HATFIELD AND THE NORTH

Items ordered by ending time | Showing all 62 items

Visit eBay search:'prog rock' for items
Sell your HATFIELD AND THE NORTH items on eBay !

No release results - showing artist results instead

Sort: Recent best-seller | Results cached

Visit Amazon tag:'Progressive Rock' for more prog rock

A Canterburian supergroup made from members of Matching Mole (guitarist Phil Miller), Egg & Khan (keyboardist Dave Stewart), Caravan (bassist Richard Sinclair) and GonG (drummer Pip Pyle) - and amazingly enough no-one from Soft Machine- Hatfield (for short) certainly made two of the most transcendental albums in the genre, starting with the self-titled debut in 73. Taking their name from a traffic panel somewhere North of London, the South-of-London combo chose a pink-filtered picture of an unremarkable suburb and added some savage scene of pillage in the clouded sky, a symbol that remains a mystery to this writer even today. On top of the famous Robert Wyatt appearance in Calyx, the group benefits from the help of the Northettes (a trio of female singers that includes Spirogyra's Barbara Gaskins), some sax from Henry Cow member Geoff Leigh and a un-credited Didier Malherbe (source: the Calyx site and the innergatefold picture) of GonG on flute.

One can see this album as a variance of a concept album with not one but two book-ending tracks: the electronic pieces called Stubbs Effect and more ex-centric (because asymmetric) Big Jobs, where Sinclair announces the colour signing about "the song to begin the beginning, a few arbitrary notes, which they try to make sound right and that their music on their latest Lp will please us and should certainly be a laugh" in a very Wyatt-esque manner. Another way to look at this album is as if two giant nameless suites (one per album side), since all tracks are melted into in each other (from Stubbs to Rifferama and from Fol De Rol until Other Stubbs) and it's pretty difficult to see where each song starts, even, if the Cd certainly made this easier.

Describing Hatfield's music is rather difficult other than saying it fits the Canterbury mould that we know today without sounding like any other band in that category. It's definitely not rock music anymore (like Gong or Caravan), it's not Jazz (through the bossa nova) either, but to call it jazz-rock is only partly satisfying because applicable only 15% (roughly) of the time. Mostly instrumental, but when sung it is either stunning or completely silly lyrics, often courtesy of drummer Pip Pyle (humour-wise, Hatfield is typically Canterburian), the quartet is simply amazing with mastery of their respective instruments and the numerous tempo changes and tricky time sigs are simply head-twisting and can be a bit of a repellent for the normal attention span.. There are some remains from Caravan, sometimes from Egg or Gong, but you mostly have to look at the future National Health to have an idea of what they sound like. Little wonder since three of the four Hatfield will be involved in NH. To make matters worse, the album is filled with short unpredictable songs that generally don't respect any rules and end up melting into each other, much like the superb Wyatt-conscious Calyx leads directly into album-climax Homerton. Another strong track is Shaving Is Boring, which grabs a space rock (ala GonG) repetitive rhythms and Caravan soundscapes (the organ theme seems from Grey & Pink) and later on Bossa Nochance is a clear wink at Caravan's rhythms.

Hatfield is probably the first of the three most difficult groups to "dig"/get into after or with Gilgamesh and National Health and are an acquired taste that comes with multiple listens. The Virgin reissue comes with a non-album single of which both sides are sung by Sinclair, the Fitter B-side will find its way on the next album in a different version. These two stick out a bit from the rest of the album (different sound), but there is nothing shocking either. The new Esoteric label "remastered" reissue brings a two more bonus tracks (, more like work-in-progress), but present on TRC as well in the Mumps track, and the booklet has been revamped. While on the scale of the site and prog's greater spectrum, this first Hatfield album might not be essential, in the Canterbury skyline circles, it certainly is.

A great reference for the whole school of Canterbury. Bands such as A TRIGGERIND MYTH and ISILDURS BANE have taken a lot of inspiration from this band, in the recent times. Well actually the score should be inferior, but its importance is as much remarkable as the best "jewels" from Canterbury!!

Highly recommended!!

