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profanatio View Drop Down
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Points: 85 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Any Henry Cow fans here?
    Posted: January 14 2008 at 23:29

This band is highly revered in the avant-prog world but they have a lot of CD's and I have no idea where to start. Can someone recommend me anything? Keep in mind that I'm coming from an ELP, King Crimson backround so anything that HC does that would be considered the least crazy and out in left field the better. In other words, the more palatable the better. Perhaps their most "commercial" CD? I can work my way up to the craziness from there. Thanks

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Points: 1155 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 14 2008 at 23:36
I only just heard a song today on last.fm, so I can't recommend any albums in particular, but I did enjoy it. 
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Points: 13496 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 00:11
I would start with "Western Culture" for me that's a masterpeice,and it's not out in left field at all. "In Praise Of Learnig" is one that is a little insane,so keep that in mind. "Leg-End" is another one i highly regard.I just ordered "Uncut". Great band!
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Points: 2888 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 00:15
I think Leg-End would be a perfect starting place. Probably there most Canterbury sounding release and one of the easier on the ears. Check out the 'Nirvana for Mice' stream on their page.  
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Points: 89372 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 00:22
Also consider their two albums they did with Slapp Happy (and a good introduction to Dagmar Krause).

Desperate Straights (classed a Slapp Happy release)
In Praise of Learning (classed a Henry Cow release)

Also, for a general view of Henry Cow, you cannot miss their 2-CD Concerts, which features Dagmar Krause and Robert Wyatt on some of it.
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Points: 1751 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 01:34
I just got In Praise of Learning the remaster is brilliant and I love Dagmar Krause's vocals.
I also own Western Culture.
I think they are hard to get into, but if you like composers like Schoenberg or Varese. Other than that it  may take a while I recommend surrounding yourself with avant garde music and just taking heavy doses of it until it finally 'clicks'
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Points: 1319 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 01:52

Certainly start with LegEnd. I can't promise you'll enjoy it (at least not right away), but it's probably your best shot. I purchased Western Culture first, but couldn't appreciate it until I got into LegEnd. Coming from your background, it may take a few listens to grow on you, but give it a chance. Smile
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Points: 2459 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 03:25
Leg End is a true prog masterpiece. If you've got a sense of adventure, you'll appreciate it.

As for Slapp Happy and Dagmar Krause, my advice is: sample first!
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Points: 1494 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 09:47

I know everyone recommends LegEnd, but I still recommend Western Culture because it is completely composed, so you don't really have the free jazz moments of LegEnd. But that's just me.
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Points: 12813 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2008 at 09:49
Originally posted by fuxi fuxi wrote:

Leg End is a true prog masterpiece. If you've got a sense of adventure, you'll appreciate it.

As for Slapp Happy and Dagmar Krause, my advice is: sample first!
 
The album stemming from their  Rocktunity Knocks win, Legend (as I've long called it)  is my favourite because of so many echoes of Machine at their prime. Personally I think you need to be more adventurous with other HC records. BTW always though Casablanca Moon (originally Virgin?) or better the extended version, known as  Noom Acnalbasac (ReR), was a friendly way of discovering Slapp Happy.
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Points: 1594 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 18 2008 at 05:19
I've always found the stuff with Dagmar Krause a bit heavy going. I've never taken to her voice, so I wouldn't recommend starting with In Praise of Learning.
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Points: 3659 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 18 2008 at 12:00
I've been thinking of checking out this band for some time now, they somehow seemed to pass me by in the seventies so thanks for the tips. Thumbs%20Up
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Points: 7606 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 18 2008 at 12:59
I'm more of a fan of what came after Henry Cow (primarily their subsequent tighter compositional work as part of Art Bears, Letters from Babel and Aksak Maboul rather than their improv or solo works) but I think In Praise of Learning is exceptional - I'd say it was worth all five stars and an album I hope I'll never tire of hearing, but it's hard to recommend it as a starting point because it's so incomparable to anything else I've heard; maybe I'm missing contemporary classical references which could enrich the music even more for me, but regardless of origin, it's an album you might fall in love with immediately, because I did!

The first two more experimentally Canterburian adventures don't appeal to me as much because I am a jazz infidel.
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Points: 6419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 19 2008 at 11:33
Quite a fan these days. Always liked them, but it took a while to really get it. Been listening to them a lot recently. Currently playing In Praise of Learning.
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Points: 11 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2008 at 23:41
Start with their first album, Leg-end.  Then you can proceed through their catlog chronologically.
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Points: 31329 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 23 2008 at 07:55
Originally posted by 3243 3243 wrote:

Start with their first album, Leg-end.  Then you can proceed through their catlog chronologically.
 
 
Agree on this!
 
I'd also recommended their Slapp Happy collaboration "Desperate Straights", which is far easier on the ear, but still wonderfully quirky and interesting in typical RIO fashion.
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Points: 436 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2008 at 13:37

Try iTunes. There's all four studio albums there and a live one. You can hear 30 secons snippets of all tracks for free...

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Points: 7003 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2008 at 14:34
Originally posted by 3243 3243 wrote:

Start with their first album, Leg-end.  Then you can proceed through their catlog chronologically.
 
Good recommendation, as is the idea of checking out the downloads on emusic. If you like the albums then it is worth getting them on CD - the packaging is really well designed and the liner notes are very informative.
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Points: 250 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2008 at 14:55
Did someone say Henry Cow.Clap
 
Good,very, very ,Good band.Thumbs%20Up
 
Like you when I brought my first Henry cow album I was listening to King Crimson and ELP.I had just started to push into the canterbury style via Egg.
 
Still Henry Cow was a hell of a shock to the system.It was a simple case of not liking what I heard on Leg-End and it was quickly filed into a box of don't like much cd's.Problem,for a couple of months I had fragments of a tune going around in my head,which I just could not help trying to hum.Wacko
Came to a point that I had to find this tune.It was Amygdala from Leg-End.Strange thing is I loved that tune on the second listen,and the rest followed,but took much longer for their more adventurous pieces to get hold,but they did.
well Had Leg-End for over two years now and Feeling brave,earlier this year got hold of Unrest.Its a really great album,but not a good starting place.
 
LampI recommend Leg-End,althow have been told Western Culture is also a good place to start.Lamp
 
Anyway,no matter which album/s you start with I hope you get as much enjoyment from them as I do.Big%20smile
HAPPY LISTENING,RELAX AND ENJOY.LOL
 
 
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Points: 6890 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2008 at 14:59
Western cuture was just too much weirdness for me, and thats a lot, I'm a Kayo Dot fan!
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