genre: canterbury
country: uk
quality : lossless (flac, cue, log, scans)
time: 1:19'03"+1:19'26" size: 972 mb
Gepr:
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
Cd one:
01. Paracelsus 1:46
1977 ~ National Health:
02. "Tenemos Roads" – 14:43 (Dave Stewart)
03. "Brujo" – 10:19 (Alan Gowen)
04. "Borogoves (Excerpt from Part Two)" - 4:16 (Dave Stewart)
05. "Borogoves (Part One)" - 6:37 (Dave Stewart)
06. "Elephants" - 14:37 (Alan Gowen, Dave Stewart
Phil Miller - electric guitar
Dave Stewart - acoustic and electric pianos, organ
Pip Pyle - drums, gong, tambourine (1), glockenspiel, finger cymbals, pixiephone (4)
Neil Murray - bass guitar
with
Alan Gowen - moog synthesizer (2 to 4)
Jimmy Hastings - flute, clarinet (4), bass clarinet (2)
John Mitchell[disambiguation needed] - guava (3), temple block, conga (4)
Amanda Parsons - vocals
1978 ~ Of Queues and Cures:
07. The Bryden 2 Step (For Amphibians) Part 1 (Dave Stewart) 8:55
08. The Collapso (Dave Stewart) 6:19
09. Square For Maud (John Greaves) 11:30
10. Dreams Wide Awake (Phil Miller) 8:50
11. Binoculars (Pip Pyle) 11:46
12. Phlakaton (Pip Pyle) 0:09
13. The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians) (Part 2) (Dave Stewart) 5:33
John Greaves / bass, piano innards (9), crooning (11)
- Phil Miller / guitar
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion / hand claps (9)
- Dave Stewart / acoustic & electric pianos, organ, Mini-Moog (9-10)
+
- Selwyn Baptiste / steel drums (8)
- Rick Biddulph / bass on organ solo (10)
- Peter Blegvad / voice (9)
- Georgie Born / cellos (7-10-13)
- Jimmy Hastings / clarinets (9-11), flute (11)
- Phil Minton / trumpets (7-11-13)
- Paul Nieman / trombones (7-11-13)
- Keith Thompson / oboe (8-11)
14. The Apocalypso 6:50
1982 D.S. al Coda:
15. Portrait Of A Shrinking man 5:35
16. T.N.T.F.X 3:12
17. Black Hat 4:53
18. I Feel A Night Coming On 6:38
19. Arriving Twice 2:23
20. Shining Water 8:53
21. Tales Of A Damson Knight 1:56
22. Flanagan's People 5:20
23. Toad Of Toad Hall 5:35
Phil Miller (Guitars)
Dave Stewart (Organ, Pianos and Tone Generator)
John Greaves (Bass)
Pip Pyle (Drums and Simmons SDSV Electric drums)
+
Ted Emmett (Trumpet)
Annie Whitehead (Trombone)
Amanda Parsons, Barbara Gaskin (Backing Vocals)
Jimmy Hastings (Flute)
Elton Dean (Saxello)
Richard Sinclair (Vocals)
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