This is the first album from Hatfield & the North. This album is very progressive, and it has the Canterbury subgenre. There are TONS of typical electric piano parts. There is also the typical Canterburian wah-wah organ, which occurs on some Caravan's albums too. The keyboards played by Dave Stewart mostly consist in melodic series of short notes, as reveals the omnipresent electric piano. The drums are very complex and never the same. The special male & female backing chant definitely give a unique character to the album. Richard Sinclair's lead vocals are OUTSTANDING, as always. "Rifferama" has a series of weird wah-wah effects applied on dirty organs and inoffensive electric guitars riffs through VERY fast and funny elements, which should remind Frank Zappa's complex and fast music. Robert Wyatt's singing on "Calix" are very delightful. The epic "Son of "there's no place like Homerton"" has beautiful & graceful celestial female backing vocals; this track has a strange final bit consisting in dissonant horns improvisation-like a la King Crimson's "Lizard". "Aigrette" has awesome complex vocals arrangements a la Pat Metheny. "Shaving is boring" starts with an impressive moog and bass combination; it continues with a bit too experimental and disorganized for my taste; however, the second part of the track is AWESOME: it has the structure and style of Caravan circa "In the land of grey and pink": it is also the case for the mellow "Lick for the ladies", and for "Big jobs No 2". "Lobster in cleavage probe" has beautiful & graceful celestial female backing vocals. The best track of this record is definitely "Gigantic land-crabs in Earth takeover bid": it gradually reaches quintessence, as all the instruments are perfectly synchronized inside a fully interlocking Canterburian texture.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The world of Canterbury prog was a pretty incestous one with groups like Caravan, Soft Machine, Gong, Delivery, Egg, Matching Mole, National Health, Khan and Gilgamesh all sharing members, and as such Hatfield And The North might seem to be "just another Canterbury" supergroup. It's a little hard to describe the two lovely mid 70s albums crafted by Richard Sinclair (lead vocals/bass), Phil Miller (guitar), Dave Stewart (keyboards) and Pip Pyle (drums) as ground-breaking because these musicians came to the band with a well-established blueprint for music-making (albeit one they had all contributed to). There is however, little doubt that they are among the most memorable recordings to emerge from the scene ...

This fascinating debut is an hotch-potch of brief "sound effect" tracks like The Stubbs Effect, a handful of charming jazzy ditties like Going Up To People And Tinkling, Lobster In Cleavage Probe and the punchy Rifferama, and two monumental jazz-rock anthems written by drummer Pyle called Son of "There's No Place Like Homerton" and Shaving Is Boring. The album is largely instrumental although there are a fair amount of wordless vocals flying around (contributed by Sinclair, Canterbury icon Robert Wyatt as well as a trio of female singers that includes Amanda Parsons). Henry Cow's Geoff Leigh also drops in to add a few brassy touches.

As you might surmise from the titles of some of the tracks, Hatfield And The North aren't the sort of group to take themselves too seriously, but the standard of musicianship is extremely high with Stewart (mainly in electric piano mode) leading the way most of the time. What's more, the album is superbly paced, so that the music ebbs and flows perfectly to sustain one's interest. Psychedelic swirls, goofy humour, elegant jazz-rock, Sinclair's mournful singing (the Big Jobs songs have great melodies!) and the odd moment of controlled passionate playing are all present in acceptable doses.

Hatfield And The North's subsequent album The Rotter's Club is generally given more attention because of the presence of the group's greatest work Mumps on that album, but this album matches it for quality. The CD features the wonderful Let's Eat (Real Soon)/Fitter Stoke Has A Bath single as bonus tracks, and they just add to the fun. ... 78% on the MPV scale

I love Richard Sinclair's opera (and vocals) in Caravan, expecially in their best album In The Land Of Grey And Pink. I was sad to see he soon leave that band and so, after listening to something of him in Camel (in particular the album Breathless) I picked up this album by Hatfield and the Noth. I did not expect this as "difficult" (elaborate and jazzier sound, rich of noises and sound effects), but after listening to it many times, something good for me I have found: the bonus track Let's Eat (Real Soon), Rifferama and Shaving Is Boring. I thik it'll be better for me to pick up also The Rotter's Club and only then write a more accurate review on it.

Canterbury is a strange bird indeed, and this album is typical of the style of prog I enjoy second to symphonic. Starting off rather softly, most of the songs melt into each other and if you weren't watching you wouldn't notice. It's not until you reach the middle section starting with 'Son of There's No Place Like Homerton' that things start to kick some butt with horns blazing and the Northettes harmonizing. It just kills. Then 'Aigrette' leads into 'Rifferama' and again you get some killer grooves, just plain awesome. But the best track to these ears is 'Shaving Is Boring' starting off very softly, it builds a krautrock-like groove very subtly then melds into a space rock/psych monster! One of the, if not the best Canterbury song ever written! The album proper ends with more of the same harkening back to earlier songs on the album. The CD boasts two additonal bonus tracks which was a single A & B sides. Both are extraordinary with Stewart's sweet voice, like a warm cup of chocolate on a blustery winter day. If you are thinking about trying out a Canterbury style prog album you couldn't go wrong with this one. A solid 4.5 album hampered only by the slow start.

