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Posts tagged Dave Stewart
National Health – Missing Pieces (1975-79) (@256)
22 Feb 2011
(Review from progreviews.com)
National Health was envisioned by its founders Alan Gowen and Dave Stewart to be a progressive rock orchestra playing the most dense, audacious music they could conceive. Despite composing some of the best music of the Canterbury scene, the original plan failed due financial difficulties and lineup shuffles.
Consisting of demo sessions from 1975 and radio sessions from 1976 (and some later after last album tidbits from winter 1979), “Missing Pieces” demonstrates how promising the original vision really was.
Following a brief wind piece performed by Mont Campbell, the first track of note on Missing Pieces is the dizzying “Paracelsus”, also composed by Campbell and originally used as an audition piece for unsuspecting drummers.
“Clocks and Clouds,” a Stewart composition, is a song composed in the Classic Canterbury style; however, Amanda Parsons’ vocals sound a bit anemic here. Next is the swampy and dense “Agrippa,” performed by the original line up. “The Lethargy Shuffle and The Mind-Your-Backs Tango” begins with an angular boogie and works its way into more familiar Hatfield territory.
“Zabaglione,” a Campbell composition, is perhaps the most complex track and gives a hint of the massive potential of the original lineup. “Starlight on Seaweed” is a beautiful, spacey Campbell art song, tastefully arranged by Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin.
For the National Health fan, this album is more than likely indispensable.
Line-up:
- Dave Stewart / keyboards
- Alan Gowen / keyboards
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Steve Hillage / guitars
- Phil Lee / guitars
- John Greaves / bass & vocal
- Mont Campbell / bass
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Pip Pyle / drums
- Amanda Parsons / vocals (3,6)
- Barbara Gaskin / vocals
Track List:
01. Bouree – 0:53
02. Paracelsus (inc. Bouree reprise) – 5:36
03. Clocks and Clouds – 6:47
04. Agrippa – 8:22
05. The Lethargy Shuffle & The Mind-Your-Backs Tango – 9:19
06. Zabaglione – 7:47
07. Lethargy Shuffle Part 2 – 4:36
08. Croquette for Electronic Beating Group – 3:51
09. Phlakaton – 0:25
10. The Towplane & The Glider – 5:12
11. Starlight On Seaweed – 3:07
12. Walking The Dog (extract) – 0:25
Link in comments.
National Health – D.S. Al Coda (1982) (@256)
21 Feb 2011
(Review from progreviews.com, progarchives.com)
After composer and virtuoso keyboardist Alan Gowen died of leukemia in 1981, as a tribute to him, National Health regrouped to produce an album of Gowen’s material, and thus D.S. al Coda was born.
D.S. al Coda is a fitting title, referring to “Dal Segno al Coda,” a musical notation instructing the player that when they get to a certain bar marked with a certain sign (segno), then they should skip over bars and jump to the final bars making up the end of the piece (the coda). Thus, the sense of jumping prematurely to the end. The album title can also acronymed as: “D[ave]. S[tewart]. Al[an Gowen] Coda”. This album is comprised entirely of songs that Gowen had composed and notated in the last years of his life.
The little qualities about or moments within a song, such as the sheets of intricate harmonies found on “Shining Water”; the ‘advanced fusion seminar’ sound of “T.N.T.F.X.,” akin to Allan Holdsworth’s material in the 80s; Phil Miller’s peaceful, guitar re-visitation of “Arriving Twice,” which had appeared on the first album of Gowan’s group Gilgamesh; and the wire-shock of Stewart’s synth solo mixed with rambunctious outbursts from Pyle in the opening of “I Feel a Night Coming On” which remind us of the power from their first two albums.
