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National Health - Complete CD (album) cover

COMPLETE

National Health

Canterbury Scene


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Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Prog Folk
3 stars I had this one at my disposition in the late 90's for several months and as the title suggest , this is the first three albums including the tribute to the death of one of the member. If you own the first two albums , this will come down as useless (or almost) because the booklet is not great on explanations or small extras you might wait from such compilation. They have split one album over the two CD and this always had the tendency to bother me because I always thought of that as a lack of respect for the original oeuvre but having two albums on one CD bothers me a lot less as they are then complete.
Report this review (#5063)
Posted Wednesday, May 5, 2004 | Review Permalink
5 stars National Health's music seems like a farewell to a lost age. At the end of the 70's, when progressive rock has been stifled to death by the greedy music industry, NH (along with U.K. and perhaps one or two others) was the only remaining true progressive band and have put together all that was great about the music of the past decade into their two studio albums. Intricate compositions, complex arrangements, impossible meters, delicate interludes, tight, focused soloing, elements of Canterbury, Symphonic, Classical and Fusion are all happily coexist on these recordings. Supplemented by a delightlul female three-part chorus and wind instruments, the recordings often have the feel of chamber music and a certain playful surrealism. I like to think of NH as the highest evolution of the Canterbury style.

No serious progressive rock collector should be without these essential recordings, which along with U.K.'s two releases, close out the decade on a positive note.

Report this review (#5065)
Posted Wednesday, June 2, 2004 | Review Permalink
Matti
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars I actually liked - many years ago - NH for three stars only, but it is definitely too forgotten band. As Eliott said, "seems like a farewell to a lost age". Maybe it's just that they were there too late (debut from 1977) and they were doomed to be overlooked. But speaking of Canterbury scene one really should remember National Health. They come pretty close to Caravan in style but still it is their own. You absolutely feel that these guys enjoy making music. Whatever happened to the amazing keyboard player Dave Stewart (NOT the Eurythmics man!)? ________ By the way, after reading Jonathan Coe's The Rotters' Club (which has a lot of references to 70's prog) I expected to like more of Hatfield & The North's album that gave name to the novel. I came to compare it to (my memories of) National Health and thought the latter is better. Maybe I should seek for this 156-minute set again...
Report this review (#5066)
Posted Wednesday, April 13, 2005 | Review Permalink
Progbear
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars A superbly packaged compilation of all three of National Health's studio albums on two discs, with informative and witty liner notes courtesy of Dave Stewart himself. Having Stewart's remeniscences to read as you listen brings you a whole other level of appreciation of National Health's output; they clearly produced this music at a time of great hardship, when the very industry that produced them showed them little more than outright hostility.

The cover art is (frankly) uninspired, and the bonus tracks are a tad inessential (the abbreviated "Paracelsus" has been made redundant with the release of MISSING PIECES, and Stewart's solo synth remake of "The Collapso" seems a bit pointless). Minor complaints, though, this is for me an invaluable collection. Every home should have one.

Report this review (#47580)
Posted Tuesday, September 20, 2005 | Review Permalink
4 stars Album of CD2 piece set released in 1990 "National Health Complete". An additional track is collected to this work besides the original album. Especially, initial "Paracelsus" is a masterpiece of the phantom. In addition, the charm of the keyboard that adapts "The Collapso" of the second work is progressive jazz-rock of the flowerpot of full loading in "The Apocalypso" recorded in 1990. It is a shining performance.
Report this review (#54599)
Posted Friday, November 4, 2005 | Review Permalink
Atavachron
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This is the one for you, especially if you've been wanting a little Health in your life. National Health were one of the premier progressive rock fusion bands of the era and, at their best, equalled the musicianship and sophistry of Yes or King Crimson. This CD is a definitive and thoroughly satisfying chronicle of the best recorded work from this great ensemble and has something for everyone. Hear the clever syncopation, understated yet complex structure, and wacky English humor, all on one 2-disc set that is well worth your investment new or used.
Report this review (#97500)
Posted Tuesday, November 7, 2006 | Review Permalink
Tapfret
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
3 stars Worthy

The Canterburians of my collection are in general some of my least favorite listens. In National Health's case, I only became aware of them through Dave Stewart's collaboration with Bruford in his solo work. As a matter of fact, there are at least 2 musical movements that the 2 projects share in common.

'Complete' is basically a box set of NH's first 3 albums in almost their entirety. The NH sound is very similar to the first 3 Bruford solo works. very tightly constructed Jazz/rock fussion. It is quality music and makes good background sounds, but if I sit and listen just to listen, it becomes rather tiresome about two thirds into the first disc.

2.9 stars.

Report this review (#141869)
Posted Wednesday, October 3, 2007 | Review Permalink
5 stars If you're new to National Health, and don't already have their other albums, this is a great choice if you can find it--it's three for the price of, er, two, reasonably well-mastered, and Stewart's commentary in the liner notes is extensive and absolutely priceless. (Did you know Pip Pyle is made entirely of metal? Read on, true believers!) Heck, I'd be half tempted to pick it up for the liner notes alone!

So you wonder if National Health is worth collecting in the first place? Well, I can't claim not to be biased, but this was, and probably still is, my favorite rock band of all time. Without a doubt at the top of the Canterbury pile IMO! Mindbogglingly complex, yet extremely tasty, compositions would be the source of inspiration of many a Dave Stewart column in Keyboard Magazine for years to come--and they stand up to repeated listens... and repeated listens. Fabulous dual keyboard work, rock-solid and smooth drumming across some of the more hideous time signatures to grace the history of music, an absolute lack of pretense despite being ambitious as hell, and a thoroughly twisted and utterly British sense of musical humor are just some of the highlights.

