Canterbury Binge: 2021

[alucard]

I listened to two Kevin Ayers broadcasts I´ve never heard before:
Kevin Ayers and the Whole Wide World: Colours of the day (1970)
This is one of my Top Ten Canterboots, basically a Dutch Radio concert VPRO Broadcast from July 30th, 1970 (about 55 minutes) and a couple of extra BBC tracks.
This is the same band that had played at the Hyde Parc Concert the 18th of July with Wyatt on drums replacing Fincher (there is an official release from the late Mike King´s label, but it´s very bad sound quality)
Ayers, Wyatt, Oldfield, Coxhill, Bedford and Bridget St. John on one track. This is an excellent sound quality broadcast and the band is in topform. It´s a good mix of songs and improvisations with four tracks over 10 minutes among them ´We Did It Again´ and ´Why Are We Sleeping´. There is a great playfulness that the band didn´t get later IMO. In an alternate universe this would have been my dream alternate Soft Machine with Ayers, Wyatt and Coxhill and I would have personally replaced Oldfield and Bedford by Carla Bley and Annie Whitehead.
Kevin Ayers: Vin Du Ciel (Sky wine in French) – live in Paris 1970
This is a French Radio ORTF broadcast from 1970 (about 24 minutes) nice cover, tamer then the Dutch concert broadcast, probably a studio broadcast without audience, but interesting too

[JKL2000]

^ These sound good! Gonna check YT.

Here's a cheeky NP:

NP: University of Errors - Live at The Fleece ; Bristol, England, 6 June 2003 (Songs originally by University of Errors, The Soft Machine, Matching Mole, Gong, and Daevid Allen. Probably a bit too punky to qualify as Canterbury, but still...)

[JKL2000]

NP: Gong; Paris - Bataclan; 20th May, 1973; Love From The Planet Gong - Pt. 1

[alucard]

^ These sound good! Gonna check YT.

Here's a cheeky NP:

NP: University of Errors - Live at The Fleece ; Bristol, England, 6 June 2003 (Songs originally by University of Errors, The Soft Machine, Matching Mole, Gong, and Daevid Allen. Probably a bit too punky to qualify as Canterbury, but still...)

I like UOE, I have the one with the early Soft Machine material ´Jet Propelled Photographs´ which is quite fun, have to check out the Live At The Fleece.

[NogbadTheBad]

NP: Gong; Paris - Bataclan; 20th May, 1973; Love From The Planet Gong - Pt. 1

That whole box is terrific.

[GeneTull]

The first song in ZT's latest video, by Kandahar, is very Canterbury-influenced.

[Trane]

Kandahar's thord album is a lesser one than their first two, and less Canterbury-ish as well.

BTW, if their first two received their CD release some 10 to 12 years ago, Pictures From The Past never did.

[alucard]

Hadn’t heard these for quite some time
Pyle – Pung- Greaves: The Pig Part (1999 Voiceprint)
When John Greaves settled down in Normandy, he gave an interview in a French Music Mag and expressed his wish to get in contact with local musicians. So, one Philippe Marcel Pung contacted him and Greaves invited Pip Pyle and they recorded this record. It´s free form rock with a couple of lyrics by John Greaves and Peter Blegvad. The first half is a bit boring, but the second half quite interesting, longer tracks build around a heavy ostinato bass by Greaves who recites more then sings his lyrics with the two others building around. My favourite is Dead God Dog Dingo (for sure a Pip Pyle title ) which is similar to Millers riff on Nan´s True Hole

And two great boots by HTN:

Theatre Present de La Villette September 25th 1973
Audience recording, quality is ok, but great concert still with a part of the Millers Matching Mole compositions (God Song, Part of The Dance, Nan´s True Hole)

Roundhouse London April 14th 1974
Audience recording
One of my favourite Canterboots, concert in two parts first half an hour as Quartet and then the second part with Robert Wyatt, The Northettes, Alan Gowen, Steve Miller, Lol Coxhill, Jimmy Hastings and Jeremy Baines, a Canterbury Dream Big Band
Quality is ok slightly better than the one above

[calyx]

re: PYG... It's not "Pung", it's "Iung" !

re: Hatfield... Most of the Miller tunes were played till the end. Certainly "God Song" was, although for a while it was only a brief instrumental snippet.

[JKL2000]

The first song in ZT's latest video, by Kandahar, is very Canterbury-influenced.

Is Zaragon Maximalist the guy who used to be on PE?

Also, are these "Reaction" videos? Or Lack of Reaction videos? Not sure if I get it.

[JKL2000]

Hadn’t heard these for quite some time
Pyle – Pung- Greaves: The Pig Part (1999 Voiceprint)
When John Greaves settled down in Normandy, he gave an interview in a French Music Mag and expressed his wish to get in contact with local musicians. So, one Philippe Marcel Pung contacted him and Greaves invited Pip Pyle and they recorded this record. It´s free form rock with a couple of lyrics by John Greaves and Peter Blegvad. The first half is a bit boring, but the second half quite interesting, longer tracks build around a heavy ostinato bass by Greaves who recites more then sings his lyrics with the two others building around. My favourite is Dead God Dog Dingo (for sure a Pip Pyle title ) which is similar to Millers riff on Nan´s True Hole

And two great boots by HTN:

Theatre Present de La Villette September 25th 1973
Audience recording, quality is ok, but great concert still with a part of the Millers Matching Mole compositions (God Song, Part of The Dance, Nan´s True Hole)

Roundhouse London April 14th 1974
Audience recording
One of my favourite Canterboots, concert in two parts first half an hour as Quartet and then the second part with Robert Wyatt, The Northettes, Alan Gowen, Steve Miller, Lol Coxhill, Jimmy Hastings and Jeremy Baines, a Canterbury Dream Big Band
Quality is ok slightly better than the one above

HTN?? (I'm sure I'll smack my forehead.)

