01	Tenemos Roads						14:32
	02	Brujo						10:14
	03	Borogoves (Excerpt From Part 2)						04:13
	04	Borogoves (Part 1)						06:30
	05	Elephants						14:20

Dave Stewart, keyboards;
Phil Miller, guitar;
Neil Murray, bass;
Pip Pyle, drums, percussion;
with
John Mitchell, percussion;
Alan Gowen, keyboards;
Amanda Parsons, vocals;
Jimmy Hastings, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet

Recorded at the Point, Victoria, London 1977 on the Mobile Mobile
Produced by National Health

Jon Byrne:
The late 70s were not particularly kind to progressive rock and its fans. By 1977, the genre's popular period was all but over, the founders of the genre had undergone significant changes (Gabriel and Hackett had left Genesis, King Crimson was gone, and Yes was beginning to slide towards 90125), and new prog bands simply didn't exist. It was in this atmosphere that some veterans of the Canterbury prog scene came together to form National Health. It was one of the few bright spots of late 70s prog.
As one might expect from a group of Canterbury vets, National Health took a jazzier approach to prog than some others. However, unlike some of their earlier contemporaries, National Health tended to be a bit more focused in their writings. On this first album, there are hints of both schools of thought, represented by keyboardists Dave Stewart (more structure) and Alan Gowen (more improvisation). For the most part, the album strikes a nice balance of the two.
The album starts off with its best and most illustrative track, the epic "Tenemos Roads". It is a fairly well developed tune, with a recurring "theme" of sorts, first expressed and then returned to by Gowen's synth playing. Stewart's lyrics, sung well by Amanda Parsons, help things move along. However, about midway, it does bog down into a section of pointless noodling, before moving back into familiar territory for a big finish. The rest of the album displays those characteristics (minus the lyrics), sometimes leaning too much one way or the other. Nothing quite measures up, overall, to the opener.
I can imagine the impact of National Health when it came out in 1977. It must have been a huge breath of fresh air for prog fans and a hope that things might get better for the genre. No such luck, I'm afraid. But at least there was this very fine album to tide folks over.

Bob Eichler:
Since my only experience with this music is from the Complete album, I'm not used to thinking of the tracks in terms of their original albums, but I'll try to review them that way. Many fans have expressed the opinion that this band pretty much defines the Canterbury sub-genre of prog, or at least the jazzier side of it. If you've heard bands like Hatfield and the North or Volare, then you've probably got a pretty good idea what this music sounds like. Very jazzy, mostly instrumental, with lots of tasty keyboards (which are usually given a slightly distorted, fuzzy tone) and twisting, turning, complex rhythms.
The first track fades in, and the last track has a lengthy fade out, almost leaving the impression that the music in between is all a beautiful dream. This is music you could put on when you invite your parents over to dinner, and not have to worry about offending them (well, except maybe for the noisy, distorted opening of "Elephants"). National Health represents a "tasteful" side of prog, as evidenced by the band photo in the center of the Complete booklet, which shows them sitting around having a pint while wearing jackets and ties. But "tasteful" doesn't necessarily equal boring, although this album doesn't really "rock out" in the traditional sense. If you want something that appeals to the intellect as well as the emotions, National Health is just the thing. Speaking of intellect, the wry history of the band (written by Dave Stewart) in the liner notes is a classic example of understated and hilarious British humor.


National Health [UK]
Updated 5/25/01
Discography
National Health (78)
Of Queues and Cures (79)
D.S. al Coda (82)
Complete (90, 2CD Compilation of all three albums)
Missing Pieces (96, Compilation of outtakes & unreleased material)
Playtime (00, Live from two concerts in 1979)


Reviews
This is progressive rock at its finest. Complex time signatures, great jamming, inclusion of rare sounds such as vocal harmonies without lyrics, cellos, multiple keyboards, etc... National Health is a spin-off band of Hatfield and the North, and they put out their 3 albums in the late 70's, early 80's. Very jazzy at times, hard prog rock at other times.
Stated simply: Get something from this band! National Health was the brain child of Dave Stewart (no, not of the Eurythmics) and Alan Gowan. The group developed in 1975 in response to the end of "thinking man's" rock music. In the liner notes for the CD, Stewart describes National Health as ."..a large scale rock ensemble playing intricate, mainly instrumental music," a far better description than I could derive. To paraphrase Stewart, the Ramones they are not! The music is strongly structured and composed, not at all free form, but not sounding forced, either. Within a composition, the music develops well and easily flows from one section to another, continuously developing the theme and sounding coherent the entire time. The first two albums represent the band during their peak, despite many troubles that beset the band and its members during that time (humorously elucidated by Stewart in the liner notes.) Song lengths range from eight seconds ("Phlakaton" - an obligatory drum solo, but far from what you would expect from such a solo) to 14'32 for both "Elephants" and "Tenemos Roads" (."..an epic about ancient civilizations on Planet Mercury..."), and intricate they are. To put on one of these tunes simply for background music is to do it and yourself injustice. The music is quite involved and complex - instrinsic, indeed! Both key modulations and time changes abound. I'm not sure there is a 4/4 time signature on any tune, and I know (from the liner notes) that part of "Elephants" has a moog solo over a 25/8 rhythm. Not a tune you tap your foot to while doing other things. One listen to "The Collapso" (or the even better "Apocalypso") will make you sit up and pay attention. "The Apocalypso" is one of my favorite cuts (most favorite goes to "Tenemos Roads") on the CD and also one of the least serious. It is a rewritten and extended version of "The Collapso," recorded in 1990. If there is an apocalypse, this is how it will sound and it *WILL* be fun. Though quite detailed, the compositions never made me feel like the musicians were just trying to fit in another note or move to another time signature "just because they could." National Health's third and final release, D.S. al Coda, is a tribute to Alan Gowan, who died in 1981. All compositions, with the exception of "Arriving Twice" and "TNTFX" (both by Gilgamesh, Gowan's prior band) were written by Gowan. These tunes are decidedly jazzier and noticably shorter, on average. Though "I Feel A Night Coming On" fits well in the old vein, these songs represent more the direction of Gowan and not National Health. I spend most of my ear time listening to the band's first two releases, however, because I feel they are much more involved than Gowan's compositions. This band and CD are currently on my all-time top ten and are there they are likely to remain.If you have ever listened to Egg or Hatfield and the North, you'll have a feel for the music style of National Health. If you haven't, then I strongly recommend that you get this CD, then pick up some Egg and Hatfield. Shoot, pick up nearly anything with Dave Stewart (with the possible exception of Stewart/Gaskin) on the keys. You will not be disappointed. -- Mike Taylor
Jazz-oriented outfit formed by ex-members of Hatfield and The North. Featured Phil Miller, Dave Stewart, Pip Pyle, Alan Gowen, Mont Campbell and others. The music is a powerful connection of jazz-rock and complex progressive stylings, with expanded lineups featuring woodwinds, horns, and voices. An outstanding example of progressive in the true sense of the word.
National Health were an offshoot of the "Canterbury scene," specializing in jazz-oriented progressive rock, taking the work of Soft Machine and the like to a more accessible level, and possibly comparable in style to Brand X.
Perhaps the pinnacle of Canterbury prog, National Health is composed mostly of ex-members of Hatfield & The North (guitarist Phil Miller, drummer Pip Pyle and keyboardist Dave Stewart), so not surprisingly continues to develop ideas started by that band. The first album is made up of four very long tracks. THe music is not unlike that on Hatfield's The Rotter's Club album. Of Queues And Cures is the band's classic. This one introduces bassist John Greaves (ex-Henry Cow) and cellist Georgie Born, and includes Caravan associate Jimmy Hastings on clarinet and flute and various other sidemen on horns and oboe. The mixture of symphonic, jazz and rock works excellently with shifting rhythms and melodies carried by Miller's simmering guitar and underpinned by Stewart's rich Hammond organ tone. "Squarer For Maud" includes an incredible cello solo at the end, as well as brilliant use of clarinets and oboe in a superb rock format. "The Collapso" is a great vehicle for Stewart's organ playing, and also includes a part for steel drums! On "Dreams Wide Awake", Stewart apparently broke the organ in the process of the psychotic solo at the beginning! Some of Pyle's most impressive drumming turns up on "The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians)". The album's only vocal track: "Binoculars", is graced by some heavenly Miller guitar fills. One of the classics of the Canterbury scene, a fine introduction. D.S. Al Coda is a tribute album to keyboardist Alan Gowen, an on-again-off-again member who played on the first album, and died just before the making of the third of leukaemia. It consists entirely of his compositions, mostly performed by the band live but never recorded, though two of the songs ("T.N.T.F.X." and "Arriving Twice") were previously recorded by Gilgamesh. Their most uneven album, yet it includes some fine tracks. "Flanagan's People"/"Toad Of Toad Hall" stands among the best National Health tracks, while "Shining Water" is an impressive exercise in controlled rhythm and dynamics. -- Mike Ohman





