Best Moments from Dave Stewart?

[Udi Koomran]

Everyone is busy explaining his chord progression and odd time meters
No one mentioned that tone
that distinct setting on the Hammond plus the distortion pedals those oscillators

[rcarlberg]

Not mentioned so far is "Neil's Heavy Concept Album" which is a bit of a lark but features some stellar playing from Dave, including his debuts on drums and guitar. The album has some comedy bits but also a fairly generous helping of seriously good music. Barbara's on it too.

Dave's sense of humour isn't just in his liner notes.

No one has mentioned that tone.

EVERYBODY has mentioned that tone.

[Udi Koomran]

EVERYBODY has mentioned that tone.

[jazz2896]

Oh hey no one's mentioned the Drury Lane live album from Robert Wyatt! Stewart's solo in the last half of this track is blazing. That whole show just had a mindblowing lineup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5rAzsj5c0E

[bill g]

Still perhaps my favorite composer. Just a few faves:

(Son of) There's No Place Like Homerton
Mumps
Tenemos Roads
Clocks and Clouds

And so much more...

[Phlakaton]

because I dont know jack about the timings its all I've mentioned... several times. Lets mention it again. WOOO!!! Its what grabbed me in the first place.

[battema]

Okay, so I've officially been slacking on the Hatfield stuff. Gonna need to go home and spend some quality time with Rotter's Club and Mumps in particular

Happy to see the love!

[DrGoon]

Oddly enough, my first exposure to Dave Stewart was through his Introducing the Dots book! Having seriously gotten into music about the age of thirteen with my discovery of Genesis and Yes, and thinking that I'd like to learn how to play music, my natural first as a nerdy teenager was of course to hit the local library for a book on reading and writing music. And Stewart's book was what they had. I was pretty amazed when I read through the book and realized this Stewart fellow had played with Bill Bruford, the guy who drummed for both Genesis and Yes! I never made it particularly far in my own music playing ambitions, but the fact that I can even understand what people are even talking about when they discuss time signatures or chord sequences is ultimately due to Dave Stewart, So to that I'll always be grateful to him.

I love both of Dave's books on music theory - Introducing the Dots became The Musician's Guide to Reading and Writing Music and there was also Inside the Music. When I was looking for music theory books that could help me learn keyboard (something that I don't spend nearly enough time on to be proficient) I discovered these. I picked them based on my knowledge of Dave's music and they're great instructional books.

My introduction to Dave Stewart came as did my introduction to all things Canterbury - from the Gong family. I likely heard him first on Fish Rising, but it was Space Shanty that first made me aware of him and set me to explore Egg, Hatfield, National Health and Bruford. It was actually by this circuitous route that I came to King Crimson and even Yes, who by that point I had spent a number of years trying to ignore.

If I had to pick a couple of moments, I'd go with The Long Piece and Mumps, both of which are roughly side-long moments.

[rcarlberg]

and so long ago now....

Seconded

Where's new music from Dave & Barbara? How can such a creative musician pull a Ratledge?

[battema]

It isn't quite a new Stewart/Gaskin, but Dave is on piano duty all over the new Dizrythmia CD

I'd love a new S/G album though.

[Phlakaton]

I love both of Dave's books on music theory - Introducing the Dots became The Musician's Guide to Reading and Writing Music and there was also Inside the Music. When I was looking for music theory books that could help me learn keyboard (something that I don't spend nearly enough time on to be proficient) I discovered these. I picked them based on my knowledge of Dave's music and they're great instructional books.

My introduction to Dave Stewart came as did my introduction to all things Canterbury - from the Gong family. I likely heard him first on Fish Rising, but it was Space Shanty that first made me aware of him and set me to explore Egg, Hatfield, National Health and Bruford. It was actually by this circuitous route that I came to King Crimson and even Yes, who by that point I had spent a number of years trying to ignore.

If I had to pick a couple of moments, I'd go with The Long Piece and Mumps, both of which are roughly side-long moments.

I grabbed 'Introducing the Dots' long ago in hopes of learning to play keys... but I just kept laughing at the stuff he writes so much that I forgot what the hell I was even reading it for. He's a hilarious man. The book from 'Complete' is a real gem. So is the 'Copious Notes' booklet.

[chalkpie]

Okay, so I've officially been slacking on the Hatfield stuff. Gonna need to go home and spend some quality time with Rotter's Club and Mumps in particular

Happy to see the love!

