Henry Cow appreciation society
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=106681
Printed Date: November 26 2024 at 01:40
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Topic: Henry Cow appreciation society
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Subject: Henry Cow appreciation society
Date Posted: May 08 2016 at 12:16
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Fans of Henry Cow, this is your home. I am writing this as I have just finnished reviewing all of the band's official releases (excluding boxsets and fan-made stuff). Really, what an excellent band this was. I really started listening to them after I fell in love with their contribution to Egg's Civil Surface a few months ago. I started discovering albums chronologically, which gave me a really good perspective in the end. And just this weekend, I have purchased an original LP of Legend in mint condition. This is a great record to have. The mixing is very nice. Share your positive (and negative) thoughts, post clips, articles, and everything Henry Cow! Cheers! |
Replies:
Posted By: GKR
Date Posted: May 08 2016 at 13:02
Thanks for this topic man! It was about time!  ------------- - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: May 08 2016 at 13:34
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Love this band, becoming a completist. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: May 08 2016 at 14:50
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I will join this collective. |
Posted By: LearsFool
Date Posted: May 08 2016 at 15:17
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Kickass band. There was a time in my senior year of high school that all I could think about listening to, out of all the music in the world, were Concerts and Western Culture. Awesome successor projects, too. -------------  
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 07:17
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On a related note, I have seen Fred Frith several times live, the last two times solo doing some guitar trickery, which I found quite intriguing. I have a number of his albums (mostly collaborations such as Helter Skelter, Steps Across The Border, Keep the Dog) but he has made such an incredible number of albums and most of them difficult to get hold of that I wonder whether his experimental solo guitar stuff is on any (good) one, and which one it is. Any recommendations? |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:00
1988 : The Technology Of Tears And Other Music For Dance And Theatre. A double Lp and my favorite work by him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug3w66y5a2Q
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Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:03
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^I'll second Pierre on this one. Buddy of mine has that LP and it's a very interesting listen. It's on my own to-get list actually. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:15
I've only got a couple of Frith solo albums but they've been consistently recommended by people I trust as the place to start, Gavity & Speechless. I saw him at RIO last year solo doing his guitar improvisation experimental stuff, I was expecting to hate it but it was surprisingly entrancing, one of the performances of the weekend. He also sat in on most of the Artaud Beats set which meant that 4 members of HC were on stage during their set. Quite sublime. Half The Sky are playing RIO this year performing the music of Lindsay Cooper with Yumi Hara & Chris Cutler in the band & the Knifeworld bassoonist playing Lindsay's parts. I'm really looking forward to it. Chris will also be playing with Yumi Hara, Jeff Leigh, plus two members of Faust (Zappi & Peron) as Jump For Joy. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Lewian wrote:Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:19
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Anyone here own the live release cut in Stockholm? One of those I'm still trying to digest - complete headscratcher of a listen. I imagine it would be a lot easier had I attended the gig. Edit: Just checked, it's actually two gigs spread over two cities. Stockholm and Göteborg.
------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:30
Yeah, I've beem searching for the Stockholm tapes on Soulseek, nobody shares those (except for one guy, who shares the whole album as a private folder). Anyway, I'll look some more. And as always, I will probably end up buying the CD at a rip-off price. I really like Legend-era Henry Cow, so I found this video extremely interesting. And suprisingly I can understand about 35% of French which I have never learnt!  Anyway, highly recommended! |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:34
Doing a bit of sneak-peaking before you buy is probably the best way to go about it considering your recent review of 'Concerts' ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:42
Hehe,  . It's a decent album and if you can get it at a reasonable price, pick one up. It's definitely an interesting album. First disc with Matching Mole tunes is neat and so are the Greasy Truckers session recordings. However... Meh, probably one of the least interesting works from Henry Cow. Down there with Side Two of Unrest, which I've been recently trying to get into (once again). But, nothing changed. I only enjoyed "Half Asleep, Half Awake", which is a very good tune. It's also a rarity, because it was written by John Greaves. |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 08:53
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I do own a copy of 'Concerts' and spin it about as much as I do Area's 'Event '76' Nah I prefer their studio work, which is funny seeing as I often tend to favour bands in a live setting.