In November 1973, Hatfield and the North and Gilgamesh performed two exceptional concerts in London as one octet, performing (in addition to their respective sets) special arrangements by Gilgamesh's leader, Alan Gowen. These performances were the seed for National Health, founded in July 1975 by Gowen and Hatfield keyboardist Dave Stewart. The initial plan was to create a rock orchestra, with double guitars, double keyboards, bass, drums, and three female vocalists. This was almost done, with an eight-piece line-up comprised of Phil Miller and Phil Lee (guitars, ex-Hatfield and Gilgamesh respectively), Dave Stewart and Alan Gowen (keyboards), Mont Campbell (bass, ex-Egg, Stewart's earlier band), Bill Bruford (drums, ex-Yes and King Crimson) and Amanda Parsons (vocals, formerly a third of the Northettes, Hatfield's backing vocalists).

The newborn line-up spent the rest of 1975 rehearsing, eventually recording a demo tape at Pathway Studios at the end of the year, with two tracks, "Zabaglione" (by Campbell) and "The Lethargy Shuffle and the Mind-Your-Backs Tango" (by Stewart). Both recordings appear on the "Missing Pieces" CD, released in 1996.

In February 1976, a tour of Britain was undertaken. Unfortunately, Phil Lee left shortly beforehand and had to be replaced by Steve Hillage (the band eventually dispensed with a second guitarist); and Amanda Parsons was ill with flu and missed most of the dates. On the 17th, a BBC 'Top Gear' session was recorded, with "Paracelsus", "Agrippa" (both composed by Campbell) and "The Lethargy Shuffle, Part 2" (by Stewart). After the tour, Bruford left to play with Genesis on their world tour, and was replaced by John Mitchell, who stayed for several months but ended up playing just one gig, at Louveciennes in France).

Shortly thereafter, Mont Campbell also left, and his compositions were dropped from the band's repertoire. Gowen asked his ex-Gilgamesh colleague Neil Murray to step in for him, while Bruford returned to the band for more gigs and one more 'Top Gear' recording, "Clocks and Clouds", a beautiful song in the Hatfield tradition, beautifully sung by Amanda Parsons. But gigs were few, and Bruford, who was then attempting to form an all-star trio with Rick Wakeman and John Wetton, eventually left for good by the year's end, after a further UK tour.

And who should replace him but good old Pip Pyle ? Since Hatfield's split, Pip had mostly played jazz as a freelance musician, and was happy to join his old mates again. Another tour was then undertaken, but Parsons and Gowen soon decided to leave. By coincidence, the band were offered the opportunity to record an album (Virgin had refused to sign them, and no other label seemed interested, so this piece of news came as a great relief).

Sessions took place from late March onwards, with guest participation from Gowen and Parsons as well as Jimmy Hastings (flute and clarinet) and John Mitchell (percussion). The album consisted of Gowen and Stewart compositions, and was a testament to this initial period of National Health's existence. The band was now reduced to a more conventional quartet line-up, quite far from Stewart and Gowen's very ambitious 1975 plans... In some of their concerts and radio sessions from mid to late 1977, the band were augmented with various guest musicians, including Richard Sinclair on vocals (who for instance sang on a BBC recording of "A Legend In His Own Lunchtime", a Pip Pyle composition which was later renamed "Binoculars"), and a wind section featuring Lindsay Cooper of Henry Cow and Jimmy Hastings among others.

In January 1978, Neil Murray left to join the heavy-metal band Whitesnake (starting a very successful career as session and live musician), and was replaced by John Greaves, who between 1969 and 1976 had been a core member of Henry Cow, playing bass, piano and singing in a 'British' style not totally dissimilar to Richard Sinclair's. The band then embarked on an intensive European tour. A long tour of Britain opening for Steve Hillage (now a star in his own right) coincided with the release of the debut album on Charly Records, but proved to be a financial disaster. The band was nonetheless back in the studio during the summer to record its follow-up, "Of Queues And Cures", with guest appearances by Jimmy Hastings and Georgie Born (Greaves' replacement in Henry Cow - she also played cello) among others.

This second album returned to a more experimental style, although different from the early days of the band. John Greaves' "Squarer For Maud", part of which was improvised in the studio, was a good example of this new direction, while Miller's superb "Dreams Wide Awake" and Stewart's tricky "The Bryden 2-Step" were more in the tradition of earlier efforts.

In September 1978, Georgie Born joined National Health along with Lindsay Cooper (Henry Cow had just split up for good), but after promising rehearsals, this sextet line-up split up because of Dave Stewart's sudden decision to leave. Stewart was dissatisfied both with the evolution of the band towards more improvisation and with the bad organisation and cancellations of gigs at short notice. He went on to work with Bill Bruford in his band Bruford, recording two studio albums.