Line-up:
- John Greaves / bass
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums, electric drums
- Dave Stewart / organ, pianos and tone generator
with
- Elton Dean / saxello
- Ted Emmett / trumpet
- Barbara Gaskin / backing vocals
- Jimmy Hastings / flute
- Amanda Parsons / backing vocals
- Richard Sinclair / vocals
- Annie Whitehead / trombone
Track List:
01. Portrait Of A Shrinking Man – 5:35
02. T.N.T.F.X – 3:12
03. Black Hat – 4:52
04. I Feel A Night Coming On – 6:37
05. Arriving Twice – 2:22
06. Shining Water – 8:53
07. Tales Of A Damson Knight – 1:56
08. Flanagan’s People – 5:20
09. Toad Of Toad Hall – 7:26
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National Health – Of Queues And Cures (1978) (@256)
19 Feb 2011
(Review from progarchives.com)
If the first National Health album took a long time to materialize, their second one certainly didn’t make itself long to appear, as it came out the same year as the debut. It is also a fairly different beast than its predecessor, even if only the departed brilliant Neil Murray is now replaced with ex-Henry Cow bassist John Greaves. Although it might appear a minor line-up change, it also opens the studio gates to a bunch of other ex-Cows to participate to the album’s sessions. And this is where the difference appears. The music is less jazz-rock and more pure progressive, a la Egg/ELP-like.
Opening with a wandering bass line and birdsongs, the album on the book-ending Bryden 2-Step is soon a wild jazz-rock, much reminiscent of their first album, but an added slightly symphonic touch. The closing section of this track is the same riff repeated tiredlessly until interrupted its slow death. Collapso is a play on word (calypso) due to the steel drums but outside these drums, you won’t find any Caribbean music here. It is hard to call this track jazz-rock either, especially midway through, when the group members are giving it their all.
Greaves’ bass opens the lengthy “Squarer For Maud”, probably the most Cow-esque National Health track, with Born’s cello in the background with Hastings’ clarinets and Blegvad’s short spoken vocals. However the second part returns to a Caravan-type bossa improvisation, before going in an insane stop & go section to end it.
Just as demented is “Dreams Wide Awake”, where Stewart’s organ goes completely mad in the first part, then in a much quieter Caravan-styled second part, followed by Miller’s usual once-per-album wild solo. “Binoculars” is the only sung song (by John Greaves), features another of Miller’s sizzling solo.
This is another of these links between the RIO circle and the Canterbury family, but sadly seems to indicate that Canterbury is reaching its end as RIO is only really getting under way.
Line-up:
- John Greaves / bass, piano innards (3), crooning (5)
- Phil Miller / guitar
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion / hand claps (3)
- Dave Stewart / acoustic & electric pianos, organ, Mini-Moog (3, 4)
with
- Selwyn Baptiste / steel drums (2)
- Rick Biddulph / bass on organ solo (4)
- Peter Blegvad / voice (3)
- Georgie Born / cellos (1, 3, 7)
- Jimmy Hastings / clarinets (3, 5), flute (5)
- Phil Minton / trumpets (1, 5, 7)
- Paul Nieman / trombones (1, 5, 7)
- Keith Thompson / oboe (3, 5)
Track List:
01. The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians) Pt1 – 8:54
02. The Collapso – 6:18
03. Squarer For Maud – 11:50
04. Dreams Wide Awake – 8:50
05. Binoculars – 11:45
06. Phlakaton – 0:08
07. The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians) Pt2 – 5:33
08. Apocalypso – 6:50
Link in comments.
National Health – National Health (1977) (@256)
18 Feb 2011
(Review from progarchives.com)
Founded in 1975, National Health was one of the last of the great “Canterbury-style” progressive rock bands.
With a frequently changing lineup, the band toured extensively, never getting close to studios and shop for two years. Indeed quite a lot of water went under the bridge from their formation as a sextet. With Bruford now gone and Campbell discouraged, both replaced, the two Gilgamesh members Gowan and Lee were also history, although the former is a guest on all tracks. Among the other guest are the frequent blows of Brother Jimmy Hastings, the percussions of John Mitchell and the acquired taste of ex-Northette Amanda Parsons’ vocals.
Coming with a typical semi-humoristic late 70′s-type of artwork depicting UK healthcare problems, the album holds four tracks over 10 mins+, even if “Borogroves” is divided in two movements, thus making indeed a fifth one.
Opening of the promising Tenemos Road, the group’s musical world clearly takes from where Hatfield (and Gilgamesh to a lesser extent) had left things off. The track jumps hurdles effortlessly and gets to typical Canterbury soundscapes. The following “Brujo” features Hastings’ delightful flute trading licks with Parsons’ almost Chinese-timbred voice. The track slowly gaining momentum until reaching an excellent funk groove where the two keyboards feud with the then-ala mode synth tones. Stewart returns to the fuzzed-out Hammond then Miller’s surprisingly (and short) heroic intervention. Then slowing down and returning on Parsons scats and a short rebuff to end the first side.
