CANTERBURY SCENE

It is incredibly rare and impressive at the same time, for a person to wait literally a half a century to finally figure out the truth about their origins, a reality that has even intrigued my maternal mother's authenticity for decades, until her passing revealed the veracity of her plight. Something Central and Easter Europeans have been bedeviled with after the upheavals of two cataclysmic World wars. Needless to say, this is a revelatory epiphany of sorts, a final and peaceful reckoning that deserves on its own a standing ovation.

Jakszyk was born in 1958 in London, the son of Irish singer Peggy Curran and an unknown American airman (now we know its Glen Tripp). At 18 months of age, he was adopted by two European refugees Polish Norbert Jakszyk and his French wife, Camille. The young boy grew up in a childhood best described as unhappy; his adoptive parents' nationalities led to an unsettled home life. He explained, "There was a lot of confusion ? English was a second language for both of them, so although I could understand them both, they often couldn't understand each other ? it led to all sorts of daft misunderstandings and rows." Jakszyk was frequently in conflict with Norbert, although the two would reconcile later in life. In 1977, he tracked down his birth mother Peggy, who had settled in Arkansas; he and Peggy would eventually meet in 1984. Jakszyk would later reconstruct his complex family history in an extended radio piece, "The Road to Ballina". The instrumental "Ode to Ballina" opens up this album in mournful respect, piano and fluted Irishness combine with melancholia as Caroline Lavelle plays the cello as if a deliverance. Before moving into vocal territory on "Somewhere Between Then and Now", this set of songs are a deeply rooted personal set of declarations that merit perhaps more than usual attention to the lyrics, therefore I urge fans to consider reading the words throughout, to better empathize with the artist. Starting out pastoral and bucolic with a twist in the English style of Prog-Folk, the jazzy, sunshiny pace rapidly accelerates into the passionate stylistics the man is famous for. Jakko can sing beautifully and most convincingly, as well as playing exceptional guitar lines, that shy away from overt gratuitous displays. Gavin Harrison supplies his usual world-class syncopation on the next few tracks.

Paternal relationships can often be complicated, even in good times, as emotions do not always appear voluntarily, from both parties really. It's not easy being a father and neither is it being a son. There can be layers of pent-up guilt and aching regret, and 'an armoury of questions' on "How Did I Let You Grow So Old", as poignant elegy to the male interface as humanly possible. It's frankly emotive to the point of suffering. Norbert makes a cameo appearance that really seals the deal. Here once again, the smoky piano enhances the vintage veneer of history, a hushed voice exuding a multitude of feelings. The guitar/voice duet is stunningly pulled off, the forlorn cello adding age into the equation of meaning. Legacy track.

Love songs, you ask. Partnerships are not easy either, as some of us know full well. Often, romantic souls rely on parallel circumstances that provide a foundational comfort . On "This Kiss Never Lies", Jakko found that relief within the Irishness of her mother, so it should not come as a surprise that Louise Patricia is from Northern Ireland, and you know, the thin fine line between mother and wife becomes apparent. Musically and lyrically, this is one of his loftiest achievements, a perfect tune in a myriad of ways, heartfelt, honest and genuine, three attributes currently vying for top spot of disappearing species on the verge of extinction. He found the love of his life.

An electric guitar-led Reprise of "Ode to Ballina" acts as a change of pace intermezzo , and as such is a perfect foil to live it up a tad on "I Told You So", a more affirmative testament to the courage of fighting for resolution, never surrendering to despondence. Ian Mosley keeps the tempo pulsating and fresh, as if a renaissance of sorts is about to occur.

"Get A Proper Job" was something that must have stuck in the artist mind, when declaring as a teenager, I want to be a musician often brought about verbal thunder and lightning or maybe a volcanic eruption. Hungarian drummer Zoltan Csorsz of Flower Kings and Lifesigns repute handles the brief percussive banter. It doesn't last long, but neither did their relationship between son and father at the time.

