The Canterbury Appreciation Thread

I'd say get Unrest next. The good thing about Cow is that their albums transfer quite smoothly from most to least accessible.

Who has the master tapes for Machine's Soft Machine and Volume 2 albums?

Chameleon wrote: I'd say get Unrest next. The good thing about Cow is that their albums transfer quite smoothly from most to least accessible.

Sounds good - it's on the list.

I'm going to bring this up again - Amanda Parsons is so brilliant - she delivers such gorgeous vocals on the National Health debut - however, apparently she just wholesale quit the music business after her time with the band.  You can't find a Wikipedia entry or really any sort of information about her from Google.  The fact that a talent like that couldn't achieve success is nothing short of a tragedy.  She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps - I don't know.

Perhaps I was too strong but there's a lack of information.  In the NH "Complete" liner notes, Dave Stewart did note that as of 1990 she was working for a television company - doesn't sound like someone too active in the business, save for perhaps the odd guesting of the type you mentioned.  The point is someone like her should have been able to make a living out of singing - but instead we give record deals to Paris Hilton.

Cool...I remembered you had spoke highly of it.

Let us know what you think of Kew Rhone when you get it - I've been playing it twice a day since I downloaded it.

Just listened to that brilliant track today.  "Do you say numinescence?  I do."

I  Canterbury, so I really should pop in here more.

I just put on Zyma (from Germany) after not listening to it for ages, pretty good album.  I'd be interested to hear Tortilla Flat (another Canterbury Scene album from Genrmany)


1978
Thoughts
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I do like the opener considerably.

And every Robert Wyatt solo and Matching Mole album is essential, in my opinion (but, to be honest, I am a Wyatt fanboy).

Love Wyatt's contribution to News From Babel and with Michael Mantler too.  And his work with Henry Cow and Hatfield and the North.

I already liked Canterbury Scene very much, but Rock Bottom took it to a new level.

I did pick up Rock Bottom and I enjoyed it, though I do need to play it more.  I'll try giving it some plays at work tomorrow.  Don't have any Matching Mole yet, but I'll try and put that on the list - still need to grab some Picchio dal Pozzo and The Muffins, among other things.

I'm here, Pat.

Now, what is your favourite Canterbury style?  Are you into the jazz era of the Softs?  Because if you are, I thoroughly recomment The Wrong Object, Phil Miller's In Cahoots, Hugh Hopper (although his stuff is more avant-prog), Hopper/Dean/Tippet/Gallivan plus Elton Dean solo.  Of course, one must not forget Soft Machine Legacy either.

In Cahoots will appeal to you from a Hatfield stance too.  Oh and also get some Gilgamesh.

As for Wyatt, I'd jump on him naked if I could, he's a genius.  Rock Bottom is the best album ever made by any band or artist, period.

He's brilliant on News from Babel's Letters Home (their second album) too, I think you may like that, it features Lindsay Cooper on keyboards and one track, Dagmar Krause, of Henry Cow.  It's a fairly easy album to get into also.

Get the 3 CD boxset with all of their albums on.  It's worth the money.

I'm not sure what else I can offer you for the moment.

If you want a Soft Machine/National Health mix, you NEED Soft Heap.

Why?

Because not only is it brilliant, but you need to see the lineup:

Hugh Hopper - the bassists bassist
Elton Dean - the saxophonists saxophonist
Alan Gowen - the man behind the sound of Gilgamesh and National Health's first two albums
Pip Pyle - the drummers drummer

It's a must have!

Get Bundles and Softs.

Bundles has the brilliant Allan Holdsworth on it.
Softs has the brilliant John Etheridge on it.

Both are fantastic, it's a shame Karl Jenkins decided to go into classical music though, he had a good jazz brain on him.

If you want more exciting jazz, definitely get some The Wrong Object.  The Unbelievable Truth features the late and great Elton Dean on it.  It also features brilliant guitar playing that reminds me of Phil Miller of Hatfield and the North and In Cahoots.


Edited by James - April 14 2008 at 00:14