The flipside’s Borogoves is mostly an excuse for an excellent bass movement from Neil Murray where the rest of the band can show their chops. The closing monster track Elephants has some incredibly intense moments. In general it follows the colour of the rest of the album, first with an ascending riff, then a funky groove and then a haunting piano riff that allows the group to strut their stuff without showing off, before Parsons returning with sung vocals.
While it was rather clear that this kind of ultra-technical jazz-rock’s heydays were long past, National Health’s debut is still very much an excellent example of the genre
Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitar
- Neil Murray / bass
- Pip Pyle / drums, cowbell / gong / tambourine (1), glockenspiel / finger cymbals / shaker / bells (2), Pixiephone (4)
- Dave Stewart / acoustic & electric pianos, organ
with
- Alan Gowen / Moog Pianos (1-3)
- Jimmy Hastings / flute (all), bass clarinet (1), clarinet (3)
- John Mitchell / percussion (1), temple blocks / guava (2), congas (3)
- Amanda Parsons / Vocals
Track List:
01. Tenemos Roads – 14:34
02. Brujo – 10:16
03. Borogoves (Excerpt From Part 2) – 4:11
04. Borogoves (Part 1) – 6:34
05. Elephants – 14:20
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Egg – Civil Surface (1974) (@256)
17 Oct 2009
(Review from progarchives.com, progreviews.com, wikipedia)
In 1974, Dave Stewart, now signed with Virgin as a member of Hatfield and the North, also got a deal for Egg to record their unreleased material, which resulted in the farewell album Civil Surface.
Beginning with a metronome click, sped up drums, and organ fanfare, “Germ Patrol” is the sound of an Egg rehatched. The masterstroke on the album, however, is “Enneagram”. This track expertly synthesizes all of the Stravinsky ostinati, jazz chords, and space sounds that Egg had touched upon earlier in their career but hadn’t quite mastered. Shorter, but just as telling of things to come, is “Prelude”, filled out by the Northettes on vocals. Not everything is as revelatory as the previously mentioned tracks, but other tracks are enjoyable nonetheless and feature a sense of humor.
In addition to the keyboards of Dave Stewart here we have a wind quartet, various wind instrumental virtuosos, and a female vocal trio. The overall impact of this is to give the album a modern classical feel, with many pleasant sounds. The compositions are generally more fusion based, straying at times towards krautrock. There are at times strong hints of the wonderful work of early 70′s multi- instrumentalist Yoel Schwarcz and his work with Continuum. The complex counterpoint and tart harmonies on this album set the stage for the sound that would later be National Health’s trademark.
Line-up:
- Dave Stewart / organ, piano; bass (6)
- Clive Brooks / drums
- Mont Campbell / bass, voice, French horn and piano
with
- Jeremy Baines / Germophone & Bowle
- Lindsay Cooper / oboe, basson (1-6)
- Tim Hodgkinson / clarinet (1-6)
- Amanda Parsons / vocals (4)
- Ann Rosenthal / vocals (4)
- Barbara Gaskin / vocals (4)
- Steve Hillage / guitar (5)
Track List:
01. Germ Patrol – 8:31
02. Wind Quartet 1 – 2:25
03. Enneagram – 9:09
04. Prelude – 4:17
05. Wring Out the Ground Loosely Now – 8:10
06. Nearch – 3:27
07. Windquartet 2 – 4:44
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Egg – Polite Force (1971) (@256)
16 Oct 2009
(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia)
The Polite Force was Egg’s second album and represents a considerable advance on their debut, both in terms of composition and performance. Overall there’s a greater sense of focus, coupled with an attention to detail and a more solid structure both in the individual pieces and across the album as a whole.
