OF QUEUES AND CURES

This is National Health's crowning acheivement. Much more devloped & mautre then their predecesser. Fantastic, well composed jams that don't bore you, but refresh you mind. Since that was Dave Stewart's intention, music for the intellect! Don't let this release pass you by!(If you need to purchase Complete, do so!)An essential release in the Canterbury Scene.

I agree, this was NH's crowning achievment. A remarkable mix of hilarious absurdity and compositional brilliance in many shades.

How could you not love the Stravinsky meets Calypso ruminations of "Collapso" , the droll musings of "Binoculars" (the protaganist lamenting a person's hopeless addiction to TV), or the knotted Henry Cow-inspired brilliance of "Squarer For Maude"? Not to mention, Dave Stewart's utterly hilarious liner notes don't hurt either.

Great stuff!

I like this album, but not as much as NH's first album. Collapso is, to be sure, a lot of fun, and the Squarer for Maud and Dream's Wide Awake have good moments. However, in this album starts to creep more of a 1970s 'fusion' sound that reminds one too much of fusion noodling. There are fewer memorable melodies on this album than the first one too.

Being new to National Health, I am forced to take this album entirely on its own terms. Given those terms, I find it oxymoronically quite listenable and yet uncompelling. Certainly there is a great deal of creative composition and excellent musicianship. I particularly liked The Collapso, Squarer for Maud, and Dreams Wide Awake, all of which have lots of great prog bits, played with remarkable proficiency. And yet... Although some of these compositions have initially stated themes, the playing often goes so far adrift that when (or if...) the theme is restated at the end, it ends up being a "bookend" for a lot of largely directionless (if admittedly extremely proficient) playing. In addition, I have to agree with another reviewer that this music treads a fine line between prog-rock and "fusion noodling." In addition to Return to Forever, I hear a great deal of Bruford's early solo work - which just happened to come out the year before this, and also featured Dave Stewart on keyboards. That said, if you like your prog largely instrumental, played with great panache, but sometimes somewhat directionless, this is definitely a very listenable album.

For me NATIONAL HEALTH was one of those bands discovered over the past several years; and after I had the opportunity of getting all their material. I have to say that all their work is superb and unique, no Bruford influence, actually Bill was their drummer for a while; as a matter of fact if memory serve me well he left around 1977 to form U.K. Here comes Pip who wrote one of my fav on this album "Binoculars". What I like the most about this album, is that this was a band effort. We have compositions of everybody, no concept here but, plain and simple music for the soul; jazzy or heavy at times will have you wondering from beginning to end. This is Canterbury prog at its finest, with complex compositions that will make your head spin and actually pay attention to the music. Mostly all the album is instrumental and with the exception of the solo drum, the shortest is around 5 minutes (about 54 minutes of music!!!). A fine discover after all this years. This is one of those bands that actually made the mark for themselves, rather than they being influenced by anybody. This album shows one of the finest composition of Dave "The Bryden" that complement clearly everything that showed on "National Health" first album with a use of organ, electric and acoustic piano that I personally never have found in nobody; and what can I say about Phil Miller guitar!! No comments here. If you decided to check out NATIONAL HEALTH, no regrets... Was a band of short duration that probably marked the end of the classical Canterbury style, at least this is my humble opinion. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars really!!!

If the first NH took a long time to materialize, their second album certainly didn't make itself long to appear, as it came out the same year as the debut. It is also a fairly different beast than its predecessor, even if only the departed brilliant Neil Murray is now replaced with ex-Henry Cow bassist John Greaves. Although it might appear a minor line-up change, it also opens the studio gates to a bunch of other ex-Cows to participate to the album's sessions. And this is where the difference appears: Phil Minton, Georgie Born, Keith Thompson and Peter Blegvad all join mainstay guest Brother Jimmy Hastings. A very pleasant line-up news for this proghead is the departure of Parsons and her irritating vocals. Musically the album is less jazz-rock and more pure prog, as if Steward's omelette days were indeed not fully digested. Yes, you can hear some Egg/ELP-like prog