After a two-year absence, Alan Gowen rejoined National Health to replace him, but the remainder of the band's career would not see any recordings, and after a few more tours in Europe (spring 1979) and the States (late 1979), the four musicians went their separate ways in March, 1980, just days after returning from a Scandinavian tour.

When Alan Gowen died of leukaemia in May 1981, Phil Miller (who had kept working with him since National Health's demise) reformed the band (with Stewart back in the line-up) for a small series of concerts and a tribute album comprising previously unreleased Gowen compositions as well as two Gilgamesh covers, "D.S. Al Coda". Stewart and Greaves went on to successful pop careers, while Miller and Pyle kept playing together, notably in In Cahoots and Short Wave. Miller and Stewart have collaborated again on electronic-based pieces (on Miller's first two solo albums and one track on the "Complete National Health" CD), and have plans for a duo project.




1975
July
The nucleus of National Health is conceived, comprising Dave Stewart, Alan Gowen, Phil Miller, Phil Lee, Mont Campbell and Amanda Parsons.

August
Unsuccessful auditions to recruit a drummer.
Meanwhile, Dave Stewart joins Gilgamesh as honourary member on organ.

September
Recordings with Pip Pyle, at Ray Russell's studio ("Croquette For Electronic Beating Group").
[03] London, BBC Studios [Gilgamesh Top Gear session - Alan Gowen, Phil Lee, Jeff Clyne and Mike Travis]
[17] London, Phoenix Jazz Club [Gilgamesh gig, with Alan Gowen, Phil Lee, Dave Stewart, Jeff Clyne and Mike Travis]
Rehearsals : "The Lethargy Shuffle", "Clocks And Clouds", "Brujo", "Bells", "Paracelsus", "Agrippa", "Zabaglione", "Tenemos Roads", "Trident Asleep", "Starlight On Seaweed".

October
Bill Bruford is recruited as drummer.
Pathway Studios demos ("Zabaglione", "The Lethargy Shuffle", "The Towplane & The Glider").

December
Phil Lee leaves to join Charles Aznavour for a tour of France and Canada.

1976
January
Rehearsals begin with Steve Hillage joining (on strategic dates) as temporary replacement for Phil Lee.
Typical setlist for this tour: "Tenemos Roads", "Paracelsus", "Trident Asleep", "Agrippa", "The Lethargy Shuffle & The Mind-Your-Backs Tango", "Elephants", "The Lethargy Shuffle (Part 2)"
[31] Stroud, Leisure Centre [support: Kilgaron]

February
[06] Nottingham, Trent Polytechnic
[07] Chichester, Bishop Otter College
[13] Canterbury, College of Technology
[14] London, School Of Economics (without Amanda Parsons)
[17] London, BBC Maida Vale Studios [Top Gear] - "Paracelsus", "Agrippa" and "The Lethargy Shuffle (Part 2) performed (broadcast Apr 20) (without Amanda Parsons)
[19] Middlesborough, Teeside Polytechnic
[20] Aberdeen, Polytechnic
[22] Dundee, University
[24] Manchester, Polytechnic
[25] Sheffield, Polytechnic
[26] London, Enfield Middlesex Polytechnic

March
Bill Bruford leaves to join Genesis for a world tour (official announcement mid-March). His temporary replacement is Chris Cutler (???)
[11] London, Marquee Club [support: Ian Fleming]

May
John Mitchell (ex-Mirage & Julie Tippetts Group) joins on drums, as a result of which a planned series of gigs is cancelled
[21] London, New London Theatre Drury Lane (cancelled)
[27] Derby, Cleopatra's (cancelled)
[28] Lincoln, Drill Hall (cancelled)

June
[03] Shrewsbury, Music Hall (cancelled)
[19] Louveciennes [nr Paris] (France), Festival
Mont Campbell leaves

July
Neil Murray joins. John Mitchell leaves and Bill Bruford returns.

September
[21] London, BBC Maida Vale Studios [Top Gear] - "Brujo" and "Clocks & Clouds" performed (broadcast Oct 12)

October
Typical setlist on this tour: "Tenemos Roads", "Brujo", "Clocks & Clouds", "The Towplane & The Glider", "Borogoves (Part 1 & 2)", "Elephants"
[09] Bishops Stortford, Triad
[10] London, The Roundhouse [also: Kraftwerk, Penguin Cafe Orchestra]
[14] Worcester, College of Further Education
[15] Brighton, Sussex University
[16] Chichester, Bishop Otter College
[23] Newcastle, University

November
[03] Loughborough, University
[04] Manchester, Hollings College of Food Technology
[10] Keele, University
[13] Canterbury, Kent University [supporting Larry Coryell's 11th House]
[17] London, Collegiate Theatre [support: Crass Stupidity]
[18] London, Collegiate Theatre [support: Crass Stupidity]
[19] Egham, Royal Holloway College
[20] Cambridge, College of Technology

December
While potential replacements are auditioned, Bill Bruford helps out for a couple of auditions and demo sessions

1977
January
Following unsuccessful auditions of other candidates, Pip Pyle becomes the band's new drummer
[25] Dave Stewart takes part in David Bedford's London performance of his new work

February
Typical setlist on this tour: same as previous tour, minus "The Towplane...", with "Underdub" as occasional encore
[02] Lille (France), Salle De La Marbrerie
[03] Montigny-les-Metz (France)
[04] Mulhouse (France)
Rehearsals at youth hostel in Chaumont (France)
[09] Nancy (France), Tomblaine
[10] Utrecht (Netherlands) [with Soft Machine]
[11] Rotterdam (Netherlands), Exit Club
[12] Hoorn (Netherlands), Trol Club
[13] Maasluis (Netherlands), Toverbal Club
[14] Warmonderhof (Netherlands), MTLS
[15] Ridderkirk (Netherlands), De Singel Club
[17] Newcastle, University
[18] Stirling, University
[19] Glasgow (Scotland), Queen Mary University
[20] Dundee (Scotland), University
[21] Halifax, Civic Centre
[22] Nottingham, University
[24] Wolverhampton (cancelled)
[25] Oxford, Clarendon Press Hall
[26] Slough, Technical College

March
[12] Brighton, Polytechnic
Amanda Parsons leaves.
[13] London, Victoria Palace [with Jimmy Hastings]
Alan Gowen leaves.
[29] sessions for the first National Health album begin, with Alan Gowen, Amanda Parsons, Jimmy Hastings and John Mitchell appearing as guests

April
Sessions for the album continue

June
[07] London, Chiswick House
[25] Sierck-Les-Bains (France), Festival du Chateau [with Henry Cow, Carmina, Faton Cahen & Surya]

July
[31] London, Queen Elizabeth Hall [with Richard Sinclair and woodwinds: Jimmy Hastings, Lindsay Cooper, Rory Graham...]