As on their debut, side 1 consists of shorter pieces, though this time there are only three. “A Visit To Newport Hospital” has autobiographical lyrics about the band’s early days as Uriel and shows Mont Campbell’s flair for writing accessible, melodic songs in daunting time signatures. “Contrasong”, the shortest piece on the album, is a an extremely tight piece which alternates between 5/8 and 9/8 and features a punchy horn arrangement by Campbell. H0s ability to sing with such insouciance while playing finger breaking bass lines in such unusual rhythms is staggering, while the ability of the trio as a whole to make such complex music swing speaks volumes about the amount of musical talent they had. “Boilk” is a lengthy piece which veers in to the RIO/Avant prog territory that they had explored on parts of their first album. The incorporation of a theme by Bach gives a neat touch.
The second half of the album is taken up with the imaginatively titled Long Piece No.3, a side long Canterbury adventure. The four sections of the piece flow naturally into each other and each member of the trio gets a chance to shine without taking a flashy solo. As a whole it’s a finely nuanced piece of ensemble playing, writing and arranging which has great charm and sophistication. There’s nothing extraneous on this piece, and the trio play with a maturity and restraint.
Egg finished the year with an increased touring schedule, but in spite of accumulating enough material for a third album, were unable to secure another record deal, and called it a day in July 1972.
Line-up:
- Mont Campbell / bass, vocals, organ (5), Piano (5), French horn (6)
- Dave Stewart / Organ, Piano, tone generator (7)
- Clive Brooks / drums
with
- Henry Lowther / trumpet (2)
- Mike Davis / trumpet (2)
- Bob Downes / Tenor sax (2)
- Tony Roberts / Tenor sax (2)
Track List:
01. A Visit To Newport Hospital – 8:28
02. Contrasong – 4:25
03. Boilk (Incl. Bach: ‘Durch Adams Fall Ist Ganz Verderbt’) – 9:22
04. Long Piece No. 3: Part One – 5:08
05. Long Piece No. 3: Part Two – 7:38
06. Long Piece No. 3: Part Three – 5:03
07. Long Piece No. 3: Part Four – 2:51
Link in comments.
Egg – Egg (1970) (@256)
15 Oct 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
Egg’s debut album is an astonishingly assured piece of work, especially when you realise that the three members of the band were all under 20 when it was released. They had emerged from the ashes of Uriel/Arzachel, a band that was formed at the City of London school. Keyboard player Dave Stewart was originally the guitarist, but switched to organ when he realised that the young Steve Hillage (for it was he) was a better player. Hillage then left for university, the remaining trio renamed themselves Egg and built up a solid reputation on the underground circuit. It’s an essential piece of the Canterbury scene jigsaw.
Like the early Soft Machine, Egg was an organ led trio with a particularly English sense of humour to go with the serious musical chops, although where Soft Machine’s work had a jazz flavour Egg were into quoting the classics.
The main composer was Mont Campbell, although the group shared the writing credits (Stewart later said that Campbell was responsible for 95% of Egg’s music). This album, like their follow up, had one side of shorter pieces and a side long instrumental.
The first half is a patchwork of short, eccentric songs and instrumentals. A particular highlight is a jazzy reading of Bach’s Fugue in D minor, which is similar to Jethro Tull’s Bouree. Mont Campbell’s voice has a similar timbre to Richard Sinclair’s and the lyrics have a similar tongue in cheek quality. That, plus Dave Stewart’s distinctive keyboard work, gives songs like While Growing My Hair a kind of proto Hatfield and the North feel.
The second half of the album is a rather more serious affair. The first movement features a very nifty quote from Hall of the Mountain King, while Blane moves into the kind of RIO/Avant progressive territory. The suite is almost exclusively dominated by organ, and a single tone organ at that.
There are many power trios playing rock music with a classical touch out there. Emerson, Lake & Palmer is the most obvious one to mention. Egg stand out from the rest though as they have a subtle and soft approach to the genre that is admirable compared to the pompeus and most of the time overblown symphonic approach of ELP.