The Canterbury scene was really defined by the debut album by HATFIELD & THE NORTH which remains today a pure classic progressive rock album. What is amazing is that every musician is so strong and this album feels so cohesive and not a tone of soloist going for it. Every track is a real treat and by composition showcases the extreme talents of this band. EGG's Dave Stewart's plays some brilliant organ and keyboards here while Richard Sinclair's bass and vocal work tightly contributes. Also one must take note of Phil Miller's guitar playing and Pip Pyle's drumming which get to unfold over the album and sound in perfect fit. HATFIELD also included the vocal harmonic trio of Barbara Gaskin, Amanda Parsons and Ann Rosenthal) who were referred to as the "Northettes". In many ways this album represents Canterbury's answer to VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR mixed with GENTLE GIANT. The album is an assortment of 15 tracks all interwoven making this a concept-like piece.

4.2/5.0

This is one of the most difficult review I had to write. I had quite an headache deciding between 4 stars and 5 stars, as this is a milestone of Canterbury music, with many members playing with other well-known groups like Matching Mole, Gong, Caravan or Soft Machine, all great bands. "Hatfield and the North" is somehow a 'superband' allowing itself to play a bit more on the wild side of progressive music, that is, experimental jazz. This is always a risky experiment because if it is easy for masters of experimentation to achieve harmony it is far more difficult for an harmonist to successfully experiment.

That said, as much as this album is experimental and jazzy, the Canterbury touch is still there and there are some magic in many songs there. Of course, this is an album you have to listen from the beginning to the end, a bit like Camel's "The Snow Goose" or other albums alike.

Overall, this is a wild bird as some other reviewers rightly pointed out. Don't throw it away after one listening; after some listening it gets clearer and really this is a complicated but very good album! 4.2/5.0

Definitely no easy listening album, this one. A grower indeed, something you have to listen to repeatedly and with a good deal of concentration. Four superb musicians (true masters of their craft), jazz-tinged, experimental compositions, angelic female vocals and contributions from such greats as Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine fame... Heaven for some, hell for others. Hatfield and the North are certainly not everyone's cup of tea. For one thing, they don't take themselves seriously enough - just look at titles like "Gigantic Land Crabs in Earth Takeover Bid" and "Lobster in Cleavage Probe". Then, the music has more shifts and time signature changes than most people's attention span can cope with, and most of the tracks are instrumental.

The first Canterbury supergroup didn't last long, which is a misfortune, seen the quality of both this debut album and, especially, its magnificent follow-up, "The Rotters' Club". The good news is that they've very recently reformed with three- quarters of the original lineup (no Dave Stewart, I'm afraid, but the others are all there). However, way back in the early '70s, they would have deserved to be much more successful, even if their complex, intricate brand of jazz-rock blended with uniquely English humour and nonsense is definitely an acquired taste.

There are quite a lot of tracks listed on the record's sleeve, though it is practically impossible to see where one ends and the other begins - they flow seamlessly into each other, forming a continuum which challenges the listener's powers of concentration in a way the traditional song format does not. As such, it is not easy to mention individual tracks, although there are obviously some which stand out, notably the 10-minute-plus "(Son of) There's no Place Like Homerton", where a beautiful vocal interlude courtesy of The Northettes is followed by wildly blaring horns. "Calyx" features delicate vocal harmonies from Robert Wyatt; while "Fol de Rol" starts with Richard Sinclair humming nonsense words and then launching into an incredible bass solo. As a matter of fact, those who think prog bassists begin and end with Chris Squire and John Wetton should take a listen at both Hatfield and the North's albums in order to get an earful of truly spectacular bass playing - a perfect foil to Pip Pyle's intricate drumming patterns. However, it's a pity that Sinclair doesn't get as many opportunities to display his equally stunning vocal talents. Whenever he opens his mouth, I get shivers down my spine, especially when he reaches for the lower tones. Under his deceptively well-mannered, quintessentially English enunciation lies a strain of haunting sensuality which is quite unique in prog.

If you want background music, don't even think about buying this album. If you want to keep both your ears and your mind engaged, don't hesitate. Highly recommended.

