MISSING PIECES

I'm a massive Health fan, and OF QUEUES AND CURES is one of my all-time favourite albums, but I'd lie to you if I pretended I got a lot out of MISSING PIECES. I've owned the album for about eight years, and each time I play it, I get annoyed because it's really nothing but a collection of bits that don't add up. Instead of proper compositions, you get a lot of passages where the band seem to be modulating between one (absent) track and another. I tend to despise the usual cloth-eared nincompoops' complaints that progressive rock is nothing but 'noodling', but for once such remarks might seem appropriate. Of course you could look at the music in a positive light and admit none of this music was meant to be released... This is an album of chippings from the artists' work desk... Proper songs that are still under development. With a little goodwill, you might even admit that 'Paracelsus' and 'Lethargy Shuffle 2' are admirable and adventurous tunes indeed. On some of the other tracks ('Zabaglione' for example) Phil Miller's occasional guitar interventions do sound powerful. Moreover, Amanda Parsons' singing on 'Clocks and Clouds' is a delight, and none other than Bill Bruford provides razor- sharp drumming on most of this music. And if all this weren't enough, you'll even get to hear one amazing Canadian audience give a 30- second performance of the immortal 'Phlakaton'. Hey, I'm feeling better about the album already! So let's just sum up: undeniable historical importance; perfectly clear sound; a lot of unfinished pieces; and a few enchanting moments.