Opening with a wandering bass line and birdsongs, the album on the book-ending Bryden 2-Step is soon a wild jazz-rock, much reminiscent of their first album, but an added slightly symphonic touch. The closing section of this track is the same riff repeated tiredlessly until interrupted its slow death. Collapso is a play on word (calypso) due to the steel drums, but rest assured that outside these drums, you won't find any tacky Caribbean music on this track. It is hard to call this track jazz-rock either, especially midway through, when the group members are giving it their all. Greaves' bass opens the lengthy Squarer For Maud, probably the most Cow-esque NH track, with Born's cello in the background with Hastings' clarinets and Blegvad's short spoken vocals, but the second part returns to a Caravan-type bossa improv, before going in an insane stop & go section to end it. Great stuff. Just as demented is Miller's Dreams Wide Awake, where Stewart's organ goes completely mad in the first part, then in a much quieter Caravan-styled second part, followed by Miller's usual once-per-album wild solo. Binoculars is the only sung song (by John Greaves), features another of Miller"s sizzling solo

This last NH album (besides the Gowan tribute) is another one of these links between the RIO circle and the Canterbury family, but sadly seems to indicate that Canterbury is reaching its end as RIO is only really getting under way. A marginally better album than their debut, it is mostly the disappearance of Parsons" vocals in the NH soundscape that makes the difference for this proghead. Essential and the last masterpiece of Canterbury music.

Oops, did I put on "Close to the Edge" by mistake? No, no, "Of Queues and Cures" is much different- I was just fooled by those darn birds in the first few seconds of "The Bryden 2- Step (for amphibians) pt. 1". Something should really be done about all the bird sounds, and rain sounds, and water sounds on prog albums.

NATIONAL HEALTH has a lot of jazz influence, so if it's dreamy space rock or medieval madrigal jams you want, you are out of luck. But if quick changes of dynamics, tones, and tempo are your thing, there's few bands that do it with this much excitement. The musicians are stellar- I can't think of another album where I've heard every member of the band shine quite so frequently without resorting to solos. But this is also not precise, soulless fusion either- there's depth and character to the passages, and a sense of fun. "The Collapso" introduces steel drums- not a signature prog sound, but it works well within the playful structure of the composition. "Squarer for Maud" can sound a bit like CRIMSON in tone and structure, except for the "Numenous" voiceover, but this is a wilder and freer sound (I'll bet they perspired a lot while playing). "Dreams Wide Awake" starts in a very 70s boogie rock groove, with a killer fuzzy wah synth solo like EDGAR WINTER's "Frankenstein" wishes it had. This being NATIONAL HEALTH, however, the song soon takes off into different realms, alternately utilizing dissonance and melody, crystal clean jazz sections and fuzzed-out atonal passages.

The remainder of the album shows slightly different sides of the band."Binoculars" is a bit of an oddball, featuring 'crooning' and a bit more consistent melodic content. It's also a bit softer and laidback...perhaps they felt you needed a little rest after the first three songs. "Phlakaton" is a bit of fun, at least for them. Finally, they close with "The Bryden 2- Step (for Amphibians) pt. 2", which bounces for a few minutes and then tinkles off into space.

I can't say Canterbury is my thing- the jazz influence is very heavy, and I tend to like a little more conventional structure to my music. Because of the sheer musical skill and energy, though, "Of Queues and Cures" is definitely more fun to listen to than many bands with a (relatively) similar approach. It certainly is worth checking out by anyone more interested in the complex, intricate side of prog, and the influence on later bands is important.

My first impression of National Health was somewhat of a cold, jazz-fusioned version of Hatfield and the North. Although I could appreciate some bits of music here and there, the overall picture of the band wasn't an impressive one. Somehow, a year later I became again increasingly curious about National Health. This time I really dug their music: the joyful insanity of "Collapso"; the Henry Cow -influenced "Squarer for Maud"; the absolutely crazy organ solo of "Dreams Wide Awake; and the wonderful "The Bryden 2-Step" which concludes the album. Their debut is also impressive, especially "Tenemos Roads", but I've come to prefer Of Queues and Cures, which I recommend to every soul interested in the "Canterbury scene", or just fusiony prog or proggy fusion of the seventies.

OF QUEUES AND CURES, a 1978 release from English "Canterbury" outfit National Health, is a satisfying, but not outstanding slice of jazz fusion, generously seasoned with the sense of adventure, improvisation and flashes of humour (mainly seen in the occasional vocals) that typify this prog sub-genre.

