(Review from progarchives.com)

‘Smoke Signals’ was recorded in spring 1972 during an European tour mainly in Belgium and France. As these tapes were not planned for release the sound quality is just acceptable.

Most tracks appearing here were written by Dave Mc Rae and Phil Miller and would be recorded later for ‘The Little Red Record’. Dave Sinclair who started the tournee with the band had left and was replaced by keyboarder Dave Mc Rae who had already guested on the first record and brought with him some fine tunes like ‘March Ides’ and ‘Smoke Signal’ presented here for the first time in a rough version.

The band introduction by Wyatt, launches into ‘March Ides’.The theme is played by Phil Miller, who is soloing then over an ostinato bass line, followed by a drum solo. The second theme is ‘Smoke Signal’ (here re-named ‘Smoke Rings), maybe the most beautiful ‘Matching Mole’ theme by Dave Mc Rae. The theme is then followed by a longer improvisation until the re-exposure.

The next theme “Nan True’s Hole” was written by Phil Miller, who plays a repeated riff over which Dave Mc Rae plays an improvisation followed by another drum solo. ‘Brandy As In Benji’ follows the same structure of expostion solo, followed by a heavily distorted e-piano solo, that launches again into the ‘March Ides’ theme, followed by ‘Instant Pussy’ the only Robert Wyatt composition from the first record, with treated vocals by Robert and an e-piano improvisation.

The ‘Smoke Signal’ appears again, followed by another improvisation and a bass solo and finally the band launches into ‘Lything and gracing’ a Phil Miller composition, that would appear only as a Hatfield leftover on ‘Afters’.

The live sound of the band is for the most part instrumental fusion that point at which directions all future Canterbury related bands will go at. One might consider that Hatfield and the North, Gilgamesh, National Health are direct descendants from these live sounds provided on these archival tapes.

Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitar
- Bill MacCormick / bass
- Dave McRae / electric piano
- Robert Wyatt / drums, vocals

Track List:
01. Intro – 0:44
02. March Ides I – 4:22
03. Smoke Rings – 7:51
04. Nan True’s Hole – 6:00
05. Brandy As In Benji – 4:22
06. Electric Piano solo – 1:11
07. March Ides II – 4:56
08. Instant Pussy – 2:52
09. Smoke Signal – 6:59
10. Lything & Gracing – 11:53

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