Alan Hawkshaw, RIP

 

In my opinion the best of the library composers of the 1970s, he passed away on Saturday: a tragic loss.

A series of albums in the late 1970s which he wrote featured some of the best progressive music I've ever heard, especially in Frontiers of Science (1979) and The Road Forward (1977). I recently posted one of the lesser known ones, called The Rock Machine which was quite funkingly stunning. I've assembled a package of my favourite albums but I know there are many I've missed because he was so productive back then, I mean check out his discography over here.

The song called Saturn Rings almost makes me cry still, to this day, when I think of how it expresses that yearning for space travel, the loneliness, the darkness, the hope, that reminds me so much of childhood dreams:

I think Mystique Voyage is so perfect as a composition, it should be studied in music universities everywhere in the world:

Strangeways demonstrates his amazing complex progressive songwriting skills, never mind the skillful use of synths and electric pianos:

 

I hope others mention some other albums they love from him.