songs 1975 songs Songs written by Lemmy Songs with lyrics by Michael Moorcock it:Motörhead (brano musicale)