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Posts tagged Richard Sinclair
Caravan Of Dreams – An Evening Of Magic (Live 1993) (@256)
21 Apr 2011
(Review from wikipedia, amazon)
The Caravan reunion in 1990 inspired Richard Sinclair to form a new band to play his material. Caravan of Dreams was launched in 1991 as a trio, continued until 1993, often joined by former Caravan members Dave Sinclair and Jimmy Hastings.
This live album was recorded at Teatro Verdi, Genova, Italy on 26th March 1993 with a stunning and satisfying audio quality.
It features a pleasant mix of Caravan, Hatfield & North, Matching Mole classics and then new songs by Richard Sinclair.
Line-up:
- Richard Sinclair / vocals, guitar
- David Sinclair / keybards
- Rick Biddulph / bass
- Andy Ward / drums
Track List:
CD1
01. In The Land Of Grey And Pink – 5:40
02. Only The Brave / Plan It Earth – 10:53
03. Share It – 4:53
04. Videos – 6:57
05. Heather – 7:54
06. Going For A Song – 5:01
07. O Caroline – 4:38
08. Nine Feet Underground – 7:16
CD2
01. Felafel Shuffle – 8:58
02. Keep On Caring – 8:27
03. Cruising – 6:08
04. Emily – 5:58
05. Halfway Between Heaven & Earth / It Didn’t Matter Anyway – 13:22
06. Golf Girl – 5:49
Link in comments.
Caravan – Live in Nottingham (1990) (@256)
17 Apr 2011
(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia)
The band were largely dormant in the eighties until this one-off 1990 reunion for the television.
It features the classic Caravan line-up of Pye Hastings, Richard and David Sinclair, Richard Coughlan with the ever reliable Jimmy Hastings on flute.
Most of the songs here are well known Caravan classics including “Head Loss”, “Winter Wine”, “For Richard”. A nice version of “Nine Feet Underground” breaks things up a bit with the ubiqitous flute and sax.
Line-up:
- Pye Hastings / guitar, vocals
- Dave Sinclair / organ, piano
- Richard Sinclair / bass, guitar
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, saxophone
- Richard Coughlan / drums
Track List:
01. Head Loss – 4:38
02. Videos Of Hollywood – 6:38
03. Nine Feet Underground – 18:59
04. If I Could Do It All Over Again… – 3:17
05. Winter Wine – 7:47
06. In The Land and Of Grey And Pink – 4:36
07. For Richard – 13:15
Link in comments.
Caravan – Songs For Oblivion Fishermen (BBC Sessions 1970-74) (@256)
22 Mar 2011
(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic)
These BBC tapes published in a uncharacteristicly medium sound quality. Apparently some of the original tapes were stolen or lost and they had to use transcripts. The sessions features examples of both styles of Caravan, witty pop songs as well as complex but melodic extended workouts.
Half the disc features the band’s original lineup with highly rated bassist Richard Sinclair. For the seasoned Caravan enthusiast, the repertoire is somewhat predictable, including standards “If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You”, “Hello Hello”, “In the Land of Grey and Pink” and “Memory Lane Hugh”. To the band’s credit, it does not attempt to recreate its studio recordings note for note, adding interest for longtime fans. Also included are two songs that were never released on Caravan’s studio albums, “Mirror for a Day” and “Virgin on the Ridiculous”.
Line-up:
- Pye Hastings / guitar, vocals
- Dave Sinclair / keyboards, vocals
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals (1-6)
- John Perry / bass (7-12)
- Richard Coughlan / drums
- Geoffrey Richardson / viola (7-12)
Track List:
01. Hello Hello – 2:51
02. If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You – 2:48
03. As I Feel I Die – 4:31
04. Love Song Without Flute – 3:20
05. Love To Love You – 2:25
06. In The Land Of Grey And Pink – 3:39
07. Memory Lain Hugh – 4:54
08. A Hunting We Shall Go-Backwards – 8:25
09. Love In Your Eye – 13:52
10. Mirror For The Day – 4:15
11. For Richard – 15:03
12. Virgin On The Ridiculous – 7:00
Link in comments.
Caravan – Show Of Our Lives (Live at the BBC 1968-75) (@256)
20 Mar 2011
(Review from progarchives.com)
The amazing thing about Caravan is just how much they recorded for the BBC, whether in radio sessions or live concerts. This is is yet another one of those releases, a double disc affair for that matter, and still no overlapping from sessions.