The meat of the album, of course, is the full contents of National Health and Of Queues and Cures. The tracks from D.S. al Coda are quite a different beast, feet planted firmly in the 80s--several are remakes of compositions from Gowen's earlier Gilgamesh albums. For those, I tend to favor the original recordings, but there's no denying Gowen's compositional chops here, and there's new stuff that's well worth a look. "Apocalypso" is a more broadly comic reinterpretation of the "Collapso," with new improved technology, but the pounding drum samples and slightly slower tempo don't quite keep up with the spry insanity of the original. Finally, "Paracelsus" is a light-hearted and warm welcome to the entire collection, but Missing Pieces has it in its entirety. As a survey, though, this is a fantastic collection, and if you're like me, it will keep you madly happy for weeks to come.

Report this review (#226795)
Posted Wednesday, July 15, 2009 | Review Permalink
Evolver
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams
5 stars For some reason, back when their records were originally released, I had a very difficult time locating National Health's albums. And I wanted them badly. A local college radio station gave them frequent airplay. So it wasn't until this CD came out that I actually owned anything by what I think is the best Caterbury band ever.

This collection includes the first three albums, plus an excerpt from an early recording of the band, featuring Bill Bruford on drums.

The music starts out as classic Canterbury, with some fusion mixed in. But it's with the second album that the band transcends pure Canterbury, and heads in the direction Dave Stewart will explore in Bruford's fusion group. In fact, Of Queues and Cures rivals many of the best fusion albums of the seventies.

The best songs are The Collapso, The Mahavishnu Orchestra-like Dreams Wide Awake, The Apocalypso, and Portrait Of A Shrinking Man, the last of which is vaguely reminiscent of some of Zappa's fusion works.

So I'd rate this 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Report this review (#295299)
Posted Thursday, August 19, 2010 | Review Permalink
Man With Hat
COLLABORATOR
Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
5 stars An easy decision.

National Health are the best Canterbury band around. And this is the ultimate NH document. The first statement is debatable, but the second isn't. Complete collections all three of National Health's albums on to two CDs, complete with an extra or two. At the time, their main albums were either out of print, or just very scarce, which made this collection even more invaluable. And finally, the price was well worth it (assuming you buy from legitimate retailors...).

I won't go too in depth about the music here, as that would be better suited for the individual albums, but it is top notch Canterbury scene stuff. Jazzy, complex, wonderful keyboard arrangements/sounds, pleasing vocals, and a big dose of fun. The two other incentives for buying this album are the opener Paraclesus, a fun litter number that's a great introduction to their first CD (with Bruford on the drums to boot!), and The Apocalypso, a track that would feel right at home on DS Al Coda. Its hard to choose favorites when a band's entire studio repertoire is presented, but I'll make special mention for Tenemos Roads (with probably my favorite female vocals in all of prog), The Collapso (an exotic tinged number), and Squarer for Maud (which is just so damn infectious). There really isn't anything bad to say about Complete. Perhaps it would be annoying that their second album is spilt between two discs, and if you are listening to these in the conventional manner, a little more effort is required (and perhaps the mood broken slightly). But really, this is minor.

All in all, this is an excellent way to acquire the bulk of National Health's discog. (All that's left is an excellent live offering, and a collection of unreleased material.) The sound quality is warm and expressive, and the value is top notch (especially since the recent re-releases of National Health's first two albums are a bit on the pricy side, for single disc efforts). 5 stars. There is no better way to get to know National Health. Highly recommended.

Report this review (#392216)
Posted Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | Review Permalink
4 stars The extra tracks, and Dave Stewart's liner notes, are worth it.

This box-set contains all three National Health albums in their entirety, which is already good value for the price. You also get Dave Stewart's hilarious liner notes, in which he lays out the entire history of the band and tells a number of very funny stories (funny often in the 'tragedy+time' sense). Stewart is a gifted writer and (now we know) comedian. This would be enough, but the compilation also contains two extra tracks. The opening track "Paracelsus" is written by Mont Campbell (who was the bass player in the band for the first year), and pre-dates the first album. Bill Bruford is on drums, and Steve Hillage is on guitar. While only one minute and 41 seconds, it is a killer track, worth getting just for this. The second extra track is a 1990 remake of "The Collapso", originally released on 'Of Queues and Cures', but here remade as "The Apocalypso". This is also worth having, although not nearly as important as Paracelsus. But all together a great compilation. I would recommend getting this version of their catalogue.

Report this review (#1697058)
Posted Sunday, February 26, 2017 | Review Permalink
Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars This is a pretty solid collection of the original three National Health albums, though it's worth raising some caveats. Firstly, the bonus tracks are highly pointless: Paracelsus offers only a small snippet of the track in question, and the Missing Pieces collection is where you will want to go if you want to hear the material the band cooked up before their debut. The other bonus is The Apocalypso, a Dave Stewart solo synth remake of The Collapso... er, which was already provided on disc 1. What was the point?

Another quibble is that the split of three albums into 2 CDs means that Of Queues and Cures, arguably the band's masterpiece, gets cut in half. At least the split is where the end of side 1 of the vinyl will be - but half the convenience of CDs is not having to turn the disc over!

Still, it's a good collection, though it has to be said that only two of the three albums here are truly essential - D.S. al Coda suffers from a badly dated synth sound - and both of those got nice rereleases on Esoteric more recently, rendering this set redundant unless you absolutely, truly must own D.S. al Coda. (...why?)

Report this review (#2188861)
Posted Saturday, April 27, 2019 | Review Permalink

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