GILGAMESH - Gilgamesh (1975-1990) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Gilgamesh's 1975 eponymous debut portrays a fine group that emerged during the waning days of Britain's Canterbury scene. The album by keyboardist Alan Gowen's quartet -- also featuring guitarist Phil Lee, bassist Jeff Clyne, and drummer Mike Travis in this incarnation -- was issued by Virgin Records' budget-line Caroline imprint. By the mid-'70s, Virgin's support for bands of this ilk was approaching its end, with punk and new wave soon ruling the day. Arriving late in the game, Gowen and company sounded most similar to Canterbury supergroup Hatfield and the North, and in fact Hatfields keyboardist Dave Stewart co-produced the album. Gilgamesh had clearly mastered the Hatfields' suites'n'segues approach to Canterbury-style complexity while sidestepping blatant imitation -- for the most part. Certainly from the first notes of opening three-part suite "One End More/Phil's Little Dance/Worlds of Zin," Gilgamesh prove capable of nimble thematic lines and knotty stops and starts, while admirably refraining from pyrotechnics. The suite's kitchen-sink approach makes room for King Crimson-ish Mellotron and grand piano flourishes (recalling Keith Tippett on Lizard) as well as Stevie Wonder-ish funk-lite clavinet, but the uniform production smooths out such quirky juxtapositions. "Lady and Friend" provides a true jolt, with Clyne's lullaby-like bass melody, seasoned by light electric piano/guitar accompaniment, preceded by a brief blast of full-band unison riffing seemingly designed as a rude interruption. Just over a minute and a half long, Gowen's "Arriving Twice" is a wonderful interlude, with acoustic guitar, electric piano, and synth sketching a melody that draws from jazz, folk, and classical but ultimately transcends such labels; it's the perfect segue into "Island of Rhodes," the first portion of the album's next three-part suite, with the track's namesake keyboard floating in nocturnal ambience à la In a Silent Way before the introduction of a dreamily beautiful theme accompanied by the subtlest percussive embellishments from Travis. The suite ultimately offers its own share of unpredictable twists, ending with a driving vamp as guitarist Lee cuts loose, but the production again manages to avoid shattering the prevailing vibe. The album does court Hatfields imitation here and there -- "Jamo and Other Boating Disasters" features Amanda Parsons' soprano vocals in pure Northettes style during an interlude that clearly strives for the drama of The Rotters' Club's "Mumps" coda, while elsewhere Lee employs a decidedly Phil Miller-esque electric guitar tone. But Gowen himself avoids obvious Canterbury devices, eschewing fuzz organ solos during the music's most animated moments in favor of round-toned synth voicings that snake and float through rather than pierce the air. Gilgamesh's studio-based forays may have tamped down the band's woollier aspects, but the keyboardist and his bandmates were charting their own inimitable direction, too briefly explored but holding up admirably in recordings such as this. by Dave Lynch 
Tracklist:

1 One and More/Phil's Little Dance (For Phil Miller's Trousers)/Worlds ... 10:22

Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
2 Lady and Friend 3:44
Jeff Clyne / Alan Gowen
Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
3 Notwithstanding 04:47
Steve Cook / Alan Gowen / Phil Lee
Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
4 Arriving Twice 1:37
Alan Gowen
Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
5 Island of Rhodes/Paper Boat/As If Your Eyes Were Open 6:41
Steve Cook / Alan Gowen / Phil Lee
Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
6 For Absent Friends 1:13
Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
7 We Are All/Someone Else's Food/Jamo and Other Boating ...  7:49
Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
8 Just C 0:47
Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen
Credits:

Double Bass, Bass Guitar – Jeff Clyne

Drums, Percussion – Michael Travis
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Classical Guitar – Phil Lee
Piano, Electric Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizer, Mellotron – Alan Gowen
Voice – Amanda Parsons