October
[07] Amsterdam (Netherlands), Melkweg
[08] Maasluis (Netherlands), Toverbal Club
[09] Oosterhout (Netherlands)
[13] Almelo (Netherlands)
[14] Schiebroek (Netherlands), Nullis Pretti Club
[15] Den Haag (Netherlands), Paard
[16] Ridderkirk (Netherlands), Die Singel Club

November
Typical setlist on this tour: "The Bryden 2-Step", "The Lethargy Shuffle", "A Legend In His Own Lunchtime", "The Collapso", "Dreams Wide Awake", "Tenemos Roads"
[08] Nottingham, University
[09] London, BBC Maida Vale Studios [Top Gear] - "The Collapso", "A Legend In His Own Lunchtime" performed (broadcast Dec 13) [with Richard Sinclair]
[10] London, Roundhouse [with Richard Sinclair & wind quartet, feat. Jimmy Hastings] [also: Turning Point]
[15] Sheffield, University
[16] Hull, University
[20] Paris (France), Hippodrome [Fete de la Jeunesse du P.S.] [also Orckestra]

December
[01] Huddersfield, Polytechnic (??)

1978
January
Neil Murray leaves to join Whitesnake. John Greaves replaces him.

February
[08] Reims (France) [+ another gig on the 7th or 9th]
Gigs in Belgium
[??] Nivelle (Belgium)
[14] "National Health" is released on Charly Records
[28] Bruford Old Grey Whistle Test [Bill Bruford, Dave Stewart, Allan Holdsworth and Neil Murray]

March
French tour - setlist consists of "Dreams Wide Awake", "Mostly Twins & Trios", "A Legend In His Own Lunchtime", "Tenemos Roads", "Elephants", "The Bryden 2-Step", "The Collapso"
[06] Paris (France), Nashville (cancelled?)
[07] Tours (France)
[08] Angers (France)
[09] La Rochelle (France)
[10] Bordeaux (France), Le Beret Cosmique
[11] Pau (France)
[13] Toulouse (France)
[14] Avignon (France)
[15] Marseille (France)
[16] Nice (France)
[17] Clermont-Ferrand (France)
[18] St. Etienne (France)
[20] Grenoble (France)
[21] Lyon (France), Salle Rameau
[22] Bourges (France) (?)
[23] Orleans (France)
[24] Epinal (France)
[25] Nancy (France)
[26] Thionville (France) (?)
[28] Paris (France), Bus Palladium

April
UK tour opening for Steve Hillage. Setlist: "The Collapso", "Tenemos Roads", "Mostly Twins And Trios" / "For Bearings" / "Would You Prefer Us To Lie?", "Dreams Wide Awake", "Elephants"
[20] Plymouth, Metro [supporting Steve Hillage]
[21] Plymouth, Metro [supporting Steve Hillage]
[22] Torquay, Town Hall [supporting Steve Hillage]
[23] Swansea, Top Rank [supporting Steve Hillage]
[25] Cardiff, Top Rank [supporting Steve Hillage]
[26] Bangor, University [supporting Steve Hillage]
[28] Keele, University [supporting Steve Hillage]
[29] Lancaster, University [supporting Steve Hillage]

May
[01] Folkestone, Lees Cliff Hall [supporting Steve Hillage]
[03] Aylesbury, Friars [supporting Steve Hillage]
[04] Bristol [supporting Steve Hillage]
[06] Leicester, University [supporting Steve Hillage]
[08] Stafford, Top Of The World [supporting Steve Hillage]
[09] Sheffield, Polytechnic [supporting Steve Hillage]
[10] Manchester, University [supporting Steve Hillage]
[12] Edinburgh, University [supporting Steve Hillage]
[13] Glasgow, Strathclyde University [supporting Steve Hillage]
[14] Redcar, Coatham Bowl [supporting Steve Hillage]
[15] Redcar, Coatham Bowl [supporting Steve Hillage]
[16] Newcastle, Polytechnic [supporting Steve Hillage]
[18] Poole, Wessex Hall Arts Centre [supporting Steve Hillage]
[19] Swindon, Brunel Rooms [supporting Steve Hillage]
[20] Malvern, Winter Gardens [supporting Steve Hillage]
[21] Croydon, Greyhound [supporting Steve Hillage]
[22] Birmingham, Mayfair Ballroom [supporting Steve Hillage]
[23] Liverpool, Erics [supporting Steve Hillage]
[24] Liverpool, Erics [supporting Steve Hillage]
[25] Oxford, Polytechnic [supporting Steve Hillage]
[26] Dunstable, Civic Hall [supporting Steve Hillage]
[27] Guildford, Surrey University [guest: Miquette Giraudy] [supporting Steve Hillage]
[28] London, Lyceum [supporting Steve Hillage]

July
"Of Queues And Cures" is recorded at Ridge Farm (near Dorking, Surrey), using the 'Mobile Mobile' studio, produced by Mike Dunne. Guests include Georgie Born, Peter Blegvad, Jimmy Hastings and Phil Minton

September
Lindsay Cooper and Georgie Born join National Health

October
[02-07] Eponymous Soft Heap album is recorded by Alan Gowen, Pip Pyle, Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean at Pathway Studios, London
Dave Stewart leaves after half of a projected tour of Spain and Italy is cancelled at last notice

November
"Of Queues And Cures" is released (on Charly)
The band search for a replacement, first planning to use French guitarist Alain Eckert rather than a new keyboard player

December
[04] London, 100 Club [Soft Heap] [support: Mike Osborne Quartet]

1979
January
Dave Stewart agrees to rejoin National Health for a one-off TV performance
[09] Manchester, BBC TV studios [Old Grey Whistle Test] - "The Collapso" performed
Alan Gowen finally rejoins on keyboards. John Greaves replaces Hugh Hopper in Soft Heap
[28] Putney, Half-Moon [Soft Heap]

February
Beginning of a European tour, incl. Scandinavia, Spain (Barcelona), France
Setlist: "TNTFX", "Silence", "Squarer For Maud", "Dreams Wide Awake", "Nowadays A Silhouette", "The Rose Sob", "Play Time", "Toad Of Toad Hall", "Seven Sisters", "TNTFX (reprise)" + occasionally "Fourfold", "Shining Water"
[02] Reims (France), MJC ???
[04] Paris (France), Campagne Premiere ???
[05] Paris (France), Campagne Premiere ???
[06] Paris (France), Campagne Premiere ???