I can hear strong parallels to the early fusion work of Bill Bruford here, along with some similarities to jazz fusion heavies like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and Brand X. If you appreciate any or all of those artists, you should like this. While I don't find OF QUEUES AND CURES to be as compelling as the best works of those fusion luminaries, it is still worthy of repeated listens -- in a more generous mood, I might easily have gone as high as four stars.

The musicianship is superb throughout, with the guitar work of Phil Miller, Pip Pyle's drumming, and Dave Stewart's piano being notably accomplished. The inclusion of many guest musicians, on diverse instruments from steel drums, to cello, flute, clarinet, oboe and brass, also helps to flesh out the overall sound, and keep things interesting. The songwriting, while just a trifle uneven in quality, is yet quite good, with the first three tracks being my particular favourites.

If you have a taste for 70s jazz fusion, especially that of the less-disciplined Canterbury vein, I advise you to check this one out. OF QUEUES AND CURES is a fine album, and one that I'm grateful to the Prog Archives for introducing me to.

The last of the Canterbury supergroups, National Health played the sort of engaging sophisticated jazz-rock that one would expect from a group comprising Dave Stewart, Phil Miller and Pip Pyle (that's three-quarters of Hatfield And The North right there) as well as bassist John Greaves. Although at times it threatens to get a little too pristine for my tastes, and it isn't always easy for a band to hold one's attention throughout the course of a lengthy album of mainly instrumental proggy jazz, I believe Of Queues And Cures to be the last great Canterbury album.

The superb opening piece The Bryden 2-Step For Amphibians (Part 1) has a killer quintessentially Canterbury melody and sees the whole band in great form. The lads don't let up throughout this record. As I'm a fan of keyboardist Dave Stewart, his contributions tend to leap out at me, but guitarist Miller and Greaves (for an excellent closing solo) deserve an honourary mention too. The playing and composition really is top-notch and super-tight.

And really this whole album is strong. The Collapso a formidably quirky, technically demanding piece (with some steel drums thrown in one point) and the initially brooding, ultimately sizzling Squarer For Maud (with half-audible poetry, some fantastic solo-ing from Miller and Stewart and a really jarring last minute) is another standout piece. Dreams Wide Awake boasts both fiery jazz-rock and a funky, almost dance-able groove. I think it may just be my favourite track here, actually. Really teaches Weather Report a thing or two!

Binoculars is the only proper vocal song, and Greaves' crooning really has me wishing for either Richard Sinclair or Robert Wyatt, but the defining moments on this song are a glorious epic flute solo that starts off as all meandering and flighty before leading the band through a storming section, a moody brassy section that would have done King Crimson proud and a soaring Phil Miller solo to round it all off. Phlakaton is a real curiousity, even for a Canterbury band. It lasts all of 8 seconds and sounds like a unused vocal track from the Comus album First Utterance. This brief pagan diversion leads into The Bryden 2-Step For Amphibians (Part 2) which offers some nice menacing organ-led jazz-rock and a restatement of the wonderful melody from Part 1 to round the album off.

Musically, National Health is at least the equal of many of the groups that preceeded it, but I do feel that it does lack a little bit of the warmth that most of them exuded. Perhaps the musicians themselves struggled with the fact that it had all been done before ... primarily by themselves! National Health is an absolute must for Canterbury fans, and perhaps not really a bad introduction to the Canterbury world (especially for fusion afficionados). ... 76% on the MPV scale

The second work released in 1978 "Of Queues And Cures". The bassist had alternated to John Greaves of former HENRY COW before the first work was announced. A variegated guest is invited as a usual four piece organization. Content are more variegated than the former works. It is a bewildering rhythm change and an exact ensemble. It is mysterious jazz-rock. It is a content that in the whole, there is an image relaxed compared with the former work.

The band's second release is an absolute stunner! Reduced to a quartet, the lineup is nearly identical to Hatfield but for bassist/vocalist John Greaves (ex-Henry Cow), filling the Richard Sinclair role (he even sounds a bit like him on "Binoculars").

Musically, this is a whole other animal from Hatfield, even if it's clearly built on the same foundation. I find it amusing that Stewart left due to complaints that the music had come too close to "jazz fusion", as this is by far the most orchestrated National Health album, with brass, woodwinds and cellos imparting dense symphonic textures to pretty much all the tracks.