Cheers to the debut album of Hatfield and the North, one of the most accomplished Canterbury acts ever. Band formers Richard Sinclair and Dave Stewart already bore an interesting pedigree, as well as their partners Phil Miller and Pip Pyle. The band's main goal was just to create good music both amusing and cleverly arranged, with a jazzy flair that provides a special swing to the main melodic themes and the subsequent jamming. Scatological humor is evident from some explicit titles, as well as the self- referring lyrics and the intended puerile chanting of 'Fol de Ral'. Positive mood recycled through an exciting musical vision, this is all that Hatfield and the North is about. Regarding the band's sound, the electric piano and the bass guitar happen to be the most consistently featured instruments in the mix, which doesn't mean that Miller can't have noticeable room for leads and harmonic phrases. Miller isn't really loud, yet his musical personality is quite distinct within the spectrum of Canterbury melodic facet - IMHO, his best solo is comprised in en 'Gigantic Laud Crabs in Earth Takeover Bid'. Pyle's typical percussive dynamics is, in no small degree, a basic ingredient for the energetic feel that the band seeks for both the calmer and faster passages of the album. The repertoire consists of two continuous series of tracks, sequenced as if there was an intention of keeping the fun working: the first series starts like the second one ends, with a tone generator sequence. Robert Wyatt's vocal interventions in 'Calyx' are simply eerie, portraying a captivating magic, and so are the Northettes' efforts in en '(Son of) There's no Place like Homerton' and 'Lobster in Cleavage Probe'. 'Rigrette' and 'Rifferama' show some very interesting interaction between organ and guitar. The maximum energy is found in 'Shaving is Boring', which includes a magnificent spacey sequence that seems to float in the air as some sort of imaginary vision that fills every spot in the atmosphere: imagine a cross between the most bizarre side of Soft Machine's "Third" and your typical Gong electronic explorations and you can get the picture accurately. The guitar and organ effects that go passing by on and on enhance the lysergic mood, while the rhythm section sustains the whole thing with infinite precision. All this muscular display is carried out by the band without losing a single ounce of its performative elegance - formidable! The CD edition brings two bonuses, 'Fitter Stoke has a Bath' and 'Let's Eat (Real Soon)' sound to me a bit closer to what Caravan used to do in their first albums, and that's a curious thing, since the reason why Sinclair left Caravan was that he wanted to do something different. The first of these bonuses will reappear in a more sophisticated guise in the band's sophomore effort. In conclusion, "Hatfield and the North" is an exquisite gem of Canterbury, a musical delicatessen that deserves to be labeled as a real prog masterpiece. No less can be expected from this assembly of masters.

[Review dedicated to the memory of Pip Pyle]

It's comparatively rare to find progressive rock that's virtuosic, jazzy, poetic, delicately melodious, homely, humorous, unpretentious, unflashy, neo-classical, pastoral and absurdist at the same time - but Hatfield and the North managed to be all those things, and more.

If you're American and you've never heard these musicians, imagine a good-humoured, non-misanthropic Zappa using only British vocalists, and you're coming close.

From time to time, I have my doubts about Hatfield and the North or other Canterbury bands from the same period, because my favourite Dutch novelist (Geerten Meijsing), a keen jazz lover, once described their style as 'puppet show music'. To be honest, parts of this album sound a bit like that, and it's not just because of the march-like melodies, or Dave Stewart's electric piano; I guess it also has something to do with the influence of Igor Stravinsky - after all, he wrote his most charming ballet score (PETRUSHKA) about a farcical puppet show.

But any fleeting doubts I still may have when playing this album, are soon dispersed, because the music keeps moving constantly. It's a delightful mixture of styles: in a brief period of time you are taken from chirpy music-hall style singing, to crisp electric guitar solos, delicate flute salads and angelic girl choirs. A marvellous concoction!

Talk about an all-star cast ! Even the guests are all-stars. Namely Robert Wyatt formerly with SOFT MACHINE and Geoff Leigh from HENRY COW. This was Richard Sinclair's first band after he left CARAVAN and he teams back up with Phil Miller who had left CARAVAN an album earlier than he did to join MATCHING MOLE. Of course Robert Wyatt was in MATCHING MOLE as well. Dave Stewart came from EGG via KHAN and Pip Pyle came from GONG. Although there are 17 tracks including the 2 bonus songs(an a & b side single released in 1974) the songs actually blend into each other all the way through giving the impression of one seamless track. I have to agree with fellow reviewer Andrea Cortese that this is a difficult listen (at least the first half is) and while I prefer the more melodic follow up "The Rotters' Club", I have to say this blows me away. The musicianship is second to none here and it's very challenging and complex instrumentally to say the least.

"The Stubbs Effect" is a short piano intro while "Big Jobs (Poo Poo Extract)" is a pleasant song where we get vocals for the first time. "Going Up To People And Tinkling" is a jazzy little number with outstanding drums and bass work. "Calyx" features Robert Wyatt doing vocal melodies throughout. "Son Of "There's No Place Like Homerton"" has some great keyboard play as well as female vocals, flute and lots of horns late. "Aigrette" is led by drums, bass and vocal melodies. "Rifferama" is more uptempo with some good guitar.This song really stands out from what has gone on before. "Fol De Rol" is relaxed with vocals, but "Shaving Is Boring" is anything but relaxed. This Is fantastic ! Such an intense, driving number with some good guitar and organ late. Check out the fuzz too.

