In Search of Space strengthened Hawkwind's science fiction-type brand of progressive rock, gaining bass player Dave Anderson and galactic poet extraordinaire Rob Calvert, while losing John Harrison at the same time. The album opens with the mind-numbing galactic haze of "You Shouldn't Do That," a spooky little 15-minute excursion that warps, throbs, and swirls with Dik Mik's "audio generator" and the steady drum pace of Terry Ollis. Then comes the ominous whispering of the title, set to the pulsating waves of Dave Brock's guitar and Turner's alto sax, with Dettmar's synth work laying the foundation. Wonderfully setting the tone, "You Shouldn't Do That"'s improvisational looseness and rhythmic fusion smoothly open up the album into the realm of Hawkwind. The peculiarity never ceases, as "You Know You're Only Dreaming" and "We Took the Wrong Steps Years Ago" delves even deeper into obscurity, sometimes emanating with the familiar jangle of the guitar which then has its acquaintance overshadowed by the waft of the keyboard. Just as "Master of the Universe" chugs and rolls with a foreboding rhythm, "Adjust Me" retaliates with its moaning verse and tonal fluctuations fading into oblivion. The groundbreaking sound which Hawkwind achieved on In Search of Space helped to open up a whole new avenue of progressive rock. This album would lead to their most successful release in Space Ritual, coming two years after In Search of Space, with their interplanetary groove already set for takeoff.

(by Mike DeGagne, AMG)

This record is really great... for about six or seven minutes. These first six or seven minutes are the period when eclecticists and sci-fi fans might go hand in hand and wonder at the exquisite marvels of the sound. But at the end of this period, the eclecticists will shake their head, grumble 'it all sounds the same and it's sooo dang primitive and repetitive, man' and head away to their Frank Zappa and Monkees records, while the sci-fi fans won't even notice because they're already wriggling in ecstasy and ascending the skies in their silver machines!
Naturally, I tend to follow the eclecticists, although there are a few reservations. What Dave Brock and his pals are trying to do here is present a perfect soundtrack for pocketbook fantasy: a perfect soundtrack, which is what distinguishes them from such talentless wankers as Uriah Heep. I mean, Dave Brock and his pals might not have been more talented than the Heepsters when it came to penning a decent melody, but in matters of arrangement and instrumentation they certainly gave the pioneers of 'fantasy metal' something to chew on. Although what's that I'm saying? Uriah Heep didn't actually start penning 'fantasy metal' until 1972, and obviously, they were already influenced by Hawkwind...
Anyway, an extra important presence here is bass player Dave Anderson, formerly of Amon Düül II. He is only credited for co-writing 'Children Of The Sun' with Dave Brock, but I feel his influence has been far more important than that, because Hawkwind's sound essentially rips off Amon Düül II. The basis of Hawkwind's sound is as follows: lengthy monotonous rhythmic grooves, usually based upon heavy looping guitar riffs, against the background of which different band members produce all kinds of noises - including 'astral' synth passages, 'psychedelic blues' guitar solos, and 'mama was a wanker' saxophone vibratos. This is exactly what used to characterize Amon Düül II on such albums as Yeti.
To tell the truth, I am often tempted to dismiss In Search Of Space as just a rip-off of Yeti and nothing else - and an inferior rip-off at that. But inferior or not, there is still something endearing and truly hypnotizing about this stuff. It is a little bit more accessible, and it serves its purpose well: the guys are determined to take you with them on a 'space ride' or two, and instead of declining the offer, I suggest we take it. It's cheap, yes, cheap and phoney, but it's a product that's done almost immaculately, and that's astonishing, considering that the album was created by just a bunch of long-haired smelly potheads. And anyway, I don't see how somebody could love 'Interstellar Overdrive' and at the same time twirl his nose at this record - it's so much more engaging and diverse.
Describing the individual tracks would be a hard task, though, they do sound the same indeed. Indeed! I'm not pullin' yer leg! I guess the centerpiece just gotsta to be 'You Shouldn't Do That' in all of its fifteen-minute glory, but basically, its only difference from the follow-up ('You Know You're Only Dreaming') is that it's faster and more rhythmic. Plus, I gotta give some credit to the guys for excellent vocal melodies - Dave Brock doesn't exactly seem fond of singing, but the short vocal parts of all the tracks are done in a very good and catchy way.
My favourite song on the album, though, is and will always remain the crunchy 'Master Of The Universe'. The double-tracked riff of the track (heavy Sabbath-like tone in the left speaker, distorted Hendrixey tone in the right speaker) is a marvel, and all the effects and sonic experiments are excellent as well. It's clear that the musicians aren't really virtuosos, but it's not the quality of their finger-picking, it's the amount of different things they try out and the fact that they try out all the right things at all the right times that's so amazing.
Oh, and if you really get tired of the never-ending groove, relax! The boys have included a couple of nice 'n' gentle acoustic interludes - 'Children Of The Sun' and 'We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago' are both pleasant, if not particularly memorable, little ditties that don't bleed so heavily on your ears. And if you get the EMI CD release, you'll have a few bonus tracks thrown in, the most important of which is the true Hawkwind anthem, 'Silver Machine'. Now that's a cool song! Cheesy, yes, but I just gave a vow never to use the word 'cheesy' in a Hawkwind review because ninety nine percent of Hawkwind's output is cheesy - you have to get over that and just appreciate the talent.
And believe me, these guys were talented, in their own perverse way. I suppose that 'academic stature' reviewers like Wilson & Alroy would get a heart attack at the mere idea of sitting through a Hawkwind album even once, but everything has to be measured according to its own standards, and in the world of sci-fi and hypnotizing 'fantasy metal' Hawkwind undoubtedly put themselves at number one with this album. Okay, okay, this is not the most well-reputed laurel wreath in the musical world, but you know how it goes. Better to be the first guy in your little village than the second guy in Rome.

(George Starostin, Rating: * * *)