The best latter day albums from the original Canterburians

[auxfnx]

I was hoping we might be able to share some favourite latter-day (post mid-80s perhaps?) albums that come from members of the original Canterbury gang

A highlight for me would be Richard Sinclair's R.S.V.P. which really picks up the Canterbury baton somewhat and carries it along a bit


I'm particularly interested in albums that seem to be geared towards the Canterbury style to some extent, that feel like they could be continuations of the sound from the 'originators' in some sort of way.

Pip Pyle seems to have kept at it for a bit with the likes of 'Seven Year Itch', and the John Greaves & Philippe-Marcel Iung collab 'The Pig Part'.

I feel like there may be some Robert Wyatt that fits this mould but I am not so well versed with his catalogue post-Ruth is Stranger.

I feel like there is a perhaps stranger 'second act' to Canterbury to be constructed from some of these later albums that I would be interested in exploring, so please share any suggestions you may have!

[calyx]

I'd cite Robert's "Dondestan" album because it's the one that sounds closest to "Rock Bottom" due to the frequent use of his toy Riviera organ. For some reason I prefer him playing all the instruments on that to the multiple guests approach of subsequent albums.

I concur with Richard's "RSVP" album being the prime contender for your list, because it's about the only album from this era to cover all the Canterbury bases - both the songs and the jazzy interplay. You usually get either one or the other. "RSVP" succeeds to being at the crossroads between the instrumental stuff Phil Miller and Hugh Hopper were doing in their bands and Richard's poppier approach. This was attempted by Phil on his "Split Seconds" album with the one song featuring Richard on vocals, but that still was primarily an In Cahoots album. Pip's album is another valid attempt but the fluctuations in the line-up and the studio feel (& overproduced imho) of most songs takes it away from where it could have gone. Some of John Greaves' projects also go some way towards that mix, but it's debatable whether John is "Canterbury" (he certainly wouldn't label himself that way).

[auxfnx]

Thanks I'll have to check out Dondestan!

One of my various definitions of Canterbury music is simply music made by this specific subset of people during a time period. Because at the time I don't think a lot of these musicians were doing a specific style but were just making the music they wanted to make, and that came to define what we now know as Canterbury. That's kind of why I'm curious about this topic. I feel like if these musicians kept creating consistently in a vaguely jazzy / proggy direction, then the other things they went on to do may be considered a part of the Canterbury sound. For example if 'Seven Year Itch' had come out in the middle of Canterbury's heyday, then perhaps it would have expanded the Canterbury sound to include it, rather than sitting slightly outside of the Canterbury umbrella.

[walt]

Phil Miller and Fred Baker-Double Up.This cd gets my vote as an outstanding collection of studio tracks showing the artistry of these two masters.

https://philmillerthelegacy.com/music/double-up/

[interbellum]

I have to admit I bought this one a few years ago primarily because Happy The Man-keyboarder Kit Watkins is playing on three tracks. Although both Sinclair and Watkins have a Camel-history I don't think they ever played together in that band.

[arturs]

On the "pop" side of Canterbury, I agree about the RSVP album being one of the best examples. I'll also put in votes for Robert Wyatt's Shleep and Caravan's Unauthorized Breakfast Item. Both of these still feel like Canterbury to me. I have grown to like more recent Caravan, like the Paradise Filter album, but I really don't hear any Canterbury in it.

On the jazzy side, Phil Miller, full stop. His compositions throughout his later career have a lot of the tricky interplay that made instrumental Canterbury so much fun.

In between the pop and jazz, I've always considered Hughscore's Delta Flora to be a masterpiece.

[moecurlythanu]

I'm a fan of the Richard Sinclair's Caravan Of Dreams album.

[Digital_Man]

I'm curious to hear opinions on the Unauthorized Breakfast item or what ones might be considered the best later Caravan album(or albums).

[Skeptrick]

How about Gong-2032? I also like Caravans latest couple, Paradise Filter and It's None Of your Business.

[Teddy Vengeance]

On the "pop" side of Canterbury, I agree about the RSVP album being one of the best examples. I'll also put in votes for Robert Wyatt's Shleep

In between the pop and jazz, I've always considered Hughscore's Delta Flora to be a masterpiece.

Mecha agree sounds from these quarters.

On Shleep ‘Maryam’ might be the most quintessentially Canterburyan track ever. ‘Based On’ from Delta Flora has the most sublime Canterbury outro organ that human ears have ever heard.

[interbellum]

I like what Dave Stewart did with Barbara Gaskin on their albums. Of course they went the pop-way, but still have many progressive elements in their music.
https://www.davebarb.com/

[Mr.Krautman]

I'm a fan of the Richard Sinclair's Caravan Of Dreams album.

Me too and I think it's superior to R.S.V.P .
One of the best late Canterbury records.

[Kcrimso]

Hughscore's Caveman Hughscore (with Hugh Hopper) and Robert Wyatt's Shleep are few of my absolute favourites that fit the headline.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Hughscore's Caveman Hughscore (with Hugh Hopper) and Robert Wyatt's Shleep are few of my absolute favourites that fit the headline.

Both of these - and isn't Hop on parts of Delta Flora too? Shleep even had a faint momentum of fair success on release, garnering glowing reviews (some indeed of the more resolutely -analytical- brand) and voted critics' favourite-of-the-year release, notably in The Wire and (IIRC) MOJO. I recall that back then I actually did a count and finding that no less than 18 people that I knew in Bergen had gone out to buy that record. I revisited just recently (well, last year that is) and the whole of it has aged diligently.

H. Hopper made some magnificent things all the way, of course. I particularly dig Uses Wrist Grab by Bone, his instrumental wrench/power trio release with Didkovsky (Doctor Nerve) and J. Roulat (of Forever Einstein). So much more than your average get-together-greats-a-freakout-jam endeavour, this has short but sharp-on-edge ideas and tunes or rather raw theme-heads setting up a drop-dead performance start to end. Truly a testimony to how willingly and creatively he still pursued the -radical- potential in electric sound, still on pushing 60. His Steam release with the Soft Machine Legacy revisits snippets of former repertoirs although in a fresh and vital manner.

I enjoy all of the Gong albums with Kavus, but my heart belongs to I See You. For obvious reasons, supposedly.

I also have a thing for Mont Dirk Campbell's Music From a Round Tower, or at least for the parts on it that I relate to.

If Camel counts, A Nod and a Wink is a fine album.

[Trane]

Schleep and Zero To Infinitea are my choices, but neither don't sound all that Canterbury

[moecurlythanu]

Schleep

The German version of the album?

[NogbadTheBad]

Hughscore's Caveman Hughscore (with Hugh Hopper) and Robert Wyatt's Shleep are few of my absolute favourites that fit the headline.

Both of these - and isn't Hop on parts of Delta Flora too? Shleep even had a faint momentum of fair success on release, garnering glowing reviews (some indeed of the more resolutely -analytical- brand) and voted critics' favourite-of-the-year release, notably in The Wire and (IIRC) MOJO. I recall that back then I actually did a count and finding that no less than 18 people that I knew in Bergen had gone out to buy that record. I revisited just recently (well, last year that is) and the whole of it has aged diligently.

I also have a thing for Mont Dirk Campbell's Music From a Round Tower, or at least for the parts on it that I relate to.

My top picks would be

Hughscore - Delta Flora
Mont Campbell - Music From A Round Tower
Mont Campbell - Music From A Walled Garden
Laterday Gong (really got that Gong vibe going)

[Grumpyprogfan]

National Health - D.S. al Coda
Alan Gowen, Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair, Trevor Tomkins - Before a Word Is Said