The next three songs are laid back with vocals and they seem to blurr together as one before we get to "Lobster In Cleavage Probe". This one has female vocals, flute, gentle keys and guitar before becoming more urgent later. Great section ! The tempo picks up late. "Gigantic Land Crabs In Earth Takeover Bid" really impresses me with the aggressive guitar that goes on for quite a while. Nice. The two bonus tracks would have fit well on "The Rotters' Club", actually "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath" is on the followup but it's a longer version. The best vocals on this record are on "Let's Eat (Real Soon) while Phil gives us some great guitar on "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath".

I love this record, it's adventerous and challenging and it's also essential listening for Canterbury fans.

The Hatfields were a fine band that represented a musical middle ground between the sophistication of National Health and the more relaxed sounds of Gilgamesh, and featured the cream of the Canterbury crop. This, their first, can be inconsistent but the good cuts are excellent and showcase both Dave Stewart's learned keys and guitarist Phil Miller's penchant for jazz. At ten minutes, 'Son of There's No Place Like Homerton' is the epic here, with careful phrases from Stewart, playful horns that brighten things and is filled with many changes in direction, Miller's guitar responding in turn with ornate intertwinings of organ, electric piano and Richard Sinclair's bass. And 'Rifferama' is an upset little number, almost avant garde, with fuzz-rock meeting light jazz in a most strange way. 'Shaving is Boring' has a mellow start but becomes a driving jazz-rocker with a tangibly live feel, accenting just how well the core of this unit could play together, Pip Pyle's insistant and sporadically changing drum lines, a good dose of space toward the end and much playfulness, and 'Gigantic Land Crabs in Earth Takeover' finishes in a chaotic jam. Granted, there are moments on this album that remind of the soundtrack to a bad 1970s movie, with keyboards trapped in some sleazy images flickering on the screen and enough wah-wah to date this old thing with dispatch. But don't let that stop you from enjoying one of the better bands from the illustrious school of the Canterbury, though the word is that their next, 'Rotter's Club', is superior. And points for the great cover... how many faces do you see?

I´ve tried and tried to listen to this album but it just doesn´t do it for me the way I was expecting it to. You got all the right things here to make this a wonderfull Canterbury prog rock album though. Richard Sinclair just out of Caravan ready to do new things, Dave Stewart, Robert Wyatt and lots of other Canterbury faces to make this perfect but I think something is lacking in the songwriting department.

The music is in the jazzy Canterbury rock vein and mostly instrumental even though we´re treated with Richard Sinclair´s voice a couple of times on the album. The music is pleasant and every member gets his time to shine.

The production is very good and perfect for the music. Just typical soft Canterbury sound quality.

After many listens I kind of enjoy the album after all, but it´s not excellent in my ears and I´ll rate it 3 stars. I know this album is praised very much and I really wish I could cherish it more, but I guess you can´t win everytime. Maybe it´ll grow on me given time ? The quality in the music is definitely there, no question about it.

I've never been the biggest Canterbury fan, altough I do have a smattering of Camel, Caravan and the like in my collection. I've always found the meandering melodies and all-too-British lyrics not to my taste. But for Hatfield And The North, I make an exception. This album transcends the above mentioned traits with a jazzy feel and clever compositions. The only drawback to me is Richard Sinclair's thin and mostly too light vocals.

Many of the songs blend together, giving it an epic feeling, and sometimes making it difficult to tell when one song ends and the next one begins. But it all flows so well that it doesn't matter. Keyboardist Dave Stewart to me is the key to this album's success. His complex playing drives the music better than in any other group I have heard him.

A truly great addition to any collection.

Even the first time I listened to this I was amazed and my mind was blown. Hatfield & The North was a supergroup, formed by Sinclair(Caravan), Miller(guitars, from Matching Mole), Pyle (from Gong, drums), Stewart(Khan, keyboards). Their first album is one of the best Canterbury albums of all time. The album contains all the elements that made the Canterbury Scene so great: nice melodic and romantic moments mixed with complex arrangements in the instrumental parts. All the songs are connected to each other, so it sounds like it's formed by one long song. But, if we consider all the songs separated from each other, we have 15 marvelous pieces, where the music, similar sometimes to the soft machine's "tiny virtuousness" in the very brief songs, flows like rarely an album does. Absolutely essential, being one of the best Canterbury albums ever. Enjoy and listen carefully!!

Canterbury and the North

Out of the classic Canterbury Prog bands, Hatfield & the North seems to be buried by Caravan's happy prog, The Machine's jazziness and Gong's trippiness. However, there's really no explanation for this since Hatfield & the North were another top-notch band with a unique style which combined the easy-listening but still sophisticated music of Caravan with lots of nonsense and an essential jazzy flavor. With Richard Sinclair at the front with his unique voice and overlooked bass playing, and Dave Stewart on the keys, you've got here one of the most enjoyable supergroups music history has ever gave us.

