Henry Cow appreciation society

Wow, I've been gone for not even the whole day and so many new replies in our collective

Flight123 wrote: The Wikipedia article says that when Hodgkinson and Frith were performing as a duo, they played "a variety of musical styles, including "dada blues" and "neo-Hiroshima"." I wonder what that was!

The Calyx chronology notes Henry Cow as a 5-piece in 1968; it also shows the first Peel session as being on the 4 May 1971. 
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On soulseek, there are BBC recordings of Henry Cow from before Legend. I downloaded them and they sound legit. The little text  file that is left reads:
"the date is inaccurate-(2:29)  the first 3 songs come from this session:(2:29)  London, BBC Studios [John Peel show] - "Teen Beat", "Rapt In A Blanket", "I Came To See You" performed (broadcast Mar 14) [guests: Geoff Leigh & Dave Stewart](2:29) 28 february 72 (2:29)  before legend :) (2:30)  october [17] London, BBC Studios
[John Peel show] - "With The Yellow Half Moon & Blue Star", "With The Yellow Half Moon & Blue Star Part 2"
performed (broadcast Nov 14) [guest: DJ Perry] (2:31)  and not sure, but i think the last tracks- (2:32)  1972 april  [24] London, BBC Langham Studios [John Peel show] - "Nirvana For Mice",  "Guider Tells of Silent Airborne Machine", "Nine Funerals of the Citizen King", "Bee" performed (broadcast May 8)".

I would like to congratulate you if you can make a basic sense of that. However, the recordings sound like they were recorded long before Legend. I think these might be recordings from that era.


Edited by ALotOfBottle - June 06 2016 at 08:50

These are the details I could find of the first two BBC sessions:

1971
May [04] London, BBC Maida Vale Studios [Top Gear show] - "Hieronymo's Mad Again", "Poglith Drives a Vauxhall Viva" performed (broadcast May 29)
Martin Ditcham replaces Sean Jenkins on drums

1972

Feb [28] London, Playhouse Theatre [John Peel show] - "Teen Beat", "Rapt In A Blanket", "I Came To See You" performed (broadcast Mar 14) [guests: Geoff Leigh & Dave Stewart]

Edited by Flight123 - June 07 2016 at 03:50

There was a (session) drummer in the first couple of Sade (y'know, Smooth Operator...) albums called Martin Ditcham. I wonder if it's the same guy ??

^ Wow !! Not many folks working the commercial field could say they passed through the mighty Cow !! What an apprenticeship    (Probably only lasted a gig or 2 but I'd still be proud)
BTW, I love Sade......

You can't imagine how hyped I was when I've read that Andy Powell was the bassist of Henry Cow... Until I've read that it was not the same Andy Powell as the phenomenal guitarist of Wishbone Ash. Anyway, the Cow Andy Powell was a crucial figure in Henry Cow's career. He studied music with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Georgy Ligeti! He played in Intermodulation, a proto-electronic group with Roger Smalley, Tim Souster and Robin Thompson. He was the one to introduce Hodgkinson and Frith to neo-classical and avant-classical music, which in result dominated Western Culture. Wonder what he's doing these days...
During his days in Henry Cow, he played both bass and drums.

Flight123 wrote: These are the details I could find of the first two BBC sessions: 1971 May [04] London, BBC Maida Vale Studios [Top Gear show] - "Hieronymo's Mad Again", "Poglith Drives a Vauxhall Viva" performed (broadcast May 29) Martin Ditcham replaces Sean Jenkins on drums 1972 Feb [28] London, Playhouse Theatre [John Peel show] - "Teen Beat", "Rapt In A Blanket", "I Came To See You" performed (broadcast Mar 14) [guests: Geoff Leigh & Dave Stewart]

I've just downloaded the full disc with BBC sessions.

As to Dave Stewart; he did not play anything, did he? Or he did. Celleste, right? He also provided voices in a conversation in "Teenbeat".

"I Came To See You" features such a great Ratledgeian solo by Tim Hodgkinson! Incredible!

This was actually a Virgin release; in the same series there is a session by Slapp Happy (featuring members of the Cow) from 74 although the sound quality is not as good.  It does feature an early version of 'War'.  There is also a session from the Hatfields from 73.

I listened to I Came To See You - pure Canterbury, and a wicked organ solo from Tim. He didn't really solo like that on the albums. Just listening to LegEnd yet again. Definitely not an album you can get bored of. Every spin is pure joy from start to finish. Amygdala is just too good, there's so many blissfully serene moments throughout it. No wonder Tim had clouds painted on his Farfisa.

Ok, attention, collective! I'll be gone for a week, but I'll be back on Friday or so! Take care, y'all.


Edited by ALotOfBottle - June 11 2016 at 13:13

^ David, nice of you to join us !! Feel free to chip in your thoughts on this amazing collective (Frith & Co.). It doesn't just stop at Henry Cow....

I'm back!