The title track is not only the proggiest here, it's also the most significative of the story as we all discover who Glen Tripp really was. Django Jakszyk (son of Jakko) is on bass and Gavin shoves him along for the ride. Lest we forget that just because Jakko enjoys playing with Fripp, he still mans a wild guitar on his own merits and his display here matches his lead vocalist prowess, which were never in doubt anyway. Talk about salvation. An absolute corker of a track.

It took me multiple decades to realize why this particular artist had such a hold on my psyche, and the clue was there all along in the title of his solo album: The Romantic Glee Club. Yes, I am proud to admit I am and always will strive to be a hopeless romantic. His finest moment yet. Bravo, Jakko.

5 Ancestry trees

I of course have the full studio output (I didn't back then!)...and the contrarian in me has as his 3 fav. albums the 3 with the lowest, or at least 2 of them, ratings...so I thought it best to go with one of my all time, across my whole collection, live recordings. It goes without saying then that I see/hear this as a band at their peak. About this time I believe they were touted by parts of the musical press as 'probably the next big thing'....but 'critics' bands always had/have a habit of not hitting the spot with enough of the public/music listeners ...and of course they remained strictly second division...but not for those of us in the know! The tracks should be familiar to most who read this. The slight melancholia of the vocal/s, if not an acquired taste, will never bring a joyous celebratory mood out in you but that was not who they were. The arrangements of songs had that 'matured and improved on the road' from the studio versions that the best bands developed. The audience, assuming no messing in the studio, were polite yet enthusiastic. And I will ignore the aforementioned besties view that 'Caravan were the ultimate Grammar School boys band'....for those non UK readers it translates as nice/middle class young gentlemen (he actually likes them!). So it was never going to be rock n roll! I have tried self edits as it is way too long for my purpose...but this version of 'For Richard' I would have wanted played at my funeral. It has that profound effect every time I hear it as in stirs the emotions. Unfortunately, in the bands time line, they came up with Cunning Stunts and Blind Dog At St Dunstans as their next 2 studio efforts...both of which I really rate but most here do not and neither did the record buying public in 1975 and '76 which underscores that this is indeed their peak.

I raise another 'lock in' glass to the 3 I met, what 6 years after this, and thank them.

Of Queues and Cures to me is the height of the early Canterbury scene which includes some fantastic bands. Fifty years later and the sound is still going strong with bands like Zopp, an excellent tribute to the sounds of Egg and National Health.

Daevid Allen is in such fine form here. And he really is having the time of his life it would appear. The band is incredible. These are players and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed some of those serious instrumental sections. Of course they are playing GONG songs so there's plenty of silliness as well. We get 64 minutes of music and there are two tracks in particular that really stand out. The over 11 minute "Fohat Digs Holes In Space" the longest track here, along with "Master Builder" at 8 minutes. The final track for this show was "Selene" and the encore song was "Dynamite".

I have both the audio cd and the dvd. The dvd was sent to me by Fabio Golfetti many years ago along with "UFO Planante" by the INVISIBLE OPERA COMPANY OF TIBET. The latter has brought me so much joy. To even be messaged by Fabio in the first place was an honour. And he did so to thank me for my "Volume 7" review of his VIOLETA DI OUTONO band. I was pretty star struck at the time I must admit. I would highly recommend this dvd or the audio cd. And it's a must if you're a big GONG fan.

Pye Hastings - guitars and lead vocals

Geoff Richardson - viola

David Sinclair - Organs, keyboards, piano and synthesizers

John G Perry - Bass

Richard Coughlan - Drums

and many additional musicians...

I really enjoyed this album. There are many memorable songs. The first three songs (Memory Lain, Hugh, Headloss and Hoedown) flow well into one another and Pye Hastings vocals on "Memory Lain Hugh" are awesome. The riff for "Memory lain Hugh" was stuck in my head for days its very catchy. I love the fuzzy guitar tone found throughout the album especially on "C'thlu Thlu". That is definitely a standout track. My favorite song on the album by far is "The Dog, the Dog, He's at It Again". I can't really explain why it's my favorite it's just a fun song to listen to and captivating. Side A evokes fun canterbury moments with more standard rock-oriented songs with many delightful progressive moments. While side 2 is definitely more progressive in sound. The album really starts to become spectacular from C'thlu Thlu until the end of the album in my opinion. That stretch of tracks is perfect. Song after song it was magical. Overall, I enjoyed this album very much. It is a great addition to any prog collection and a great Canterbury Scene record by a great Canterbury Band.

