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ALotOfBottle View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:29
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

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 ..........

Mine is very decent. In fact the only thing I could complain about is that bass is incredibly loud in the mix.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:31
In fact I'm spinning my LegEnd right now and it sounds great. Tom, my friend, "wish you were here". LegEnd  sounds better with every listen! Wink
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:39
^ Don't start me - with this recent thread that YOU ARE responsible for ( ) - is way too cool. I wish I had someone here to share the joy of Henry Cow with (preferably of the fairer kind) but I successfully got a chick into VDGG at my work. She was more for Hammill's lyrics than anything, but I've recently mentioned HC, hopefully she seeks out Amygdala, she is curious and 'open', but I doubt I'd win her Heart.........
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:50
I took my partner - much younger than me - to the Lindsay Cooper tribute concerts.  She was blown away by the musicianship - even during 'Western Culture' when the 'difficulty' of the compositions tested the band many years after they were first performed.

I have the Virgin vinyl original releases of 'Leg End', 'IPOL' and 'Concerts' (Caroline) - will never part with them.  'Leg End' is on very thick vinyl.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:53
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

^ Don't start me - with this recent thread that YOU ARE responsible for ( ) - is way too cool. I wish I had someone here to share the joy of Henry Cow with (preferably of the fairer kind) but I successfully got a chick into VDGG at my work. She was more for Hammill's lyrics than anything, but I've recently mentioned HC, hopefully she seeks out Amygdala, she is curious and 'open', but I doubt I'd win her Heart.........

Hah, good luck! LOL I don't have anyone who shares the joy of Cow's music, sadly. Or I do. A bit. A tiny bit. My dad was once big into The Residents with Chris Cutler and he likes that whole underground anti-industrial scene. And there is also my uncle, who is generally very big into music. He is mainly a fan of country, but when he was young, he was crazy about prog. Anyway, I recently forced him to listen through the whole LegEnd. He really liked it and said that it's incredibly ambitious, but it's too late for him to discover new stuff at this point in the genre, which he "abandoned" a while ago. Oh well...
Actually, you mentioned when you were 17 and thought Henry Cow was some solo 'bloke' who may have been into Canterbury - that's roughly the age I am right now.
Anyway, LegEnd is the only Henry Cow LP I have. And I'm thinking of buying another one. Unrest? Concerts? IPOL?
Be right back, flipping to the Side 2 of LegEnd. Big smile Now as I'm listening, I am thinking that there are actually only two perfect albums I've heard in my life. LegEnd and Egg's Polite Force. These two are the qunitessence of my life. Flawless, perfect in every way. Everything I would ever dream to expect from a record.


Edited by ALotOfBottle - June 03 2016 at 04:55
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 04:58
My recollection of the two Cow gigs I went to in 77 was that there were a number of females in the audience - but given that the band (at least when Dagmar was there) was 50% female then I guess the band had wide appeal (prog is notoriously 'male').  I can remember one of the student History teachers at my school being there (female) - I told her this in class and she was very surprised to find one of her 14 year olds had spotted her there!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 05:27
Seems we need to listen to Flight123
I can't get it - Bottle, you are 17 ??? That's FANTASTIC !!
I really do believe if a chunk of today's populace were exposed to Cow, they'd win a whole new fanbase. Really, Henry Cow are only 'obscure' coz only a small portion of folks have been exposed to them. I'm sure that the percentage of those who have given ear-time for them, most would find them fascinating. Still leaves a very small amount.

When I spin Slapp Happy - they really sound 'straight'. And totally catchy. I can't see why they weren't better known.
And if asked, I couldn't explain why it is that I listen to 'obscure' music. If it's interesting, engaging, well played and intelligently constructed then count me in. Believe me, Kajagoogoo are something like this. I've loved them for Nick Beggs, and now that he is fully involved with whatever Prog, makes the 'Goo even better. But whatever........
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 05:35
Yes, my partner really likes Slapp Happy's 'Ca Va' album as well.  I blame the Virgin label (particularly Branson's indifference) for not maximising exposure for either band.  The only similar band to actually trouble the charts at the time was Hatfield's 'The Rotter's Club'.  The band made the decision to concentrate on Europe in the mid-70s - let down by Virgin.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 05:45
Thinking....... " Damn you, Richard "..........
I think that after Oldfield's Tubular Bells, Branson couldn't be bothered with exceptional, stoner musicians and their craft.
I know from some interview, that John Greaves replaced Neil Murray for National Health, because Neil wasn't totally comfortable playing to 'stoned audiences' and that Greaves' lifestyle fit in more with the band's than his (Neil's) - hence why Whitesnake. Then again, Neil shared a flat with Amanda Parsons for a while.....
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 05:50
Greaves is an absolutely fabulous musician with a complex musical mind. Just listen to Kew. Rhone.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 05:54
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

