FEATURED CD - Khan : Space Shanty

[mogrooves]

I wonder with albums like these, how members that were around 'back in the day' got hold of these albums in the US! They are obscure enough here.

Brick-&-mortars that carried imports and mail-order outfits (e.g., JEM). The "problem" was buying albums sound unheard!!

[Progbear]

I wonder with albums like these, how members that were around 'back in the day' got hold of these albums in the US! They are obscure enough here.

PVC released this one domestically.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

in New York albums like these were available in all serious music stores. They weren't rare at all, though I didnt find out about Khan until after I had the Egg albums

[Joe F.]

PVC released this one domestically.

A few years after the original release, iirc.

[Phlakaton]

Brick-&-mortars that carried imports and mail-order outfits (e.g., JEM). The "problem" was buying albums sound unheard!!

This has burned me before - but not from the music not being as good as I thought - but from it being the wrong album altogether! I bought the Soft Machine BBC Radio 1 71 cd... and it had Peter Frampton printed on it. Talk about WTF moments in the car later.

[happytheman]

Brick-&-mortars that carried imports and mail-order outfits (e.g., JEM). The "problem" was buying albums sound unheard!!

Yeah my local record store ordered the majority of my Jem imports for me.. Gong, Floyd, and Khan just to name a few..

[mkeneally]

In '74 my local Wherehouse store had the import for $2.99. Didn't know what it was but I had a feeling I would like it, and was amply rewarded!

[Phlakaton]

In '74 my local Wherehouse store had the import for $2.99. Didn't know what it was but I had a feeling I would like it, and was amply rewarded!

No matter how many times I see posts from my heroes on here... I still get giddy. Hi Mike!

[mkeneally]

Hi Phlakaton!

And I just remembered that it might have been Licorice Pizza where I found Khan, not The Wherehouse...

[Progbear]

A few years after the original release, iirc.

Likely. A couple of the Hillage-era Gong albums got domestic releases. At least You did. Plus Shamal (with an alternate cover), if you count that. And I suppose Hillage’s solo work sold well enough for Khan to be of interest for a retroactive release (Well, at least L probably sold well, on account of the Todd Rundgren/Utopia connection).

[Monet]

Khan's "Space Shanty" is firmly one of the best records from the Canterbury scene. Wonderful guitar playing by Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart's powerful organ make the music sounds jazzy and spacey at the same time - sometimes it reminds me of a jazzed version of Camel's "Moonmadness".
Quite complex spacey jazz-rock, carried by Stewart's organ playing and dominated by Hillage's guitar, can be heard on "Space Shanty", plus the solid rhythm work of bass and drums. This music can be compared quite well with Egg and Gong from their "Angel's Egg" and "You" era, but without Allen's joking elements, wind instruments and of course without Gilli Smyth's erotic space-whispering. The hippy feeling of Steve Hillage' solo records as "Fish Rising" and "L" is not that pronounced on this record either. The pieces from "Space Shanty" form a very varied suite, so I don't really want to single out any.
The album is called "Space Shanty", but in my humble opinion it sounds less spacey than Hillage's later solo albums based on his experiences with Gong. A certain amount of space-rock comes into play, of course, primarily through its echo-laden guitar solos. Dave Stewart contributes to this - especially in his solo passages - with a squeaky Canterbury lead organ, but also classical influences and a certain heavy-rock feeling that shouldn't be despised: seldom has Stewart's organ been heard roaring so powerfully. According to this variety of sounds, the compositions are quite diverse and varied, offer many breaks and changes. A small drawback for me is the vocals which sometimes sound a bit strained, but that's not really annoying. An overall picture makes "Space Shanty" one of the most interesting albums of the early 1970s progressive music that was rather eclectic. Highly recommended and also suitable as an introduction to the Canterbury scene.

[Piskie]

The metal-ish opening two lines of the album initially put me off - but it's qualities have grown on my over time- as have nearly all things that involve Messrs Hillage and Stewart.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The metal-ish opening two lines of the album initially put me off

Its balance of juvenile urgency and premature compositional virtues make for a rather unique stew to my ears. Hillage was 19 years old when he wrote most of this

This overt equilibrium is possibly what makes for its overall charm, I think. It's cheezy and "immature" yet so damn developed nonetheless. Like I've written before; that whole mid-section of the opening title track is a fascinating marble of intricately harmonic interplay marvel.