I give them album 4/5 stars. It's an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.

According to the artist, there is no continuity between the songs and the recording/mixing quality is not the best due to the band's lack of experience at the time. However, the seeds of what would become their subsequent album '24 can be seen in every track, and the album offers high-quality instrumental jazz rock that directly reflects the influence of Canterbury's music. The vintage organ/electric piano, which mimics Dave Stewart's playing style but condenses it into complex melody and chord progressions, the slightly sticky drums, and the guitar, which sounds more like Steve Hillage or Allan Holdsworth than Phil Miller, are all intricately intertwined within Tom Penaguin's unique methodology, and when viewed as a whole, the finished product somehow exudes the warmth of its creator. This DIY Canterbury music, which demonstrates Tom Penaguin's undeniable talent, is truly magnificent. If you were moved by his solo debut, "Beginnings" is a must-see.

The lineup featured here is the same as on the band's debut album, yet the musicianship and the chemistry between the band members seems ameliorated by far, as one could tell while inhabiting the headspace of the gorgeous arrangements here, always sufficiently elaborate but never really technically pretentious or overindulgent. There are also several catchier tunes, the "remnants" of that brilliant debut album - just breathe in the laid-back euphemisms of the opening title track. An interesting song lulls gently for eight good minutes in the face of 'And I Wish I Were Stoned', while the organ-heavy 'As I Feel I Die' works excellently and still sounds quite cerebral, as opposed to the outdated soundscapes of the preceding song. A 10-minute mini-suite closes off side one, this one is a less successful patchwork of sounds. 'Hello Hello' by Richard Sinclair is a fairly good pop number, while the centerpiece here is the gargantuan 14-minute jazz-rock suite 'Can't Be Long Now', simply capturing the band at their most extravagant and forward-thinking. Needless to say, 'Limits' is a lovely little closing piece, on an album that sounds impressive and adventurous for 1970, with its jazzy swindles and carefree pop tunes, just a fantastic LP.

This was denitely the most intense of all Gong albums, extremely dense in sounds and sights and an amalgam of jazzy improvisations, spaced out experiments and psychedelic weirdness. Tim Blake offers some of his best synthesizer work to be delivered in a Gong album, very cosmic and cinematic with some nice guitar parts by Hillage and the occasional jazzy tastes as proposed by Didier Malherbe's elegant flute lines and powerful sax assaults.''Master builder'' is a masterpiece of the style with great sax work over the guitar and synth moves, while ''A sprinkling of clouds'' may sound a bit hypnotic with its extended synth soundscapes, but ends up to be another Gong weirdness with a full jazzy background and the flute/sax prevailing in the second half.Additionally the sweet vocal parts and the light interplays connect the band for the first time with the delicacy of the Canterbury scene.''The Isle of everywhere'' and ''You never blow yr trip forever'' are the two long cuts (over 10 minutes each) dominating the flipside of the original LP.You cannot blame Daevid Allen for carrying ''...some wonderful acid and we took this acid together as a group...'' back at the time, the result was a pair of cosmic, trippy and deeply psychedelic Jazz-oriented pieces with narcotic rhythms, some funky injections and excellent guitar work by Hillage, while the second cut contains some of the most complex themes executed by Gong in a combination of Heavy/Psych Rock, Fusion and Space Rock with ethereal female voices, flute-led soloing and intricate guitar/sax moves.

Epitomizing what Space Fusion is all about (along with Clearlight).Propably the best part of the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy, the team effort had done good to the final result, which contains all of the Gong familiar elements: Psychedelic colors, jazzy interventions, poppy vocals and spacious landscapes.Strongly recommended.