------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 09:18
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There is also an unofficial live album from 1978 with the lineup that is responsible for Western Culture. Not an excellent work, but a great listen nonetheless. And it has a sock on the cover |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 09:25
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Socks are important. I'm not as conservative as they were though, colourwise that is. I own pairs in yellow, green, turquoise, purple, red, blue and orange. Would've suited Western Culture's cover art immensely with a green sock imo. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 09:40
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Side 1 of Concerts is probably my favorite work by Henry Cow, the improv stuff on side 2 I really have to be in the mood for to appreciate. I have both box sets and find both very good and pretty essential for completists. If I'm honest I bought the second box mainly for the DVD of the live footage from France & I saw the first box at a very reasonable price at last years RIO so grabbed it. I can't name a favorite studio album as they are all good and I'll grab whichever I'm in the mood for, they are so different. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Michael P. Dawson
Date Posted: May 09 2016 at 09:40
| I've been a big fan of H. Cow ever since the time of the first album--which I was first exposed to, believe it or not, on regular commercial American radio! It was the local classical station, which switched to jazz after 10:00 p.m. I first heard both Henry Cow and Oregon that same evening. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: May 10 2016 at 06:09
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Thanks for the Frith recommendations! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 10 2016 at 06:45
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Each and every HC album is superb. Hard to choose a favourite, although the track Amygdala is unbelievably beautiful. Love the Canterburian feel of much of it. The tone of Hodgkinson's organ is pure magic. Western Culture is BRILLIANT. All their music sounds as fresh today as it would've been back then. I know many folks can't stand 'em. |
Posted By: twseel
Date Posted: May 10 2016 at 07:09
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All four studio albums are great but for me Legend gets the most listens, while War and Living in the Heart of the Beast are classic tracks. ------------- 
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Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 10 2016 at 08:23
To me, Western Culture has a bit of a Legend-esque feel to it. "Amygdala" is indeed phenomenal. It took me a while to figure out that the lush sound in the beggining is organ, not a synthesizer. I also like how the piece is placed after the dynamic, jazzy "Nirvana For Mice". Very good piece! |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 10 2016 at 08:39
| So many talents in the same band, it is almost unthinkable today. |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 10 2016 at 10:05
Stuff like this is often regarded grumpy, but it's true man! It is unthinkable that another Henry Cow could exist today. Not only were they great instrumentalists, but there was a very strong musical bond detectable there! |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 11 2016 at 06:43
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Someone wrote somewhere that the subsequent projects of Henry Cow's members would be enough to provide a lifetime of satisfying listening. The musical bond was forged in the face of adversity as their label (Virgin) lost interest and the band took matters into their own hands. I consider myself lucky at having seen them twice, in Nottingham (UK), in 1977 (Feb. then Oct.) - my most treasured musical memories! |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 11 2016 at 06:53
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Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 11 2016 at 07:42
| Mammmmaaaa ! |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 11 2016 at 09:43
Have you seen Wigwam, too? A great band, too! |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 11 2016 at 10:00
True.  Wigwam and the Cow the same night, it's not a concert, it's a miracle.   |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 11 2016 at 10:28
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I never got to see Wigwam live. |
Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: May 11 2016 at 16:21
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All this love for a band I hate (as well as Area). ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 03:49
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I am used to it - when I was a teenager I had to deal with my Rush loving friends who tried to take the piss out of the Cow! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 05:20
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Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 05:22
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Yes - extensively interviewed in the mag! |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 09:16
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Lindsay was a really interesting figure if you consider all her political activity, too. |
Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 09:45
------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 10:56
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I realise the Cow are not everybody's cup of tea. The first album I heard was Desperate Straights, which was more of a Slapp Happy album (the result of the 'merger' between the two bands). Despite loving it, 'Caucasian Lullabye' was inexplicable! |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 18:54
Two of the greatest bands ever.
