Vol. 6-10-Road 40th Anniversary

Description

The 4 full-length CD's + 1 DVD in Box 2 cover the Cow's career from roughly 1976 to the band's demise, with an emphasis on the later era. Nobody knew that this 75-minute concert broadcast of the band existed, so the DVD is a real boon, and has spectacular versions of "Beautiful As The Moon", "Living In The Heart Of The Beast", "March", "Erk Gah", "No More Songs" and a great, improvisational piece. The music discs are also excellent, and include as highlights the original version of "Joan", as well as a 12 minute, hitherto unreleased piece by Lindsay Cooper, and great versions of "Erk Gah and "Viva Pa Ubu" There's also some immaculate improvising, including a 17 minute foray from the original RIO Festival, and Fred's "Waking Against Sleep" from the Western Culture sessions - and all that's just the tip of the iceberg. The hefty, 60-page booklet is chock-full of historic information and exclusive photos. And everything has been carefully transferred and re-mastered by Bob Drake to the best audio quality that current technology allows without interference or tampering. Review: This cow's been milked - EXCELLENT!!!!!!! i've had it for a couple of months and have listened to (almost) the entire previously unreleased sets and let me tell you, if you like RIO or prog rock or free jazz or avant-garde 20th century music, then this is a must buy. Period. Especially in the the second set (the one being reviewed here) i found many surprises such as composed stuff in almost 'studio sound quality' and excellent 'out' live music that i did not associate so much with the Cow before (only 'Concerts' showed this side of them before). HIGHLY recommended! Review: "Holy Cow! An Entire HENRY COW Concert On DVD! A Guide To 'THE ROAD Vol. 2'......" - For the 40th Anniversary of progressive avant-rock group HENRY COW, one of the first bands signed to Virgin Records, their current label ReR MEGACORP has released three five disc retrospective boxed sets, ' THE ROAD Vol. 1-5 ,' 'THE ROAD Vol. 6-10,' and THE STUDIO Vol. 1-5 . The first two contain unreleased studio and live material, and the third their "canon" ( Leg End , Unrest , Desperate Straights (their collaboration with SLAPP HAPPY), In Praise of Learning (with SLAPP HAPPY) and Western Culture . All the sets come in sturdy boxes that when set side by side form a b&w group picture and logo. 'THE ROAD Vol. 2' has a 58pg. booklet with tons of info, including track notes, appendixes on their equipment and accounts and lengthy reminiscences by band members and friends. An empty jewel case (Vol. 4 & 5 is a 2 disc set) is included where you can handily store your copy of Concerts . Formed in 1968 and disbanded in 1978, HENRY COW's influences included rock, blues, classical, opera, jazz and of course, the avant-garde. Their compositions are complex, challenging and extremely original, but they are also dedicated improvisors who would sometimes improvise entire concerts. In 1978 HENRY COW initiated the Rock In Opposition (RIO) movement, a collective of progressive bands united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognize their music. Representing England, the other founding members were STORMY SIX (Italy), SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA (Sweden), UNIVERS ZERO (Belgium) and ETRON FOU LELOUBAN (France). I will review each set volume individually...... Disc/Volume Six: "STOCKHOLM & GÖTEBORG" was released separately ahead of the sets as a taste and teaser. It's also the first disc to feature bassist Greaves replacement Georgie Born, who's also a cellist, adding a new flavor to the COW sundae. Before this set her only recorded work with HENRY COW was two tracks on 'WESTERN CULTURE,' here she makes up for lost time since she's on practically every track of this set. All the