HATFIELD AND THE NORTH LIVE T.V. 1990

This a special reformation of the band for just one gig for a tv show and the same was asked of Caravan. Well ok , Dave Stewart is not on it and one can guess easily why. The replacement does what she can and gets away if you are not too fussy . This has an under-rehearsed flavour but remember that this was just for one show and they had not played for some fifteen years. It was probably not obvious to choose the tracks for this and i would have not exactly chosen the same but on the whole , fairly good.

Sophia Domancich is a french classical trained Jazz Pianist, who is present on this record with 2 of her own compositions (Blott and Cauliflower ears) and has a different approach and sound than Dave Stewart. She plays a more classic Jazz with a"floating" time structure quiet opposed to Stewart's complicated structures. So, for those awaiting the typical Stewart/Hatfield sound it could be disappointing. I like the more jazzy approach and S.Domancich sure is a good pianist. The production is good and gives an idea of the direction Hatfield could have taken considering that Pip Pyle and Phil Miller too have shown on their non-hatfildl records that they were more interested in Jazz impovisations than Dave Stewart.

Oh what a disappointment! This album is worth buying for one track only - Shipwrecked.The electric piano solo followed by the great Phil Miller supported by some excellent power drumming by Pip and solid bass riff from Richard Sinclair makes up for the rest of a very mediocre album. I supposed I should have known right from the onset with Share it from the great Rotters Club album.Just when I was expecting Phil Miller to come in and dominate with his incredible guitar work, the track finished.Shipwrecked made up for this, but the rest of the album lacked substance. Blot reminded me of background music you'd hear in a restaurant. I was just hoping for some more Phil Miller brilliance, but it never came. I believe it was just a one-off...figures.

Halfway between heaven and earth ...

This is a concert offered by a British Television series named 'Bedrock' from 1990 (another f.e. is Caravan Live 1990). Richard Sinclair is heading with his vocal part and excellent bass playing in the same vein when he was with Camel in 1977/78.

The songs are jazz orientated not only because Sophia Domanchich is at the keys. The release has a very good start with 'Share it' and 'Shipwrecked' - the best track I believe (very sensitive guitar work). 'Blott' (Domanchich) and 'Cauliflower Ears' written by Pip Pyle are also good, relaxed and jazzy. The other tracks cannot touch my soul and are not really necessary - pretty much as Caravan Live 1990 - not very inspired.

There are also existing 3 videos on www.youtube.com from this concert in a good condition.

Now available on DVD

Some 10 years or so before this performance finally made it onto DVD, it appeared in CD format as this live album. The performance is taken from a TV series called "Bedrock" which Central Television (UK) put together to showcase British Rock. The line up here includes Richard Sinclair, Pip Pyle, and Phil Miller. Dave Stewart is however notable by his absence, his keyboards stool being filled by Pyle's then girlfriend and jazz virtuoso Sophia Domancich.

This leads to a somewhat diverse set list, which includes "Share it", "Halfway between heaven and Earth", "It didn't matter anyway" and "Underdub" (which does not appear on the DVD) from "The Rotter's club". The rest of the tracks are not H&TN songs. The excellent 13 minute "Shipwrecked" is a new composition by Pip Pyle, which includes lengthy keyboard and guitar improvisations.

"Cauliflower ears" is from Pyle's then current band Equip'Out (which also included Domancich in its line up), while "Blott" is a Domanacich composition, and essentially her solo spot. "Going for a song" is a Sinclair song with lyrics by Pyle, and hence the most Caravan like of the pieces.

As such, crediting this set to H&TN is somewhat liberal with the reality of the contents. It is however a highly enjoyable experience, which ranges from the light, almost pop like vocals of Sinclair to the improvised jazz of Soft Machine. The sound is very much rooted in the Canterbury sounds of the (male) protagonists, Domanacich making a reasonable stab at recreating the keyboard atmospheres and styles associated with that genre.