GILGAMESH - Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into (1978-2009) RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Like finely tattered lace, Gilgamesh created intricate music that was light and airy, its moods mostly gentle, yet its power incontrovertible. Two years had passed since the band's debut album, and the group had splintered, with the members going on to other projects. Regardless, 1977 saw keyboardist Alan Gowen begin composing music for a follow-up; he was soon rejoined by guitarist Phil Lee. Drummer Trevor Tomkins and bassist Hugh Hopper completed the lineup, and work began on Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into. Floating between free-form jazz, fusion, and at-times psychedelia, what's immediately notable about the set is its complex and ever-shifting time signatures. In lesser hands, the changes would be disconcerting, but the musical riffs and swells of melodies provide a centering for the pieces, with the rhythms and music sliding and floating like drops of mercury. An excellent set from a highly talented composer and a group of excellent musicians. It's just a shame that the rest of the world was into punk rock at the time! by Dave Thompson
Tracklist:
1 Darker Brighter 5:40
Written-By – Gowen 
2 Bobberty / Theme For Something Else 10:41
Written-By – Gowen, Lee
3 Waiting 2:25
Recorded By – Peter Ball 
Written-By – Lee 
4 Play Time 7:16
Written-By – Gowen
5 Underwater Song 7:05
Written-By – Gowen 
6 Foel'd Again 1:51
Written-By – Gowen, Hopper
7 T.N.T.F.X. 2:57
Written-By – Gowen 
Credits:
Bass Guitar – Hugh Hopper
Drums – Trevor Tomkins
Guitar [Guitars] – Phil Lee
Keyboards – Alan Gowen
Painting [Cover Painting: 'The Ghost Of A Flea'] – William Blake

GILGAMESH - Arriving Twice (2000) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Based on 1975's eponymous debut album and 1978's Another Fine Tune, Gilgamesh seemed rather polite, representing the Canterbury scene's cerebral side. But nearly two decades after keyboardist/bandleader/composer Alan Gowen's 1981 passing, Cuneiform set out to broaden the understanding of this often spirited band with the archival release Arriving Twice, issued in 2000. The angularity and complexity of those '70s albums blended into a late-night trippy ambience (not necessarily a bad thing). Comparably, Arriving Twice is a wake-up call. Its eight tracks -- including three multi-part suites -- come from a 1973 demo tape and 1974 and 1975 BBC sessions. Gowen, guitarist Phil Lee, and drummer Mike Travis are present throughout, while there are three different bassists and two tracks add second keyboardist Pete Lemer. In the collection’s extensive liner notes tracing the band's history, Travis complains about the "boxy and fussy" drum sound on tracks one and two, from the 1973 demo (Gilgamesh's first-ever recording, in which Gowen is heard only on Wurlitzer electric piano), but the balance is good, the recording is clear despite one rough patch, and Gowen's unique conception -- with melodic tunefulness, advanced jazz harmonics, inimitable composing, and able soloing forming a unified whole -- is well displayed.
After an almost regal opening theme and guitar-piano unison bridge on leadoff track "With Lady and Friend," the band thrashes through a midtempo vamp nailed by bassist Neil Murray as Gowen comps jazzily, Travis builds up the energy, and Lee burns through one of his best solos ever. Deep in the following 18-minute, five-part suite, the music rushes forward on the power of Travis' drumming and Murray's buzzing bass, with fine solo work from Lee and a modally shifting Gowen. The sound becomes thin after an abrupt shift to acoustic guitar, but fills out nicely as the band traverses multiple composed and improvised segments -- including a foray into "Phil’s Little Dance," more rocked up than the mildly funky clavinet-driven version on the group's 1975 debut. "Island of Rhodes," from the BBC in 1974, prominently features new member Steve Cook playing a Hugh Hopper-esque bassline that animates the tune -- contrasting with its beautifully spacy incarnation on Gilgamesh -- while Lemer is a second subtle keyboard presence. The nine-and-a-half-minute "Extract," from the same session, is one of Gilgamesh's most organically flowing outings. After those two 1974 mono BBC tracks, the sound expands beautifully on the final four tracks, from the BBC in 1975. These pieces, now featuring bassist Jeff Cline, can all be heard on Gilgamesh (including a reprise of "Phil's Little Dance"), but here sound like the debut album on steroids -- without undercutting the loveliness of "Arriving Twice," a tune deserving iconic status among Canterbury fans. "Worlds of Zin" is on fire, and the multi-layered puzzle pieces of the intense polyrhythmic "Notwithstanding" match anything from Soft Machine's jazz-rock phase. Arriving Twice is a vital document of an underappreciated band that could be far more rousing than many listeners supposed. by Dave Lynch 
Tracklist:
1 With Lady And Friend 4:25
Composed By – Alan Gowen
2a You're Disguised 17:52
Composed By – Alan Gowen
2b Orange Diamond
Composed By – Alan Gowen
2c Northern Gardens
Composed By – Alan Gowen
2d Phil's Little Dance
Composed By – Alan Gowen
2e Northern Gardens
Composed By – Alan Gowen
3a Island Of Rhodes 6:52
Composed By – Alan Gowen, Phil Lee, Steve Cook  
3b Paper Boat
Composed By – Alan Gowen
3c As If Your Eyes Were Open
Composed By – Alan Gowen
4 Extract 9:27
Composed By – Alan Gowen
5a One End More 9:11
Composed By – Alan Gowen
5b Phil's Little Dance
Composed By – Alan Gowen
5c Worlds Of Zin
Composed By – Phil Lee
6 Arriving Twice 1:41
Composed By – Alan Gowen
7 Notwithstanding 4:21
Composed By – Alan Gowen, Phil Lee, Steve Cook  
8 Lady And Friend 4:06
Composed By – Alan Gowen, Jeff Clyne
Credits:
Bass – Jeff Clyne (tracks: 5, 6, 7, 8), Neil Murray (tracks: 1, 2), Steve Cook (tracks: 3, 4)
Drums – Mike Travis
Electric Piano, Synth [Synths] – Peter Lemer (tracks: 3, 4)
Guitar [Guitars] – Phil Lee
Piano, Electric Piano, Synth [Synths] – Alan Gowen