material on this disc was recorded for radio, resulting in an excellent listening experience. Track 8, "Ottawa Song" is a actually the same performance featured on Disc Three and was included by mistake due to a tape mix up. Tracks 9 to 11 are the earliest, recorded on May 28, 1976 at Göteborg, tracks one through seven and twelve thru thirteen were recorded in Stockholm May 9, 1977. Dagmar and Georgie don't perform on the Göteborg tracks since the it was recorded during the same tour as Trondheim (Vol. 4 & 5), with Dagmar ill, and the band between bassists. The disc also features a version of Hodgkinson's legendary "Erk Gah," finally making it's debut on a HENRY COW release...... Disc/Volume Seven: "LATER and post-Virgin" features the version of the band (Born, Cooper, Cutler, Frith, Hodgkinson & Krause) that would persevere until their unfortunate end. Considering that all the material on the disc was taken from bootleg recordings, the sound is quite listenable, probably because they had an audience who came to listen and absorb, not to party. The earliest tracks are from 1976 in Chaumont, France, a year after their last album for Virgin. There are two improvisations, the first quite percussive with excellent drumming by Cutler and a xylophone coda by Frith, the second, Cooper and Hodgkinson having a tasty sax and bassoon duel. There is also a version of Frith's "March," which makes numerous appearances throughout the sets. The rest of the material is from 1977, the earliest three cuts from London in February that feature "Joan," a then unreleased Cutler/Frith composition that would reappear on Cutler, Frith & Krauses' post-COW collective ART BEARS ' first album ' HOPES & FEARS ,' a wild "Teenbeat 2" and the non-LP "Would you Prefer us to Lie?" from the pens of Cutler/Greaves. The sound on these tracks have more hiss, but are still very listenable. From May we get a very clear and wonderful eleven minute "Untitled" piece by Cooper from The Netherlands and Dagmar performing Brecht/Eisler's "On Suicide," maybe from Italy. The roughest material was recorded in December Amsterdam with a sinister "Brain Storm over Barnsley" and a reunion with Geoff Leigh on tenor and guest Anne-Marie Roelofs on trombone (who would continue to collaborate with the band) for two "blowing sessions, a quartet of reeds and trombone and a full extended band session. What the tracks lack in sound quality is balanced by the palpable ambience...... In the fall of 1977 Dagmar announced that she was leaving. Because of health concerns she could no longer tolerate the grueling touring, basically living in a bus for months at a time with five other people. She did, however want to continue recording with the group, who met and decided it was time to disband altogether. They agreed to continue for six more months so they could record their current material (which became 'WESTERN CULTURE' and the ART BEARS first album) and go on a "farewell tour" playing all the venues that had supported them over the years...... Disc/Volume Eight: "BREMEN" recorded in March 1978 is all instrumental in crystal clear sound, courtesy again Radio Bremen (see Vol. 3), edited and remastered from the original stereo tapes. Beginning with a more-restrained-than-usual eleven minute improvisation we're treated to "New Suite," a combination of six short mostly Frith pieces, ending with his beginning-to-be-ubiquitous "March," that wouldn't have sounded out of place on 'LEG END,' excellent stuff. The rest of the disc contains the 47 minute "Die Kunst Der Orgel" which contains two sections, the 34 minute/four section improv "Bremen" and a thirteen minute/two-piece extract of Hodgkinson's "Eyk Gah" (a full version appears on Vol. 10). What struck me listening to "Bremen" was how at times it reminded me of another of my favorite improvisational-minded