SLAPP HAPPY / HENRY COW: DESPERATE STRAIGHTS

It's fascinating that SLAPP HAPPY helped HENRY COW on their "In Praise Of Learning" album and HENRY COW helped SLAPP HAPPY on their "Desperate Straights" album. And both were released in 1975! Both records get high praise from Avant fans, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked "In Praise Of learning" a very solid 4 stars in my world. So I went into this one with some optimism but soon realized on that first spin towards the end of the almost 37 minute run time that this wasn't for me.

It's really hard to believe that this is a seven piece band, plus we get six guests. The music is mainly piano from Anthony Moore and vocals from Dagmar Krause. In fact these two could have made this record. Such a sparse and minimalistic album despite the different flavours that come and go. We get 13 tracks of which 9 are around the 2 minute mark. And speaking of nine, American Peter Blegvad was involved in the composing of nine of these songs with Moore composing three, then that closer which was created by Chris Cutler and Anthony Moore.

They didn't have enough material for this album so off went Cutler and Moore to compose that closer which would eventually be called "Caucasian Lullaby" and they stretched this instrumental track out to over 8 painful minutes. At least we get some bassoon from Lindsay Cooper. And it was cool to hear the percussion from Pierre Moerlin on "Europa". I like that Dagmar mixes her voice up changing it at least three times throughout this album. How about the track "Strayed" where we get Blegvad on vocals, and this song reminds me of Kevin Ayers. The one track that didn't have Moore leading the way on piano was "In The Sickbay" where Dagmar plays wurlitzer organ. The one song that is serious and determined is "Excerpt From The Messiah". I like the guitar when the vocals step aside on that one.

I will stick with "In Praise Of Learning" but it was interesting hearing the roles reversed this time. I suppose NEWS FROM BABEL fans would appreciate this record as well. I wish I had more patience.

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