Robert Calvert
Robert Newton Calvert (born March 9, 1945 in Pretoria , South Africa , † August 14, 1988 in Ramsgate , Kent ) was a British rock musician , poet and actor. He gained fame among other things as the frontman of the band Hawkwind .
Artistic creation
Between 1971 and 1978 Robert Calvert was, intermittently, front man, singer and songwriter for the rock band Hawkwind . During this time the albums Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music (1976), Quark, Strangeness And Charm (1977), 25 Years On (1978) and PXR 5 (1979) were released. Calvert also co-wrote Hawkwind's only top 10 hit, Silver Machine (1972).
During a break from Hawkwind, Calvert released the album Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters in 1974 . Several members of Hawkwind participated in the recording, as did Arthur Brown . The album tells the unfortunate experience of the German Air Force with the Lockheed Starfighter , from which many crashed. Several more solo releases followed. In 1977 Calvert appeared with Hawkwind on the Marc Bolan television show . Bolan and Calvert planned a joint project, but Bolan died a little later in a car accident.
Calvert processed present and future-looking thoughts in his texts. In 1971 he wrote the poem The Starfarer's Dispatch about a spaceman whose lover will long be dead by the time he returns to earth. The poem The Clone's Poem (1976) picked up on cloning long before it became a subject for a wider public. Both topics were taken up again in the text to the Hawkwind song "Spirit of the age" on "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" in 1977. His solo album Test-Tube Conceived (1986) contained a song about a hacker ( on-line ) when the Internet was still in its infancy.
Calvert and Hawkwind made significant contributions to many artists, including John Lydon ( Johnny Rotten ) of the Sex Pistols , Joe Strummer of The Clash, and Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks .
Robert Calvert also wrote plays and musicals. In 1980 he directed his musical The Kid From Silicon Gulch . In 1981, Calvert published his first short story, Hype , which soon became the companion album. The story revolves around rock star Tom Mahler as the album presents his songs. The album is considered the forerunner of the music of performers and bands such as Midge Ure and Ultravox . In 1987 his play Test Tube Baby Of Mine was performed on unsuccessful genetic experiments. In the 1980s Calvert worked with Gilli Smyth (1933–2016) ( Gong ) and Allan Holdsworth , in 1988 he made recordings with Amon Düül .
Life
It is believed that Robert Calvert suffered from bipolar disorder . He died of a heart attack on August 14, 1988 .
Discography (selection)
- Solo albums
- Robert Calvert - Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters (1974)
- Robert Calvert - Lucky Leif And The Longships (1975)
- Robert Calvert and the First XI - Cricket Star (Single) (1979)
- Robert Calvert - Hype (1981)
- Robert Calvert - Freq (1984)
- Robert Calvert - Test-Tube Conceived (1986)
- Robert Calvert - At The Queen Elizabeth Hall (Live) (1988)
- Robert Calvert - Blueprints From The Cellar
- Robert Calvert - Revenge
- With Hawkwind
- Hawkwind - Space Ritual (Live) (1973)
- Hawkwind - Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music (1976)
- Hawkwind - Quark, Strangeness And Charm (1977)
- Hawklords - 25 Years On (1978)
- Hawkwind - PXR 5 (1979)
- With other formations
- Adrian Wagner - Distances Between Us (1974)
- Amon Düül - The Solution (1988)
- Allan Holdsworth - Conversation Piece (1991)
- Mother Gong - Eye (1994)
Web links
- Spirit of the Page - Knut Gerwer's Calvert Site
- Gnawing Medusa's Flesh: The Science Fiction Poetry of Robert Calvert
- Works by and about Robert Calvert in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Calvert, Robert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Calvert, Robert Newton (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British all-round artist, poet, actor and musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 9, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pretoria |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 14, 1988 |
| Place of death | Ramsgate |