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: May 12 2016 at 19:10
Amen. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 08:02
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What got me into Henry Cow was their guesting on Egg's Civil Surface. An excellent album by the way, one of my all-time favorites. Tim Hodgkinson and Lindsay Cooper get some really nice parts here, especially towards the end. |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 10:17
Head to the ReR megacorp website, the CD is part of the sale - £5 UK!! |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 11:17
| Patrice Blanc-Francard : Pop 2. This show was cult in France. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 14:45
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I came into Henry Cow through the Hatfield debut - (Geoff Leigh, courtesy of Henry Cow) - I thought HC was the name of some 'solo' guy..... My first purchase was the 2LP Concerts album, back in the mid-90's, I fell in love immediately with the BRILLIANT 1st side. The rest took me a *lot* of time to digest. Then, not too long after I came across the first 'sock' album LegEnd, that was it - HENRY COW were a favourite. Over the years I managed to get all the Cow albums and the many LP's affiliated with HC - Art Bears, Fred Frith, Slapp Happy, John Greaves, News From Babel, Lindsay Cooper etc. and they are still all a fascinating listen, each and every one. I still think of the debut as a 'Canterbury' album. What an outstanding bunch of highly intelligent musicians who managed to think outside the box and make it all work. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 15:55
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Another Henry Cow-a-holic (and Area since it cropped up too). I love Henry Cow as well as all the related projects that I know (the udderly glorious Cow universe). It's one of those bands that led me to listening to a huge amount of related music (same happens to me with TV shows -- yesterday I re-watched a rock musical called AD-BC, which led me to watch a whole bunch of different shows,and damn were they good, but I digress...). I first heard Henry Cow on a university radio station, they were playing the Henry Cow/Slapp Happy collaboration "War". The first Cow album I got was In Praise of Learning, and I got the HC/SH collab Desperate Straits at about the same time, then the Art Bears albums. I absolutely feel in in love with News From Babel, by the way. After that I was particularly into the early Cow, more Canterbury sounding albums, and then I grew to love the more experimental Western Culture (that was quite a challenging album for me). The range of Henry Cow over just a few albums impresses me, and kept me coming back. I mean, someone who is into In Praise of Learning, for instance, might not like Western Culture, at least not immediately. And if you're into LegEnd, you might not like In Praise, etc. That, and that there are so many related projects that I love really solidified my value of the musicians. ------------- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4IKuxIZkenfvukL_Y8VBqzK" rel="nofollow - Duos for fave acts |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 16:00
News From Babel is wonderfull.  Their Letters home is one the best "Bobby Wyatt" album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhL1hpjFuIY |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 16:08
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I love the tracks that feature Robert Wyatt. I'm a massive fan of Robert Wyatt, and he is one of those artists that, like with some members of the Cow, I have tried to delve into lots of their projects (probably truer of Wyatt than anyone else with me). ------------- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4IKuxIZkenfvukL_Y8VBqzK" rel="nofollow - Duos for fave acts |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 16:56
Nice album Lindsay Cooper - Music For Other Occasions, 1986 |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 17:40
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First album I bought which had Lindsay Cooper on was Hillage's 'Fish Rising' back in 1989, an album I bought for many GonG members' participation. Funny, I also bought Hillage's 'L' album for all the Utopians...... |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: May 13 2016 at 20:45
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I think it was Hatfield and the North's The Rotters Club for me. Incidentally, the is one of those tracks that was special to me in my early days of exploring the Cow. ------------- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4IKuxIZkenfvukL_Y8VBqzK" rel="nofollow - Duos for fave acts |
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 00:25
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My favorite track with LITHOTB.
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Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 00:51
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For my personal development, the reprise of "Teenbeat" became crucial. I fell in love with the track since the very first note. I really like how the laid-back jazzy piece resolves into this crazy run with Fred Frith's outstanding guitar playing (and guitar timbre for that matter, it's almost synthesizer-like!), Tim Hodgkinson's piano. Phenomenal piece and my all-time favorite from the group. "Nine Funerals Of Citizen King" has also played a crucial role. I liked how this track was different to everything else on the album utilizing some very avant-garde folk-inspired ideas. I dug deeper into the lyrics and my mind was blown: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107859431909/ One of the members of songmeanings.com interprets the lyrics in a fascinating way. It's just above the lyrics, have a read. Henry Cow were just a bunch of young geniuses! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 02:44
| I find it difficult to pick whether what I'm hearing is a unique tone from Frith, or Hodgkinson's manipulated organ sounds. So many unique sounds, just mind-boggling. |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 04:30
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I agree with the above - Frith could mimic as well, for example, the pure Oldfield solo on 'Europa' off Desperate Straights... from what I have read, Hodgkinson was a reluctant organist, at least initially, which might explain his unique approach. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 05:19
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^ Oldfield was a big influence around this time. Unique in his approach too. Just pulled out the ole Desperate Straights LP I have (Recommended Records re-issue) - gonna give this an airing after my 'Goo-fest. I love how DS is mostly a Slapp Happy album with Cow influences, and In Praise Of Learning is mostly a Cow album with SH influences. A marriage made in Heaven. Two left-field approaches from, well, let's be honest, opposing genres. Both bands had a similar experimental mind-set. |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 05:35
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Yeah, Tim Hodgkinson never used Hammond organ as far as I'm concerned. And I am glad he did not. Although I love the sound of the instrument, his instrument choice resulted in a very unique style. As to the things you are saying about Oldfield, he was an undeniable influence. Consider it's 1973, Manor Stuidios owned by Virgin. You have got Mike Oldfield there, Magma, Hatfield & The North, Henry Cow, Faust, Gong, Tangerine Dream, Strawbs (one year later). Obviously not at the same time, but I would believe they did meet sometimes. It was a very vibrant place, definitely. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 05:45
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^ Abso-f**king-lutely Picked up on that in a flash !!! Bet if you asked Branson about them these days he'd make some idiotic remark like " ha, those were the days......oh, who were Faust ?? "........ That's what I'd imagine.....