Line-up:
- Dave Stewart / organ, piano, tone generator
- Mont Campbell / bass, vocals
- Clive Brook / drums
Track List:
01. Bulb – 0:09
02. While Growing My Hair – 4:02
03. I Will Be Absorbed – 5:11
04. Fugue In D Minor – 2:49
05. They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano… – 1:21
06. The Song Of McGillicudie The Pusillanimous (Or Don’t Worry James, Your Socks Are Hanging In The Coal Cellar With Thomas) – 5:09
07. Boilk – 1:04
08. Symphony No. 2 (Movement 1, Movement 2, Blane, Movement 4) – 20:40
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Arzachel – Arzachel (1969) (@256)
14 Oct 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
This could be seen as the first Egg album, Arzachel (also known as Uriel) is essentially Egg + Steve Hillage. The band recorded this album in one afternoon, making it all the more remarkable. Boasting ethereal organ from Dave Stewart and the oh-so English vocals of both Mont Campbell and Steve Hillage, this album is a real treat.
The album starts off with the short and efficient “Garden of Earthly Delights”, a track driven by Stewart’s organ and alternating verses sung by Hillage and Campbell. It is an incredible track that gets things off to an energetic and decidedly English beginning. “Azathoth” brings things down a bit, featuring haunting church organ and distant vocals from Hillage. Moving at a slow, stately pace, one hardly expects the organ-noise, which erupts halfway through before falling back into its hymnal melody. “Queen St. Gang” is an understated instrumental which continues much in the vein of “Azathoth”, slowly churning along but progressing beautifully all the while. “Leg” is a bit less successful than the previous three tracks, delving into blues and away from the delicious psychedelia. It reminds of Jethro Tull circa 1968-69 with organ instead of guitar.
The album concludes with two lengthy jams, “Clean Innocent Fun” which is pretty good, though derivative. The second jam, the sixteen minute monster, “Metempsychosis” is in par with any 60s Pink Floyd instrumental in terms of madness. It slowly moves along, gaining momentum, and Hillage and Stewart in tandem are both ugly and hypnotic in this piece. It finally concludes with some distorted organ. Apparently the band watched the clock during the whole jam and only played until they had an album filled. The song is incredible however, but takes a few listens. True, experimental psychedelia at its most acid laced.
This is a good and energetic record. It shows just how talented these young kids were at the time, barely out of high school. Highly recommended to fans of psych, space, blues and canterbury, it hits all of the bases.
Line-up:
- Clive Brooks / drums
- Mont Campbell / bass, vocals
- Dave Stewart / organ
- Steve Hillage / guitar, vocals
Track List:
01. Garden of Earthly Delights – 2:45
02. Azathoth – 4:21
03. Queen St. Gang – 4:25
04. Leg – 5:40
05. Clean Innocent Fun – 10:23
06. Metempsychosis – 16:38
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Hatfield and the North – Hattitude (1973-75) (@224)
01 Sep 2009
Thanks to Crimsonking for the contribution.
(Review from allaboutjazz.com, progarchives.com)
Another unmissable Hatfield and the North archival release. Just like its predecessor Hatwise Choice, Hattitude is a highly entertaining mixture of live recordings of Hatfield’s classics (in excellent sound) and expert improvisations, in which all four members of the band are given plenty of chances to shine.
There’s little in the way of new material here, and there’s considerable overlap with Hatwise Choice. Still, Hattitude stands on its own, thanks to the group’s energy and spontaneity, and drummer Pip Pyle’s outstanding editing work. The album takes material from fourteen different live and BBC radio dates, creating a largely continuous hour-long set that’s the next best thing to having been there. Once again Hatfield plays “Name That Tune” by retitling familiar songs with new titles that reference the originals only obliquely, if at all.
Hatfield in concert was every bit an improvising band, often significantly reshaping its studio material. Guitarist Phil Miller’s “Aigrette” (here titled “The Crest”) is expanded to include a longer vocal by bassist Richard Sinclair and a definitive solo by Stewart that begins on electric piano and ends powerfully on his signature tone generator. Sinclair’s metrically mind-boggling “Rifferama” (here “Pink & Green Machine”) is reduced to less than two minutes, but is as potent *and hilarious*as ever.
The majority of the music is culled from Hatfield’s eponymous 1973 Virgin debut, though there are small tastes of material from 1975′s The Rotter’s Club, including the finale to Stewart’s epic “Mumps” (“One of Wilde’s”), and the segue from Pyle’s “Fitter Stoke Has a Bath” (“Drowning Reprise”) into Sinclair’s bittersweet “Didn’t Matter Anyway” (“Goodbye for Now”). Miller sounds as idiosyncratic as ever, while Pyle delivers a richer blend of elegance and power than on his later, more jazz-centric efforts. Sinclair remains an underappreciated but highly imaginative bassist, while Stewart’s inventive harmonic approach renders criminal his longstanding moratorium on performing this kind of music.