It’s quite pleasant to hear three from their debut album, including a rare Wilde Flowers/Soft Machine stunning tidbits “Feelin’, Reelin’, Squelin’” from a 1971 session. Other rarities are the rarely heard “Love To Love You”, a vastly different “Love Song With A Flute” (Sinclair on electric piano) and an unfortunately abridged “9 Ft Underground”.
The second disc offers us a bunch of Richardson-era sessions, but not past the Stunts album. Of interest is the “Love In Your Eyes” with violin and the two new for the New Symphonia gig tracks as well as a “For Richard”. We even hear Pye answering Geoffrey’s great violin runs in “For Richard”. One of the best versions of “Dabsong Conshirtoe” is also present here.
Line-up:
- David Sinclair / keyboards
- Pye Hastings / guitar, vocals
- Richard Coughlan / drums
- Richard Sinclair / bass
- Steve Miller / keyboards
- Geoffrey Richardson / viola
- Jan Schelhaas / keyboards
- Mike Wedgwood / bass
Track List:
CD1
01. Place Of My Own – 4:13
02. Ride – 4:18
03. If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You – 2:47
04. Hello Hello – 3:13
05. As I Feel I Die – 6:25
06. Love To Love You – 3:13
07. Love Song Without Flute – 3:34
08. In The Land Of Grey And Pink – 3:46
09. Nine Feet Underground – 14:28
10. Feelin’, Reelin’, Squealin’ – 9:31
11. A Hunting We Shall Go – 9:16
12. Waffle Part One- Be Alright & Chance Of A Lifetime – 6:46
CD2
01. Memory Lain Hugh – 5:04
02. Headloss – 4:29
03. The Love In Your Eye – 13:55
04. Mirror For The Day – 4:17
05. Virgin On The Ridiculous – 7:02
06. For Richard – 15:06
07. The Dabsong Conshirtoe – 15:13
08. Stuck In A Hole – 3:16
09. The Show Of Our Lives – 4:54
Link in comments.
Caravan – Back To Front (1982) (@256)
12 Mar 2011
(Review from allmusic)
In 1982, Pye Hastings decided to reconvene all four original members for “Back to Front”. In an unusually democratic move, he divided the writing between himself, Richard Sinclair, and David Sinclair (with drummer Richard Coughlan abstaining).
The result was a generally uneven album, but one which maintains a certain nostalgic charm.
Surprisingly, the best songs here were written by Dave Sinclair, who was usually overshadowed by vocalists Hastings and Richard Sinclair in the early days. On “Sally Don’t Change It” and “Videos of Hollywood”, he reveals a soft romantic side previously hidden. “Proper Job/Back to Front” is another gem. It most closely recalls early Caravan.
Another winner is cousin Richard Sinclair’s “Back to Herne Bay Front,” an amusing cameo of daily bingo and fish and chips in the small seaside town of Herne Bay.
The three songs written by Pye Hastings, on the contrary, are fairly pop numbers.
“Back to Front” doesn’t equate with their best work, but admirers of the group will be intrigued by the disparate personalities that emerge from this quiet reunion.
Line-up:
- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion, voice (8)
- Pye Hastings / guitar, vocals
- David Sinclair / keyboards, lead vocals (8)
- Richard Sinclair / lead vocals, bass, guitar (3)
with
- Mel Collins / saxophone
Track List:
01. Back To Herne Bay Front – 5:58
02. Bet You Wanna Take It All – 5:20
03. AA Man – 5:01
04. Videos Of Hollywood – 5:11
05. Sally Don’t Change It – 4:07
06. All Abroad – 4:10
07. Taken By Breath Away – 4:53
08. Proper Job – 8:19
Link in comments.
Caravan – In The Land Of Grey And Pink (1971) (@256)
28 Feb 2011
(Review from progarchives.com)
The band’s third album is one of its finest. While the centrepiece is the side long “Nine feet underground”, the complete album offers a melodic and coherent 40 minutes.
“Golf girl” and the title track are whimsical almost pop tracks, the former having fairly basic double entendres. They bookend a couple of fine Caravan pieces to form an excellent first half. “Winter wine” in particular is a classic Caravan track, with that unique keyboard sound, a lovely melody and a totally relaxed feel.