With the availability of the much superior DVD of this gig, this CD is largely superfluous. Should you come across it though, it is worthy of a listen.

All over the place. When its good it sounds a lot closer to Waterloo lilly than to H&TN. When it is less than perfect it grates a little, but only if you are in a compering mood. Otherwise its a good set with a markedly differant sound. Its a great shame that this line up didn't stay together and make a studio albumb. Personaly I have never been that big a fan of Dave Stewert and Sophia Domancich is a far more lyrical player , less hung up on being clever for its own sake. Richard Sinclair's vocals are not as well recorded as I would have liked but as always his voice is easy on the ear, and his bass playing is supurb. Pip is solid as always."Cauliflower ears" is a decent track and I must seek out other work by Domancich. "Shipwrecked" by Pip is less inspiring and sounds like a warm up. This line up is rather less flashy sounding than the original band but this is mostly a good thing. The general concensus gives this 3 stars which is about right, becuse frankly its not that good.Phil Miller is on this recording but is off form and its shows up horrible the lack of practice. far from essdential but worth a spin now and then.

The derivation of the music that the member who was related to Hatfields had been creating in each standpoint included a lot of parts that had been continued in the situation of the music of Canterbury. The work of Hatfileds is wide 1st album and 2nd album and known as a studio album.

The band has shifted to National Health as a well-known fact through dismantlement and construction. This situation might be very a flow of the important factor when the aspect is waited for and the situation of Canterbury Scene is talked as the music character such as Gilgamesh.

It is also true that the part where Cravan and Soft Machine had begun to announce a past sound source as an album on the boundary of 1990 showed one upsurge for Canterbury Scene. And, the member of this band reached and an individually active flow always reached the shape of the re-formation of this band in Scene.

This album is an album to which the appearance of live of opening in "Bedrock" of Nottingham Central to the public was announced as an album. The member of the band has appointed Sophia Domancich from France to the keyboard player. At that time, both Pip Pyle and public and private matters had the relation of the partner in Sophia Domancich. It will have been a flow inevitable as for this appointment. And, Sophia Domancich is widely known as Lydia Domancich and sisters.

It might be a point to have to make a special mention of the inclusion of a lot of new songs as the composition of this album. The developing flow ..tune of old and new.. ..composition in which listener can be amused as a part where existence as the band is shown.. has finished without regrettably completely in union and the band.

"Share It" faithfully almost reproduces an original tune. The performance of the band that doesn't know the decline exactly has the throb feeling. The guitar has gone in Solo on the way of the tune. The arrangement of the guitar is adopted from Solo of the keyboard of an original tune. A good dash feeling as a throb feeling and a live band is expressed in the tune.

"Shipwrecked" advances from Intro of the keyboard like to the marimba attended with the line of good Bass. The tune is gradually hit the peak with the song attended with a transparent feeling. It has the flow with a good obbligati of the keyboard that establishes the atmosphere of the tune. The tune receives piano Solo that you may shift to the development of Jazz/Fusion. Ensemble of the band is exactly development of Jazz/Fusion. The tension flows while continued. The flow expands the width of the tune further by shifting to Solo of the guitar. The tempo of the rhythm is dropped and the guitar twines well. The sound of Phil Miller has an original sound in which Canterbury is exactly symbolized. The flow that returns to the theme in the part of Coda might be also splendid.

"Underdub" adopts the flow that takes the place from Ad-Rib of an original guitar of the arrangement of the sound of the keyboard. The dash feeling progresses while continued. However, the listener who likes impression of the tune including the humour that the band originally had because the element of Jazz/Fusion is strong as the sound and the arrangement of the band might be a little puzzled. However, the technology and the idea of the band are expressed well.

As for "Blott", a transparent feeling and the anacatesthesia of the theme are impressive. The element of Jazz/Fusion might be strong as the composition of the tune. And, the sound of the keyboard in close relation to steady Bass is expressed well. The tune shifts to Solo of the guitar and advances. Ensemble might always raise the quality. And, the tune slows the tempo and Solo of the organ is accompanied. The sound of the organ might have an exactly progressive impression.