Any progressive fan who likes the Hatfield’s magisterial studio albums will regret the fact that there are no more than two. So if you can’t get enough of those classic Canterbury sounds and you’d like to hear your favourite tunes (and lyrics) undergoing surprising transformations – look no further!
Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion, sheep noise
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
- Dave Stewart / keyboards, tone generators
Track List:
01. Grosso Lavoro – 2:41
02. Drowning in the Bathroom – 6:00
03. K Licks (long) – 2:39
04. The Crest – 3:37
05. Pink & Green Machine – 1:44
06. Further Dances – 2:30
07. La Barbe Extract – 1:24
08. Confiture de la Barbe – 3:04
09. Born Again Crustacean – 4:11
10. Elevenses – 1:54
11. Farce Majeure – 1:47
12. Spaces Not Notes – 0:45
13. Song for All Our Mums – 2:34
14. Extract – 3:31
15. The Men’s One-Metre Dash – 6:29
16. K Licks (Short) – 0:51
17. One of Wilde’s – 1:48
18. Blane Over The Low Countries – 4:35
19. Drowning Reprise – 1:42
20. Goodbye For Now – 2:44
21. Al Clark Presents – 2:17
Link in comments.
Hatfield and the North – Hatwise Choice (1973-75) (@256)
31 Aug 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
This album could be seen as a BBC sessions album and as a major release.
All material from BBC tapes (roughly 2/3 of the stuff) is of excellent sound quality, and among the rest, most of it is also. Only a few imperfections appear here and there. A lot of this stuff appears officialy for the first time, so much so that this album could almost be considered as a lost album.
The quality of the songwriting and musicianship is up to par with those historical two albums. Some sessions are previous to their debut album, but most of the tracks appear to have been written between the eponymous debut and The Rotters Club.
So all Canterbury freaks can dive in with no second thoughts, this is pure 100% Canterbury juice made from fresh fruits.
Line-up:
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion
- Dave Stewart / keyboards, tone generator
Track List:
01. Absolutely Wholesome (John Peel Show 1974) – 3:16
02. La Barbe est La Barbe (Top Gear 1974) – 6:51
03. Sober Song (Top Gear 1974) – 2:59
04. Hatitude Hatitude (John Peel Show 1974) – 3:13
05. Strand of the Green (John Peel Show 1974) – 1:02
06. Hotel Luna (John Peel Show 1974) – 3:34
07. The Lonely Bubbling Song (John Peel Show 1974) – 1:20
08. Stay Jung and Beautiful (John Peel Show 1974) – 0:56
09. Dave Intro (Live – London 1975) – 1:55
10. Take Your Pick (Live – London 1975) – 8:09
11. Son Of Plate Smashing Dog (Live – Emmen 1974) – 1:16
12. Thanks Mont! (Live – Emmen 1974) – 2:27
13. Amsterdamage 11/19 (Live – Amsterdam 1974) – 6:20
14. May The Farce Be With You (Live – Paris 1973) – 0:39
15. Finesse is for Fairies (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) – 1:28
16. Ethanol Nurse (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) – 2:56
17. Writhing and Grimacing (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) – 3:42
18. For Robert (Top Gear 1973) – 2:09
19. Blane over Paris (Live – Paris 1973) – 6:20
20. Laundry Soup (Top Gear 1974) – 0:57
21. Effing Mad Aincha (Live – Rotterdam 1973) – 2:58
22. Top Gear Commercial (Top Gear 1974) – 1:22
23. K Licks (Demo – Summer 1973) – 2:58
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Khan – Space Shanty (1972) (@256)
19 Feb 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
Space Shanty was a one-off shot by a little-known group led by soon-to be Gong star Steve Hillage. This inspired work is almost certainly the rockiest and least jazzy album to emerge from the vibrant Canterbury scene, thus rendering it among the most accessible. There are some incredible exchanges from two Canterbury icons Hillage and keyboardist Dave Stewart (who also starred in Egg, Hatfield And The North and National Health) and that alone makes this record indispensible.