“Nine feet underground” is nominally in 8 parts, but it’s very much a single piece. Being largely instrumental, the band clearly had fun naming the sub-sections, with titles such as “Hold Grandad by the nose” and “Dance of the seven paper hankies”. The track weaves through various themes, with a mainly rock orientation, occasional wandering into more jazz like freeform areas, but always tight.
For this album, Pye Hastings, who had written most of the material for the first two albums, took a back seat. Although the credits are, in true democratic fashion, attributed to the four principle band members, Dave and Richard Sinclair in fact did most of the writing. Credit is also due to David Hitchcock and Dave Grinsted who edited together the five original sections of “Nine feet..” into the masterpiece it became.
A truly superb album, worthy of any music collection (prog or otherwise!).
Line-up:
- Richard Sinclair / bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Pye Hastings / electric. guitars, acoustic guitar, vocals
- David Sinclair / organ, piano, mellotron, harmony vocals
- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, tenor saxophone, piccolo
- David Grinsted / cannon, bell, wind
Track List:
01. Golf Girl – 5:01
02. Winter Wine – 7:36
03. Love to Love You (and Tonight Pigs Will Fly) – 3:03
04. In the Land of Grey and Pink – 5:00
05. Nine Feet Underground – 22:43
Link in comments.
Caravan – Caravan (1968) (@256)
27 Feb 2011
(Review from progarchives.com)
The Wilde Flowers were a popular music group based in the vicinity of Canterbury, England. The group was active between 1964 and 1967 but never released any records during its existence; however it led to the formation of two other groups that became well-known and influential: Caravan and Soft Machine.
Caravan’s 1968 self-titled debut is a hybrid of jazz and psychedelia, rather than the classic Caravan of the later years. The sound is is much more closely related to Pink Floyd’s debut, the legendary “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”. Their take on psychedelia is highly original and entertaining, and the members of the band, in spite of their youth, are more than capable as musicians and songwriters.
The album’s opener, “A Place of My Own”, released as a single, attracted quite a lot of attention at the time. It’s an endearing ditty, sung in a slightly more uncertain voice than usual, with great organ work. The keyboardist is possibly the real star of this album, as his trademark organ makes the overall sound fuller and richer, as well as adding complexity and interest to the compositions. The closing track, the 9-minute “Where but for Caravan Would I?” is the album’s most convincing stab at fully-fledged progressive. It is outstanding, the sinuous sound of the organ weaving in and out of the vocal interludes. Richard Sinclair sings lead in the Beatles-flavoured “Policeman” and the distinctly Syd Barrett-ish “Grandma’s Lawn”, backed up by haunting organ – a slightly disturbing song with weird lyrics, further enhanced by Richard’s smooth delivery. His best vocal performance, though, comes towards the end of “Where but for Caravan Would I”, where his voice achieves that velvety tone that is so irresistible.
The sinister, almost discordant “Cecil Rons” is probably the most uncharacteristic of the band’s output. On the other hand, the romantic “Love Song with Flute” is almost classic Caravan with beautiful vocals.
The band’s follow-up album was a rather giant leap forward in terms of songwriting and overall sound; but this endearingly homespun album, for all its shortcomings, deserves recognition of its own for being a gem of late 1960s psychedelic progressive.
Line-up:
- Richard Coughlan / drums
- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars, bass
- David Sinclair / keyboards, vocals
- Richard Sinclair / vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
with
- Jimmy Hastings / flute
Track List:
01. Place Of My Own – 4:00
02. Ride – 3:41
03. Policeman – 2:45
04. Love Song With Flute – 4:09
05. Cecil Runs – 4:05
06. Magic Man – 4:01
07. Grandma’s Lawn – 3:23
08. Where But For Caravan Would I Be – 9:01
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
Link in comments.
Hatfield and the North – Live (1990) (@192)
02 Sep 2009
Thanks to Crimsonking for the contribution.
(Review from progarchives.com)
The performance is taken from a TV series called “Bedrock” which Central Television (UK) put together to showcase British Rock. Hatfield and the North reformed for just this one gig. The line up here includes Richard Sinclair, Pip Pyle, and Phil Miller. Dave Stewart is however notable by his absence, his keyboards stool being filled by Pyle’s then girlfriend and jazz virtuoso Sophia Domancich.
This leads to a somewhat diverse set list, which includes “Share it”, “Halfway between heaven and Earth”, “It didn’t matter anyway” and “Underdub”. The rest of the tracks are not Hatfield’s songs. The excellent 13 minute “Shipwrecked” is a new composition by Pip Pyle, which includes lengthy keyboard and guitar improvisations.
