North Sea Radio Orchestra

I've finally added one of my all-time favourite bands to the archives, so I thought I'd celebrate with their very own appreciation thread. Deep, soaring, accessible, difficult, charming, psychedelic and utterly utterly English music. They deserve far more attention than they get from both the prog community and the world in general. I'll stop gushing now and chuck some videos in.

Wonderful Henry Cow-meets-Vaughn Williams-meets-Neu! instrumental from their recent third album I a moon:



The climax to their 13-minute masterpiece from the debut album, which they released as a single. Video directed by Tim Smith offof Cardiacs, fact fans!:



Their wonderful synthy arrangement of the theme music to the classic British children's animation Ivor the Engine. Its composer, Vernon Elliot, is a big influence on their sound:



And finally, something typically folky and pastoral and bleak and joyful from their second album Birds:



I hope this addition will really help to bring them to a new audience.

TopographicTales wrote: Great stuff man, I'll be picking up some of their work soon. Thanks for that.

Huzzah! Looks like it's just us two at the moment...

Ady Random wrote: ya got into them when they came out......what with being a cardiacs fan for so long just got anything related to them......all three albums are beautys......the Arch Garrison album is great too....and the Shrubbies.

Yeah, I sometimes wonder how many fans a group like NSRO would have if you subtracted all the people who know them through Cardiacs.  They deserve to be much more widely appreciated, IMO.

And yes, Arch Garrison and Shrubbies are also fab.

Lovely album; I recently featured/recommended it on my blog.

just found out they are playing in a church in Oxford in a few weeks......me going

frippism wrote: Finally got "I a Moon"! I think really it's the best of anything I've heard of them. Stunning, just stunning!

Indeed. On the first couple of listens I worried that it might not have the same impact on me as the previous two, despite a couple of instant stand-out tracks (Heavy Weather and Berliner Luft, obv.), but it's grown and grown with every subsequent spin. I just can't adequately express what this music does to me.

From what I have heard, their new album, Dronne, should be epic. Unfortunately it is not yet available in the US, and I'd rather avoid buying a download.

noni wrote: This music is great!

yeah... I was definitely a late comer to them.  I didn't discover them until the battle of albums contest here and since fell hard for I a Moon.

This one in particular.. hits right where it counts.. such beauty... breath taking..

I would like to thank the members here who recommended this group!..  I'm blown away by their musical talent..  Renaissance/Gryphon and Kate Bush spring to mind and maybe Stackridge too!!

Too expensive, no thanks.