[PCMusic]

HTN?? (I'm sure I'll smack my forehead.)

Hatfield and the North.

[JKL2000]

Hatfield and the North.

*smack*

[Mister Triscuits]

Not Happy the Nan?

[Dave (in MA)]

Hole, True, Nan's

[JKL2000]

Hole, True, Nan's

[NogbadTheBad]

Jed, are you enjoying the Antique Seeking Nuns? I love that stuff more than Sanguine Hum.

[Kcrimso]

Soft Machine's Fourth is today exactly 50 years old! It is my favourite Soft Machine album and also one of my all-time favourite "jazz" albums.

[alucard]

Hatfield and the North, Live at Salle des fetes Tomblaine / Nancy February 7th 1975 (approx. 90 minutes)

This is one of my all-time favourite boots because:
-It´s the only full-length concert of one of my all-time favourite bands that I have
-it´s a great performance
- the sound is good
- I would have wished to see that concert

It must be an audience recording, taped with good equipment. From time to time the balance goes off (normally at the beginning of a track) until the taper puts it again in balance. Very good overall balance between the instruments and no distortion. ( It would have made a great third Hatwise edition with a bit of audio cleaning)

This was the French tour after the recording (and I think before the release) of Rotter´s Club. The band was in great form, the internal problems hadn´t become audible yet, it´s a medium size venue, the concert was organized by Atem ( a French fanzine from memory) the atmosphere seems to be great, kind of a perfect concert conditions.

Stewart starts with a tone generator into including a citation of the French National anthem followed by a complete version of God Song. Then the major part of the first half of Rotter´s Club starting with John Wayne until Fitter Stoke (Share it and Lounging start the second set)
I really like the song list, which puts more focus on the individual compositions especially from the first record. Then Calyx followed by a Miller section with Underdub, Part of the Dance and Nan True´s Hole. The first set ends with Landcrabs and a short intro of Your Majesty.
The second set starts with Share it and Lounging followed by a great version of Mumps. In the middle of Mumps Stewart does a Rhodes solo including Arriving Twice by Allan Gowen, The concert ends with O What A Lonely Lifetime and a reprise of John Wayne and as an encore Going Up with a short reprise of Part Of The Dance which is unfortunately cut…


Tomblaine poster.jpgTomblaine.jpg

[chalkpie]

Soft Machine's Fourth is today exactly 50 years old! It is my favourite Soft Machine album and also one of my all-time favourite "jazz" albums.

Excellent! 50....crazy.

[Conti]

Hatfield and the North, Live at Salle des fetes Tomblaine / Nancy February 7th 1975 (approx. 90 minutes)

This is one of my all-time favourite boots because:
-It´s the only full-length concert of one of my all-time favourite bands that I have
-it´s a great performance
- the sound is good
- I would have wished to see that concert

It must be an audience recording, taped with good equipment. From time to time the balance goes off (normally at the beginning of a track) until the taper puts it again in balance. Very good overall balance between the instruments and no distortion. ( It would have made a great third Hatwise edition with a bit of audio cleaning)

This was the French tour after the recording (and I think before the release) of Rotter´s Club. The band was in great form, the internal problems hadn´t become audible yet, it´s a medium size venue, the concert was organized by Atem ( a French fanzine from memory) the atmosphere seems to be great, kind of a perfect concert conditions.

Stewart starts with a tone generator into including a citation of the French National anthem followed by a complete version of God Song. Then the major part of the first half of Rotter´s Club starting with John Wayne until Fitter Stoke (Share it and Lounging start the second set)
I really like the song list, which puts more focus on the individual compositions especially from the first record. Then Calyx followed by a Miller section with Underdub, Part of the Dance and Nan True´s Hole. The first set ends with Landcrabs and a short intro of Your Majesty.
The second set starts with Share it and Lounging followed by a great version of Mumps. In the middle of Mumps Stewart does a Rhodes solo including Arriving Twice by Allan Gowen, The concert ends with O What A Lonely Lifetime and a reprise of John Wayne and as an encore Going Up with a short reprise of Part Of The Dance which is unfortunately cut…


Tomblaine poster.jpgTomblaine.jpg

It sounds like something I need to listen to ASAP.

[chalkpie]

^ yep...me too!

[Kcrimso]

I have finally fallen in love with Joy Of A Toy (1969) by Kevin Ayers. What a whimsical and charming album! And David Bedford's arrangements are brilliant. Joy Of Toy kind of feels like continuation of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to me.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Soft Machine's Fourth is today exactly 50 years old!

This was the first one of theirs I got, back in 1988 when I was 17 y.o. Already having easily transitioned and adapted from 60s psych onto 70s progressive, I realized pretty quickly on listening to Fourth that there may be a bit further to go. "Fletcher's Blemish" was kinda somewhat more challenging a listen than, say, "Watcher of the Skies".

"Teeth" remains one of my very fave SM-tunes. Those are some truly tight, dense and awkward arrangements. And I still keep wondering if Ratledge actually had a habit of wearing his glasses -outside- of his hairdo.

[Kcrimso]

And I still keep wondering if Ratledge actually had a habit of wearing his glasses -outside- of his hairdo.

We laughed at that style so many times in the nineties with friends in listening-parties that we had!