March
[05] London, Bedford College
[16] Oxford, Polytechnic [Lol Coxhill benefit]
Tour of the Netherlands - March 25th to April 2nd
[29] Maasluis (Netherlands), Toverbal Club

April
Tour of Scandinavia (Finland/Sweden) - April 4th to 15th
[early] Stockholm (Sweden)
Tour of Spain (Madrid/Barcelona/etc.) - April 17th to 25th
Tour of France - from April 26th
[27] Bresse-sur-Grosne (France), A L'Ouest de la Grosne [guest: Alain Eckhert]
[28] Bresse-sur-Grosne (France), A L'Ouest de la Grosne [guest: Alain Eckhert]
[29] Paris (France), Theatre Campagne-Premiere [guest: Didier Malherbe]
[30] Paris (France), Theatre Campagne-Premiere [guest: Didier Malherbe]

May
[01] Paris (France), Theatre Campagne-Premiere [guest: Didier Malherbe]
[02] Paris (France), Theatre Campagne-Premiere [guest: Didier Malherbe]
[03] Nancy (France)
[04] Thionville (France)
[05] Lille (France)
Planned US tour is postponed to later in the year

June
[??] Rome (Italy)

November
US tour. Setlist: "Dreams Wide Awake", "TNTFX", "Silence", "Seven Sisters/Foetal Fandango", "Flanagan's People", "Toad Of Toad Hall", "Nowadays A Silhouette", "The Rose Sob", "Play Time", "Squarer For Maud"
[05] Boston (MA), Modern Theatre [support: Etron Fou Leloublan]
[06] Philadelphia (PA), The Hot Club
[07] New York City (NY), The Bottom Line [two shows]
[08] Hartford (CT), Trinity College [support: Etron Fou Leloublan]
[11] Toronto (Canada), The Edge
[12] Ann Arbor (MI)
[13] Chicago (IL), Gasper's
[19] Lawrence (KS), Opera House
[26] Atlanta (GA)
[28] Baltimore, Shriver Hall
[29] Roslyn (NY), My Father's Place
[30] New York City (NY), The Squat Theater [two shows] [guests on second show: Peter Blegvad & Michael Lawrence]

December
[01] Philadelphia (PA), Main Point
Immediately upon returning to the UK, Alan Gowen, John Greaves and Pip Pyle join Elton Dean for a Soft Heap tour of Northern England, organised by the Jazz Centre Society
[04] York, Arts Centre [Soft Heap]
[05] Sheffield, Brincliffe Oaks Hotel [Soft Heap]
[06] Manchester, Band On The Wall [Soft Heap]
[07] Liverpool, Blue Coat Hall [Soft Heap]
[08] Leigh, Library [Soft Heap]
[10] Dundee, Royal Centre Hotel [Soft Heap]
[11] Glasgow, Maryhill Community Hall [Soft Heap]
[12] Edinburgh, Carlton Studios [Soft Heap]

1980
February
Scandinavian tour. Setlist: "Seven Sisters" / "Foetal Fandango", "A Fleeting Glance", "The Rose Sob" / "Play Time", "Dreams Wide Awake", "TNTFX" / "Silence", "Squarer For Maud".
[17] Nurmes (Finland)
[18] Kuopio (Finland)
[19] Mikkeli (Finland)
[20] Tampere (Finland)
[21] Helsinki (Finland)
[25] Turku (Finland)
[26] Uppsala (Sweden)
[27] Stockholm (Sweden)
[28] Linkoping (Sweden)
[29] Orebro (Sweden)

March
[01] Vaxjo (Sweden)
[02] Vanersborg (Sweden), Stadsteatern
Alan Gowen leaves and National Health split up

1981
April
[25-27] The album "Before A Word Is Said" is recorded at Alan Gowen's flat in Tooting (South London), by Gowen, Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair and Trevor Tomkins

May
[02-04] Final sessions for "Before A Word Is Said"
[17] Alan Gowen dies of leukaemia

June
[08] London, 100 Club [benefit for A.Gowen's widow - feat. National Health plus jam session involving Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Nigel Morris...]

October-November
Sessions for National Health's "D.S. Al Coda". Guests include Elton Dean, Jimmy Hastings, Richard Sinclair, Amanda Parsons, Barbara Gaskin and Annie Whitehead

1983
August
National Health (Phil Miller, Dave Stewart, John Greaves and Pip Pyle) briefly reconvene for two performances of Alan Gowen's material (plus new compositions by Miller - "Above And Below" - and Greaves - "Swelling Valley") as part of the Edinburgh Festival
[30] Edinburgh, Queen's Hall [Edinburgh Festival] [guests: Elton Dean, Jimmy Hastings, Barbara Gaskin]
[31] Edinburgh, Queen's Hall [Edinburgh Festival] [guests: Elton Dean, Jimmy Hastings, Barbara Gaskin]



When was National Health formed? When did it split up?

National Health was formed in the Summer of 1975. It split up in the Spring of 1980. It briefly re-formed during 1981 to record the "D.S. Al Coda" album, as a tribute to the late Alan Gowen, and in the Summer of 1983 to play two final concerts in Edinburgh.

What were the main line-up changes in the band's history?

The band's original line-up consisted of Dave Stewart and Alan Gowen on keyboards, Phil Miller and Phil Lee on guitars, Amanda Parsons on vocals and Mont Campbell on bass. A fulltime drummer, Bill Bruford, wasn't found until a couple of months later. In the meantime, Pip Pyle helped out, until finally replacing Bruford in 1977. The final regular line-up included original members Phil Miller and Alan Gowen, with John Greaves on bass and vocals and Pip Pyle on drums. When the band briefly re-formed in 1981 and 1983, the late Gowen was replaced by the returning Dave Stewart.

How did the original members meet? Had they worked together previously?

National Health was founded by keyboard players Dave Stewart and Alan Gowen (who was an old acquaintance of Phil Miller's), following the split of their respective bands, Hatfield and the North and Gilgamesh. Both bands had played double quartet gigs in November 1973 - the resulting 8-piece band then included no less than six future National Health members : Stewart, Gowen, Phil Miller, Phil Lee, Neil Murray and Pip Pyle; Gowen had guested on three Hatfield gigs with an augmented line-up in April/May 1974; Stewart later co-produced the first (eponymous) Gilgamesh album, on which yet another future NH member, Amanda Parsons, guested, and played one gig with the band, doubling on keyboards with Gowen, in September 1975, while National Health was starting rehearsals.

Why did they choose this band name ?

Dave Stewart : "I remember clearly that the band was named after my spectacles (cheap 'National Health' round frames, now wildly popular in Japan for some reason) in that cheery way musicians have of celebrating physical defects. God knows what the band would have been called if I'd had a hernia or worn an artificial limb...".
[Note : The National Health Service is the name of the social security system in Britain]

How many albums did the band release? On which labels?

National Health released three studio albums : National Health (1978), Of Queues And Cures (1979) and D.S. Al Coda (1982).