Their debut is no less than fascinating, having a spectacular flow that, alike many Soft Machine albums, the whole album is connected one way or another, meaning that from one tune to the other there's at least a tiny relation and makes the album far more jointed than albums that have ten or so absolutely un-related songs.

This album delivers the listener from simply pleasurable melodic sung tunes like 'Big Jobs'(both parts), 'Calyx', 'Aigrette' and 'Licks for the Ladies' to intricating structured songs with lots of shifts and with very impressive musicianship like 'Son of There's No Place like Homertorn', 'Gigantic Land-Crabs in Earth Takeover Bid' and 'Shaving is Boring'. However, I recommend the listener not to detract from the longer tunes since the enjoyability of those tunes comes along with the addition of having heard those lovely short tunes I mentioned first.

There might be no 'Nine Feet Underground' or anything in the vein of 'Third', but still this debut album gives me the same, or sometimes even more, amount of enjoyment than those other classic Canterbury Prog albums give me. The music of this group is so tasteful and sophisticated that I can't see anyone with a good taste in music not liking this, though I've got to say I've known people who simply dislike the music written by Canterbury musicians.

A flawless masterpiece with no real highlight other than the album itself as a whole: if you're a fan of Jazz Fusion/Rock check this out, Hatfield & the North makes a unique twist from that genre. Also, anyone interested in Canterbury Scene, this is indeed a very good start.

Of all the super-groups, Hatfield and the North is probably the only one that isn't at all disappointing at all. In fact they are not only not disappointing, but actually rather good... Or really good... Or wonderful. The Canterbury super group featuring some rather incredible musicians (Dave Stewart of Egg and Khan-Keyboards, Phil Miller of Matching Mole- guitar, Pip Pyle of Gong- Drums... RIP Pip, and Caravan's Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals), and manage to create a mix of what I would try (rather badly) to describe as Caravan's humor and melody with Jazz/Fusion touches and an almost King Crimson like experimentalist side (Yeah that made sense...).

Hatfield's first album is a rather magical affair. All the songs are more or less stuck to each other and unless you work hard at checking the name of each song with every listen you probably know each song as "that part in the album". But the album kicks off with the nice and short "Stubbs Effect" and goes directly into this jazzy little jam ("Going Up To People And Tinkling... yay!). This evolves into "Calyx", with Canterbury celebrity superstar Robert Wyatt. Wyatt provides an excellent vocal melody, which evolves (I'm going to use the word "evolves" a lot in this review) into the first epic track: "Son there's no place like Homerton". The affair is a pretty and quirky... affair, with those who are called "The Northettes" singing backup vocals (to a great effect). The song develops to a few directions with a bunch of time changes and that fun stuff, and eventually (here it comes...) evolves into probably the most melodic song. Ever. Aigrette shows off Phil Miller's talent of writing unbelievably melodic short songs (also exemplified in the next album). Aigrette is absolutely delightful. This thing oozes out this melody to which Richard Sinclair sings beautifully. Probably my favorite short track from the album. I can go on and on about all the short songs, but my laziness is becoming stronger with each second. Worth to mention from the other shorts is "Fol De Rol" with its cool telephone gimmick (You'll understand when you'll listen to the album). The second epic: "Shaving is Boring" is another great song and pretty experimental. The band... experiments with a lot of different sounds, and there's really awesome part when everything just stops and you hear someone running up and down a hallway opening doors and each of them has a different song in them until he finds the one door that leads to the next riff... That's just awesome. The album... evolves into another few instrumentals, and before you know it, you're done!

This isn't exactly easy listening, though. The lack of actual "songs" makes the album a bit hard to digest in the first couple of listens. While it has the pleasant and light hearted Caravan-ish sound, it certainly is much more progressive than most Canterbury albums. Definite buy for anyone who enjoys progressive music, and very much for Canterbury fans. Awesome little masterpiece!

First album from this Canterbury supergroup. Featuring former members of Egg, Caravan, Matching Mole and Gong. On this album we are introduced to the Northettes, female singers who usually do wordless vocals. Richard Sinclair does the main vocals and both his singing and bass playing here is an improvement over what he did with Caravan. Originally him and keyboardist Steve Miller (brother of Hatfield guitarist Phil) left Caravan to form this more jazzy group. Eventually Miller was replaced by Dave Stewart who brought along with him some unfinished ideas from Egg.

All the songs are linked together and the whole album flows as one piece. It's more consistent in general compared to Rotter's Club, but that album's best moments are superior to anything here. It sounds like they spent a lot of time on this album. Apparently, they spent a lot of money on it as well; the band members owed money for decades after recording it. The MiniMoog is used here more than it is on RC. Sinclair likes to occasionally alter his voice for a word or two. The album begins and ends with sequenced piano-like sounds on MiniMoog. There are two "Big Jobs" songs. I like the first a little better but it's less than a minute. The second version is more of an actual song and is performed in a smoother way. It features a great solo on fuzz-organ or maybe even MiniMoog.