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Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 05:51
A capitalist that Branson is might not feel comfortable recalling mingling with Marxists that Henry Cow or GonG were hah |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 06:18
Guess he forgets (ignores) who put him 'on the map' in the first place.......(shyster....  )
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Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 06:21
"on the map"? Might that be an allusion to Henry Cow's piece "Off The Map"? |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 08:26
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^ There's no 'Off The Map' on my LP - just Groningen, Groningen Again etc. Ruins is amazing. Did Tim use a Farfisa ?? Something which looks like it had flowers printed on it somewhere  ?? You know, some of these guys couldn't afford (or didn't wAnt to use) Hammonds or Gibsons, just some nondescript cheap organ and put it through all sorts of effects......... The organ section of Living In The Heart Of The Beast is MASSIVE - even a Pipe Organ wouldn't achieve that power. |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 08:37
Well, they could afford Gibsons. Fred Frith used a Gibson ES-345 exclusively. It was and is one of the highest quality electric six-string instruments out there. The new ones go for at least 4000 dollars right now, the vintage ones even up to 30 000 dollars.  I wish I could own a copy or that very instrument sometime in my life. As to Tim's organ, it was Farfisa Compact Duo. The very same that Rick Wright used. At first, I found its sound a bit disturbing and (as you said) cheap. However, it grew on me and I really love it now. He built a custom cab for it with a few tweaks. |
Posted By: Michael P. Dawson
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 09:06
Oddly, for such a detailed and erudite analysis, he missed the Shakespeare reference, from Henry IV: An if we live, we live to tread on kings; If die, brave death, when princes die with us. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 10:46
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In the gatefold of the Concerts album, I really love their stage setting - like a homely lounge-room, somewhere cosy. Greaves' bass kills !! Actually, HC are one band where one could speak for hours about each instrument, sound and player. Frith plays the bass on most of Western Culture - he gets a strange, almost 'rubbery' sound. Georgie Born was outstanding on 1/2 The Sky. Gosh, this thread is forcing me to bring out all my Cow records tomorrow. Maybe even Art Bears. If one adores Daggie, there's some interesting albums she's realised herself - I came across Supply And Demand whilst flipping through a crate of random 80's LP's back in the 90's, then got Tank Battles on CD, which I enjoyed more than her first. I once had an album by Daggie and Kevin Coyne, entitled Babble. I really didn't dig it. It was jettisoned promptly. And I swear that I saw Dag's name on a Paul Young album !! Maybe backing vocals on 1 or 2 tracks ?? Either that, or I was tripping..... 
