Joined: September 01 2010
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Posted: May 13 2016 at 10:17
ALotOfBottle wrote:
Guldbamsen wrote:
Anyone here own the live release cut in Stockholm?
One of those I'm still trying to digest - complete headscratcher of a listen. I imagine it would be a lot easier had I attended the gig.
Yeah, I've beem searching for the Stockholm tapes on Soulseek, nobody shares those (except for one guy, who shares the whole album as a private folder). Anyway, I'll look some more. And as always, I will probably end up buying the CD at a rip-off price.
I really like Legend-era Henry Cow, so I found this video extremely interesting. And suprisingly I can understand about 35% of French which I have never learnt! Anyway, highly recommended!
Head to the ReR megacorp website, the CD is part of the sale - £5 UK!!
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
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Points: 15921
Posted: May 13 2016 at 14:45
I came into Henry Cow through the Hatfield debut - (Geoff Leigh, courtesy of Henry Cow) - I thought HC was the name of some 'solo' guy..... My first purchase was the 2LP Concerts album, back in the mid-90's, I fell in love immediately with the BRILLIANT 1st side. The rest took me a *lot* of time to digest. Then, not too long after I came across the first 'sock' album LegEnd, that was it - HENRY COW were a favourite. Over the years I managed to get all the Cow albums and the many LP's affiliated with HC - Art Bears, Fred Frith, Slapp Happy, John Greaves, News From Babel, Lindsay Cooper etc. and they are still all a fascinating listen, each and every one. I still think of the debut as a 'Canterbury' album. What an outstanding bunch of highly intelligent musicians who managed to think outside the box and make it all work.
Joined: April 05 2006
Location: Vancouver, BC
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Points: 35886
Posted: May 13 2016 at 15:55
Another Henry Cow-a-holic (and Area since it cropped up too). I love Henry Cow as well as all the related projects that I know (the udderly glorious Cow universe). It's one of those bands that led me to listening to a huge amount of related music (same happens to me with TV shows -- yesterday I re-watched a rock musical called AD-BC, which led me to watch a whole bunch of different shows,and damn were they good, but I digress...).
I first heard Henry Cow on a university radio station, they were playing the Henry Cow/Slapp Happy collaboration "War". The first Cow album I got was In Praise of Learning, and I got the HC/SH collab Desperate Straits at about the same time, then the Art Bears albums. I absolutely feel in in love with News From Babel, by the way. After that I was particularly into the early Cow, more Canterbury sounding albums, and then I grew to love the more experimental Western Culture (that was quite a challenging album for me).
The range of Henry Cow over just a few albums impresses me, and kept me coming back. I mean, someone who is into In Praise of Learning, for instance, might not like Western Culture, at least not immediately. And if you're into LegEnd, you might not like In Praise, etc. That, and that there are so many related projects that I love really solidified my value of the musicians.
Joined: April 05 2006
Location: Vancouver, BC
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Points: 35886
Posted: May 13 2016 at 16:08
I love the tracks that feature Robert Wyatt. I'm a massive fan of Robert Wyatt, and he is one of those artists that, like with some members of the Cow, I have tried to delve into lots of their projects (probably truer of Wyatt than anyone else with me).
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
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Points: 15921
Posted: May 13 2016 at 17:40
First album I bought which had Lindsay Cooper on was Hillage's 'Fish Rising' back in 1989, an album I bought for many GonG members' participation. Funny, I also bought Hillage's 'L' album for all the Utopians......
For my personal development, the reprise of "Teenbeat" became crucial. I fell in love with the track since the very first note. I really like how the laid-back jazzy piece resolves into this crazy run with Fred Frith's outstanding guitar playing (and guitar timbre for that matter, it's almost synthesizer-like!), Tim Hodgkinson's piano. Phenomenal piece and my all-time favorite from the group.
"Nine Funerals Of Citizen King" has also played a crucial role. I liked how this track was different to everything else on the album utilizing some very avant-garde folk-inspired ideas. I dug deeper into the lyrics and my mind was blown: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107859431909/ One of the members of songmeanings.com interprets the lyrics in a fascinating way. It's just above the lyrics, have a read.
Joined: September 03 2005
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Posted: May 14 2016 at 02:44
I find it difficult to pick whether what I'm hearing is a unique tone from Frith, or Hodgkinson's manipulated organ sounds. So many unique sounds, just mind-boggling.
Joined: September 01 2010
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Points: 1399
Posted: May 14 2016 at 04:30
I agree with the above - Frith could mimic as well, for example, the pure Oldfield solo on 'Europa' off Desperate Straights... from what I have read, Hodgkinson was a reluctant organist, at least initially, which might explain his unique approach.
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
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Points: 15921
Posted: May 14 2016 at 05:19
^ Oldfield was a big influence around this time. Unique in his approach too. Just pulled out the ole Desperate Straights LP I have (Recommended Records re-issue) - gonna give this an airing after my 'Goo-fest. I love how DS is mostly a Slapp Happy album with Cow influences, and In Praise Of Learning is mostly a Cow album with SH influences. A marriage made in Heaven. Two left-field approaches from, well, let's be honest, opposing genres. Both bands had a similar experimental mind-set.
Yeah, Tim Hodgkinson never used Hammond organ as far as I'm concerned. And I am glad he did not. Although I love the sound of the instrument, his instrument choice resulted in a very unique style.
As to the things you are saying about Oldfield, he was an undeniable influence. Consider it's 1973, Manor Stuidios owned by Virgin. You have got Mike Oldfield there, Magma, Hatfield & The North, Henry Cow, Faust, Gong, Tangerine Dream, Strawbs (one year later). Obviously not at the same time, but I would believe they did meet sometimes. It was a very vibrant place, definitely.
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
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Points: 15921
Posted: May 14 2016 at 05:45
^ Abso-f**king-lutely Picked up on that in a flash !!! Bet if you asked Branson about them these days he'd make some idiotic remark like " ha, those were the days......oh, who were Faust ?? "........ That's what I'd imagine.....
^ Abso-f**king-lutely Picked up on that in a flash !!! Bet if you asked Branson about them these days he'd make some idiotic remark like " ha, those were the days......oh, who were Faust ?? "........ That's what I'd imagine.....
A capitalist that Branson is might not feel comfortable recalling mingling with Marxists that Henry Cow or GonG were hah
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
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Points: 15921
Posted: May 14 2016 at 08:26
^ There's no 'Off The Map' on my LP - just Groningen, Groningen Again etc. Ruins is amazing. Did Tim use a Farfisa ?? Something which looks like it had flowers printed on it somewhere ?? You know, some of these guys couldn't afford (or didn't wAnt to use) Hammonds or Gibsons, just some nondescript cheap organ and put it through all sorts of effects......... The organ section of Living In The Heart Of The Beast is MASSIVE - even a Pipe Organ wouldn't achieve that power.
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ALotOfBottle wrote:
Anyway, highly recommended!
Their Letters home is one the best "Bobby Wyatt" album.
Picked up on that in a flash !!! Bet if you asked Branson about them these days he'd make some idiotic remark like " ha, those were the days......oh, who were Faust ?? "........ That's what I'd imagine.....
hah
)
?? 