This is some of the band's most intricate music, the changes on Stewart's "The Collapso" and Greaves' "Squarer for Maud" bound to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up! The closest the album gets to a ballad is Pip Pyle's lengthy "Binoculars", a rather sarcastic song about his children's obsession with television, which features lots of flute and electric piano solos. The fuzz organ solo on "Dreams Wide Awake" is bound to turn a few heads, but I think the one in "The Bryden 2-step (for amphibians)" is rather more well-integrated. In fact, that is probably one of my favourite NH tracks ever.

For me, this is the apex, the pinnacle of all things Canterbury. There's not a wasted moment on the entire disc, and the guys were really at the top of their game here. Well done!

This is an earthshaking album.I still remember the firt time that i listen to it and espesially to the third tune Squarer for Maud...I was in paradise.All the complex elements are here but with Creativity and GREAT melodies.From the great atmospheres-great keybords in Stewart's stuff to the Majestic Greaves tune a great more 'fusion'oriented by Miller,AND also listen to the flute solo in Piles tune.ORIGINAL and creative.Really prog.

Never quite sure as to when I was listening to intentional comedy rock, and when I was listening to a serious passage of collaboration from some of the better musicians of the time, this album cemented it's place in my permanent collection of regular players on the strengths of what I think to be the albums standout track Dreams Wide Awake. This for me encapsulates everything that I love about prog rock: driving bass, dissonant and manic solo work, altering and engaging key & time signatures and the complete absense of any drug infused sounding falsetto grumblings about space and the passage of time.

Aside from my personal favorite though, I think that the album represents a more light hearted side to the Canterbury Scene with elements of Great British self mockery throughout, right down to the "spoken" Phlakaton which appeared as a result of Pyle's incessant insistance that drum solo's were the way forward. Always a soft spot for this album and always a recommendation to anyone wanting to widen their horizons, get into Prog Rock or to anyone who's been eternally searching for a musician called Dave Stewart who isn't a total... well, you know where i'm going with this.

Can't say I know every band from Canterbury scene,but I probably heard everything that really matters in terms of overall quality.Having said that,I consider this album to be the very best Canterbury has to offer.Neo-classicism mixed with jazz so tipycal for the sub-genre and jaw-dropping musicianship are hallmarks of National Health's second album.Moods are very different on every song,from cold and accademicaly executed "Collapso" to hard rocking "Squarer for Maud" or warm "Binoculars",complexity never overshadows melodic lines.Dave Stewart and Phil Miller are at their best here,while Pip Pyle drumming is forceful and thunderous.Guest list is also impressive and includes usual suspects Jimmy Hastings,Rick Biddulph and Peter Blegvad to name few,all veterans of Canterbury scene.Too bad that most Canterbury bands were short lived,like National Health was,but as long as we have masterpieces like "Of queues and cures",genre will live forever.

It would never occur to me to call this a 'cold' album. In spite of the intricate compositions and the virtuoso jazz-rock soloing, I feel there is a lot of warmth in OF QUEUES AND CURES, not just because there are so many delightful melodies hidden here, but also because of John Greaves' 'crooning' and the beautiful arrangements for cello, clarinet (Jimmy Hastings!) and brass. And thank goodness for that inimitable humour, so typical of the Canterbury scene!

Summing up, this is one of the greatest 'jazz-prog' albums ever produced, up there with Brand X's MOROCCAN ROLL and Bruford's ONE OF A KIND.

First time you throw this album on you may come away thinking the whole thing was made up on the fly. But after a few listens, you'll come away with the opposite. What you get is some fantastic playing in the usual Canterbury style, a bit jazzy, always fusiony with the prerequiste English humor, (check out 'Binoculars' lyrics). Dave Stewart's keyboard playing is fantastic, Pyle's drumming is spot on wonderful and Miller's guitar work is always a pleasure, but I'm keen on Greaves bass; fluid and bouncy, it keeps things very lively! If you're a Stewart fan, then you'll love "Dreams Wide Awake" a Stewart keyboard feast! What keeps it for me from the almighty 5 stars is a somewhat sameness to their first album. No real progression, but hey, any band prog or otherwise that uses steel drums and make it sound unlike calypso gets at least 4-stars from me!! For fans of Canterbury and jazz/fusion fans and any others that might like to try the genres and not get turned off immediately.

