PLAYTIME

This looks like the end of the National Health releases, unless a reunion effort is in the works (highly unlikely). This was recorded after Dave Stewart had left the group after OF QUEUES AND CURES, with Alan Gowen in his stead.

I'll be frank and say that this is the NH album I get the least mileage out of. Hearing live versions of "Squarer for Maud", "Flanagan's People" and "Dreams Wide Awake" are interesting, and it's neat to get to hear never-released stuff like "Pleiades" and "Play Time". But something's missing. I don't want to pin too much of NH's appeal on Stewart, but he did bring the music a cohesiveness that's rather lacking here. Too much of this just feels like jam music, with little of the quirky "modern classical meets jazz" feel that was NH's greatest appeal.

More of historic interest than musical. For the NH fan who already has everything else.