Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters

Infobox Album | Name = Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters
Type = Album
Artist = Robert Calvert


Released = 1974
Recorded = March 1973 - June 1974
Genre = Rock
Length = 42:24
Label = United Artists
Producer = Roy Thomas Baker
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:1pcyxd0bjols link]
Last album =
This album = "Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters"
(1974)
Next album = "Lucky Leif and the Longships"
(1975)

"Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters" was a 1974 satirical concept album by Robert Calvert, the former frontman of British space-rock band Hawkwind. It consists of a mixture of songs and comic spoken interludes.

The concept was based on the German Air Ministry's purchase of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, colloquially known as the "Widowmaker". In German service these planes had a poor safety record, with 207 of almost 1,300 Luftwaffe Starfighters lost in accidents during the aircraft's time in service, which lasted from the early 1960s until the mid 1980s. [http://www.vectorsite.net/avf104_2.html] The Starfighters had inherently challenging flight characteristics, possibly made worse by a number of ill-considered modifications made by the manufacturers at the behest of the Germans in order to clinch the sale.

Musicians who appeared on the album include members of Hawkwind, The Pink Fairies, Brian Eno (although not credited as Eno), Arthur Brown and Adrian Wagner. The spoken sketches are primarily performed by Calvert, Viv Stanshall and Jim Capaldi.

"Ejection" (coupled with "Catch a Falling Starfighter") was released as a single, although both songs are slightly different versions to those on the album. "The Widow's Song" was included in the libretto and Calvert had hoped to record it with Nico singing. It wasn't recorded at the time but it was eventually recorded in 1984 with Calvert's wife Jill Riches on lead vocals and included on the "Hawkwind, Friends and Relations" compilation.

The album has been re-released in the late 1990s by BGO Records and is currently available on Ecletic Records (ECLCD1056) with bonus tracks.

Track listing

All songs by Robert Calvert except where stated.

# "Franz Josef Strauß, Defence Minister, reviews the Luftwaffe in 1958" – 1:40
# "The Aerospace Inferno" – 4:35
# "Aircraft Salesman (A Door in the Foot)" – 1:41
# "The Widow Maker" (Dave Brock, Calvert) – 2:42
# "Two test pilots discuss the Starfighter's performance" – 0:41
# "The Right Stuff" – 4:23
# "Board meeting (seen through a contract lense)" – 0:58
# "The Song of the Gremlin (part one)" (Arthur Brown, Calvert, Wagner) – 3:21
# "Ground Crew (last minute reassembly before take off)" – 3:17
# "Hero with a Wing" – 3:20
# "Ground Control to Pilot" – 0:52
# "Ejection" – 3:35
# "Interview" – 3:55
# "I Resign" – 0:27
# "The Song of the Gremlin (part two)" (Brown, Calvert, Wagner) – 3:10
# "Bier Garten" – 0:38
# "Catch a Falling Starfighter" – 2:54

Bonus tracks

# "The Right Stuff" (extended version) – 8.07
# "Ejection" (single version) – 3.47
# "Catch A Falling Starfighter" (single version) – 3.00

Monster Magnet did a cover of "The Right Stuff" on their 2004 album, Monolithic Baby!.

Personnel

Musicians

*Robert Calvert - vocals
*Arthur Brown - vocals on "The Song of the Gremlin" parts 1 and 2
*Paul Rudolph - lead and rhythm guitar (all), bass guitar on "The Song of the Gremlin" parts 1 and 2, "Hero with a Wing"
*Dave Brock - lead guitar on "The Widow Maker"
*Lemmy - bass guitar
*Nik Turner - saxophone
*Brian Peter George St John La Baptiste De La Salle - Synthesizer
*Del Dettmar - synthesizer
*Adrian Wagner - keyboards on "The Song of the Gremlin" parts 1 and 2
*Simon King - drums
*Twink Alder - Funeral drum on "Catch a Falling Starfighter"
*The Ladbroke Grove Hermaphroditic Voice Ensemble - back up vocals

Actors

*Vivian Stanshall - most leads (e.g. Ground Control, Bright Mechanic)
*Jim Capaldi - American Salesman, Recruiting Officer, Dim Mechanic
*Robert Calvert - Pilot
*Tom Mittledorf
*Richard Ealing

Recording

*Technicians: Phil Brown, Frank Owen, Rufus Cartwright, Anton Matthews, Phil Chapman
*Producer: Roy Thomas Baker
*Studios: Island, Olympic, Radio Luxembourg (dialogue) between March 1973 and January 1974
*Mixing: Trident Studios

leeve

*Concept: Bob Calvert
*Art Directions: Pierre Tubbs
*Illustrator: Stanislaw Ferdandes

External links

* [http://www.starfarer.net/captlock.html www.starfarer.net] : libretto
* [http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/thebookofseth/74 www.headheritage.co.uk] : The Book of Seth review