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Tom Ozric View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 00:00
Originally posted by Flight123 Flight123 wrote:

Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

Kew. Rhone. is superb.

Oh, I spun side 4 of HC Concerts - they sound in top form, and no doubt enjoying themselves a lot. I'm just fascinated with Tim's organ playing.
 


Actually, the slow fade on 'Udine' annoys me as it sounds like Tim is letting rip at that point!
Yes, yes indeed - I noticed that too And you're so right - definitely a Farfisa Compact Duo - his sound in Groningen (where he plays a brief theme from Heart Of The Beast) is the same 'reedy' sound Rick Wright usually has. Small details like this mean so much to me with HC. Looks like I'm going to spin LegEnd real soon once again.
I may have to (eventually) get a hold of these commemorative box sets. I generally stick with vinyl, but somehow I don't think that these things will get that treatment. The 5 HC albums alone are still so exciting to me, every time.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 01:13
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

  Looks like I'm going to spin LegEnd real soon once again.
I may have to (eventually) get a hold of these commemorative box sets. I generally stick with vinyl, but somehow I don't think that these things will get that treatment. The 5 HC albums alone are still so exciting to me, every time.

Haha, I was thinking the same thing, I was wanting to spin LegEnd today, too! Smile And as to the box sets, do yourself a favor. The first boxset in particular is a work of art and is equal to their best albums really. I mean really. It's nearly as good as LegEnd. It kind of feels like an extension of LegEnd in a way that the studio release presented just the best bits and on the boxset, you've got full composition and you can sort of get an idea of how they used some of ideas, passages from pieces that eventually did not make it into their debut album.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 01:33
...but a rose is a rose is a rose........
Just finished LegEnd. Citizen King is a work of art - beautiful organ on this one.
Love that electrical wire sock set in, what looks like plaster (?).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 01:44
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

...but a rose is a rose is a rose........
Just finished LegEnd. Citizen King is a work of art - beautiful organ on this one.
Love that electrical wire sock set in, what looks like plaster (?).

The best thing about Citizen King is the dark, ominous sound at the end of the piece, which sort of reminds me of a flying plane and war... I'd guess it's a bassoon put through a wah-wah pedal. Especially in conjunction with the lyrics.


Edited by ALotOfBottle - June 02 2016 at 01:44
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 01:57
^ I just went back and listened to that bit - there's no bassoon credited on the album, and buggered if I know what it is - sounds like a synth to be honest. And there's never synth in HC. And this leads to me saying that this bunch made 'conventional' instruments sound very 'unconventional'.
Nirvana For Mice even sports a brief Glissando guitar section, which, naturally, brings the band Gong to mind.
Amazing diversity in sound and textures. If you listen real carefully, you can imagine they even shape the air around the room whilst these amazing sonic structures are permeating the ambiance
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 02:15
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

^ I just went back and listened to that bit - there's no bassoon credited on the album, and buggered if I know what it is - sounds like a synth to be honest. And there's never synth in HC. And this leads to me saying that this bunch made 'conventional' instruments sound very 'unconventional'.
Nirvana For Mice even sports a brief Glissando guitar section, which, naturally, brings the band Gong to mind.
Amazing diversity in sound and textures. If you listen real carefully, you can imagine they even shape the air around the room whilst these amazing sonic structures are permeating the ambiance

It's dubious that they've manipulated studio equipment to do that. On the Box Set, they manage to achieve a very similar sound in a live scenario. My guess would be bass pedals or lowest notes of Tim's Farfisa.... Or a saxophone with an octave-down (not sure if octavers existed in those days).
Nonetheless, it sounds amazing. Like a plane! It sort of reminds me of World War II for some reason. Man, it's one of the most genius songs in the history of progressive rock.
But is Henry Cow progressive rock anyway? Some say they are not, I think in terms of creativity they are right up there with the most inventive prog bands, if not much higher.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 02:43
^ Top-tier Progressive band. In every way.
And that sound does sound like a plane 100 % !!
I still find that side 3 of Concerts - Oslo, is a tough listen. But that's just them, in full improv flight. They are the Masters.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 07:56
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

^ Top-tier Progressive band. In every way.
And that sound does sound like a plane 100 % !!
I still find that side 3 of Concerts - Oslo, is a tough listen. But that's just them, in full improv flight. They are the Masters.

In fact, I have edited my Concerts review, felt 3 stars was too low and sort of changed my approach to pieces like Oslo. Research as to how music like this should be regarded helped me in understanding what pieces like that are all about. Try to think of it as a thought-provoking provocation. Don't try to find music in it, notice how it is aimed at portraying the subjective meaning of time. John Cage said that if you are bored, you should count to 10, if you are bored again, count to 10 again and so on... Oslo is really not like a meal, say spaghetti, steak, or pizza. I think it is more of an apetizer or just a spice! Those seeking music in it will naturally be disappointed, but I think that is not the point. It's not even supposed to be music. In short, remember: the subjective meaning of time.