When I start my annual Canterbury binge (usually around the end of December), there are times when I spin "Mumps" at least once a day, sometimes a few. That's everyday. I never get sick of that genius masterpiece - its on the level of a great symphony for me - that's just about the biggest praise I can give it. You should slow down the solo during the 23/27 section and try to learn that sucker for fun - its SO masterful on every level. I'm excited for you to get into The Rotters Club - you should hit that thing at least once a day for at least two weeks, and then you might see what all of the fuss is about. IMO its just about the best unknown album of the 70's to the people of planet Dearth.

[battema]

Maybe I'll just put it on repeat when I go to bed, see if I can absorb the trickier bits via the ol' Alpha method

(seriously...I'm eager to go back and revisit that lovely)

[chalkpie]

A quick funny story - back in the 90's when I lived near Sussman on Long Island, we would peruse the local CD shops on weekends for old prog albums that we read about online. Sussman finally finds 'The Egg' - we thought it was a Dave Stewart album, a masterpiece - we were excited! So we get back to his apartment, crack a brew, hit the , and we throw on this disc.....only to find the air molecules invaded by some electronic dance shit! OH man - that was a buzz kill and a half. We both started cracking up - I think he still has that disc. Wrong 'The Egg'.

[battema]

[Steve F.]

How can such a creative musician pull a Ratledge?

Ask Mike Ratledge....

[chalkpie]

Ask Mike Ratledge....

You could make a great game show - call it "Ask Mike Ratledge".

[Sunlight Caller]

This thread has sent me back to my Hatfield albums, what a treat to enjoy these all over again. Rotters Club is definitely a top 10 of all time disc for me, it's been with me a long long time. I originally bought this on cassette of all formats, just because it was in the cheap bin in one of the local record stores ("one of" remember those days of plenty?), I fell in love instantly, upgraded to vinyl and of course have the CD too. I have never given Hatwise or Hattitude enough time, so they are next up for a reacquaintance.

[Mr.Krautman]

Hatwise and Hattitude are absolute musts for any H&TN / Dave Stewart fans. Both are loaded with fantastic music and great performances, don't miss them.

[Yellow Jester]

Great player & composer, here's my Dave Stewart Favorites;

1. Egg-"While Growing My Hair"
2. Egg-"The Song Of McGuillicuddie..."
3. Egg-"A Visit to Newport Hospital"
4. Hatfield & the North-"Let's Eat (Real Soon)"
5. Bruford-"Beelzebub"
6. Bruford-"Seems Like A Lifetime Ago"
7. Bruford-"Sample And Hold"
8. Bruford-"Hells Bells"
9. Bruford-"Five G"
10. Bruford-"The Sliding Floor"

[chalkpie]

This thread has sent me back to my Hatfield albums, what a treat to enjoy these all over again. Rotters Club is definitely a top 10 of all time disc for me................I have never given Hatwise or Hattitude enough time, so they are next up for a reacquaintance.

Glad to hear you appreciate Rotters as much as you do!

Those other two archives albums are beyond wonderful, but they don't really constitute a proper album listening 'experience' for me personally (in the same manner of the Tull bonus discs for example), yet they are essential for the 'Hatfield Fanatic' and offer an amazing glimpse into what this band was capable of outside of making proper records.

[No Pride]

He's a hilarious man. The book from 'Complete' is a real gem.

"What's that terrible smell?"

[Sunlight Caller]

Glad to hear you appreciate Rotters as much as you do!

Those other two archives albums are beyond wonderful, but they don't really constitute a proper album listening 'experience' for me personally (in the same manner of the Tull bonus discs for example), yet they are essential for the 'Hatfield Fanatic' and offer an amazing glimpse into what this band was capable of outside of making proper records.

I picked them both up as soon as they were released, but probably because they are a rag bag of interesting items, rather than a start to finish immersion listen, I've only spun them infrequently. Time for another listen .

[rcarlberg]

Ask Mike Ratledge....

Oh, I can fully understand why Mike and Dave choose not to participate in the music business:

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.”

It's the creative side I don't understand, how they can completely shut down that faucet.

I dunno, maybe they still play at home for their own amusement.

[battema]

Added Rotter's Club and Polite Force to my work playlist. Hadn't listened to the latter in a while, and 'A Visit to Newport Hospital' is on. Man...what a killer intro on that song. Love that heavy (yet blissfully guitar-free!!!) dirge of a riff.