Demos and radio sessions from the early years of the band (1975-76) were compiled to form a fourth album, Missing Pieces (released in 1996), which also included snippets from 1979 live performances and a new recording of a previously unreleased NH composition, "Starlight On Seaweed" (by Mont Campbell).

Live recordings from 1979 by the final gigging line-up of National Health (Phil Miller, Alan Gowen, John Greaves and Pip Pyle), were released in 2001 as the CD Play Time, on the Cuneiform label.

Have these albums been reissued on CD? On which labels?

In 1990, all three albums were reissued by American label East Side Digital as a superb 2-CD package named The Complete National Health. It included two additional tracks, an excerpt from "Paracelsus" (recorded in 1976, now available in its entirety on "Missing Pieces") and a new version of "The Collapso" from Of Queues And Cures, entitled "The Apocalypso" and recorded in 1990 by original members Phil Miller and Dave Stewart.

The albums have also been reissued separately : National Health and Of Queues And Cures were reissued by Decal/Charly Records, and more recently by Spalax (in digipak packaging). D.S. Al Coda was re-released by Voiceprint in 1996.

Why were particular titles chosen for albums and compositions?

Songs :
"Lethargy Shuffle" - Dave Stewart : "It was actually named after a stupid dance Pip Pyle and I had devised in a Belgian disco one evening, after a weird Hatfield gig... It parodied Glenn Miller and rock'n'roll while maintaining Stravinskyan overtones".
"Paracelsus" - named after the Swiss alchemist and doctor (b. ca.1493, d. 1541)
"Agrippa" - named after the Roman general and politician (b. ca.63 BC, d. ca.12 BC)
"Tenemos Roads" - Dave Stewart : "An epic about ancient civilizations on the planet Mercury inspired by The Worm Ouroborous..." [a book by E.R. Eddison published in 1926]
"Brujo" - Before National Health's performance of this piece on BBC Top Gear in 1976, John Peel makes the following announcement : "'Brujo'- and there's a note here saying that this is Spanish for...it's either 'sorcerer' or 'soccer.' I suppose the romantics among you would prefer it to be 'sorcerer' - personally, I'd rather it was 'soccer'. Doesn't make a great deal of difference, I guess...". [of course, the correct translation is 'sorcerer']
"Borogoves" - a name taken from "Alice In Wonderland"
"The Bryden 2-Step" -
"The Collapso" - Dave Stewart : "A Carribbean cacophony for limbo-lovers".
"Squarer For Maud" - "Maud is a computer programmed to measure numinosity. She appears in 'Amateur' n°1 - a pamphlet published by Amateur Enterprises in N.Y.C. Peter Blegvad's narrative is an extract from the same. An alternative title is 'Claret and Etiquette for J'".
"Binoculars" - Dave Stewart : "Originally named "A Legend In His Own Lunchtime", retitled to avoid some obscure copyright problem... A song about T.V. boredom".
Albums :
"National Health" - Dave Stewart : "A cunning pun on our name" (laughs)
Who were the band's main composers ?

The original plan for National Health was for it to be the vehicle for Dave Stewart and Alan Gowen's compositions. When Mont Campbell, a prolific writer, was recruited on bass, he became a major contributor, as exemplified by the Missing Pieces CD. After Gowen's departure in 1977, it was decided that the writing would be split equally between members; the result being Of Queues And Cures which contains one track each by Phil Miller, John Greaves and Pip Pyle. This policy was carried on after Stewart's departure and replacement with the returning Gowen. When National Health re-formed in 1981 to record D.S. Al Coda, the aim was to record unreleased compositions by the late Alan Gowen; as a result, the album includes only material written by him.

How much, and where, did the band tour ?

A chronology of National Health's tours is available on this site.
Gigs were even harder to find for National Health than Hatfield, although the band still had a following on the continent and toured quite regularly in France and Northern Europe. A short American tour was undertaken in November 1979, thanks to contacts provided by Dave Stewart from his tour there with Bruford the previous summer. National Health's last gigs were in 1983, at the Edinburgh Festival, performing the compositions by the late Alan Gowen from the D.S. Al Coda album.

The booklet in "The Complete National Health" mentions many compositions not on the three studio albums. Are they available elsewhere?

"The Lethargy Shuffle", "Clocks And Clouds", "Agrippa", "Zabaglione" were recorded in demo form by the original line-up in 1975-76. These versions are included on the Missing Pieces CD, as is the complete version of "Paracelsus".
"Starlight On Seaweed" by Mont Campbell was apparently performed live just once at the Louveciennes festival in France (June 1976) just before Campbell left the band. The concert was bootlegged, but the sound quality was insufficient to allow its inclusion on Missing Pieces. A new version was consequently re-recorded in 1995 by Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin.
"Trident Asleep", an Alan Gowen piece, can be heard on a couple of bootleg recordings, but no good enough version was unearthed for Missing Pieces.
"Borogoves" remains unreleased in its complete form. Part One and the second half of Part Two are on the eponymous album, but the first half of Part Two (about five minutes long, including a vocal section) hasn't appeared anywhere.
"Mostly Twins & Trios", a John Greaves composition intended as a sequel to the Kew.Rhone project, was first performed for a BBC radio session in 1977 by Greaves and Peter Blegvad, then included in National Health's stage repertoire when he joined in 1978 (it featured the rare treat of Phil Miller's backup vocals), but it was never recorded by the band. Greaves later recorded the opening section under the new title "Jaloozy" for his album Parrot Fashions, but other sections have remained unreleased.
"Half The Sky", contrary to what is stated in Dave Stewart's liner notes, was not an Art Bears piece. A Lindsay Cooper-Tim Hodgkinson composition, it was recorded by Henry Cow on their final album Western Culture.
The last performing line-up of National Health - the quartet of Phil Miller, Alan Gowen, John Greaves and Pip Pyle - never recorded a studio album, but played live a lot in 1979-80. Its repertoire included two Gowen pieces, "Flanagan's People" and "Toad Of Toad Hall", which later appeared on the D.S. Al Coda album (as did a third one, "Shining Water", which was only performed live twice); several Greaves-Blegvad songs, "For Bearings / Silence", which Greaves recorded on his debut solo album Accident; and "The Rose Sob" which appeared on his following album Parrot Fashions; two instrumentals by Pip Pyle : "Foetal Fandango", which appeared on the first Equip'Out album, and "Seven Sisters", which was performed by Equip'Out but not recorded; a new arrangement with added vocal parts is included on Pyle's solo album 7 Year Itch; Phil Miller's compositions "Nowadays A Silhouette", "Fourfold" and "A Fleeting Glance", were recorded for the Before A Word Is Said project in 1981 by Phil Miller, Alan Gowen, Richard Sinclair and Trevor Tomkins. Of the pieces previously unreleased as performed by National Health, "Seven Sisters", "The Rose Sob" and "Nowadays A Silhouette", as well as Gilgamesh's "Play Time", have all appeared on the Play Time CD, released in 2001.
What were the reasons for members departing?

