Canterbury Binge: 2021

**calyx** · 02-01-2021

Originally Posted by JKL2000

NP: In Cahoots - All That

Does this count as Canterbury? I guess it has Canterbury-sounding elements, and of course Canterbury musicians. Also, Steve, I'm a little confused by the release. So it was recorded in a studio in London in 2003, but the booklet and tray-card feature photos from a live show in 2002. Are the photos from the Seattle festival that Phil mentions in the liner notes? That seems a bit odd.

The interplay among the musicians is outstanding! They're all just playing off of each other amazingly - so complex.

The Seattle gig (Progman Cometh festival) was the 1st gig by this line-up (Mark Fletcher having just replaced Pip on drums), their 1st & only performance in the US, and where Steve, having already released several PM/In Cahoots albums in the 1980s/1990s, talked to Phil & they agreed the next In Cahoots album would be on Cuneiform.

At the time of recording & release, the photos from the Seattle gig were the only ones of the new line-up. There was talk of different artwork than the live photos being used, but in the end that's what was used.

Apart from "Your Root 2", which dated back to the very early days of the band (Richard Sinclair was on a bass at the time), but had been rearranged for the sextet, and two sligtly older pieces by Lemer and Baker, the album was written in the months after Seattle. I have vivid memories of the band beginning their set with "Black Cat", the opening track, at the 1st Tritonales festival in 2003. That was a particularly strong opening to the performance, and the album.

**alucard** · 02-01-2021

Soft Machine 8th of october 67 ( Ayers, Ratledge , Wyatt) at French TV
https://m.ina.fr/video/I00008402/sof...ess-video.html

**Steve F.** · 02-01-2021

Originally Posted by JKL2000

So it was recorded in a studio in London in 2003, but the booklet and tray-card feature photos from a live show in 2002. Are the photos from the Seattle festival that Phil mentions in the liner notes?

The photos are from the Seattle show (only time In Cahoots ever played in the USA).

Why odd? Good photos in a booklet are always a plus.

**Progatron** · 02-01-2021

Okay, so moving sucks, but we are in and (mostly) settled. Listening to some Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night as we unpack. I spent 12 solid hours setting up the man cave on day one. My wife had predicted that I wouldn't be able to resist, and she was right. I can't get it all in one photo, tried a panorama but it looked awful. This photo is missing two shelves and more boxed sets, but I'm pretty happy with the new digs and the view is fantastic from here.

cdcoll-new condo 1.jpg

(Sorry, I do realize this is not very Canterbury-related and so we return now to regularly-scheduled programming).

**Dave (in MA)** · 02-01-2021

Looks great, but it's going to be pretty inconvenient getting through the sliding door.

**Progatron** · 02-01-2021

Originally Posted by Dave (in MA)

Looks great, but it's going to be pretty inconvenient getting through the sliding door.

Those are a second entrance to the bedroom, I figured it was better to block those than the windows.

**chalkpie** · 02-01-2021

Originally Posted by Progatron

Okay, so moving sucks, but we are in and (mostly) settled. Listening to some Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night as we unpack. I spent 12 solid hours setting up the man cave on day one. My wife had predicted that I wouldn't be able to resist, and she was right. I can't get it all in one photo, tried a panorama but it looked awful. This photo is missing two shelves and more boxed sets, but I'm pretty happy with the new digs and the view is fantastic from here.

cdcoll-new condo 1.jpg

(Sorry, I do realize this is not very Canterbury-related and so we return now to regularly-scheduled programming).

Glad the move went well, man. Is there a special shelf for Canterbury and Cardiacs discs, or are they scattered amongst the Guns 'n Roses and Motley Crue?

I had a massive Canterbury party (with only myself) on Saturday evening - started around 7 PM and went well until after 3 AM. It was insane and fun. Hit a lot of the heavy hitter classics. Felt like dogass on Sunday, though.

**Progatron** · 02-01-2021

Originally Posted by chalkpie

Glad the move went well, man. Is there a special shelf for Canterbury and Cardiacs discs, or are they scattered amongst the Guns 'n Roses and Motley Crue?

I had a massive Canterbury party (with only myself) on Saturday evening - started around 7 PM and went well until after 3 AM. It was insane and fun. Hit a lot of the heavy hitter classics. Felt like dogass on Sunday, though.

Thanks! No GNR or Crue here, I'm afraid. Cardiacs are in the "C" zone, in between Caravan and John Carpenter. Four Frogg Cafe CDs in there too, in between Focus and Frost.

Canterbury is all throughout! Italian and French Canadian get their own shelves.

Still no sign of slowing down on the Canterbury here either. We are having wine tomorrow night to celebrate the new place - and lots of it. So I expect Wednesday morning to feel as you did on Sunday. If I get through the evening without annoying my new neighbours by loudly reciting Wyatt's Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road along with the CD, it will be a miracle.

