01	History & Prospects: I Industry						06:58
	02	II The Decay of Cities						06:55
	03	III On the Raft						04:01
	04	Day by Day: I Falling Away						07:38
	05	II Gretels Tale						03:58
	06	III Look Back						01:19
	07	IV 1/2 the Sky						05:14

Henry Cow - Western Culture (re-release)

Released: 1978/2001
Label: ReR
Cat. No.:
Total Time: 43:56


Reviewed by: Marcelo Silveyra, May 2002
May 06, 1979

Dear Virginia,

I must apologize for not having written in so long, but these bloody people refuse to spare me the time to do what is absolutely necessary. As if the centre of all this nonsensical activity were to be me!

Leaving my daily menial tasks aside and the insufferable torture to which these croons are subjecting me, however, I just had to write and point you in the direction of a band that I have only recently discovered and that is bound to change the way in which modern music is perceived, I'm rather sure: Henry Cow. Although I have recently been informed that these chaps have actually been around for quite a while, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to them by means of a relatively new album called Western Culture. Before advancing further, I do urge you to buy this as soon as possible ... it is sure to wake you up from all the garbage that you have been listening to as of late.

Perhaps you've caught a glimpse of the name in the American Rolling Stone and other such magazines, but I just can't stand these stupid critics who do not want to come across as part of the Anglo-Saxons' recent display of utter musical imbecility. I can just picture them akimbo and completely confused while listening to this brilliant group (whose music, I confess, can be quite challenging to hear at times) and then sitting down and writing some bloody nonsense finishing with the obsolete phrase "Dig?" Ah, bastards they are and bastards they will always be!

Anyway, this Western Culture is... you must listen to it ... even if you have to rob a copy from somewhere. There is a bit of very modern chamber music and free jazz spread throughout the whole album, but Henry Cow have brilliantly destroyed all conventional conceptions and brought about a whole new perspective regarding rock music. It's avant-garde enough to get the old fools at cultural organizations to pay a few good quid for it, young enough to be interesting, and intellectual enough to keep stupid people away.

I don't quite think I could attempt to describe the music of Henry Cow and purport to be successful, nor could I stop myself from trying. You see, it's just too bloody tempting! Side one of the L.P. is a three-piece suite called "History And Prospects," and it would certainly be hard to find a band that can conjure images of machinery working away and dark, grimy cities that would fit a Soviet art film denouncing our capitalist Western culture so well. Side two ("Day By Day") seems to be more reflective and more orthodox in that its jazz, chamber, and rock structures are a bit more recognizable, but the organized chaos still remains. Ah, bloody hell! You already know how bad I am when describing art. Just get the bloody thing and say hello to the family for me!

Regards,
Jack



From: Virginia Tipton
To: Jack Tipton
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002 5:43 PM
Subject: Hello again!

Hi Jack! How are your children doing? (last I heard Tom had a terrible cold) It has been a rather awful day here with the rain and all, and I thought I'd sit down and write you before I forget.

I was just going through my letters a few days ago (don't laugh, you know I am sentimental and nostalgic after all) and found one from 1979 where you desperately urged me to buy a record from a band called Henry Cow. Trying to be funny, bordering on scurrilous, and prove how you were an insufferable snob back then and would listen to the damnedest of noise only to call yourself a bloody intellectual, I bought Western Culture (which happens to have just been released again). At first listen I thought I was moments away from giving you a nasty surprise next Christmas, but it turns out that the CD is in fact rather good!

I don't know if you recall ever having written the letter, but I think your description of the album was remarkably accurate, if too brief. That first section, "History and Prospects," I found to be quite intimidating after getting familiar with it. One can almost picture walking through dark alleys where the facades of buildings are almost crumbling and life is incredibly dreary, or industrial machinery whirring, jangling, and overcoming one in monolithic amounts of noise. Of course I don't believe that Henry Cow only made noise, but their very avant-garde and challenging compositions certainly bring up these images ("conjure," as you have always been fond of saying, =) ). It's like sitting down and listening to a slightly creepy acoustic guitar introduction and then having a wall of sound tumbling upon you, having a thousand unexpected changes occur here and there, volumes swaying up and down, and awkwardly threatening harmonies overwhelming your intimacy. I could see why Henry Cow never quite became stars, but they were extremely talented and I believe that anyone who gives them half a chance is in risk of becoming addicted!

You are probably still listening to all your Frank Sinatra records and would find this music quite dreadful today, but you have, after all, been quite boring these last few years. Perhaps you should buy this album and bring back memories of young people who were willing to explore the extreme barriers of music regardless of appeal, of idealists whose music was an attack on conformism that hardly ever gave respite. To pique your interest, the new release even happens to have three additional tracks, two of which are very interesting instrumentals and one that has female singers almost chanting like in some crazy African ritual, something that you would have adored in your twenties. ;)

Well, just like I bought it (although rather late, I confess), you could do it, too. Both "suites" (as you called them) are rather good and got my mind toiling away at understanding what was going on several times. After listening to it a thousand times, I finally understood that, although I still think you listened to a lot of garbage and called it "genius" because you wanted to sound intellectual, you did know some bands like Henry Cow that were actually quite good... Strange, isn't it? It's just like with James Joyce (still the only good writer that you ever recommended to me) =)




Say hello to Julie for me!
Virginia




From the editor: having received these epistles from Mr. Marcelo Silveyra, he included a brief statement that noted that only the ReR version contains the mentioned bonus tracks. Thus, one must check carefully before purchasing said title.

