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:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? - :: :: The Weekly Digest for Canterbury Music Addicts :: :: Issue # 55 :: :: Friday, May 30th, 1997 :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Matthew Martens <lodestar2@pipeline.com> Subject: Nomencowtura Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 14:39:02 -0400 (EDT) Since my Henry Cow profile came up in a message regarding the origin of said band's name, I just thought I'd write in to say that in the original draft of the article I wrote that Henry Cow had indeed taken their goofball name from the seminal American avant-garde composer Henry Cowell. I wrote this not only because it seems as obvious as the nose on your face but because it's generally treated as common knowledge. A recent article/interview with Chris Cutler in The Wire also stated this lineage for the name as fact. If you've read the latest Wire, however, you know that Cutler called the magazine to blow the lid off the whole Cowell fallacy, saying that Henry Cow was just a "silly name" along the lines of the Bonzo Dog Band, and that Tim Hodgkinson had come up with it. Cutler apparently made the same correction to my editor at Perfect Sound Forever, so the article was changed without my knowing about it. It seems to me, though, that the person to ask about this -- I mean, if it's really important enough to pursue, and why the hell not? -- is Hodgkinson. I mean, sure, Henry Cow is a "silly name" (and socks make for silly album covers), but how does that argue against the Cowell contraction? It certainly seems like a weird coincidence if it wasn't intentional, especially when one considers that Cowell's eccentric innovations in classical music bear a not perticularly far-fetched similarity to Cow's in rock. I always thought that was the point. Hmmm. --Matthew ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mark Bloch <webmaster@indexstock.com> Subject: Henry Cowell Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 18:09:31 -0400 I know nothing about the origins of the name Henry Cow but I do know a bit about Henry Cowell! I wouldn't call him little-known or left-field. (Maybe little-field or left-known?). In fact, he is an important 20th century composer. What I mostly recall about him is that he was (1) a teacher of John Cage (after he departed from Arnold Schoenberg) and (2) the inventor of "tone clusters", which, according to Cage, manifests itself in the form of playing the piano with one's forearm! In short, he was instrumental (pun intended) in Cage's eventual "invention" of the prepared piano, i.e. using the piano (and anything else) as a percussion/rhythm instrument. These types of innovations made music like Henry Cow, Softs, Hatfield and a zillion others possible. We should get down on our knees and collectively pray to the spirit of people like Cowell (who was born exactly 100 years ago and died in 65) and HIS predecessors like Charles Ives. If that is where the name came from (and why not?) then it is a wonderful choice! Mark Bloch ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Kevee8150@aol.com Subject: Good Job Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 14:44:14 -0400 (EDT) Being the only person I've ever known that knew of a Canterbury scene, it iswith much appreciation I write. I first heard Caravan on station KOME in SanJose in 1973 and they quickly became my favorite band. While my friends weresinging the praises of Bad Company and Led Zep I sang out in the wilderness the intricateness and sophistication of this new form of music which even now {with few exceptions} seems fresh and new. I saw Caravan at the Center for Performing Arts in San Jose Ca. in 1975. They opened for the Tubes. I noticed the surprise on Pye's and the others faces at the response they received. After opening with "Show of Their Lives" the crowd erupted and pretty much stayed on their feet for the entire concert. This may have been due to the saturation of Caravan songs on KOME weeks prior to the show. My tastes run from Caravan and Camel and find groups such as Soft Machine much too over my head {sorry} Since my access is extremely limited and many of the groups you mention in your newsletter are not played on the radio or sold in the shops here; what groups in the canterbury scene can I support that share the same musical ideas and styles of the above? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Romain Rioboo <rrioboo@lstm.uni-erlangen.de> Subject: Canterbury sounds Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 20:22:32 +0200 Hi WRers, I'm French and I'm collaborating to a French (english speaking) prog fanzine. I want to make a special booklet about Canterbury music and Canterbury sounds. As I can see lot of people has different definition of Canterbury sound. But I noticed that we can immediately say if something has a canterbury sound or not, so why??? That is my question, if anybody wants to reply: What is for you 'the Canterbury sound' (without naming any band, please)? I'm also looking for bands who has this so-called (but hard to define, no?) Canterbury sound. The Calyx web-page, Musart, Facelift, WR, (and more others sources) gives really a good knowledge about the classical Canterbury school but I'm curiously almost more interested in obscure non-Canterbury school band having THE sound. Here are some that I know or heard about: Ain soph: Hat and field; Alas: Alas; Atlas: Bla vardag; Basic Train; Ben; Bonfire; Bongage fruit; Brainstorm:Smile a while (how is second smile?); Colour; Compromis; Chitinous ensemble; Come to the edge (this one is from the C.School, no?); Embryo; Excalibur; Exclusive Raja; Finch; Finforrest; French TV; Gamma: Alpha; Giuntoli,M.; Grand Nebuleux; Group; Happy the man; However: Sudden dusk; Infonie: Vol.33; Kenso; Koene de Bruyne; Kontakt Mikrofoon Orkestra; Malachi; Miriodor; Modern Music Band; Moom; Mosaic; Mouse Proof; Muffins; Orange Power; Picchio dal Pozzo:Picchio dal Pozzo; Potemkine; Preghiera di Sasso; Real Ax Band; Rhesus O; Sammla Mana Mamas; Secret Oyster; Slumberlandband; Sorrenti,A.; St Tropez; Supersister; Talisker; Tideline; Tipographica; Turning Point; Way'sWolf, D.: Canis lupus; Yamashta,S.; Xhol Caravan; Zammla..;Zentner; Zingale. I know that there is plenty of these ones who are not and others who are definitely (as the masterpiece Picchio dal Pozzo for example). Please put some light on these ones and others that I don't know even the name. Thank to everybody for this information Canterburyshly yours Romain RIOBOO ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Age Rotshuizen <age@xs4all.nl> Subject: Hopper/Dean/Carr/Softs/Khan/Tippett Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 13:00:29 +0200 (CEST) Hello Rattlers, There was a rumour going 'round about the re-release of Hopper's 1984 by Cuneiform. I hope they hurry up, 'cause I can't wait to hear it. Any info on that?Any chance of re-release the first 4 or 5 records by Elton Dean (solo, Ninesense, etc.)? [In WR#53, Earl Rapp wrote:]>Does anyone know if or where, one might be able to find Ian Carr's >"Belladonna" ??? >Are there records from Nucleus available at all (on CD or LP)? I've got the first two as a nice double-CD & I'm very curious how the records with Dave McRae sound like. [In WR#54, Martin Wakeling wrote:]>In the WAWS discography is the following about Psychomania - released>Australia c.1991 (PAL format?) by Hughes Leisure Group catalogue no. GREMV>474. Also released in Japan (NTSC format) as Videoarts VAVZ 2086 and on>laser disc with same cat.no. The Softs tracks are from the Dutch TV Hoepla>programme of 23.10.67 with the Ayers Ratledge Wyatt line up. Two songs>'Soon Soon Soon' and 'I Should've Known'. I've got a photocopy of the>sleeve somewhere but I'd need a spare month or three to dig it out! The two>Softs tracks were available on the usual tapeswapping circuit long before >the commercial release came out. There's a semi-legal CD featuring the Paradiso concert, four songs from Jet-Propelled & those two songs as performed live on Dutch TV (listed as: Soon, Soon, Soon & So Boot If At All). I don't know how legal this release is, but the CD is available in every shop in Amsterdam (Details: Soft Machine - Soft Machine (Movie Play Gold, MPG 74033)). I recently bought Space Shanty & to be honest, I think it's terrible. It sounds like Dave Stewart went jamming with Black Sabbath! Are there any other Rattlers suffering from the same experience? Could be about another record too. Does anyone know on which songs Robert Wyatt is drumming on 'Dedicated to you but you weren't listening' by Keith Tippett? Same for the bass-playing by Roy & Neville. That's all, Age Rotshuizen, Amsterdam. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "George Bricker" <geo@webspinners.ca> Subject: Hints on where to locate cd releases Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 18:34:09 -0500 Intrigued by your research, seeking cd re-issues of titles such as Hoppertunity Box.I live in central Canada where/who should I contact for info. leading tofinding such releases if the have been re-issued... suggestions? geo@webspinners.ca ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: KURDILLA@hq.RTIS-C.COM (KURDILLA, DAN) Subject: Henry Cow [Re: WR#54] Date: 27 May 97 11:30:34 EDT Hello, In The Wire magazine, May 1997, they print the following under 'Corrections': In our Chris Cutler feature we restated the legend of the Henry Cow name being a contraction of the US composer Henry Cowell. Apparently this isn't so. According to Cutler it was just a "silly name" in the manner of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and was made up by group member Tim Hodgkinson. (end quote) By the way, as 'avant-garde composers' go, I believe Henry Cowell is quite well-known. As to the Henry Cow cover sock, I presumed it was used on the first album in conjunction with the title 'Leg End', and it then continued as an artistic 'motif'. Regards, Dan Kurdilla ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** FORTHCOMING CANTERBURY-RELATED CONCERTS ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [for more info : check out the 'Concerts' page of CALYX - see URL below] BRAND X - EUROPEAN TOUR [John Goodsall-Chris Sjobring-Percy Jones-Pierre Moerlen] Jun 03 - Vignola (Italy), Town Hall Jun 04 - Rome (Italy), RAI [Radio Live Broadcast] Jun 05 - Rome (Italy), Frontiera Jun 06 - Schio (Italy), Teatro Pasubio Jun 07 - Genova (Italy), Teatro albatros Jun 08 - Bassel (Switzerland), Atlantis Jun 09 - Stuttgart (Germany), Altes Schutzenhaus Jun 10 - Munich (Germany), Schlachthof Jun 11 - Erlangen (Germany), E-werk Jun 12 - Koln (Germany), Tunnels Jun 14 - Hameln (Germany), Sumpfblume Jun 15 - Frankfurt (Germany), Sinkhasten PIERRE BENSUSAN/DIDIER MALHERBE DUO - EUROPEAN DATESJun 15 - Migne-Auxances/Poitiers (France), Salle Communale (Festival) [tel : 05 49 51 19 54] Jul 5-8 - Santo Tirso (Portugal) [details tbc] HADOUK - BELGIAN DATE [Didier Malherbe/Loy Ehrlich] Aug 02 - Dranouter, Folk Festival (Ypres) (Belgium) PETER BARDENS' MIRAGE - EUROPEAN TOUR [Peter Bardens-Steve Adams-Desha Dunnahoe-Dave Cohen] Sep 18 - Alkmaar (Holland), Atlantis Sep 19 - Breda (Holland), Para Sep 20 - Oberhausen (Holland), The Star Club Sep 21 - Uden (Holland), De Nieuwe Pul Sep 24 - Paris (France), Passage du Nord-Ouest Sep 25 - Norwich (UK), The Waterfront Sep 26 - Ashton-Upon-Lyne (UK), The Witchwood Sep 27 - Rotherham (UK), Herringthorpe Leisure Centre Sep 28 - London (UK), Astoria 2 SHORT WAVE - FRENCH DATES [Phil Miller-Didier Malherbe-Hugh Hopper-Pip Pyle]Sep 19 - Boulogne-sur-Mer (62), Cabaret Sam [Tel. 03 21 87 32 69] Sep 20 - Bethune (62), Le Poche * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * END OF ISSUE #55 _________________________________________________________________________WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ?_________________________________________________________________________ CALYX - The Canterbury Website http://www.alpes-net.fr/~bigbang/calyx.html THE ULTIMATE ONLINE CANTERBURY DISCOGRAPHY http://www.alpes-net.fr/~bigbang/cantdisco.html WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? 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