**Udi Koomran** · 02-02-2021

Any love for the very early Soft Machine baby steps

**interbellum** · 02-04-2021

Mentioned in the Cuneiform newletter:

SNEAK PEAK! UPCOMING MARCH 2021 RELEASES ON CUNEIFORM
ALAN GOWEN & HUGH HOPPER – Bracknell – Bresse Improvisations
jazz-rock / Canterbury/ progressive rock

CUNEIFORM RECORDS
Format: Digital Cat.#: Cuneiform Records Rune 3348
Melodic improvisations by two much-missed British jazz-rock giants and Canterbury icons, keyboardist Alan Gowen and bassist Hugh Hopper

**Dave (in MA)** · 02-04-2021

^Looks like a reissue of something that came out in the mid-90s on Voiceprint?

**pb2015** · 02-04-2021

Originally Posted by Dave (in MA)

^Looks like a reissue of something that came out in the mid-90s on Voiceprint?

Yes, there was a CD on Voiceprint and some cuts from Bracknell were also on the Two Rainbows Daily reissue on Cuneiform.

**Rick L.** · 02-04-2021

Got Hughscore - Highspotparadox playing now.

**Steve F.** · 02-04-2021

Originally Posted by Dave (in MA)

^Looks like a reissue of something that came out in the mid-90s on Voiceprint?

It is a digital only reissue of the release on Voiceprint.

**JKL2000** · 02-05-2021

Originally Posted by Steve F.

The photos are from the Seattle show (only time In Cahoots ever played in the USA).

Why odd? Good photos in a booklet are always a plus.

I didn't mean anything negative really - just slightly confusing at first, but it's a great recording!

NP: Soft Machine - Switzerland 1974

**Progatron** · 02-05-2021

Guys. I'm struggling here. I'm trying to hang on to the Canterbury binge. I love it so much. But there's voices inside me, they're screaming and telling me "That's the way we all go". There's thousands of people just like me all over, but that's the way we all go...

Oh dear. Why must these phases do battle?

**moecurlythanu** · 02-06-2021

^ Just listen to the orangutan.

**chalkpie** · 02-06-2021

Originally Posted by Progatron

Guys. I'm struggling here. I'm trying to hang on to the Canterbury binge. I love it so much. But there's voices inside me, they're screaming and telling me "That's the way we all go". There's thousands of people just like me all over, but that's the way we all go...

Oh dear. Why must these phases do battle?

Canterbury and Cardiacs is my musical diet plus some classical. Its England's fault.

**JKL2000** · 02-06-2021

Now playing: National Health - Playtime

**alucard** · 02-06-2021

I had put some order in my live and miscellaneous material from Kevin Ayers.
The best overview is the Harvest Years 5 CD Boxset, the first 4 Harvest records plus The Confessions …which was released on Island but is included and all BBC sessions as bonus. These versions are different from the 2009 re-releases where you have A and B sides and unreleased tracks but no BBC sessions (only on Confessions where the bonus tracks are identical including BBC sessions) Best way to have all essential Kevin Ayers. Out Of Print but easy to find.
The BBC sessions were also released several times, the most complete version is the HUX 2005 2CD release The BBC Sessions 1970 -1976.
The BBC In Concert series were released individually. The most famous from January 1972 with the Whole World, orchestra and 3 background singers. It was released in 92 on Windsong with wrong liner notes and again in 98 by HUX on the double CD Too Too Die Young, both versions have the wrong track order and the announcements by Bob Harris are edited out. The complete version (about 4 minutes longer) is available as official download. I quite like these announcements and it gives an extra continuity IMO. Must have!
The second BBC concert was recorded in September 72 at the Hampstead Theatre with Archie Legget, Lol Coxhill, David Bedford, Johnny Clifford, and the actor George Wilson. This was released as Banana Follies by HUX in 98 and exists also as an official download as BBC In concert Hampstead Theatre. I never heard the HUX recording. It´s longer but I don’t know if it includes the announcements and some chatter by Kevin Ayers which are on the download. Nice concert!
After The Show, live at the Elizabethan Theatre may 73, this concert was released as a bonus on the Harvest compilation Songs For Insane Times (4 CDs) From memory it was foreseen back then as a official release and was shelved. I quite like it. It opens with the great Banana poem by Kevin and has some interesting longer versions of We Did It Again and Why Are WE sleeping. The overall vibe is very relaxed reminds s bit a Grateful Dead concert.
There are some BBC In Concert tracks from 75 and 76 on Sweet Deceiver and on Mananas, that are also on the HUX 2cd release Too Old Too Die Young
And to finish there are two CDs released by Michael King´s Reel Recordings label:
Hyde Park Free Concert July 1970 (2007) mediocre audience recording, very noisy and distorted, intersting as a document.
What More Can I say, early 70 private work-in – progress tapes from Kevin, some solo some with Oldfield, Wyatt, Bedford , Sparrow., verry good sound and interesting document

**calyx** · 02-06-2021

Originally Posted by alucard

The BBC In Concert series were released individually. The most famous from January 1970 with the Whole World, orchestra and 3 background singers. It was released in 92 on Windsong with wrong liner notes and again in 98 by HUX on the double CD Too Too Die Young, both versions have the wrong track order and the announcements by Bob Harris are edited out.

That's January 1972, not 1970.