Thinking....... " Damn you, Richard "..........
I think that after Oldfield's Tubular Bells, Branson couldn't be bothered with exceptional, stoner musicians and their craft.
I know from some interview, that John Greaves replaced Neil Murray for National Health, because Neil wasn't totally comfortable playing to 'stoned audiences' and that Greaves' lifestyle fit in more with the band's than his (Neil's) - hence why Whitesnake. Then again, Neil shared a flat with Amanda Parsons for a while.....


I was lucky enough to see Greaves with National Health supporting Hillage on the 'Green' tour.  Neil Murray was an unashamed rocker who couldn't get a gig - he worked with Gilgamesh as well but left before their debut album.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 11:50
Neil is an exceptional bassist too.
Anyone here love National Health's tribute to Alan Gowen - D.S. al Coda ?? Greaves is wonderful on it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 03 2016 at 12:00
^Yes, D. S. al Coda is a really good album. National Health is perhaps not in its top form, but a fantastic work regardless.

Right now I'm listening to The Muffins' debut album Manna/Mirage. They seem to be at least partly influenced by Henry Cow. Either my ears are playing tricks on me or I've just heard Tim Hodgkinson-like Farfisa and great wind playing, at times reminiscent of LegEnd. Great album and I'm suprised with that there something in their music as if never letting it become boring or sterile. Love it!


Edited by ALotOfBottle - June 04 2016 at 01:22
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 04 2016 at 00:57
Can I join the Henry Cow appreciation society? I've come to love their music over the last couple of years, there's so much going on there, an incredible variety of ideas and all played so well. It really was a collection of great musicians. I never know which album to listen to - perhaps Western Culture for consistency but then Dagmar had such a great voice and then there's the jazzy early stuff or the intensity of Ruins on Unrest. There's also the mass of material on the box sets which is taking me some time to digest. I had a listen to Trondheim again yesterday but it still sounds like they were down a couple of members at short notice, sitting in the dark, and making up noise as they went along Wink. It did get more atmospheric and interesting towards the end though, I might see if I can find a reasonably long excerpt that I could enjoy more often.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 04 2016 at 01:58
Originally posted by 2dogs 2dogs wrote:

Can I join the Henry Cow appreciation society? I've come to love their music over the last couple of years, there's so much going on there, an incredible variety of ideas and all played so well. It really was a collection of great musicians. I never know which album to listen to - perhaps Western Culture for consistency but then Dagmar had such a great voice and then there's the jazzy early stuff or the intensity of Ruins on Unrest. There's also the mass of material on the box sets which is taking me some time to digest. I had a listen to Trondheim again yesterday but it still sounds like they were down a couple of members at short notice, sitting in the dark, and making up noise as they went along Wink. It did get more atmospheric and interesting towards the end though, I might see if I can find a reasonably long excerpt that I could enjoy more often.

Of course, you are more than welcome to join Smile I call free beer for the new member of the collective!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 04 2016 at 03:05
^ Agree
Welcome EVERYBODY to the wonderful world of Henry Cow !!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 04 2016 at 03:17
The Crazy World Of Henry Cow
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 04 2016 at 04:54
Anyone read Stuart Maconie's 'The Pie At Night' (maybe the whole book is not of cultural appeal to non UK readers)?  There is a wonderful passage in it based on Stuart attending the Lindsay Cooper tribute concert in Huddersfield.  I saw him there.  This guy is probably the only person who plays Henry Cow on a regular basis on mainstream national radio (BBC Radio 6)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 04 2016 at 08:33
Happy birthday to Dagmar Krause!

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 04 2016 at 08:36
Thanks, Michael! I would't have known. Happy birthday to the most ambitious female figure in prog rock. Love this woman! An indcredibly talented musician with a very emotional voice. Probably not emotional in the traditional meaning of the word, but extremely versatile and able to express a very wide plethora of moods.


Edited by ALotOfBottle - June 04 2016 at 09:06
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