Rating: 4.5/5

Similar Artists: Art Bears, Zamla Mammas Manna, Thinking Plague

More about Western Culture (re-release):

Track Listing: History and Prospects: I. Industry (6:57) - II. The Decay of Cities (6:56) - III. On the Raft (4:01) / Day by Day: I. Falling Away - (7:39) II. Gretel's Tale (3:58) - III. Look Back (1:20) - IV. Half the Sky (5:07) / Empty track (1:30) / Additional tracks: Viva Pa Ubu (4:28) / Look Back (alt) (1:22) / Slice (0:37

Musicians:
Tim Hodgkinson - Organ, alto sax, clarinet, Hawaiian guitar
Lindsay Cooper - Bassoon, oboe, soprano sax, soprano recorder
Fred Frith - Guitars, bass, banjo, soprano sax
Chris Cutler - Drums, noise, piano, trumpet

Additional musicians:

Anne-Marie Roelofs - Trombone, violin
Irene Schweizer - Piano
Georgie Born - Bass
Dagmar Krause - Vocals (on "Viva Pa Ubu")

Contact:

Website: www.ccutler.com
Note: will open new browser window

Discography

Leg End (1973/1999)
Unrest (1974)
Desperate Straights (1975)
In Praise Of Learning (1975)
Concerts (1976)
Western Culture (1978)




Henry Cow
Western Culture
East Side Digital (ESD 80852)
UK 1979

Chris Cutler, piano, trumpet, drums, vocals, noise, electric drums;
Lindsay Cooper, bassoon, oboe, recorder, soprano sax, wind, sopranino recorder;
Georgie Born, bass;
Fred Frith, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, violin, keyboards, soprano sax;
Tim Hodgkinson, organ, clarinet, guitar, piano, keyboards, alto sax, vocals, hawaiian guitar;
Anne Marie Roelofs, trombone, violin;
Irene Schweizer, piano


nick

When critics speak of progressive rock, they often speak of long solos, rotating drum risers, and bloated egos. They speak of over-the-top spectacles and flashy, yet empty epics. Henry Cow's final album, Western Culture, is a brutal affront to such notions. Western Culture is an austere work of a rock group as chamber orchestra who are very serious about their compositions. What results is a serious sounding album, but one that contains many moments of fractured beauty. Western Culture is a very intellectual work that must be listened to with complete concentration to fully grasp.
Composed as two side long instrumental suites, "History and Prospects" and "Day by Day", by Tim Hodgkinson and Lindsay Cooper respectively, Western Culture could serve as a soundtrack to the decay of, well, western culture.

"Industry," the only track on Western Culture with any recognizable rock influences, takes the listener to the heart of an industrial wasteland with a freaked out, high pitch organ, clangorous percussion, and scraping violins. "Decay of Cities" begins with a dissonant but lovely classical guitar part and while not as violent as "Industry," it is no less intense. A lush, almost impressionistic piece, "On the Raft" is the anomaly on "Western Culture."

Lindsay Cooper's piece, "Falling Away", is perhaps the best track on the album, with many changes and great musical variety. "Half the Sky" is a collaboration between Cooper and Hodginkinson which represents each composers merits well.

12-20-03


c ground and sky











Henry Cow - Leg End (original mix)

Released: 1973/1999 (reissue)
Label: East Side Digital
Cat. No.:
Total Time: 41:02


Reviewed by: Jason Clemons, December 2000
Henry Cow was and is, in my own humble thinking, one of the best R.I.O. (that's Rock In Opposition) - no, one of the best bands of all time. They've been thrown in with the "progressive rock movement" of the 70's. To say this sells them a little short. They did cover and emulate such forms as the classical and free-jazz movements. After all, besides the usual guitar, bass, keys and drums, they had saxes, flutes, recorders, clarinet, violin and violas.

So on this, their first album, they introduce themselves on a piece called "Nirvana for Mice," which has a jazzier feel. Then the next track, which "Nirvana..." bleeds into without fade, is "Amygdala," which continues the feel established before. Moving into "Teenbeat Introduction" and "Teenbeat" has more use of voice than before. The next piece "Extract from With the Yellow Hole Moon and Blue Star" (whew!), begins with guitar and flute together - very nice - then the whole band kicks in. "Teenbeat Reprise" has [Fred] Firth soloing. "The Tenth Chaffinch" has a "free" violin solo and talking - the more avant-garde touch. The last track "Nine Funerals of the Citizen King" is the singing track. The content of the song is about the downfall of the "system." Henry Cow were "leftist" throughout their career, but I find that doesn't distract from the music.

All in all, a great debut album. Orginally released on Virgin (yes, that one) now re-released on East Side Digital, this is a great purchase. Highly recommended for those who want to know what Rock In Opposition means. Get the remastered version not the re-mix, someone recently told me to get the re-mix, but I'm not buying.

[There seem to be additional tracks on the remixed version, which also seems to have been released by East Side Digital -ed.]

More about Leg End (original mix):

Track Listing: Nirvana For Mice (4:53) / Amygdala (6:47) / Teenbeat Introduction (4:32) / Teenbeat (6:57) / Extract From 'With The Yellow Half Moon And Blue Star' (2:26) / Teenbeat Reprise (5:07) / The Tenth Chaffinch (6:06) / Nine Funerals Of The Citizen King (5:34)

Sound Clips: www.cdnow.com

Musicians:
Fred Frith - guitar, keyboards, piano, viola, violin, and vocals
Chris Cutler - drums, piano, toy instruments, trumpet, vocals, whistle (instrument)
Tim Hodgkinson - keyboards, clarinet, organ, piano, sax (alto), saxophone, vocals
Jack Baines -wind
Jeremy Baines - pixiephone
Lindsay Cooper - bassoon
John Greaves - bass, piano, vocals, whistle (instrument)
Dagmar Krause - vocals
Geoff Leigh - clarinet, flute, recorder, sax (alto), sax (tenor), saxophone, vocals