“Cauliflower ears” is from Pyle’s then current band Equip’Out (which also included Domancich in its line up), while “Blott” is a Domanacich composition, and essentially her solo spot. “Going for a song” is a Sinclair song with lyrics by Pyle, and hence the most Caravan like of the pieces.
The set is a highly enjoyable experience, which ranges from the light, almost pop like vocals of Sinclair to the improvised jazz of Soft Machine. The sound is very much rooted in the Canterbury sounds of the (male) protagonists, Domanacich making a reasonable stab at recreating the keyboard atmospheres and styles associated with that genre.
The band’s performance has an under-rehearsed flavour but remember that this was just for one show and they had not played for some fifteen years.
Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitar
- Sophia Domancich / keyboards
- Pip Pyle / drums
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
Track List:
01. Share It – 3:26
02. Shipwrecked – 13:31
03. Underdub – 5:04
04. Blott – 8:56
05. Going for a Song – 4:23
06. Cauliflower Ears – 7:03
07. Halfway Between Heaven and Earth – 8:20
08. 5/4 Intro – 1:47
09. It Didn’t Matter Anyway – 5:36
Link in comments.
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
Link in comments.
Delivery – Fools Meeting (1970) (@256)
06 Nov 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
Fools Meeting – and what a meeting it is!
This album features an eclectic blend of blues and jazz with a very progressive approach. Starring an impressive cast of (future) Canterbury luminaries ; Phil Miller (Guitars), his brother Steve on Piano, Pip Pyle (Drums) Roy Babbington (Bass Guitar) – one cannot help but to expect something special. Add to this the sweet, sweet voice of one Carol Grimes. Her vocal styling is full of tremolo, something akin to Grace Slick or Signe Anderson from the early Jefferson Airplane, and special guest Lol Coxhill (Saxophones), whose contribution to the songs is priceless.
Phil Miller’s trademark style of guitaring can be witnessed here, as he holds many solo spots, and is the main composer. Steve Miller’s jazzy piano playing has a unique air to it – at times his piano doesn’t have sustain, so his notes are short and sharp, making for a more interesting sound. The rhythm section is quite excellent – Babbington is already playing with amazing skill and dexterity, those that are familiar with the Karl Jenkins led Soft Machine should agree that he is quite a bassist. Pyle’s Drumming is very busy, and he shows often that he can play outside the confines of regular 4/4 beats. Coxhill is up there with the likes of Elton Dean and Gary Windo, with his lungs full of fury, blowing up a whirlwind of seldom heard sounds with his affected sax.
Of the 8 tracks on the album there is rarely a dull moment, each song is constructed in such a way that changes tempos regularly and never stays too long in one place. The music is not particularly indicative of ‘Canterbury’, the more Bluesy moments are when Grimes is singing, the instrumental parts suddenly take off in another direction, be it jazz, avant-garde or rock. I suppose if Steve Miller utilised some fuzzy organs it would be a genuine canterbury article. Highlights are possibly “Miserable Man”, “Home Made Ruin” , “The Wrong Time” and “Fighting It Out”, but the album as a whole is an enlightening experience.
Line-up:
- Steve Miller / piano
- Phil Miller / guitar
- Roy Babbington / bass, string bass
- Pip Pyle / drums
- Carol Grimes / vocals, percussion
with
- Lol Coxhill / soprano/tenor saxophone
- Roddy Skeaping / violin (2)
- Richard Sinclair / bass (13)
Track List:
01. Blind to Your Light – 5:06
02. Miserable Man – 8:28
03. Home Made Ruin – 3:23
04. Is It Really The Same – 5:45
05. We Were Satisfied – 4:03
06. The Wrong Time – 7:51
07. Fighting It Out – 5:49
08. Fools Meeting – 5:26
09. Harry Lucky (Bonus) – 3:42
10. Home Made Ruin (Bonus Alternate Take) – 2:57
11. Is It Really The Same (Bonus Live) – 5:20
12. Blind To Your Light (Bonus Live) – 5:32
13. One For You (Bonus) – 7:40
Links in comments.
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)
Links in comments.
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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Caravan – Waterloo Lily (1972) (@256)
18 Aug 2007
(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)
Waterloo Lily is Caravan’s most overlooked release from their golden age. By 1972, keyboardist Dave Sinclair had left the band and was replaced by Steve Miller, a guy who obviously preferred el-piano instead of organ. The music on this album turned into a much more jazz-influenced direction.