Phil Lee was the first to leave, in December 1975. Dave Stewart : "Phil, sensing perhaps my residual hostility to be-bop solos, pronounced himself unwilling to continue, and departed to undertake a tour backing French singer Charles Aznavour...".
Mont Campbell left in June 1976, after a disastrous gig in Louveciennes (France). "My reason for leaving National Health was directly related to the enforced idleness of a year on the dole, capped by a depressing gig in France where the band and audience sat waiting for about three hours while somebody mended a lead. It was a powerful reinforcement of my deep-seated fear of purposelessness, and I couldn't rise above it".
Bill Bruford left in December 1976, moving on to record his first solo album, Feels Good To Me (with Stewart guesting and co-writing tracks), and forming the progrock supergroup UK with Allan Holdsworth, John Wetton and Eddie Jobson. Dave Stewart : "Bill was planning his own band with the American bassist Jeff Berlin. Eventually Pip Pyle joined, by which time the band had established its own style. I was worried that it might slip in to sounding like Hatfield if Pip had joined at the outset".
Amanda Parsons left in February 1977, in the middle of a European tour. She subsquently quit the music scene, although she guested on albums by Bruford, Laurent Thibault and Stewart-Gaskin.
Alan Gowen left in March 1977. Stewart : "Alan was fed up with all the personnel changes and general lack of progress. The band had never really developed along the lines he planned for it, which in truth was probably something more steeped in jazz than the kind of rock orchestra I had envisaged".
Neil Murray left in December 1977 to join Whitesnake. "I felt guilty about leaving National Health, but John Greaves was a much more suitable person for the band, both musically and personality-wise. I wanted to play with a band that had more in common with my blues-rock roots (though there are some jazz-rock influences on the first Whitesnake album) and that had the potential to attract a much bigger audience - though Whitesnake started off playing very small clubs".
Dave Stewart left in December 1978. "A couple of weeks before a tour of France and Italy was due to begin, I heard from the agent that half the dates had fallen through... The financial effects were disastrous... Pissed off at the agent and the world in general for making it so bloody difficult to keep this band going, I voted to call off the remaining dates and find ourselves another agent... but I found myself a minority of one... So I quit. I just didn't think it would ever get any better".
Where are they now?

Dave Stewart joined Bruford, then in 1980 the shortlived Rapid Eye Movement. In 1981, he started a solo career which evolved into a duo with his partner, former Northette Barbara Gaskin. In addition to working on the new Stewart-Gaskin album, Stewart is busy playing sessions for various artists.
Phil Miller formed his own band In Cahoots in 1982, which is still going. He has also been playing with Short Wave and in a duo with Fred Baker both since 1991.
John Greaves started an acclaimed solo career, often collaborating with American lyricist Peter Blegvad and has released the albums Accident (1982), Parrot Fashions (1984), La Petite Bouteille De Linge (1991) and Songs (1995), as well as collaborations with the likes of Peter Blegvad and David Cunningham. He has also played with Soft Heap throughout the Eighties.
Pip Pyle was a founding member of Soft Heap in 1978, a band which occasionally toured until 1988 and is now in limbo. Since 1982 he has been a fixture in Phil Miller's band In Cahoots (his main activity). In 1984 he formed his own jazz band, L'Equip'Out, which gigged occasionally until it ground to a halt in the mid-1990's. He moved to France in the mid-1980's and has worked with Patrice Meyer, Emmanuel Bex, John Greaves and Gong. He was also a member of the occasional all-star band Short Wave (1991-96). In 1998 he finally released his long-awaited solo album Seven Year Itch, which featured most ex-National Health members. He is currently a member of In Cahoots and Absolute Zero, an American avant-prog trio, and has been working on a new solo project.
Last updated : December 2001







CLOCKS AND CLOUDS
Words and Music
by Dave Stewart

Past the Northern Lights
And flying on through polar nights
The pressure's growing overhead
In a month of Sundays you won't find a sunbeam
Clocks and clouds say rainy times ahead

From the Northern shores
And down the starlit corridors
The clouds are gathering again
I can feel the weather-clocks
humming in their cases
Soon we'll have to shelter from the rain

Grey skies, magnetized
My how time flies
Seeing stars ionized
My how time slips away...

Now then Sun, what's your problem?
Rise and shine
There are butterflies to chase
And shadows to define
On a day like this there's no point in starting late
You've got atmospheres to warm
Equators to equate
Come on then, hurry up
You're obviously bright enough
To know that you're only wasting time

From the Northern shores
And down the starlit corridors
The clouds are gathering again
So in stormy times I'll open my umbrella
Clocks and clouds make raining times again

* * *

The storm is gone
The clouds have vanished from the sky
The sound of thunder fades away
And the weather-clocks are ticking rather slowly
Measuring the last part of the day...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TENEMOS ROADS
Words and Music
by Dave Stewart

From the cradle to the grave
There are roads for us all
that we'll find, and follow to the end
Leading upwards to a place in the stars,
ten million miles away...
There's a path called Tenemos Roads
Everything happening there is history,
pictures of ages before we were born

Hearing the sounds of battle far away
and the trumpets calling
marks the end of time of peace
in Tenemos Roads
Things are changing, directed by the men
who, tired of making love, make war

If you've settled down on this world, it's a good place to be
Men have made their homes on the land, while the fishes all live in the sea
But although that's alright for them,
I prefer to be somewhere that's slightly more hot
There's a place a bit nearer the sun that I like quite a lot

I will build a home on Tenemos Roads
I will build a home on Tenemos Roads


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHLAKATON
Words and Music
by Pip Pyle

Phiak, phlakka phlakka phlakaton Cash
Ker-chaffa, ker-chaffa, oum ka ka oum-er ka kaf dof
Flibbet, flibbet, flibbet, flibbet
Raka taka raka taka BISH!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BINOCULARS
Words and Music
by Pip Pyle

Blam, zing, mule kicks, real life John Wayne
Nerves twitch, legs kick, death, pain
It's a shame to say, you're such a bore today
Though the picture is quite okay
Your expression has gone away
If you just sit on your arse, the whole world won't gasp
The little log laughed to see such a farce, it was quite insane
Nerves twitch, legs kick, real life, death, pain

You might as well say nothing's for real
Than bore us with the things that you feel
If that's tough on you, you know that it's up to you
It's not like it's too much to do, what a pity to waste your time
Meanwhile John Wayne and Rip Torn are making us all yawn
Words and thoughts travel at different speeds and make no sense to me
Nerves twitch, legs itch, blam, zing, death, bleed






National Health
Complete
1990
East Side Digital

What do prog rockers listen to when they grow up? For many prog fans there eventually comes a time when they realize they don't necessarily need any more albums with lyrics about starship troopers and purple pipers. But the urge for rock music comprised of unusual time signatures, unorthodox song forms and long instrumental passages is often still hard to resist in these more mature years. So where does one turn for all the musical goods without the ancillary sequined capes and rotating drum risers?