"Going For A Song" is a tune collected to "Caravan Of Dreams" of Richard Sinclair. It might be a tune to have decided them exactly in the music character of Canterbury Scene. Richard Sinclair that forgets lyrics in the part of beginning the singing has the charm. This tune with the progress of good Chord tells a good part in Canterbury Scene with gentle atmosphere. The performance of a band advanced with Solo of the guitar has the throb feeling.

As for "Cauliflower Ears", the theme of the guitar that Phil Miller plays is impressive. The element of the Solo album and In Cahoots of Phil Miller will be reminiscent. The sound of the guitar has the flow of which you may twine with the keyboard. And, the performance of Phil Miller to which the sound of the wind instrument is emitted by making good use of the guitar synthesizer exactly emphasizes originality and individuality. The guitar that makes various sounds might pull the tune. The rhythm to emphasize Bass and the accent that supports the flow also contributes to the tune. And, the tune is connected from the part of a good Free tempo as follows.

"Halfway Between Heaven And Earth" faithfully reproduces an original flow. Progressing this tune for the element of Jazz/Fusion to contain the originality of the band might be splendid. Richard Sinclair, Song..scat..listener..provide the sense of security.And, it has the flow that Solo of the keyboard and the guitar that twines while continuing the tension is good.

"5/4 Intro" might contain the part of the intro. It is connected with "It Didn't Matter Anyway". The flow of the keyboard with a tension and a gentle sound and the piano exactly tells the listener the atmosphere of the hall as development by live.

"It Didn't Matter Anyway" is a ballade with the progress of individuality of the band and good Chord exactly. The sound of the keyboard is exactly reminiscent of their sounds at that time. The band might be faithfully expressing the tune. Bass and the guitar also understand and expand the width of the tune well.

It is a work that contains the part where one history of cutting them who evolved as live albums of them who were active out as the most important band in Canterbury Scene can be experienced.

One one hand, it is great to have a live performance from this excellent, but short lived band. On the other hand, to me it doesn't really sound like Hatfield And The North without keyboardist Dave Stewart. Replacement keyboardist Sophia Domancich is talented, but leans a bit too far to the jazz side, and takes the rest of the band with her. Her style is more like a somewhat less nimble Chick Corea.

For those expecting mostly live versions of the old Hatfield material, only four of the nine songs, Share It, Underdub, Halfway Between Heaven And Earth and It Didn't Matter Anyway, all from The Rotter's Club, fullfill this, and of the new songs, onlyy Going For A Song sounds like the original material. The rest is all straight jazz fusion. Not bad fusion, certainly listenable and competant, but not what you might expect from this band.

One of the Live 1990 albums from British TV. The Caravan live 1990 is the other notable album from this series too.

Hatfield And The North only released two studio albums. After their was disbanded, three compilations of leftovers and this album was released. The setup here, in 1990, is Phil Miller on guitar Pip Pyle on drums, Richard Sinclair on bass & vocals + the jazz musician Sophia Domancich on keyboards. Sophia is the key here on an album that really does not feel like a Hatfield and the North live album. If you love the two studio albums, this live album will not really overjoy you. Hatfield and the North was always threading the knifedge between avant garde, jazz and rock. In short; they were a Canterbury scene band. On this album, they are falling into the jazz genre and that big time. Sophia is the culprit, I am afraid. Why one of her own compositions get a big part of this album on a Hatfield and the North album is beyond me. In short; this is not really a Hatfield and the North live album.

When that is said, the music in it's own right is really good. The opener Share It is great. The rest is good stuff and I really like the jazz Sophia and Hatfield and the North gives us here. There are some not so good stuff too. But I still likes the music on it's own terms. Let's hope that some archeology excavations will dig up a couple of proper Hatfield & The North live tapes which will be issued as live albums. Just to give this band the credit it deserves.

3 stars