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  ::                                                              ::
  ::                     - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? -                    ::
  ::       The Weekly Digest for Canterbury Music Addicts         ::
  ::                          Issue # 11                          ::
  ::                   Saturday, July 13th, 1996                  ::
  ::                                                              ::
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From: Michael Bloom <MHB@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Bands that sound like...
Date: Fri, 05 Jul 96 19:34:50 EDT

The first Aqsak Maboul album, "Onze Danses pour Combattre la Migraine", has
some remarkably Hatfieldish parts. So does the one record I've heard by a
group called Cos, which was Marc Hollander's band before he formed Aqsak.
Amusingly, once Aqsak acquired some genuine Canterbury blood (Fred Frith
and Chris Cutler play on "Un Peu de l'Ame des Bandits"), they no longer
sounded anything like it. (Hollander later played keyboards for the Art
Bears tour.)

My vague recollection of the first Samla Mammas Manna record, before they
had a guitarist, was a Soft Machine-like sound circa Volume Two, without
Hugh Hopper's prominent bass lines. But I could be wrong.

[I don't think you are - furthermore Coste Apetrea's sound on "Maltid"
is also fairly close to that of Phil Miller, although of course Phil's
sound is unimitable. Apetrea's displays an evident blues influence while
IMHO Miller's sound is really his own, no jazz or blues cliches of any
kind in it ! - A.L.]

And I'm positive I've heard music by Brazilian maniac jazz composer
Hermeto Pascoal that has certain similarities, but as I'm only just
beginning to learn that stuff, I don't know any titles.

[I too noticed certain similarities between Pascoal and Hatfield, of
course because of his use of the Fender Rhodes electric piano and some
similarly crazy rhythmic structures ! - A.L.]

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From: "David G. Shaw" <dshaw@tiac.net>
Subject: Re: Flute on Brujo
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 96 23:20:06 -0000

>It's interesting - indeed Jimmy's involvement with National Health
>before the first album (March/April 1977) - and a few gigs in 1977 with
>Richard Sinclair and a wind quintet that also comprised Lindsay Cooper -
>was never mentioned, . I can't see who else than Jimmy Hastings it
>may have been... Too bad he wasn't there at the sessions where "A Legend
>In His Own Lunchtime" (a/k/a "Binoculars") was recorded... It's really
>not as good without the flute solo ! - A.L

Could it have been Jeremy Baines or Geoff Leigh?

[I thought they'd only worked with Hatfield, not National Health. But then
I mentioned a wind QUINTET, so apart from Hastings and Cooper... who was in
that quintet ? Anyway, I'm pretty sure the flute solo you mention was played
by Jimmy Hastings - A.L.]

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From: Ken4sid@aol.com
Subject: Canterbury Discography
Date: Sat, 6 Jul 1996 04:25:59 -0400

The group QUIET SUN (with P.Manzanera,Eno,Biddolph) isn't on your lists. if
you never heard it your in for a treat! Also Manzanera's 401 group did some
good music too.I've been a fan of this vein of music since 1976. Enjoy your
web site! It's the only way i can know what music i missed!

[Thanks for reminding me of this band - although Rick Biddulph was never
a member of that band... Nor was Brian Eno actually, although he guested
on the album. Manzanera was the guitar player, Dave Jarrett the drummer,Bill McCormick the bass player and Charles Hayward the drummer. Never
heard 801 (not 401), what does it sound like ? - A.L.]

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From: Tony Brower <tonyb@interport.net (remove this garbage to mail me)>
Subject: Canturbury Midis?
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 13:37:55 -0400 (EDT)

Anyone know of any Canterbury midis?  Closest I've ever come to hearing
anything like this is a Gentle Giant midi I d/l today and King Crimson's
"Frame by Frame" which is on the net (and REALLY well done).  Wish the
person who transcribed that one to midi would do some Hatfield or some
National Health.

BTW, is this a nostalgia wave for Canterbury music or has this level of
interest been maintained from the start?
Tony Brower

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From: Jeffrey Melton <Jeffrey_Melton@hysoft.com>
Subject: More Missing Pieces?
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 07:07:44 -0400

Very cool getting some dialogue going on the new/old National Health. I had
been lucky enough to get a copy from Dave a few years ago after writing a
letter to him saying 1:36 of Paracelsus was not enough! I put on my best
negotiating hat and tried to tempt him with buying him a pint of local (San
Francisco) micro-brew for a copy of the tape. Later, after missing an
opportunity to meet at Cyberfest in Pasadena, I got a copy sent to me
directly: it made my day to say the least!

[I don't think you should have sweated so much : Mr. Stewart is apparently
a very helpful person. I for one didn't have to go through too much nego-
ciation to get my tape of "Archive" recordings. I even remember reading a
statement of his in "Facelift" (the excellent Canterbury zine from England)
saying he'd given a DAT copy to a guy who could do copies to anyone who
asked for one ! A very intelligent attitude IMHO, because anyone who has
the tape will ALSO buy the CD anyway ! - A.L.]