The presence of wind instruments (particularly saxophone) is much stronger here than on the previous albums, reinforcing the record’s more pronounced jazzy feel. Some passages of “Nothing at All”, for instance, can remind listeners of Soft Machine rather than of Caravan’s earlier output – which is no bad thing at all, though it might be somewhat disappointing for those who had loved “If I Could Do..” or “In the Land…”. Besides the jazzier numbers, however, there are the usual (for Caravan) catchier, poppier offerings, like the excellent “Aristocracy” and the closing “The World Is Yours”; while the Miller-penned “Songs and Signs” occupies a sort of middle ground between these two kinds of tracks. The album’s second suite, Pye Hastings’ “The Love in Your Eye”, is more typically progressive than the first, complete with string arrangements and great flute playing by Jimmy Hastings. The bonus tracks included in the remastered edition are all Pye Hastings compositions, all more than competent.
Line-up:
- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion
- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars
- Steve Miller / keyboards
- Richard Sinclair / vocals, bass
with
- Mike Cotton / trumpet (5b)
- Lol Coxhill / soprano saxophone (1-2)
- Colin Frechter / string arrangement (5a)
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, tenor saxophone (5b)
- Phil Miller / guitar (2)
- Barry Robinson / oboe (5a)
Track List:
01. Waterloo Lily
02. Nothing at all /It’s coming soon / Nothing at all (reprise)
03. Songs and signs
04. Aristocracy
05. The love in your eye / To catch me a brother / Subsultus / Debouchement / Tilbury kecks
06. The world is yours (3:41)
07. Pye’s June Thing (Bonus)
08. Ferdinand (Bonus)
09. Looking Left, Looking Right / Pye’s Loop (Bonus)
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Camel – Breathless (1978) (@256)
01 Jun 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
The band have a happy knack of coming up with a really strong opener for their albums, and the title track here is no exception. It’s a lilting, melodic piece, with some infectious instrumental hooks which are guaranteed to make you feel good. Unfortunately, the feel good factor was the one thing which was missing for the band themselves when they recorded ‘Breathless’, with Peter Bardens being all but ostracised by the rest of the band. By this time, Mel Collins had formally joined the band, his sax contributions once again providing an extra dimension to the sound. Despite the bitter acrimony during the recording of the album, Bardens and Latimer worked together on many of the songs.
The track ‘Breathless’ provides early evidence of the generally lighter feel to this album. Richard Sinclair may have had more influence than he did on ‘Rain dances’, but it is his whimsical side which comes through, rather than anything resembling the early work of Caravan. Sinclair’s vocals certainly help to make tracks such as “Breathless” more melodic though.
There are effectively three feature tracks here. ‘Echoes’ (no relation to the Pink Floyd track) a melodic upbeat number, ‘Summer lightening’ which has a superb long guitar solo by Andy Latimer, and ‘The sleeper’, the intro to which was inspired by seagulls flying in Cornwall where Bardens and Latimer wrote together. On ‘The sleeper’, Andy Latimer uses different guitar sounds to create both fusion and rock feels within the track.
There are several weaker tracks too. ‘Wing and a prayer’ is dull, with a lifeless melody, and an overt pop influence. ‘You make me smile’ takes the blandness a step further, being a nondescript love song, with cringe inducing lyrics.
The story behind the track ‘Down on the farm’ illustrates the divisions in the band well. Peter Bardens had submitted a track for inclusion on the album, but such was the desire of the rest of the band to evict Bardens from the band that they rejected the song, on the pretext of allowing Richard Sinclair to include one of his. Bardens disliked Sinclair’s song so much, that he does not play on it at all. To be fair to Bardens, Sinclair’s dominance of the track, and its whimsical nature make it sound more like a discarded Caravan outtake than a Camel song. In retrospect, Bardens was right, the song should have been left off the album.
The final track, ‘Rainbow’s end’ was written by Latimer for Bardens, the soft reflective nature and delicate vocals conveying the end of an era nature of the album.
In all an uneven album, with some tracks which are well up there with the band’s best, but with others which should have been left in the studio.
Even before recording of the album had been completed, Bardens had left Camel to work with Van Morrison, and to rekindle his solo career. For the tour to promote ‘Breathless’, Bardens was replaced by two keyboard players, including Richard Sinclair’s cousin Dave, who had guested (without being credited) on two tracks on the album. Both the Sinclairs would leave the band after the tour, which had taken its toll on all the band members.
