UNREST

As of late 73, Leigh grew tired of the band's tight schedule of touring (numerous in order to survive) and he left the group. Soon replaced by Lindsay Cooper, the group changed a bit its sound as her instruments and style differed a fair bit, choosing to play with bass or baritone wind instruments. Graced with the same sock artwork than LegEnd (in different colors, though), this album is much harder to get into than their debut.

Actually if the first four tracks are written, you'd be hard-pressed to tell it from free-form improves or atonal jamming, if it was not for the odd bit that seems to make sense. Among the hardest to "get" is the 12-mins Ruins, which is much farther "out there" than Univers Zero will ever get.

What's to say for the rest (6) of the tracks that cover the flipside, all of them credited to the group. As the group openly admitted, they lacked enough written material and just improvised the second side. The least we can say is that it is very much a mindless cacophony that makes sound Faust like Abba. Not that their squibbles were never done before, either, as Horde Catalytique Pour La Fin or Area's Caution! Radiation Area albums have done similar things, albeit with no greater success.

For a few decades now, I've not been able to think of a RIO-related album that does not suffer more from its over-rated reputation, as does Unrest. If you are searching casually for "RIO" and really want to investigate Henry Cow, I suggest that you either start with LegEnd or In Praise Of Learning, but you should really avoid this stinker.