Henry Cow Discussion

[Buddhabreath]

Maybe this is old news, but I wasn't aware - the booklet and bonus CD from the new box are available for separate purchase from ReR for those that have the old box set. Will this be available through Wayside anytime soon?

[Steve F.]

Maybe this is old news, but I wasn't aware - the booklet and bonus CD from the new box are available for separate purchase from ReR for those that have the old box set. Will this be available through Wayside anytime soon?

Not that we have been told.

[Zappathustra]

My box - the big one - needed 1 and a half month to reach Greece from Germany, but it's finally here. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever set eyes on.

A colleague of mine saw it on my desk this morning and asked me from where I got my food. He thought there was fried chicken in there! I didn't explain that it was just Cow.

[GuitarGeek]

OK, so I've listenign to the Hamburg CD from the first boxset, and I notice that in the middle of what appears to be a long improvisation (Hamburg 1-5), there's a track called Red Noise. All six band members' names appear in the byline, but is it a written composition, or is it just another improvised section, and Cutler gave it a title just to mess with our heads?

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ The enhanced booklets in The Road series explain all about those semi-random titles. There's an improv later on called "A Heart", which has to be one of the most poetically contrasting wordings of content I ever came across. I believe there are other examples as well.

[chalkpie]

Absolutely loving Concerts....did disc one twice tonight. Its such a beautiful recording in so many ways, especially the first 5 BBC tracks, but its all good. Bob did a wonderful job with this 2006 release and I have still never heard the original LP. Also did Leg End yesterday, a frozen desert island album for me. My son did not totally dig it but loved when I played Cardiacs after it.

[The Czar]

I have the old version of the three box sets. I may have to pick up the new cd and booklet. I should revisit the sets again first.

[Kcrimso]

Absolutely loving Concerts....did disc one twice tonight. Its such a beautiful recording in so many ways, especially the first 5 BBC tracks, but its all good. Bob did a wonderful job with this 2006 release and I have still never heard the original LP. Also did Leg End yesterday, a frozen desert island album for me. My son did not totally dig it but loved when I played Cardiacs after it.

Yes those BBC tracks are awesome!

[The Czar]

I decided to finally get the Henry Cow extra booklet and cd(have all three original boxes), Cow/Orckestra, Cabinet of Curiosities and the World is the Problem book. Plus a Lindsay Cooper cd and Massacre "killing time".
I blame this thread!
Hahahaha

[Rick L.]

I decided to finally get the Henry Cow extra booklet and cd(have all three original boxes), Cow/Orckestra, Cabinet of Curiosities and the World is the Problem book. Plus a Lindsay Cooper cd and Massacre "killing time".
I blame this thread!
Hahahaha

Killing Time is fucking awesome. One of my favorites.

[bondegezou]

I decided to finally get the Henry Cow extra booklet and cd(have all three original boxes), Cow/Orckestra, Cabinet of Curiosities and the World is the Problem book. Plus a Lindsay Cooper cd and Massacre "killing time".
I blame this thread!

Thank this thread. "Thank" is the verb you want there.

Henry

[chalkpie]

Unrest tonight.

"Bittern Storm" always sounds like the best recorded Cow studio track to me. It just hits the spot.

Can we talk about the utter shitshow 3.50 rating at Prog Archives? Maybe the bath salts they are smoking have fake laundry detergent in them or something. WTF is that nonsense?

[Scrotum Scissor]

WTF is that nonsense?

This is the first time I rate an album 1-star. The reason is that it deserves so. This album goes against everything I consider to be music. And I'm not even talking about GOOD music, but music in general. It seems to me that the guys arrived in the studio and said "Ok, let's record a new album. Hit anything that makes any noise, but be sure not to hit it with rhythm. Let's make the most chaotic music ever".
No sense of rhythm and melody are to be found here. Also, the sounds are too dissonant. One thing is producing a very jazzy album with sparse and light instrumentation or an eclectic prog album with lots of counterpoint and dissonant layers, but this goes beyond that. It really trespasses the limits of music and becomes sheer torture.
Some reasonable moments do exist, but only for some seconds. For instance, the piano intro of Half Asleep, Half Awake and some oboe or bassoon notes here and there, but most of it is pure improvisation with no goal at all. It seems they just turned the mics on and played anything, literally anything. That's not music to my ears. Music should be a sincere and deep expression of one's artistic inner feelings. There's a big difference between that and making any noise you can. Not even Solemn Music and Bittern Storm Over Ulm, which are the ones that resemble actual songs the most, are enjoyable.
I'm really sorry for this rating. I know some people like this (some even rated it 5 stars, a huge blasphemy in my opinion) and I tend to recognise a band's effort even in the poorest albums, but I just can't stand this.
Some people might say to me I need some time to understand this album and, consequently, enjoy it. Well, I've been listening to this record since 2009 and I don't think I should give it any more tries. I guess I just don't like it and that's it.
All in all, a very dark and unpleasant album. Stay away from it.

And this PA-reviewer bears a Yes-logo as his individual avatar. Get it now?

'Cause that's the thing about some alleged "reviewers"; they are indeed provoked at the expectancy to "get" it - and especially if they already "get" something else which they themselves find utterly advanced. "Don't tell me I don't understand Nick Cave, as I already understand Liberace! It's NOT that I don't understand it, it's that the emperor's got no clothes!!"

Perhaps he could have bothered to engulf himself in what some others were writing, others whom might know a bit more on the casus subject - although the part that I've underlined is supposed to suggest how he eventually tried doing just that. Unsuccessfully, it would seem. And this would of course imply conclusions of insult from the outset.

So plummer goes to perform brain surgery or vice-versa, knowing what the latter -is- and consequently that he himself doesn't quite meet the criteria, yet still insisting on the scalpel.