Line-up:
- Pete Bardens / organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboards, mellophonium, vocals
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
- Andy Latimer / flute, guitar, vocals
- Andy Ward / percussion, drums
- Mel Collins / sax
Track List:
01. Breathless (4:16)
02. Echoes (7:22)
03. Wing and Prayer (4:41)
04. Down on the Farm (4:20)
05. Starlight Ride (3:20)
06. Summer Lightening (6:03)
07. You Make me Smile (4:13)
08. The Sleeper (7:02)
09. Rainbow’s End (3:00)
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Camel – A Live Record (1978) (@256)
31 May 2007
(Review from vintageprog.com, wikipedia, progarchives.com)
Camel’s double live album is a little bit patchy, containing different eras of Camel. The first four tracks are from the tour for “Rain Dances” in 1977/78, 5-6 are from the “Mirage” tour and the entire second CD is from the “Snow Goose” tour.
The album opens with “Never Let Go” that sounds completely different from the original version from the debut. This one is a lot jazzier and is probably how it would have sounded if it had been written and recorded for “Rain Dances”. “Song Within a Song” and “Lunar Sea” are performed very similar to the studio-versions, despite the inclusion of Collins’ saxophone.
Then we go a few years back in time. “Ligging at Louis’” is a good jam that wasn’t to be found on any of their other albums. “Lady Fantasy” sounds in my opinion unfortunately rather tame and a bit uninspired compared to the much more powerful studio-version.
Then a year later, we hear the band perform the then brand new “The Snow Goose”, the whole concept album. It’s overall a good performance with a few interesting differences from the original, such as the additional solo on “Migration” and the theme on “Flight of the Snow Goose” being played on organ instead of synths.
In 1981, Latimer said that “he wanted a live album to recall Camel’s history rather than a great sounding live record”. That’s what we get.
Line-up:
- Peter Bardens / keyboards
- Andrew Latimer / guitar, flute, vocal
- Andy Ward / drums, percussion
- Mel Collins / saxophones, flute
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocal
- Doug Ferguson / bass
Track List:
CD1
01. Never Let Go (7:21)
(Hammersmith Odeon, London, October 1977)
02. Song Within A Song (7:01)
(Hammersmith Odeon, London, October 1977)
03. Lunar Sea (8:56)
(Colston Hall, Bristol, October 1977)
04. Skylines (5:38)
(Leeds University, October 1977)
05. Ligging At Louis’ (6:34)
(Marquee, London, October 1974)
06. Lady Fantasy (14:15)
(Marquee, London, October 1974)
CD2
(Royal Albert Hall, London, October 1975)
01. The Great March (1:45)
02. Rhayader (3:07)
03. Rhayader Goes To Town (5:13)
04. Sanctuary (1:09)
05. Fritha (1:23)
06. The Snow Goose (3:02)
07. Friendship (1:35)
08. Migration (3:52)
09. Rhayader Alone (1:47)
10. Flight Of The Snow Goose (2:59)
11. Preparation (4:10)
12. Dunkirk (5:26)
13. Epitaph (2:35)
14. Fritha Alone (1:22)
15. La Princesse Perdue (4:46)
16. The Great March (1:50)
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Camel – Raindances (1977) (@256)
30 May 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Although Camel wasn’t exactly a Canterbury band, their symphonic progressive style was recurrently related to the sound created by the most melodic bands of this genre (mostly Caravan), and now, with the entry of newcomer bassist Richard Sinclair, the Camel thing really got as Canterbury as it could get, despite the preservation of the band’s original symphonic essence, which is, after all, the core of its ‘inner self’. The entry of semi-permanent collaborator Mel Collins also helped to develop this recycling process. Ward’s ever-increasing jazz interests had become quite obvious and relevant in the “Moon Madness” album – albeit some hints could also be found in the first 2 albums -, and now, with the support of Latimer and Bardens plus the shift from Ferguson to Sinclair on the bassist’s role the thing became official and effective.