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Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 14 2016 at 11:04
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My 6th form band tried to imitate the Cow's stage setting with lamp shades, etc. Well, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am not sure all my band mates were quite with me! Pre-internet, one relied on the music press for information so the 2nd time I saw the Cow in 77, we were hugely disappointed to turn up at the venue to find Dagmar had retired from touring due to ill health. However, the concert was a belter but the only vocal track was 'Viva Pa Ubu'. Luckily, I got to see her again some 37 years later at the Lindsay Cooper tribute shows...!  |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 01:49
They don't have lamps here, but also a very cool stage setup.  Ooh, I've got one with lamps  This is the gatefold of Concerts, isn't it? Man, they were such cool people! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 02:50
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^ Uber-cool. Love the pic with Georgie on bass Thanks. Ooh, so Tim's decked his organ out with clouds, not flowers (like I thought.....) |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 05:42
Have a look, Georgie plays bass here, too |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 06:15
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Thanks again !! I'm amazed that there's any footage of this phenomenal band at all. Watching Cutler flap his arms around every beat is fun - and they're bizarre beats too. Lindsay looks cute (as does Goergie). On a side - Georgie played 'cello in National Health (Squarer For Maud) and a sensational track off Bruford's Tornado album (Gothic 17). |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 10:50
From what I can remember, when Georgie joined Henry Cow, she didn't have much experience with bass guitar at all! However, she learned the instrument quickly. |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 11:13
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Yes, she tuned it like her cello. Apparently Steve Beresford also auditioned at the same time but the band were impressed by her musical ability. It was great to see her live with the band - twice - but now retired from music for many years. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 02:55
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^ You don't know how lucky you are !! ^^ Her understanding of ''cello obviously helped her with the bass - I don't even want to attempt 1/2 The Sky.........(but then, I'm an untrained, hopeless bassist.....) |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 06:29
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I do know how lucky I am to have seen this great band in their prime! Apart from my friends who went with me to the gigs in 77, I have only met one other person who has seen them live. At least, I got to see John Greaves with them at the Lindsay Cooper tribute gig as well. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 08:19
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^ Man, it truly sux living 'Down Under'. We really are the ass-end of the world somewhat..... There are countless bands I listen to and just get right into (to name 2 extremes ; Kajagoogoo and Meshuggah, both mean a lot to me, and not just because.......) but there are a precious handful of bands that are in my heart and soul (2 more extremes ; Sade and Henry Cow). I can't explain why, it just 'is'.......... |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 08:23
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Well, that's music for you. As a teenager, the Cow taught me to listen far beyond the confines of prog. A lot of the ex-Cow members still seem to be active internationally - chances are Cutler, or Frith especially, may visit down under one day. Even Magma have made it over there! |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 08:32
Yassss! I finally found all ten volumes of The Road on the internetz. And boy, is it a long listen!  So far, I have listened to the first two discs and it seems far more interesting than Concerts. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to find the album online instead of spending 70 bucks for each boxset without knowing what it is. I will try to write a review of Volumes 1-5 this weekend if I manage to listen to the whole. So far, the first disc was outstanding. You get all of the nice flavors from the first album with some newer elements. There is even Dave Stewart's talking there somewhere! Anyway, a great listen!------------- Categories strain, crack and sometimes break, under their burden - step out of the space provided. |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 08:35
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I also suggest you look at this: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/henry-cow-the-40th-anniversary-henry-cow-box-set-by-john-kelman.php |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 08:47
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^ Wish Dave played some of his blowing Fuzz-Hammond solos there............ I did give an attentive listen to Concerts, and it was amazing. It has been quite a few years since I spun the entire thing, usually just side 1 and I'm done. Side 2 with Wyatt and Riding Hood and Ruins is pretty cool, the 3rd side of 29 minutes of improv (with Dagmar sounding like she's being murdered about half-way through) is O.K., Side 4 is quite superb and exciting, even having a section of .....Heart Of The Beast somewhere there. Tim's organ just blows - actually, lots of his organ throughout, more than I remember. I'm sure he distorts and fuzzes it beyond recognition - just when you think it's not an organ, Frith comes in with a distinctive lead that makes those odd sounds as coming from Tim. That's it, I was about to listen to Yes, now it's gonna be Unrest. Cancel all my previous posts on various threads........... |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 08:52
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I can remember buying 'Concerts' straight out of the box the day it was released in 76! Showing my age again... As Tom points out, the more 'difficult' sides 3 and 4 repay careful listening (spot the tape of 'Nine Funerals...' in 'Oslo') |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 09:58