I'd like to read his reviews on Merzbow, Diamanda Galás or Ligetí.

[Zeuhlmate]

This is the first time I rate an album 1-star. The reason is that it deserves so. This album goes against everything I consider to be music. And I'm not even talking about GOOD music, but music in general. It seems to me that the guys arrived in the studio and said "Ok, let's record a new album. Hit anything that makes any noise, but be sure not to hit it with rhythm. Let's make the most chaotic music ever".
No sense of rhythm and melody are to be found here. Also, the sounds are too dissonant. One thing is producing a very jazzy album with sparse and light instrumentation or an eclectic prog album with lots of counterpoint and dissonant layers, but this goes beyond that. It really trespasses the limits of music and becomes sheer torture.
Some reasonable moments do exist, but only for some seconds. For instance, the piano intro of Half Asleep, Half Awake and some oboe or bassoon notes here and there, but most of it is pure improvisation with no goal at all. It seems they just turned the mics on and played anything, literally anything. That's not music to my ears. Music should be a sincere and deep expression of one's artistic inner feelings. There's a big difference between that and making any noise you can. Not even Solemn Music and Bittern Storm Over Ulm, which are the ones that resemble actual songs the most, are enjoyable.
I'm really sorry for this rating. I know some people like this (some even rated it 5 stars, a huge blasphemy in my opinion) and I tend to recognise a band's effort even in the poorest albums, but I just can't stand this.
Some people might say to me I need some time to understand this album and, consequently, enjoy it. Well, I've been listening to this record since 2009 and I don't think I should give it any more tries. I guess I just don't like it and that's it.
All in all, a very dark and unpleasant album. Stay away from it.
.

Awesome ! A reviewer Walking the plank - all the way.

[The Czar]

For those who don't know. That extra booklet and cd ReR are selling for people who own the original three boxes, is liner notes,diaries, lyrics etc to go with all the studio albums.
I'm so glad I got it and can't wait to read it

[aith01]

Awesome ! A reviewer Walking the plank - all the way.

Yes, absolutely. That was a hilarious read.

[trondis23]

Shameless self promotion here: My Henry Cow book was published by ReR Megacorp/November Books earlier this year, if anyone should be interested. My book concentrates on the music, with musical analyses, transcriptions and original scores from Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and Art Bears. There are 11 full scores and 4 excerpts from longer songs. It also contains all their lyrics. The book has a comprehensive discography and career update until this year. Currently you can only get it from ReR Megacorp (http://rermegacorp.com), but hopefully it will be more widely distributed later.

Henry Cow front cover (2).jpg

[calyx]

Shameless self promotion here: My Henry Cow book was published by ReR Megacorp/November Books earlier this year, if anyone should be interested. My book concentrates on the music, with musical analyses, transcriptions and original scores from Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and Art Bears. There are 11 full scores and 4 excerpts from longer songs. It also contains all their lyrics. The book has a comprehensive discography and career update until this year. Currently you can only get it from ReR Megacorp (http://rermegacorp.com), but hopefully it will be more widely distributed later.

Congratulations. Bought my copy from RéR, and have enjoyed reading it alongside Ben Piekut's book (which I'd already read in earlier stages of completion). A very worthy order of the two books plus the booklet for the recent HC studio boxed set, I urge every HC fan to do the same if you haven't yet, all very worthy of your attention. And for the musicians, Trond's book has quite a few scores.

[Kcrimso]

Shameless self promotion here: My Henry Cow book was published by ReR Megacorp/November Books earlier this year, if anyone should be interested. My book concentrates on the music, with musical analyses, transcriptions and original scores from Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and Art Bears. There are 11 full scores and 4 excerpts from longer songs. It also contains all their lyrics. The book has a comprehensive discography and career update until this year. Currently you can only get it from ReR Megacorp (http://rermegacorp.com), but hopefully it will be more widely distributed later.

Henry Cow front cover (2).jpg

I enjoyed your book very much. Thank you! [emoji846]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Conti]

Shameless self promotion here: My Henry Cow book was published by ReR Megacorp/November Books earlier this year, if anyone should be interested. My book concentrates on the music, with musical analyses, transcriptions and original scores from Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and Art Bears. There are 11 full scores and 4 excerpts from longer songs. It also contains all their lyrics. The book has a comprehensive discography and career update until this year. Currently you can only get it from ReR Megacorp (http://rermegacorp.com), but hopefully it will be more widely distributed later.

Henry Cow front cover (2).jpg

I've already got my copy and I'm ready to start reading it. The transcripions are a serious treat even for retired musicians like me.

[unclemeat]

A substantial review of Piekut's book :
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/...Vk6iZ5tMyEPmCE

[Scrotum Scissor]

A substantial review of Piekut's book :
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/...Vk6iZ5tMyEPmCE

Just read it, Meat.

But meh; I'll rather take that ^ PA-reviewer's properly prog-trained word for the blasphemy involved in calling quality to shit like this.

Long live the truly truthful prog proper pauper.

[Zappathustra]

A substantial review of Piekut's book :
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/...Vk6iZ5tMyEPmCE

Great article, thanks

[Steve F.]

Shameless self promotion here: My Henry Cow book was published by ReR Megacorp/November Books earlier this year, if anyone should be interested. My book concentrates on the music, with musical analyses, transcriptions and original scores from Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and Art Bears. There are 11 full scores and 4 excerpts from longer songs. It also contains all their lyrics. The book has a comprehensive discography and career update until this year. Currently you can only get it from ReR Megacorp (http://rermegacorp.com), but hopefully it will be more widely distributed later.

My copy arrived Monday! Happy to finally have a chance to read this (since I don't read Norwegian).

[moecurlythanu]

The Henry Cow Redux Box Set is down to $80 now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y4LMNL5?th=1&psc=1

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