Search - Nik Turner's Sphynx :: Xitintoday

Back to nature in ancient Egyptian times

filterite | Dublin, Ireland | 11/17/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off I got this CD by mistake! I thought I had bought Trans Am's Futureworld and in the end had got this by accident. But I'm pretty open towards any kind of music within reason. Having said that I put this on and in all honesty, this music absolutely scared me......I had expected sort of jokey electro-rock but instead was getting ritualistic Ancient Egyptian tribal music. It was a completely numbing experience. The sparse flute melded together with spidery bass guitar work and hints of electronics and so on created this haunting and haunted past that created the vision of the glory days of the pyramids, of Tutankhamun and other such tales that have passed into legend. Added to that that the vocals are spoken in a spooky, distorted way that and it completes the effect that it is one of the most chilling things you'll ever hear. Your blood chills when listening to this.



It's an astounding album, quite astonishing that music can conjured up quite like this. It sounds unlike anything that came before it and since it was first conceived. In all, it sounds totally removed from any sense of time that you can identify with. It exists completely within it's own realm. It makes absolutely no concessions to anything or anyone. It just is. There's no other way of putting it, it lives outside of what we are accustomed to. And for that to happen, takes some courage, guts and determination. If you want a record that's outside the usual and quite unlike anything else, this is the one for you. In the end, it's the most beautiful mistake you could ever make!"

Nik Turner is God an Egyption God of Rock

Rita A. Lemay | CT | 06/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If your a fan of Hawkind from 1970-1976 and think Hawkwind isnt the same without any sax or fluit, then your probally looking at this album becuase Nik Turner just rocks. This album may not be full of catchy beats or anything like that but its got to be one of the best albums I ever heard. You can get a awsome lesson on Ancient Egypt while you here some awsome space rock, and the bonus track was actually recorded in the Great Pyramid of Giza."

Nik Turner's Sphynx - 'Xitintoday' (Nikt Records)

Mike Reed | USA | 02/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally released in 1978 on the Charisma label. Then years later, it was reissued through the Cleopatra label. Story I heard was that Turner wanted to gain copyright permission to put out 'Xitintoday' out on the Cleopatra label, but Charisma refused. So, Nik and the guys in Pressurehed had recorded all-new versions of songs from the 'Xitintoday' album to put out as his 'Sphynx' Cleopatra offering (see my review). I, for one am GLAD this happened. For it gives us big time Hawkwind fans simply two versions of the same lp. Keep in mind that it took me years to finally land down a copy of this hard-to-find import. But as I was previously told by several long time Hawkfans, both CD's are completely different sounding. Honestly appears to almost be like two actual different pieces of work. Tracks here that I've given a spin more times than I can count on my fingers and toes are the superb atmospheric "The Awakening(Life On Venus)", the tribal "Pyramid Spell", "Thoth" and the tripping "Isis And Nephthys". Also, could not get enough of the stellar flute work on "The Hall Of Double Truth" and "Anubis". Check out this all-star line-up: Nik Turner-flute,sax&vocals, Steve Hillage and Harry Williamson-guitar, Tim Blake and Miquette Giraudy-synthesizer, Mike Howlett-bass, Alan Powell-drums and Jeremy Gilbert-keyboards&harp. Honestly, WHY didn't they just call it Nik Turner's Gong? Best described as part space rock, part new age-like progressive.An absolute M-U-S-T H-A-V-E."