The songs vary in length from 20 seconds to 10 minutes. "Going Up To People And Tinkling" has some chords here and there which forshadow the side-long "Mumps" on Rotter's Club. "Calyx" features Robert Wyatt on wordless vocals. In fact, this whole song sounds like one of the mellower and spacier Matching Mole songs. I'm not sure if Wyatt recorded this song before or after his accident; I'm assuming after. "Son Of 'There's No Place Like Homerton'" begins with some electric piano which reminds me of Soft Machine. Great drumming and organ work after 1 1/2 minutes, followed by some sax from Geoff Leigh. Not sure if he was still in Henry Cow at this point. This part sounds Zappaesque.

Some electric piano arpeggios follow along with a little bit of MiniMoog. Guitar, bass and drums join in. Then the Northettes enter. The music stops and then some menacing Canterbury sounds before it gets more subdued. Northettes and overdubbed Geoffs finish it. "Rifferama" shows the group at it's best, jamming away in jazz-rock mode including some Gong-like sounds in the middle. "Fol De Rol" is one of the stand out songs. Sinclair and the Northettes sing scat-like gibberish in harmony. Interesting drumming from Pip Pyle. Nice wah-bass solo. Love the part where a phone rings; someone answers it and you now hear the singing on the phone!

"Shaving Is Boring" begins with the person hanging up the phone. You can listen to this song here on PA. Perhaps the best song on the album. Constantly changes and goes through different sections. At one point you hear running and doors opening and closing; each door when opened plays a few seconds of earlier songs from the album. Great tones here from all the non-percussion instruments. Sounds like a little bit of Mellotron in there somewhere. Up to this point the album has been fairly strong. "Licks For The Ladies" and "Bossa Nochance" bring down the album's momentum. Closest thing to filler on the album.

"Lobster In Cleavage Probe" features counterpoint vocals from the Northettes. About halfway changes to a jazzy instrumental section. "Gigantic Land-Crabs In Earth Takeover Bid" (you gotta love some of these titles) sounds a lot like Egg. Great playing from all. Most if not all CD versions feature the groups first single "Let's Eat (Real Soon)" as a bonus track. A very upbeat and poppy song, but would sound out of place on the album itself. This album could be a good introduction to the Canterbury Scene. It's definately one of the better albums in that sub-genre. Hatfield is a band that I wish made 2 or 3 more albums than they did. This is pretty close to a masterpiece but not quite. 4 stars.

A true Canterbury supergroup, Hatfield and the North brought together the qualities of its various members previous bands - combining the whimsicality of Gong, the sense of humour of Caravan, the jazz-rock chops of Matching Mole and the complexity and flair of Egg. The group blend all of their musical styles perfectly to create a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts, with a mood that ranges from the tranquil (Calyx, Fol de Rol) to the frenetic (Shaving Is Boring).

The instrumentalists are at the peak of their game - Phil Miller's guitar playing and Dave Stewart's ever-charming keyboard are particular treats. On top of that, the band shows an appreciation for the use of the voice as an instrument; Richard Sinclair proves willing to make the most unusual voices as part of his singing, the Northettes add an extra layer to the music with their angelic backing harmonies, and pal of the band Robert Wyatt puts in a guest appearance on Calyx (marking, incidentally, his return to professional musicianship following the life-changing accident which put paid to Matching Mole). Finding a perfect balance between the jazz fusion direction explored by Canterbury elder statesmen Soft Machine and the more whimsical approach of the likes of Caravan and Gong, the first Hatfield and the North album is a vital album for anyone exploring the Canterbury style of fusion.

Hatfield and the North - s/t (1973)

This is the first album by Hatfield and the North, for those who are interested in this sub-genre of prog a relatively well-known band. This time the who's who is made up of Richard Sinclair (Caravan) on bass and vocals, Stewart (Arzachel, Egg, National Health) on keyboards, Pip Pyle on drums and Phil Miller on guitar. There are some guest vocalists. A short contribution of Robert Wyatt on one of the first track and some female vocals of Barbara Gaskin (of Spirogyra, a psych-folk group you should check out), Amanda Parsons and Ann Rosenthal.

The style of Hatfield and the North is perhaps best described as; the sound of Caravan with a large doses of noodling fusion. Optimistic in nature, but also a bit non-emotional. For those who already listened to National Health (which came later), the sound & style is almost the same here. There are no serious songs, almost everything is instrumental and even the parts with female vocals could be interpret as instrumental (due to fact the vocals are only used to sing notes). At playing instrumental compositions the band is really good, the performance of every-one involved is top-notch and the sound of the recording is clear an professional. Vinyl listeners might add some bass themselves, for without it the record sounds a bit too light.