HENRY COW - Unrest (1974-2015) SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

By this point Henry Cow consisted of guitarist Fred Frith, drummer Chris Cutler, bassist John Greaves, keyboardist Tim Hodgkinson, and, of particular importance to the band's sound at this point, bassoonist Lindsay Cooper. As is so often the case with avant-garde rock & roll, it's the composed pieces that work best, and the fact that Frith is responsible for the majority of them is significant. "Bittern Storm Over Ulm" is an absolutely brilliant demolition of the Yardbirds' "Got to Hurry," while the brief but lovely "Solemn Music" unfolds in a stately manner with atonal but pretty counterpoint between Frith and Cooper. The improvised material succeeds in a more spotty way. "Upon Entering the Hotel Adlon" demonstrates how fine the line can be between bracing free atonality and mindless cacophony. The unsettling but eventually gorgeous "Deluge," on the other hand, shows how well Henry Cow could walk that line when they tried; in this piece, random guitar skitterings, scattershot drum clatter, and pointillistic reed grunts are eventually snuck up on and overtaken by softly massed chords and Cooper's gently hooting bassoon. The effect is startlingly moving. Overall, this is one of Henry Cow's better efforts.  by Rick Anderson  
Tracklist 
1 Bittern Storm Over Ulm  2:44
Written-By – Frith
2 Half Asleep; Half Awake  7:39
Written-By – Greaves
3 Ruins
Recorded By [Parts Of Ruins By] – Mike Oldfield  12:00
Written-By – Frith
4 Solemn Music  1:09
Written-By – Frith
5 Linguaphonie  5:58
Written-By – H. Cow
6 Upon Entering The Hotel Adlon  2:56
Written-By – H. Cow
7 Arcades  1:50
Written-By – H. Cow
8 Deluge  5:52
Written-By – H. Cow
9 Silence 1:00
10 DThe Glove  6:35
Written-By – H. Cow
11 Torchfire  4:48
Written-By – H. Cow
Bonus Tracks
12 Introduction 1:52
13 Ruins Ⅰ 6:35
14 Half Asleep; Half Awake 4:11
15 Ruins Ⅱ 0:59
16 Heron Shower Over Hamburg 2:29
Credits
Bass, Piano, Voice – John Greaves
Bassoon, Oboe, Recorder, Voice – Lindsay Cooper
Drums – Chris Cutler
Guitar [Stereo Guitar], Violin, Xylophone, Piano – Fred Frith
Mixed By [Mixing Engineers] – Henry Cow (tracks: 5 to 8), Phil Becque (tracks: 1 to 4), Tim Hodgkinson (tracks: 9, 10)
Organ, Alto Saxophone [Alto Sax], Clarinet, Piano – Tim Hodgkinson
Vocals [Certain Vocals], Engineer [Engineering Assistance By] – Charles Fletcher

HENRY COW - Concerts (1976-2015) 2CD / SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Avant-garde rock & roll of 1970s vintage -- especially, it must be said, of the British variety -- doesn't typically age very well. And although Henry Cow was quite a unique ensemble, even by the standards of the 1970s avant-garde, it would be silly to deny that much of the music captured on these two live discs (originally released on LP in 1976) sounds pretty dated. But this is much more true of the song-based material than the more free-form, improvised music, which still sounds remarkably fresh and surprising 25 years later. And even the more period-specific material is of very high quality: singer Dagmar Krause (previously of Slapp Happy, later of the Art Bears) delivers fine performances on "Beautiful As the Moon/Terrible As an Army With Banners" and "Bad Alchemy," as does bassist John Greaves. On the second disc, guitarist Fred Frith tends to dominate, much to the music's benefit; for the most part, the sound is strictly abstract with Frith employing many of the extended guitar techniques that he would later expand and amplify in his solo work and in his duets with Henry Kaiser. The woodwinds and piano lend an almost classical feel to some of these tracks. It's probably not for everyone, but this really is great stuff. by Rick Anderson