[Czyszy]

Hello everyone! I'm new here. I'm gonna hopefully stay here for longer.

Gosh. I love this album! It'a collection of really beautiful songs. The bass work on it is astounding. The way Nick Greenwood's and Steve Hillage's vocals blend with one another creates a unique sorta atmosphere. The spacey guitars blended with the instantly recognizable Dave Stewart organ and electric piano work - just magnificent. The melodies are catchy sometimes and pop-like but they're very smartly blended with the extended jamming parts so you don't get bored. The way the band uses odd time signatures (check out the 13/16 verses in Stargazers) makes this record sound very symphonic to my ear. IMO, the album's sounds like something that could be a "missing link" between Yes/Genesis symphonic kinda prog, space rock, and the quirky Canterbury stuff.

[Munster]

Hello everyone! I'm new here. I'm gonna hopefully stay here for longer. i

"Welcome back my friend to the show that never ends." Your many guises are a delight to spot.

[veteranof1000psychicwars]

I dearly love this album. I can't recall if there are any band members in common but if you like this you will absolutely devour the Samurai album, the band led by Dave Lawson. They are always of a pair in my mind, for some reason.

[Scrotum Scissor]

"Welcome back my friend to the show that never ends." Your many guises are a delight to spot.

But he's found a new trick now; to have several identities run along at once! That way, if one is cancelled, one of the others can sort of "take sides" against himself.

Of course, the trick isn't new at all. And he's been at it for quite some time.

[Munster]

But he's found a new trick now; to have several identities run along at once!

Exactly. I make it five so far, with three currently active, one a "sleeper" and one making periodic appearances. The identities are very well done, though. Some are given away by an over-exuberant use of YouTube clips, but most telling for me is the use of archaic language. "Gosh"?

I actually find his posts (on the whole) very insightful. He fires up interesting debates and he has an amazing knowledge of prog and other musical categories generally. He just cannot control himself

[Piskie]

^^^ As I'm new here can I point out that I am not whoever he is.

[lovecraft]

Who is it then? Or more importantly, who do you think it is? Svetonio?

And the comparison between Khan and Samurai? Nope, don't hear that, AT all. (strokes chin, confused).

[Munster]

^^^ As I'm new here can I point out that I am not whoever he is.

I am now sorry to have raised this issue and I am sorry that you have had to justify yourself; it is quite clear that your input, which I thoroughly enjoy, is legit. It is not for me to police the site. I raised the issue in jest, and maybe it is a storm in a teacup. Maybe I spend too much time on the site, maybe I’m just a sad case, maybe I have no sense of humour (“maybe”, as Peter Hammill says, “I’ll maybe my life away”.)

The dilemma for me with this issue of false indentities is that either the perpetrator is called out for what he is doing or the subterfuge is overlooked. If he is called out, then suspicion grows within the forum and doubts emerge in what is otherwise a very open and honest site; if the subterfuge is overlooked, then members will be replying in all honesty to an entry that is by its very nature dishonest. The individual concerned has been banned from the site previously and this now seems to be developing into a game of whack-a-mole as he resurfaces under different names. It quickly becomes apparent who he is, though: excessive posting of YouTube clips; archaic (i.e., weird) language; recent joining; and the fact that the poster never remains signed on to the site after posting, as evidenced in the list of “Currently Active Users” in the “What’s Going On” box listed under Forums (which, presumably, means the IP address is hard to trace).

[moecurlythanu]

Fwiw, Svetty hasn't been a problem child (yet) in his current go round. I hope he doesn't flake out, because he is able to contribute to the site. Maybe the painting helps calm him down.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ What are you saying, Moe? Conditional asylum/pardon for ol' Svetser?

Yeah, sure, let's wait and see. No one's getting younger anyhow. Which I suppose is just as well.

[moecurlythanu]

^ Yes, let's see if the Art Therapy has led to a real transpersonal breakthrough.

Or not.

[Dave (in MA)]

Sockpuppet or legit, it was a good contribution to the thread.