Also, after countless listens to Kew. Rhone., I've finally got around to writing a review on it. If anybody was interested, here's the link:
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=1573737
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 14:26
^ Yep - excellent review. You do your research well
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 14:32
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

^ Yep - excellent review. You do your research well

Thank you very much, Tom. I really appreciate it, I'm extremely flattered.


Edited by ALotOfBottle - June 02 2016 at 14:35
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 15:11
Listened to Desperate Straights again today following a discussion on PE, I enjoy it but can't class it as a Henry Cow album it's too much of a Slapp Happy album. 
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Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2016 at 15:47
There's a new vinyl reissue of Winter Songs out this week, with yellow and black vinyl variations. (I plumped for the yellow, myself.)
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 00:01
^ There was a Pink version years ago, the copy I own is just black. Great cover-art on that one.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 01:32
Originally posted by Michael P. Dawson Michael P. Dawson wrote:

There's a new vinyl reissue of Winter Songs out this week, with yellow and black vinyl variations. (I plumped for the yellow, myself.)
 

Thanks for the heads-up, Michael! Smile I think I might go for it.

Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

^ There was a Pink version years ago, the copy I own is just black. Great cover-art on that one.


Yeah, the cover's great! I always thought it shared some similarities with Crimson's Lizard.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 02:59
^ I never thought of the comparison but they're both somewhat very 'English' (perhaps European even).
The back cover suggests 'total disturbance'.
My friend 'Bottle' (as opposed to my friend 'the bottle' - which is my downfall, but I digress.......) - for you to be so enamoured by Henry Cow, is soooo impressive. They truly are up there with VDGG, SOFT MACHINE, CRIMSO, GENESIS, MESHUGGAH, CARAVAN, FLOYD, MAGENTA, PENDRAGON, ELEPHANT9 ...........just to name a few of the awesome bands that offer incredibly special composition.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 03:33
Originally posted by Nogbad_The_Bad Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:

Listened to Desperate Straights again today following a discussion on PE, I enjoy it but can't class it as a Henry Cow album it's too much of a Slapp Happy album. 


I would agree but that was the album that got me into Henry Cow!  Reviews at the time indicated that the Cow were somewhat different, and for some reason a quote from the press stuck in my mind - 'a cul-de-sac for the pioneering Cow'.  It appears that only in recent years has there been a wider appreciation of the Cow.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:07
I've often thought that Slapp Happy were 'avant' to the regular Pop world.
I've often thought that Henry Cow were 'avant' to the Prog world.
Both bands had their direction already mapped out. Both hands had similar ideals of how to, perhaps, bend the rules, within each direction. Hence, a 'meeting of the minds' if you ask me.
I love them both - and realistically, don't ask me why......   
I knew, through the GEPR, back in early-mid 90's, of these bands. Heck, when I bought Hatfield S/T in 1989, coz of Rich Sinclair, I thought that Henry Cow was some solo 'bloke' who may have been into Canterbury. I was only 17, looking out for something really special within music.
I knew what it was I liked, and I was rewarded when I bought LegEnd. Best 15 bucks of my life.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:23
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

I've often thought that Slapp Happy were 'avant' to the regular Pop world.
I've often thought that Henry Cow were 'avant' to the Prog world.
Both bands had their direction already mapped out. Both hands had similar ideals of how to, perhaps, bend the rules, within each direction. Hence, a 'meeting of the minds' if you ask me.
I love them both - and realistically, don't ask me why......   
I knew, through the GEPR, back in early-mid 90's, of these bands. Heck, when I bought Hatfield S/T in 1989, coz of Rich Sinclair, I thought that Henry Cow was some solo 'bloke' who may have been into Canterbury. I was only 17, looking out for something really special within music.
I knew what it was I liked, and I was rewarded when I bought LegEnd. Best 15 bucks of my life.

Which pressing of LegEnd do you own? I have the 1979 American Red Records one and it sounds very good.
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Tom Ozric View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:25
^ I have the U.K. press of LegEnd. It's a laminated cover with 'The Henry Cow Legend' on the spine. The lable is the regular black & white 'Virgin' type. This was quite common to come across at that time, along with In Praise..........(the Red Sock). Unrest and Western Culture were virtually unheard of, and the Concerts album, well, I think to have paid 28 Aussie dollars for it around 1997, was a bargain. Immaculate as it is, and still almost........
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Tom Ozric View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:27
I think the 'Red' records lable, I dunno, my In Praise Of.. is on the Red lable, and I think is a frad rougher quality vinyl. Or it's my overactive imagination ..........
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