Khan is not as typically quirky as the likes of Hatfield, no does it have quite the trippy vibes of Gong or indeed the Hillage masterpiece Fish Rising but when our heroes get going, this is truly compelling stuff.
Highlights include the free-flowing (and occassionally hard-rocking!) title track, “Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains” (which starts off with a great blues-rock riff before launching into a kick-ass exchange of solos between Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart, with some great basswork from Greenwood thrown in as well) and “Driving To Amsterdam” (which alternately rages and reflects) but they are all good. “Stranded” is a dreamier, laid-back electric piano dominated piece that curiously evokes an image of a ragged-sounding America, also features a rare acoustic guitar solo from Hillage. “Hollow Stone Escape Of The Space Pirates” is a charming Caravanesque psych epic that includes a mesmerizing multi-tracked solo from Hillage and Stargazer also has some dizzying moments.
It’s too bad that they didn’t last long enough to make more records.
Line-up:
- Nick Greenwood / bass, vocals
- Steve Hillage / guitars, vocals
- Eric Peachy / drums
- Dave Stewart / organ, piano, skyceleste, marimbas
Track List:
01. Space Shanty (Incl. The Cobalt Sequence And March Of The Sine Squadrons) (8:59)
02. Stranded (Effervescent Psychonovelty No.5) (6:35)
03. Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains (7:14)
04. Driving To Amsterdam (9:22)
05. Stargazers (5:32)
06. Hollow Stone (Escape of the Space Pirates) (8:16)
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Hatfield and the North – Rotters' Club (1975) (@256)
07 Nov 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
More accomplished than the band’s self-titled debut album, it shares most of its basic features, but the level of musicianship is even higher, with Dave Stewart’s stunning keyboards more in evidence at the expense of The Northettes’ vocalising. The four musicians form an extremely tight unit, their instruments blending seamlessly in a harmonious whole, further enhanced by the vocal interludes, courtesy of Richard Sinclair’s golden voice. The presence of horns and other wind instruments is strong, though less improvisational-sounding than on the debut, adding to the more sophisticated feel of this album.
“The Rotters’ Club” opens with one of the most infectious, hummable songs ever, the delightful “Share It” – living proof of how you can have a song which is at the same time accessible and intelligent. The lyrics are very entertaining and superbly interpreted by Richard Sinclair – which is no mean feat, as all the songs on this album require quite a bit of technical skill. Pure instrumental bliss follows, with the interplay between the four musicians quite stunning in its smoothness and ease. The rhythm section of Pyle and Sinclair is among the tightest, most inventive, giving such luminaries as Squire and Bruford a run for their money. “The Yes-No Interlude” flows into the quirky “Fitter Stoke Has a Bath”, complete with funny underwater effects and Sinclair’s deadpan delivery, which in turn fades into the wistful, melancholy “Didn’t Matter Anyway”, accompanied by Jimmy Hasting’s sweetly mournful flute.
The album’s probably the best track is, however, the 20-minutes-plus Dave Stewart epic “Mumps”, a complex, meandering composition which features wordless vocal harmonies from The Northettes, monumental keyboard work from Stewart and a shorter vocal section with whimsical, nonsense lyrics, known as “The Alphabet Song”.
The five bonus tracks (which first appeared on the band’s posthumous compilation “Afters”) include the energetic instrumentals “Oh, Len’s Nature” and “Lying and Gracing” and Sinclair’s beautiful “Halfway Between Heaven and Earth”, another vocal tour de force for prog’s great unsung hero.
As to the lyrics, they’re funny and uplifting, squarely in the tradition of English nonsense verse. Like its predecessor, “The Rotters’ Club” is not the kind of album that everybody will like immediately, but there’s no doubt that it’s one of the best examples of what prog is all about. Get hold of it and enjoy – you won’t regret it.
Unfortunately, the group’s brief flash of brilliance lasted for only two albums.
Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals, guitar (7)
- Dave Stewart / organ, electric piano tone generator
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, soprano & tenor saxophones
with
- Mont Campbell / French horn
- Lindsay Cooper / oboe, bassoon
- Barbara Gaskin / backing vocals
- Tim Hodgkinson / clarinet
- Amanda Parsons / backing vocals
- Ann Rosenthal / backing vocals
Track List:
01. Share It (3:02)
02. Lounging There Trying (3:10)
03. (Big) John Wayne Socks (0:46) Psychology on the Jaw
04. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon (0:30)
05. The Yes No Interlude (7:02)
06. Fitter Stoke has a Bath (7:38)
07. Didn’t Matter Anyway (3:03)
08. Underdub (3:55)
09. Mumps (20:06)
a) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (quiet) (1:59)
b) Lumps (12:35)
c) Prenut (3:55)
d) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (loud) (1:37)
10. (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology on the Jaw (Bonus) (0:43)
11. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon (Bonus) (0:20)
12. Halfway Between Heaven and Earth (Bonus) (6:07)
13. Oh, Len’s Nature! (Bonus) (1:59)
14. Lying and Gracing (Bonus) (3:58)
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Hatfield and the North – Hatfield and the North (1973) (@256)
06 Nov 2007
(Review from progweed.net, progarchives.com)
Sometimes nothing suffices like this group’s definitive concoction of jazzy, off-beat progressive rock. Those shimmering guitar solos, fluid rhythms, sparkling synths and choppy organ motifs bubbling around in the groups distinctly quirky, and distinctly English, brand of exquisite, melodic prog-fusion. If any band could possibly define the “Canterbury” sub genre, Hatfield & The North might be that band. The group consisted of a veritable all-star team of Canterbury musicians. Stalwart Dave Stewart on keyboards (Arzachel, Egg, Khan), Pip Pyle, fresh from a brief stint in Gong on drums, Caravan’s beloved Richard Sinclair on vocals, and of course the incomparable Phil Miller, from Matching Mole, on guitar.
Their selftitled first album is definitely not easy listening. A grower indeed, something you have to listen to repeatedly and with a good deal of concentration. Four superb musicians (true masters of their craft), jazz-tinged, experimental compositions, angelic female vocals and contributions from such greats as Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine fame… Heaven for some, hell for others. Hatfield and the North are certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. The music has more shifts and time signature changes than most people’s attention span can cope with, and most of the tracks are instrumental.
There are quite a lot of tracks listed on the record’s sleeve, though it is practically impossible to see where one ends and the other begins – they flow seamlessly into each other, forming a continuum which challenges the listener’s powers of concentration in a way the traditional song format does not. As such, it is not easy to mention individual tracks, although there are obviously some which stand out, notably the 10-minute-plus “(Son of) There’s no Place Like Homerton”, where a beautiful vocal interlude courtesy of The Northettes is followed by wildly blaring horns. “Calyx” features delicate vocal harmonies from Robert Wyatt; while “Fol de Rol” starts with Richard Sinclair humming nonsense words and then launching into an incredible bass solo.
The album’s a delightful mixture of styles: in a brief period of time you are taken from chirpy music-hall style singing, to crisp electric guitar solos, delicate flute salads and angelic girl choirs. A marvellous concoction!
Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
- Dave Stewart / organ, piano
with
- Jeremy Baines / pixiephone
- Barbara Gaskin / backing vocals
- Geoff Leigh / saxophones, flute
- Amanda Parsons / backing vocals
- Ann Rosenthal / backing vocals
- Robert Wyatt / vocals (4)
Track List:
01. The Stubbs effect (0:23)
02. Big jobs (Poo Poo extract) (0:36)
03. Going up to people and tinkling (2:25)
04. Calix (2:45)
05. Son of “There’s No Place Like Homerton” (10:10)
06. Aigrette (1:38)
07. Rifferama (2:56)
08. Fol de rol (3:07)
09. Shaving is boring (8:45)
10. Licks for the ladies (2:37)
11. Bossa nochance (0:40)
12. Big jobs No 2 (By Poo and the Wee Wees) (2:14)
13. Lobster in cleavage probe (3:57)
14. Gigantic land-crabs in Earth takeover bid (3:21)
15. The other stubbs effect (0:38)
16. Let’s Eat (Real Soon) (Bonus) (3:16)
17. Fitter Stoke Has a Bath (Bonus) (4:35)
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