One of the best groups to try is National Health. This band formed in the late '70s in the wake of the big-name English bands like Yes and Genesis (and its members' previous bands Egg, Gilgamesh and Hatfield & the North) only to find out that the record companies weren't interested in progressive rock anymore. This was a shame because National Health had everything that made prog great and little of what many people hated so much about it.

Like so many classic English prog bands, the lineup of National Health changed many times over the course of its too-short career. The core group consisted of Dave Stewart on keyboards, Phil Miller on guitar and Pip Pyle on drums. Other well known musicians like Bill Bruford, Steve Hillage, Mont Campbell, John Greaves, Amanda Parsons and Alan Gowen would rotate in and out over the course of the group's lifetime. National Health released only three albums during its existence. All three and two bonus tracks are contained in Complete's two CD set.

National Health released its self-titled debut album in 1977. The aforementioned big name prog bands were all rapidly losing their creative steam by this time, but National Health's debut proved without a doubt that the ideals of prog rock were far from dead. The album pulls no punches by beginning with a 14-minute piece that rivals the best of the sidelong tracks by the big boys from four or five years prior. "Tenemos Roads" presents a main melodic theme and organ and guitar solos for nearly six minutes before any vocals appear. Clearly, National Health had little use for conventional song forms. When the vocals finally do appear, they do so in impossibly high, clear, tones by Canterbury vocal queen Amanda Parsons. Of course, this is just the beginning. By track's end, we have been treated to deliciously overdriven Hammond organ solos, a delicate - almost ambient - flute and Fender Rhodes piano duet, more beautiful vocals and wacky synthesizer noises galore! One thing that stands out on "Tenemos Roads" is National Health's unique propensity for using two or more instruments to play the exact same melody simultaneously. In this piece it is usually the vocals and the guitar that do so, but synthesizer, organ and any of the woodwinds played by guest musicians are occasionally subject to this treatment by the band.

As if "Tenemos Roads" wasn't enough, there are four more excellent tracks on this album. The entrancing "Brujo" displays the band's lighter side with delicate melodies for flute and voice for the first few minutes before launching into a series of jazzy solos on synthesizer, organ and guitar. While these solos are often complex and played at a quick tempo, this is not gratuitous shredding, but a tasteful, yet accomplished display of skill.

National Health is probably the best of the three albums contained in Complete, but there are still plenty more musical gems on this set.

National Health's second album, Of Queues and Cures, released in 1978, is in many ways a very different beast from National Health. Alan Gowen left the band and all the keyboard duties to Dave Stewart. This alone amounted to a dramatically different sonic palette with which the band would work, as Stewart sticks mainly to organ and piano on the second album. The absence of Amanda Parsons' vocals is also acutely felt. Only one track features any singing, which is provided by bassist John Greaves. The result of this new lineup is music that is more focused, complex, masculine and slightly more intellectual in a sly, witty kind of way. Newly added to the mixture are some moments of forceful improvisational playing a la Henry Cow, but gone is much of the delicate dreaminess found in portions of "Brujo" and "Tenemos Roads" on the first album. Pieces like "The Collapso" and the 12-minute "Squarer for Maud" show Stewart leading the group in a much more avant-garde direction as well.

While Dave Stewart and company certainly crammed as many different themes and solos as possible into these pieces, the music seems to evolve and flow much more naturally than that of many other prog bands. Fuzzed out organ solos and woodwind melodies are linked together by themes that appear, modulate in some way, then disappear, often never to return. It can be tough listening at times, especially in the longer pieces. National Health's jazz roots really show more on Of Queues and Cures than on the first album, so one's enjoyment level on this album may depend a lot on how much jazz-solo indulgence one can endure. The patient will usually feel rewarded, however.

National Health's third album, D.S. al Coda, was recorded in late 1981 in tribute to former member Alan Gowen, who died of leukemia a few months earlier. While the circumstance leading to the recording of this album was most unfortunate, it did provide the catalyst for the production of one last National Health album for fans to enjoy. Gowen wrote every piece on this album, so it has a dramatically different feel from the first two albums, which were more collaborative efforts. This music is often much closer to jazz fusion than typical progressive rock, but it is quite good compared to much of what was coming out of the already stagnating fusion scene of the late '70s and early '80s. It's also interesting to note the subtle but instantly noticeable musical hallmarks of the time period creeping into the music of a band whose two previous works were firmly grounded in the sounds of the '70s. The overall sound is a bit more compressed. The trademark Dave Stewart overdriven organ is largely replaced with various polyphonic synths, and an electronic drum set even creeps into one or two tracks. Fortunately, however, the album sounds remarkably good by prog-purist standards, especially for an album recorded in the early '80s.

"Portrait of a Shrinking Man," "Black Hat" and "Toad of Toad Hall" show the band heading in the direction of slightly more commercial (one might even say "smooth") jazz direction, but all three are still quite good. The band is merely heading toward Smooth Jazz Land, they haven't arrived there yet. These tracks are all worlds better than the kind of crap Kenny G. would be piping into waiting rooms and elevators a decade later.

Guest vocalist Richard Sinclair (Caravan, Camel) provides some wonderful, super mellow scat-style vocals against a backdrop of multi-tracked flutes and Fender Rhodes piano on "Black Hat." Here again, the band flirts with the old two-instruments-playing-the-same-melody-trick, so it's still sounds like National Health.

"T.N.T.F.X," "I Feel a Night Coming On," "Shining Water" and "Flanagan's People" are more in the Of Queues and Cures style: aggressive, complex, full of solos and sometimes even a bit noisy. These are fun tracks, though they offer less to chew on than most of the tracks on the first two albums. Aside from "Shining Water," these are short tracks by prog standards. Six of the eight tracks on D.S. al Coda are less than 6 minutes long.

While D.S. al Coda doesn't seem to garner as much respect among fans as National Health's first two albums, it is still a very enjoyable, albeit different album and a fitting end to this set.

For anyone who hasn't yet investigated the so-called Canterbury branch of English progressive rock, Complete is an excellent set with which to start. All three of the albums contained in Complete are very good to excellent, and no progressive rock fan's music collection is complete without National Health's first album at least. Also, Dave Stewart's extensive and hilariously acrid liner notes to this set are extremely interesting reading. Anyone interested in the rise and fall of the commercial acceptance of progressive rock as well as the history of National Health and the greater Canterbury scene will enjoy them and find them uniquely parallel to National Health's brand of whimsical yet intelligent instrumental rock. - SH