That’s what we get from the opening track ‘First Light’, which shows off the band’s enthusiasm for the brand new step that they were taking in their career: Sinclair and Ward speak the same idiom with absolute fluidity, while Bardens and Latimer deliver their melodic sensibilities with total ease – Collins’ sax solo near the end is a proper icing of this delicious jazzy progressive cake. The same goes for ‘Metrognome’, another excellent symptom of this universe, although not as excellent as ‘Skylines’, which includes some of the best guitar and synthesizer solos in the album. Richard Sinclair didn’t play on this one, but what he did on it for the “A Live Record” live album is really superb. ‘One of These Days I’ll Get an Early Night’ takes the jazz thing further, quite beyond the land of Canterbury right into the land of funk-oriented American West Coast jazz: even though Camel stands in foreign territory here, they do a great job while having fun at soloing over a simplistic basic motif. ‘Tell Me’ is an introspective ballad that shows Bardens and Latimer’s to create simple beautiful melodies and enrich them with effective ornaments on synth and woodwind – the way that Collins’ bass clarinet complements Latimer’s flute lines is simply mesmerizing. ‘Highways of the Sun’ and ‘Unevensong’ (the latter being one of my favorite tracks from this album, together with ‘First Light’ and ‘Skylines’) are the closest to what Camel had been doing and developing in their previous albums, although the new winds are still very present in them, especially regarding Ward’s drumming. ‘Elke’ is kind of a Latimer solo venture: supported by Brian Eno on synth and bells, plus a female harpist, he builds an ethereal landscape of flute/keyboards/fuzz guitars that stands in unison with Eno’s minimalistic approach. This piece serves as an effective interlude between the easy-going fun of ‘On of These Days…’ and the splendid architecture of ‘Skylines’. The namesake closure is a reprise of the opening track, fusing the meditative vibe of ‘Tell Me’ and the cosmic nuances of ‘Elke’: a nice ending for a monster album.
Line-up:
- Andrew Latimer / guitar, flute, vocal on 3, 4 & 5 some piano, bass
- Peter Bardens / keyboards
- Andy Ward / drums, percussion
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocal on 3, 5
- Mel Collins / saxophone
with
- Martin Drover / trumpet on 6, cor Flugel on 8
- Malcolm Griffiths / trombone on 6, 8
- Brian Eno / acoustic and electric piano, Mini Moog, cloches on “Elke”
- Fionna Hibbert / harpe on “Elke”
Track List:
01. First light (5:00)
02. Metrognome (4:19)
03. Tell me (4:07)
04. Highways of the Sun (4:32)
05. Unevensong (5:34)
06. One of these Days I’ll get an early night (5:59)
07. Elke (4:31)
08. Skylines (4:26)
09. Rain Dances (2:59)
10. Highways of the Sun (Bonus Single) (4:00)
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Caravan – If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You (1970) (@256)
05 Mar 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Considering this album was originally released in 1970, it still sounds astonishingly fresh.
The title track was a surprise hit single at the time, but it is not really representative of the band, or indeed the album. The distinctive vocals and Canterbury keyboards are already present, especially on tracks like “And I wish I were stoned/Don’t worry”. Caravan found their direction on this album, and subsequent releases explored a similar vein.
The track “For Richard (etc.)” first appeared on this album. It has of course gone on to become arguably the band’s best known and most popular song, appearing on a plethora of live albums, and being performed (I believe) at every gig they have done since. There is a strong jazz influence on parts of the track, but that never overpowers the prevailing prog structure.
It was only because there were so many other innovative and exciting bands around at the same time, that Caravan never went on to achieve the success they deserved, and that this album undoubtedly warranted. They did enjoy a level of success with subsequent albums such as “In the Land of Grey and Pink”, but this album remains something of a hidden diamond.
Line-up:
- Richard Coughlan / drums, congas, bongos, maracas, finger cymbals
- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars, claves
- David Sinclair / keyboards
- Richard Sinclair / vocals, bass, tambourine
- Brother James / sax and flute
Track List:
01. If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You (3:07)
02. And I Wish I Were Stoned – Don’t Worry (8:21)
03. As I Feel I Die (5:17)
04. With An Ear To The Ground You Can Make It / Martinian / Only Cox / Reprise (9:56)
05. Hello Hello (3:46)
06. Asforteri 25 (1:21)
07. Can’t Be Long Now / Françoise / For Richard / Warlock (14:18)
08. Limits (1:34)
09. A Day In The Life Of Maurice Haylett (Bonus) (5:40)
10. Why? (And I Wish I Were Stoned) (Bonus) (4:22)
11. Clipping The 8th (Hello Hello) (Bonus) (3:13)
12. As I Feel I Die (Bonus) (4:39)
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