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^ Nine Funerals.....on side 3 ??? Still haven't picked that..... Got Tim's organ section of LITHOTB somewhere on side 4......... Very difficult and challenging where improv is concerned. Also, there's many bands doing this Cow complex improv styling since LegEnd. Really, they (the few I have) pale in comparison to HC. No one will come up to their kneecaps.......... Currently spinning Unrest - Greaves' piano is fading on Half Asleep..... Now Ruins has kicked in..... See ya' |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 11:27
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Dang, when writing the review on Concerts, I totally forgot that there was also a track "Ruins" on Unrest when writing that it was originally less than 3-minutes long. That is true, but with "Ruins" on the next album. And the "Ruins" from Concerts did seem a bit odd in comparison to the In Praiser"Ruins". |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 11:31
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Okay, edited Man, I feel so bad. I am a Henry Cow fan and I made such a terrible mistake. What a disgrace... |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 03:40
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Not at all! It's good to hear from fellow Cow fans - there's not that many of us!! |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 03:43
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This thread has gotten me wanting spin 'em. Tremendous band, much respect. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 09:03
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Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 09:19
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Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 10:14
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If you are (like me) a guitarist, you might naturally find Fred Frith's gear interesting. I also found out about that 1961 Burns Bison guitar of his. He did use it in one of the previous vids from French TV that I posted. It's also visible on the "Tubular Bells" clip below, where he played with Mike Oldfield, Steve Hillage, Mike Ratladge, Mick Taylor, Terry Oldfield, and some other faces I can't put my finger on. That Burns guitar seems to be giving him a much more treble-oriented, bity sound than his ES-345. Notice how he also plays bass guitar (a very similar looking one belonged to John Greaves, so who knows!). |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 10:17
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There were three other Cow members performing in that clip: John Greaves (but playing keyboards), Tim Hodgkinson and Geoff Leigh. Also, Pierre Moerlen on percussion and Karl Jenkins on oboe. |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 10:20
Man, is there something you don't know about Henry Cow? Seems like I've got a lot of homework to do on the band. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 10:28
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A Henry Cow thread gets 80+ posts in a week, there is hope for the universe
------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 17 2016 at 10:36
Half of which are mine, trying to prevent the thread from dying No, but really, there is hope for universe |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:06
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[/QUOTE] Man, is there something you don't know about Henry Cow? Seems like I've got a lot of homework to do on the band.[/QUOTE] Well, I have been a fan for over 40 years so I guess I have had a lot of time to pick things up! Here's a mini-quiz for Henry Cow fans (without Googling!): 1. Which famous band did Henry Cow support for their very first gig? 2. Two members were once fired from Henry Cow - who were they? 3. Who did a cover version of 'War'? |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:13
I know a partial answer to #1. Pink Floyd and... I dunno. I know they played with Gong in 1971. Hmmm... #2 I believe it was Geoff Leigh and someone else.... #3 No clue |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:16
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OK, you were right with Q.1 - it was Pink Floyd, in Cambridge, 1968. I will see if any others come up with answers to the other two (the answer to Q. 3 is not a prog band) |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:19
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Wrong with #2? |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:21
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Yes - apparently Geoff Leigh left of his own accord after a tour of Holland |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:25
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Wasn't John Greaves fired of conflicts on availability and musical direction? Not sure on the other one. No idea on 3.
------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:25
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Hmmm, I was also thinking about some members from the Slapp Happy line. Dagmar, Anthony Moore? Or maybe Georgina? |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:27
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Getting warmer there - one of them was indeed from the 'merger'. To give you a clue about the other, Chris Cutler apparently very much regretted it and this person was subsequently invited back into the band anyway! |
Posted By: ALotOfBottle
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 08:50
| Anyway, no use in guessing. I think I know who you are talking about (and that the answer appears to be easier than I thought), but wasn't the person kindly asked to leave rather than fired? Still not really sure, I will let others try. |
Posted By: Flight123
Date Posted: May 19 2016 at 03:54
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Well, Peter Blegvad admitted to being 'fired' for not being able to play Henry Cow music. No hard feelings - he produced the wonderful Kew. Rhone with John Greaves a year later and was then in the Art Bears touring band in 1979 - plus many other collaborations afterwards. 'Fired' is probably too harsh a word for the other was Lindsay Cooper, and Chris Cutler did recall the difficulty of the situation. 'War' was covered by The Fall and appears on the Middle Class Revolt album - I like it, jarring and frenetic with Mark E. Smith spitting out the words (which he seems to forget or muddle at various points - sure it was deliberate - worth a listen!) |