groups...the GRATEFUL DEAD. While their instrumentation differs, both band's improvs are far-reaching and continually substantive, no "noodling" or interminable instrumental solos...and for those inclined, never boring...... Disc/Volume Nine: "LATE" covers the last seven months of their existence. From March 1978 there's nine tracks from a Rock In Opposition Festival that featured all five aforementioned founder groups. They perform a short typical Frith piece, "The Herring People," a four section improv, "RIO" and Lindsay's "Half The Sky" which was also recorded for 'WESTERN CULTURE.' Five tracks are from June or July in Italy including a version of Thelonius Monk's Jackie-ing" and the traditional "Virgins Of Illinois," and a short take of Hodgkinson's "Viva Pa Ubu" (a studio version is on 'WC' as a bonus track) from they're third-from-final concert. The sound quality throughout is good. Soon afterwards the band would record their final album, afterwards on August 27, 1978 HENRY COW was put out to pasture...... Disc/Volume Ten: "VEVEY 1976" is an All-Region DVD and the only known video recording of HENRY COW, making it a priceless artifact for fans. Recorded outdoors on August 25, 1976 at Vevey, Switzerland, the band is set up on the grass of a lawn/field. Tim Hodgkinson and his keyboards are set up stage left, to his right Lindsay Cooper and Georgie Born on chairs, Chris Cutler's drums and percussion, and finally Fred Frith, stage right. Dagmar, dressed in her (socialist) party finest, stands in front of the girls making a feminist triad. The first number is 'IPoL's "Beautiful as the Moon...Terrible as an Army with Banners" with their first improvisation of the evening, "Vevey 1," interspersed. Fred plays the piano parts on an upright located behind Lindsay and Georgie. After an introduction by Tim in haulting French the band performs their cover of Phil Ochs' "No More Songs." Next is a terrific "Living in the Heart of the Beast" featuring an excellent Frith performance on guitar, xylophone and violin. Rounding out the concert is the fourteen minute second improv "Vevey 2," the final version of Frith's ubiquitous "March" and eighteen minutes of Hodginson's "Erk Gah." Special mention goes to Chris Cutler, who plays the drums like an octopus from an old cartoon. I also want to note that although the DVD is supposedly All-Region, it wouldn't play in my older SONY home theater system, but I had no problem viewing it on my computer and multi-region DVD player...... DISC/VOLUME SIX "STOCKHOLM & GÖTEBORG" (63:23) The band: Georgie Born - bass & cello Lindsay Cooper - bassoon, flute recorder, piano (1-2), tapes (9-11) Chris Cutler - drums, amplification, piano (10) Fred Frith - guitar, xylophone, tapes (9-11), piano (13-14) Tim Hodgkinson - organ, alto sax, clarinet, voice & tapes (9-11) Dagmar Krause - singing (1-7 and 12-14) John Greaves - bass & voice on track 6 the songs: 1. "Stockholm 1" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 6:38 2-6. "Erk Gah" (aka "Hold to the Zero Burn" (Hodgkinson) 10:46 7. "A Bridge To Ruins" (Hodgkinson) 5:08 8. "Ottawa Song" (Cutler/Frith) 3:27 9-11. "Göteborg 1" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 16:53 12. "No More Songs" (Ochs, arr. Frith) 3:35 13. "Stockholm 2" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 6:13 14. March (Frith) 4:15 VOLUME SEVEN "LATER AND POST-VIRGIN" (74:04) The band: Georgie Born - bass & cello Lindsay Cooper - bassoon, oboe, jaw harp, flute, piano (3,4,5), accordion (5) Chris Cutler - drums, contact microphone amplification, (5,6,7) Fred Frith - guitar, xylophone, tubular bells, violin, piano (7) Tim Hodgkinson - organ, alto sax, tapes, clarinet (12), voice (5) Dagmar Krause - voice (1,3,7) the guests: Geoff Leigh - tenor saxophone (10,11) Anne-Marie Roelofs - trombone (10,11) the