(Canterbury ProgJazzRock) Hatfield and the North - The Rotters' Club 1975 (1992 Re-Issue), UK - 1975, FLAC (tracks)

Hatfield and the North - The Rotters' Club 1975 (1992 Re-Issue), UK

Страна: UK
Жанр: Canterbury ProgJazzRock
Год выпуска: 1975
Формат: FLAC (tracks)
Продолжительность: 50:12
Трэклист:
Studio Album, released in 1975

Track Listings

1. Share It (3:02)
2. Lounging There Trying (3:10)
3. (Big) John Wayne Socks (0:46) Psychology on the Jaw
4. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon (0:30)
5. The Yes No Interlude (7:02)
6. Fitter Stoke has a Bath (7:38)
7. Didn't Matter Anyway (3:03)
8. Underdub (3:55)
9. Mumps (20:06)
a) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (quiet) (1:59)
b) Lumps (12:35)
c) Prenut (3:55)
d) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (loud) (1:37)
10. (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology on the Jaw
11. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon
12. Halfway Between Heaven and Earth
13. Oh, Len's Nature!
14. Lyng and Gracing
Доп. информация: Line-up/Musicians

- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals, guitar (7)
- Dave Stewart / organ, electric piano tone generator
- Mont Campbell / French horn
- Lindsay Cooper / oboe, bassoon
- Barbara Gaskin / backing vocals
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, soprano & tenor saxophones
- Tim Hodgkinson / clarinet
- Amanda Parsons / backing vocals
- Ann Rosenthal / backing vocals

Biography

Ahh... Hatfield & The North... sometimes nothing suffices like this group's definitive concoction of jazzy, off-beat progressive rock. Those shimmering guitar solos, fluid rhythms, sparkling synths and choppy organ motifs bubbling around in the groups distinctly quirky, and distinctly English, brand of exquisite, melodic prog-fusion. If any band could possibly define the "Canterbury" sub genre, Hatfield & The North might be that band. The group consisted of a veritable all-star team of Canterbury musicians. Stalwart Dave Stewart on keyboards (Arzachel, Egg, Khan), Pip Pyle, fresh from a brief stint in Gong on drums, Caravan's beloved Richard Sinclair on vocals, and of course the incomparable Phil Miller, from Matching Mole, on guitar. Unfortunately, the group's brief flash of brilliance lasted for only two albums, both of which are classics of the scene. Thankfully, most of the group (Pyle, Stewart, Miller) would go on to play in the more expanded ensemble format in National Health, another seminal group whose first two albums would at least rival the classic Hatfield output. In any case, both Hatfield albums are, at the very least, must-haves for those exploring the Canterbury scene, though also perhaps two of the finest English progressive rock albums ever. - Greg Northrup [2001]

The Rotters Club (1975)

The Rotters Club is definitely one of the definitive "Canterbury" albums, a sub-genre of progressive rock that was decidedly jazzier, more instrumentally based and featured a more humorous, less-pretentious take on everything. The serious musical chops and tongue-in-cheek attitude fenced off many of these groups from the kind of criticism that more theatrical contemporaries like Yes and Genesis were being pummelled with. Hatfield & the North were on the forefront of this movement, carrying some already distinguished musicians from the likes of Caravan, Matching Mole and Egg. Rotters Club was their second album and is a monster of jazz infected progressive rock, made up of great extended jams and phenomenal musicianship from all parties.

"Share It" opens up with Richard Sinclair's whimsical vocals, already familiar to all Caravan fans, and is a very nice track. However, it is the last time we see vocals for awhile, as Hatfield and the North places much less emphasis on lyrics and such than Sinclair's former band. Instead, songs like "The Yes No Interlude" and "Underdub" are just replete with exciting playing, great organ from Dave Stewart as well as exquisite guitar work from Phil Miller. "Mumps" is a huge epic track that features some more vocals here and there but for the most part is another explosive instrumental. Basically this album is probably the next step the average prog fan should take into exploring Canterbury after Caravan's best albums.

This excellent 1975 album shows Hatfield & the North adopting a full blown Canterbury rock sound - a nice mixture of quirky prog and jazz rock. Although folks refer to a Canterbury style before 1975 (I include myself here too), the bands lumped under the Canterbury style pre-1975 were incredibly disparate and utilized a broad spectrum of musical styles. The Henry Cow (experimental) - Caravan (pop prog) continuum comes to mind in fact. It was not until the mid-1970s however, that a distinct Canterbury sound emerged (quirky, proggy, jazz rock) and this album is a superb example.

The core lineup includes a virtual who's who of Canterbury rock: Phil Miller (guitars); drummer Pip Pyle; Richard Sinclair (vocals, bass guitar); and Dave Stewart (Hammond organ, electric piano, tone generator. The additional musicians are also among the Canterbury luminaries and include Jimmy Hastings (flute, soparano and tenor saxophone); Mont Campbell (French horn); Lindsay Cooper (oboe and bassoon); Tim Hodgkinson (clarinet), and finally the Northettes (Barbara Gaskin, Amanda Parsons, and Ann Rosenthal). All of the musicians are absolutely top shelf and the individual performances are breathtaking. The ensemble work is also very intricate and there are some fairly dexterous meter shifts. I feel that Richard Sinclair's vocals (and bass playing) are both excellent and it is always a treat to hear him perform whether with Caravan, Hatfield & the North, or Camel.

The nine tracks on the album are arranged into two largish suites, including tracks 1-8 and the massive 20'13 Mumps suite. As I mentioned, although progressive rock is the dominant style, there is a good bit of jazz rock. In fact, there may be slightly more jazz rock than was found on the 1974 debut. There is also the whimsical Canterburian sense of humor - I think this is also a distinctive feature of the Canterbury "thing". Greater emphasis is placed on instrumental sections and lengthy "jams" are scattered across the album, where Dave and Phil really get a chance to shine. The Northettes also add a very nice, dreamy touch to each piece, and the woodwind playing, (especially Jimmy's flute work), heighten this effect. There are also brief experimental sections too - the last few minutes of Fitter Stoke has a Bath is a good example of this. Overall, although I don't feel that Rotter's Club is much different than the debut, some folks might notice a bit of more of a jazz rock approach.

The bonus tracks include alternate takes of Big John Wayne Socks Psychology on the Jaw and Chaos at the Greasy Spoon, in addition to the extremely jazzy track Halfway between Heaven and Earth, the thunderous (it is unbelievably heavy) Oh, Len's Nature!, and the once again very jazz-rocky Lying and Gracing (it sounds live but there is no indication of where it was recorded). These last three tracks are superb.

All in all, this is an excellent Hatfield & the North album and is highly recommended along with the 1973 debut.

Hatfield and the North were short-lived. Between 1972 and 1975, they released two outstanding studio records and a LP of unreleased material called Afters. This disc contains the second release and five tracks from Afters. The timeless music combines jazz/ rock/prog and the musicianship and songwriting is out of this world. The compositions range from mellow to intense with odd time signatures and plenty of instrumental passages. All players are experts on their instruments and the guest musicians (flute, sax, French horn, oboe, bassoon, clarinet) and the wonderful backup singers (The Northettes) really enhance the music.

After Hatfield split, Dave, Pip and Phil formed National Health and recorded three more records that are outstanding (get them while you still can). There are two live recordings that Hatfield released... one just recently, and there is an unauthorized live DVD from a 1990 performance available.