My question is this : aren't there several more missing tracks which could be
included in this release? For example, Nat'l Health complete also mentions a
Gowen composition entitled, Trident Asleep which I have on tape from London
School of Economics 76? (and missing an ill Amanda Parsons). A very good track.

[... And very good sound ? Apparently, no good quality live recordings of
National Health were available to the compilers, that's why they used very
short excerpts of some. Yet in his autobiography Dave Stewart said the sound
quality of the two bonus live tracks rec. in France on Hatfield's "Afters"
was awful, yet it is good enough for me - I'd gladly take more of the same
stuff ! - A.L.]

Also there are the other parts of Borogoves which appear on another tape from
77 ( the style is very similar to that of the new disc). And while we're at
it... Why not a complete live show from '79 with Gowen? I have a few tapes of
these as well: and they include Pip's unreleased song Seven Sisters which
is to be included on his solo album if it ever gets completed! And...why
hasn't Virgin seen fit to release the first Gilgamesh on Caroline either? I guess I got ramped up a bit! Maybe I need to write Dave a letter after reviewing the new disc.

[I also have a tape of a '79 show. I don't know which song is "Seven Sisters"
but I remember one of the tracks being sung by John Greaves, and I'd assumed
it was one of his compositions. Is it the one you're talking about ? - A.L.]

Jeff Melton, Staff writer for Expose...

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From: "Charles Nolan" <YESmanONradio@msn.com>
Subject: CARAVAN/CANTERBURY
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 96 03:36:25 UT

HELLO!

My name is Charlie Nolan. I've been a fan of Caravan's since 1975.the last
time I saw them live was the Cunning Stunts album tour! I was at the Phila
show for Caravan/Wishbone Ash tour 74 (or was it 75?).
From what I remember it was a good show. A lot of what is on the Caravan
"Best of Live" (Kingdom) was played. I do recall that the punkweed we filled
our pipes with was rather potent!

I also work at a radio station in Pemberton, N.J. (WBZC 88.9 FM).
On Sat nights 10-2am, we play progressive rock, including Caravan. I may
have been the first one to play "The Battle Of Hastings" over here!
How is the new/old Caravan album ("All Over You") ?
Also, that Geoff Richardson-Jim Leverton album, any good?

[Anyone heard it ? The only mention I saw of it was in Manfred Bress's
"Canterbury Nachrichten", the excellent German Cant-zine - A.L.]

PS I will be in England on Aug 2-13th. Any shows worth going to?
I will also be going to Canterbury while we are there.
Can you give any info on Canterbury music scenes currently ?
Do you know Pye Hastings address?!

[The only addresses that are available to the general public are those of
Richard Sinclair (24, Roper Road) and Hugh Hopper (40, Martyrs Field Rd.)
although I understand Hugh has now moved to Paris - like Pip Pyle, John
Greaves and (part time) Elton Dean !... You can also visit David Sinclair
at his piano-repairing shop in Herne Bay, "Avenue Pianos" - A.L.]

Charlie

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From: Jose.Douglas@turner.com
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 16:56:03 -0400
Subject: (none)

Hi y'all,

Just found a Robert Wyatt CD in the budget bin of a shop notorious for
not having any decent prog music (Atlanta, Georgia is notorious for
that, period). The CD is called "mid-eighties" and it was only
US$4.00. CD consists of 18 tracks. Tracks 1-4 are from "Work in
Progress", tracks 5 and 6 were on the b-side version of
"Shipbuilding", track 7 is from the "Artists for Animals-The
Liberator" CD, track 8 from "ReR Quarterly Collection Vol. 2" and
tracks 9 -18 from "Old Rottenhat".
Now I've to hurry home to give the CD a listen (and I've hours to go).

Never know what one can find out there, only reason I went to this
shop is because my boss gave me a gift certificate from there for
Christmas. Knowing of their "great" selection I hadn't ventured to go.

While there I also got "THRaKaTTaK", the only other decent thing they
had there that I didn't have. Actually was hoping to find Caravan's
"Battle of Hastings" (haven't bought anything after "Better by Far" and
got curious) or Steve Hackett's "Blues with a Feeling", but NO SUCH
LUCK!

BTW, anybody know where I can get Phil Miller CD's? Ordered "Cutting
both Ways" from Cuneiform Records eons ago and never got it.

[Over to you, Steve... Is it deleted ? - A.L.]

Best,
Jose

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From: bigbang@alpes-net.fr (A. Leroy)
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 20:09:03 +0000
Subject: CALYX updates / Canterbury Discography

It's been a while since I haven't worked on the main CALYX pages. I plan
to fill a few gaps in the next few days, so keep checking it : Egg, Gong,
Henry Cow, Soft Machine are the major projects.

I have also done major amendments to the Canterbury Discography, notably
in the Fred Frith and Daevid Allen/Gilli Smyth sections. This was done
mostly thanks to various on- or offline sources. My requests for info have
been largely ignored, which leads me to think that most of the easily
available info is already in the discography... or that only a few people
have actually visited these pages. Once again, everyone's help will be
useful. We've already gone a long way !...

Aymeric

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                             END OF ISSUE #11

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