songs: 1. "Joan" (Cutler/Frith) 5:26 2. "Teenbeat 2" (Frith) 8:05 3. "Would you Prefer us to Lie?" (Cutler/Greaves) 4:28 4. "Untitled Piece" (Cooper) 11:31 5. "Chaumont 1" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 9:01 6. "Chaumont 2" (Cooper/Hodgkinson) 2:14 7. "March" (Frith) 7:00 8. "Brain Storm over Barnsley" (Frith) 3:23 9. "Teenbeat 3" (Frith) 6:45 10. "Post-teen Auditorium Invasion" (Cooper, Hodgkinson, Leigh, Roelofs) 3:56 11. "Bucket Waltz" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson/Leigh/Roelofs) 4:26 12. "On Suicide" (Brecht/Eisler) 3:42 DISC/VOLUME EIGHT "BREMEN" (74:07) The band: Georgie Born - bass & cello Lindsay Cooper - bassoon, oboe, soprano sax, recorder, piano (9,10,11,14), accordion, egg-slicer Chris Cutler - drums, marimba (9,10), piano (1,14) Fred Frith - guitar, tubular bells, marimba (8), xylophone (14), violin, piano (7) Tim Hodgkinson - organ, alto sax, clarinet, mbira, voice (9) the songs: 1. "Armed Maniac/Things we forgot" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 11:55 "New Suite" 2. Van Fleet (Frith) 1:48 3. Viva Pa Ubu instrumental extract (Hodgkinson) 4:35 4. The Big Tune begins (Frith) 0:45 5. The Big Tune continues (Frith) 2:11 6. The Big Tune ends (Frith) 1:30 7. March (Frith) 3:46 "Die Kunst Der Orgel" 8-11. Bremen (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 34:25 13,14. Erk Gah instrumental extract (Hodgkinson) 13:04 DISC/VOLUME NINE: "LATE" (35:33) The band: Georgie Born - bass & cello Lindsay Cooper - bassoon, oboe, soprano sax, recorder Chris Cutler - drums Fred Frith - guitar, xylophone, violin Tim Hodgkinson - organ, alto sax, clarinet, voice (7) the songs" 1. "Joy of Sax" 3:50 2. "Jackie-ing" (Monk, arr. Westbrook) 1:15 3. "Untitled 2" (Cooper) 1:32 4. "The Herring People" (Frith) 2:07 5-8. "RIO" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 17:09 9. "Half The Sky" (Cooper) 5:05 10. "Virgins of Illinois" (trad.) 2:13 11. "Viva Pa Ubu" (Hodgkinson) 2:18 DISC/VOLUME TEN: "DVD - VEVEY 1976" (75:16) The band: Georgie Born - bass & cello Lindsay Cooper - bassoon, oboe, soprano sax, recorder, piccolo Chris Cutler - drums Fred Frith - guitar, xylophone, violin, tubular bells, piano Tim Hodgkinson - organ, alto sax, clarinet Dagmar Krause - voice the songs: 1. "Beautiful as..." (Cutler/Frith) 6:50 2. "Vevey 1" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson/Krause) 8:49 3. "Terrible as..." (Cutler/Frith) 2:19 4. Tim speaks 1:04 5. "No More Songs" (Ochs, arr. Frith) 3:48 6. "LITHOTB" (Hodgkinson) 16:57 7. "Vevey 2" (Born/Cooper/Cutler/Frith/Hodgkinson) 13:51 8. "March" (Frith) 2:42 9. "Erk Gah" (Hodgkinson) 18:28 'THE ROAD Vol. 6-10' is a treasure trove for the HENRY COW enthusiast or any adventurous listener. The DVD alone was worth the price of admission for this fan! If you're new to the band, start with 'LEG END,' almost all it's tracks are composed instrumentals, or "DESPERATE STRAIGHTS," a collaboration with SLAPP HAPPY since all of it's tracks are of three to five minutes in length, and all but one feature vocals. If you're hooked, pick up the rest; 'UNREST' and 'IN PRAISE OF LEARNING" (with SLAPP HAPPY) both have a 50/50 ration of composition to improvisation. 'WESTERN CULTURE' features two LP-like side long instrumental compositions with some bonus tracks. The 2CD 'CONCERTS' is like an early mini-distillation of the live boxed sets and contains an excellent BBC Session medley and a great live recording of one of their best compositions, "Ruins." If you're interested in these sets don't delay much longer, they are currently out-of-print but desertcart.uk still carries them and is actually the cheapest way to go, they deduct the added VAT (tax) for foreign orders. They're also still available from the ReR MEGACORP site. Hit THE ROAD and get them all before it's too late......