HENRY COW - Western Culture (1978-2015) SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The group's fourth and final studio LP, Western Culture remained for a long time Henry Cow's hidden treasure. Two factors were instrumental to its occultation (and one more than the other): first, it was not released by Virgin like the other ones; second, it did not have the "sock" artwork common to its brothers. Obscurity aside, Western Culture remains one of the group's strongest efforts in the lines of composition, especially since the unit was literally torn apart at the time. Side one consists of a suite in three parts, "History & Prospects," written by Tim Hodgkinson. The opener, "Industry," stands as one of Henry Cow's finest achievements, the angular melody played on a cheap electric organ hitting you in the face so hard it makes an imprint in your brains. Side two features another suite, this one in four parts and by Lindsay Cooper. While Hodgkinson's music leans toward rock, energy, and deconstruction, her writing embraced more contemporary classical idioms. Filled with contrasting textures and delicate complicated melodies, these pieces showcased another aspect of the group's sound while foretelling her later works. Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer performed a cadenza of sorts in "Gretel's Tale." by François Couture
Tracklist:
History & Prospects
1 Industry 6:57
Guitar [Hawaiian], Written-By – Tim Hodgkinson
2 The Decay Of Cities 6:56
Guitar [Hawaiian], Written-By – Tim Hodgkinson
3 On The Raft 4:01
Piano, Written-By – Tim Hodgkinson
Soprano Saxophone – Fred Frith
Trumpet – Chris Cutler
Day By Day
4 Falling Away 7:39
Piano – Chris Cutler
Written-By – Lindsay Cooper
5 Gretel's Tale 3:58
Piano – Irene Schweizer
Written-By – Lindsay Cooper
6 Look Back 1:20
Written-By – Lindsay Cooper
7 Half The Sky 5:07
Bass – Georgie Born
Written-By – Lindsay Cooper, Tim Hodgkinson
Bonus Tracks
8 Silence 1:00
9 Viva Pa Ubu 4:28
10 Look Back 1:22
11 Slice 0:37
12 Half The Sky 5:05
13 Half The Sky 5:07
14 Viva Pa Ubu 2:18
15 The Herring People 2:07
Credits:
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass – Fred Frith
Bassoon, Oboe, Soprano Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Tape – Lindsay Cooper
Drums, Electronic Drums, Noises, Cover – Chris Cutler
Organ, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Tim Hodgkinson
Trombone, Violin – Annemarie Roelofs

MATCHING MOLE - Matching Mole (1972-2012) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The opening track, "O Caroline," is indicative of Wyatt at his best: art rock with a human face, a playful vocal, and soul. Much of the record is instrumental improvisation, though, with the humor largely confined to the song titles ("Instant Pussy," "Dedicated to Hugh, But You Weren't Listening"). For every nifty passage (the extended melancholy Mellotron solo on "Immediate Curtain," the goofy scat vocals on "Signed Curtain"), there's equal or greater instrumental patter. Some art rock devotees really get behind this album, but it doesn't count among the more enduring statements by the Canterbury crowd.  by Richie Unterberger
Disc One - The Original Album Remastered:
1-1 O Caroline 5:06
Written-By – David Sinclair, Robert Wyatt
1-2 Instant Pussy 3:02
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
1-3 Signed Curtain 3:03
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
1-4 Part Of The Dance 9:14
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Phil Miller
1-5 Instant Kitten 4:59
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
1-6 Dedicated To Hugh, But You Weren't Listening 4:40
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
1-7 Beer As In Braindeer 4:02
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
1-8 Immediate Curtain 5:58
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
Bonus Tracks
1-9 O Caroline (Single Version) 3:33
Written-By – David Sinclair, Robert Wyatt
1-10 Signed Curtain (Single Edit) 3:05
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
1-11 Part Of The Dance Jam 20:57
Written-By – Phil Miller