Now, I can see why a lot of people like this record. Great musicians, classic Canterbury style, great art-work. For me personally, this record doesn't offer too much. I like a lot of instrumental sections, but in the end nothing touches me and I find the record to sound a bit emotionless. The compositions sound intelligent and hard-to-play, but in the end the melodies and chord-progressions also sound a bit random like most later Stewart-related records. The psychedelic sillyness (phone rings, some-one takes it and the vocal line comes through the telephone) are an oasis in this desert of noodling, but I just can't help missing some concrete, emotionally driven instrumental parts or - even better - songs. Conclusion. Well played and professionally produced Canterbury classic, but not essential in my humble opinion (due to lack of replay and emotional involvement). Recommend to fans of the Canterbury sub-genre and jazz-rock/fusion. I'll go for the small three and a halve stars here.

'Hatfield and the North' is a stunning debut from the darlings of Canterbury. The album is a milestone of the genre and features some incredible musicianship from the likes of Dave Stewart of Egg and Khan on keyboards, Phil Miller from Matching Mole on guitar, Pip Pyle of Gong on Drums and Richard Sinclair from caravan on bass and vocals. Guests include Robert Wyatt singing 'Calyx'.

The album tracks fly along at breakneck speed, 4 of which are less than a minute long, and it soon launches into a jazz improvisation on 'Going up to people and tinkling'. A great deal of Caravan and Gong's humour is injected into the music and it is wildly experimental throughout. In reality every track is glued to each other rather than a separate entity and it would have been interesting as one long suite rather than a bunch of snippets as it is. It certainly works well on CD without having the breaks a vinyl experience forced upon the listener.

'Calyx' is Wyatt's vocal intonations, and not too bad overall. This is segued immediately into "Son of 'There's no place like Homerton''. The sweet backing vocals are sung by "The Northettes" and it has a jazzy keyboard line and some wonderful sax; one of the best tracks on offer here, clocking over 10 minutes. The flute at 4 and a half minutes is a fabulous embellishment.

'Aigrette' is a showcase for Phil Miller's guitar prowess and Sinclair's vocals; one of the highlights. 'Rifferama' follows with Miller's blazing guitar in all its glory and some manic vocals, including canned laughter at the end. I like the experimentalism and telephone section in 'Fol De Rol', and it has a Gentle Giant vocal technique.

Another definitive highlight is 'Shaving is Boring' with experimental jazz sections and Krautrock nuances, running for 8:46. It has electronic keyboard melodies and changes signature almost at will. The cool effect of footsteps running flat out of someone in a corridor opening up a series of doors is fascinating. Each door that opens reveals a section of music and the protagonist opens each until the right riff is discovered; a very innovative playful moment of the album.

Other tracks are instrumental based and very short at times, not as good as other tracks, though I love 'Lobster in Cleavage Probe' with the female angelic voices and chimes. It ends with the bonus tracks including the popular 'Fitter Stoke Has a Bath' driven by Sinclair's quirky style. Overall the album is essential Canterbury, though a bit hit and miss but then most Canterbury is. One of the greatest debuts in rock history, it is definitely worth hearing and ranks as one of the quintessential Canterbury albums along with 'The Rotter's Club'.

After having played in almost all the most important Canterbury's bands, the drummer Pip Pyle reforms his first band "Delivery" who had left years before after a hard discussion with the band's singer, with the Miller brothers but with Richard Sinclair just out of Caravan and the former Arzachel and Egg Dave Stewart. The story says that while they were going to a gig by car they have seen a motorway signal indicating to "Hatfield and the North". That's were the band's name is for.

Just a bit of history, to say that this "late" Canterbury band is made of elements who have played in all the biggest bands of the genre, and in addition there's also the hypnotic effort of Robert Wyatt's vocals in one song.

As in the Canterbury tradition, a jazz layer is mixtured with folk and psychedelic elements. Mushrooms and Trolls united with a strong instrumental jazz skill. All those elements together can be found on the longest track "Son Of There's No Place Like Homerton" which also in the title reminds to Caravan but with brasses in Soft Machine style and a high pitched choir which has a Gong flavor, but also to late Soft Machine, thinking to "Land Of Cockayne".

There's a number of very short tracks and this is the main reason why I'm not writing a track by track review, but all the tracks fade one into the next so the album is not "fragmented". I think Pat Metheny has liked tracks like "Aigrette" and parts of it have later become standards in his soft jazz.

It's a classic of the Canterbury subgenre created by what can be called a supergroup.