Disc Two - Album Sessions Recordings December 1971 / January 1972:
2-1 Signed Curtain (Take Two) 5:32
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
2-2 Memories Membrane 11:16
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
2-3 Part Of The Dance (Take One) 7:27
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Phil Miller
2-4 Horse 3:47
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
BBC Radio One Sessions 
2-5 Immediate Kitten 9:54
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Robert Wyatt
 2-6 Marchides / Instant Pussy / Smoke Signal 19:36
Electric Piano – Dave McRea
Written-By – Dave McRae, Robert Wyatt
Credits
Bass Guitar – Bill MacCormick
Guitar – Phil Miller
Mellotron, Piano, Drums, Voice – Robert Wyatt
Piano, Organ – David Sinclair (tracks: 1-1 to 2-5)
Artwork [CD Artwork] – Phil Smee

EGG - DISCOGRAPHY [1970-1974] 3CD

With a strong Canterbury influence implanted into their sound, Egg's first album has the band looking to establish their niche as a progressive group, with Dave Stewart's sharp, effective keyboard work outlining much of the album's overall feel. Mixing jazz and progressive rock drifts, the tracks on Egg contain rhythms and meters that are never at a standstill, with ongoing instrumental action encompassing nearly every track. Numerous classical overtones make for a familiar listen against a backdrop of loose-ended jazz fusion and an unordered yet inviting array of haphazard progressive spillages. The fragmented instrumentals sport an attractive inexperience, especially on "Bulb" and "The Song of McGillicudie the Pussilanimous," which also introduce Egg's lighthearted whimsy. Both "Blane" and "I Will Be Absorbed" represent the most colorful example of Egg's progressive rock fundamentals, with quick tempos and assertive keyboard runs. Although Egg's cohesiveness as a band is in its early stages, Dave Stewart ascertains himself as an elite keyboard player throughout the album, later moving on to play with Hatfield and the North and National Health. Egg's next album, 1971's Polite Force, has them sounding firmer and more self-contained, but their debut presents an entertaining example of different progressive genres playing off of one another. by Mike DeGagne   

1970 Egg

Tracklist 

1 Bulb 0:09

2 While Growing My Hair 3:53

Engineer – Roy Thomas Baker

3 I Will Be Absorbed 5:10

4 Fugue In D Minor 2:46

5 They Laughed When I Sat Dawn At The Piano... 1:17

6 The Song Of McGillicudie The Pusillaminous (Or Don't Worry James, Your Socks Are Hanging In The Coal Cellar With Thomas) 5:07

7 Boilk 1:00

Symphony No. 2

8 First Movement 5:47

9 Second Movement 6:20

10 Blane 5:28

11 Third Movement 3:11

12 Fourth Movement 3:10

13 Seven Is A Jolly Good Time 2:45

14 You Are All Princes 3:45

Credits

Bass, Vocals – Mont Campbell

Drums – Clive Brooks

Organ, Piano, Audio Generator [Tone Generator] – Dave Stewart

 

1971 The Polite Force

Tracklist

1 A Visit To Newport Hospital 8:25

2 Contrasong 4:21

3 Boilk 9:23

4 Long Piece No. 3 - Part 1 5:06

5 Long Piece No. 3 - Part 2 7:39

6 Long Piece No. 3 - Part 3 8:01

7 Long Piece No. 3 - Part 4 2:51

Credits

Artwork By [Cover Design], Photography [Cover] – Terry Yetton

Engineer – Robin Black

Engineer [Assistant] – Mike Butcher, Peter Flanagan, Simon Baron

Music By, Words By – Egg 

Producer – Neil Slaven

1974 The Civil Surface 

Tracklist  

1 Germ Patrol 8:31

Bassoon, Oboe – Lindsay Cooper

Clarinet – Tim Hodgkinson

2 Wind Quartet I 2:20

Bassoon – Chris Palmer 

Clarinet – Maurice Cambridge

Flute – Stephen Solloway

French Horn – Mont Campbell

3 Enneagram 9:07

4 Prelude 4:17

Vocals [Vocal] – Amanda Parsons, Ann Rosenthal, Barbara Gaskin

5 Wring Out The Ground (Loosely Now) 8:11

Guitar – Steve Hillage

6 Nearch 3:22

Bass – Dave Stewart

Bassoon, Oboe – Lindsay Cooper

Clarinet – Tim Hodgkinson

7 Wind Quartet II 4:48

Bassoon – Chris Palmer 

Clarinet – Maurice Cambridge

Flute – Stephen Solloway

French Horn – Mont Campbell

Credits

Bass, Voice, Piano – Mont Campbell

Drums – Clive Brooks

Engineer – Dave Ruffell, John Purdy

Organ, Piano – Dave Stewart

Producer – Egg 

EGG - DISCOGRAPHY 

[1970-1974] 3CD / CBR320 / scan

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