National Health started its formation through long-term friendship between Dave Stewart (Hatfield & The North) and Alan Gowen (Gilgamesh). This happened when they shared the bill for a gig in November 1973, London. The initial plan was to create a rock orchestra, with double guitars, double keyboards, bass, drums, and three female vocalists. This was almost done, with an eight-piece line-up comprised of Phil Miller and Phil Lee (guitars, ex-Hatfield and Gilgamesh respectively), Dave Stewart and Alan Gowen (keyboards), Mont Campbell (bass, ex-Egg, Stewart's earlier band), Bill Bruford (drums, ex-Yes and King Crimson) and Amanda Parsons (vocals, formerly a third of the Northettes, Hatfield's backing vocalists).

"Of Queues and Cures" is the band's second album, released one year after the debut self titled album. This album maintains its composition in a style that is very close with its predecessor where the Canterbury style sounds very dominant through the combined work of guitar and keyboard. The album was designed with opening and closing track of two parts "The Bryden 2-Step (for Amphibians)" part 1 and part 2. This kind of music struck me at the first time when I got a cassette version of EGG "Civil Surface". The music did not sound naturally to my ears but the more I listened to it the more I wanted to explore the music. Finally I got it right for my ears sometime in early 80s.

Nowadays, after I knew The TANGENT with their Canterbury style, reminds me to this classic album of National Health. I spun the CD (again) after I listened to The Tangent "Music That Died Alone" and it reminds me back to years when I listened to music of this kind during my high school years.

Overall, this is an excellent album with good combination of Phil Miller's guitar, Dave Stewart's piano, which contributes the creation of quality music. Even though this album would probably be successful in winning the listener's ears, this does not guarantee that Canterbury style has been sacrificed into a more pop arrangement. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Being a newbie to the genre, I was completely blown away by this stunning band.While GILGAMESH didn't impress me much (and I need to check Hatfields, haven't got them yet), NATIONAL HEALTH has everything a progger needs: complex and frequently changing signatures, shifitng moods and tempos, true sense of progressiveness and pushing-the-boundaries attitude, excellent musicianship and unquestionable talent. The best ones here are Dave and Pip (man, what a drummer!!!) The opening "Bryden" track opens with peaceful scene, followed by fiery fusion part.This moment on 4.39 - good Lord, what a break!!! "The Collapso" ,which is playing right now in my headphones, opens with odd steeldrums and jerking organ, later shifting into more powerful tune."Squarer for the Maud" consists from several different themes (what a great stuff begins at 4.08!), each of them significantly melodical and greatly played. "Dreams wide Awake" - a good example of groovy and humorous prog."Binoculars" opens with vocalesque part - some type of a song here - ending with the same part and haunting ballad coda.8 seconds of cheerful insanity in "Phlankton" prove that this is an album of the week for me! ;-). Closing reprise of "Bryden 2 Step" fills you with anticipating of something more to come...I mean, your post-listening state will be a bit strange...well, it was in my case...

In conclusion: being a newbie to jazz/fusion/canterbury/any kinds of more ODD and WEIRD stuff (nevertheless being a huge fan of Crimso ;-) ) , I was caught by this album without noticing.Now it's too late - I've already written my review giving them a 4.49 stars. This one is a bit more acessible, then the first one - which I love too! - so this one is more recommended for a newbies like me!

PS: man, what musicians they are!..incredible and inreachable...

As National Health was intended to be an eight-piece supergroup (two guitars, bass, two keyboards, drums and feminine vocals), you might notice that Of Queues And Cures is everything Dave Stewart and the late Alan Gowen were not expecting. The amazing rock orchestra didn't make it for too long.

Not that I'm complaining! Of Queues And Cures is just as brilliant, if not greater than, their debut. Most of the time I think it is no Canterbury at all, but there are moments which make me think otherwise, which I shall tell later.

Also, the writing was shared more democratically this time: each of the four members has a composition or more here. No wonder you think that this album is different of its predecessor, yet it is very complex too, always full of surprises, twists and turns.

Let me get to what really matters now: the music. It kicks off and finishes with a Dave Stewart composition splited in two, called The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians)... and they are marvellous. Since Hatfield And The North, Stewart became a sensitive and excellent composer. I think they called cellos to play in these songs, and the effect is indeed stunning.

The Collapso, written by Stewart, follows. God knows why Phil Miller's guitar sound so much like Van Der Graaf Generator's Theme One... the song is very agressive, and at any moment caribbean steel drums pop up giving a quite chaotic feeling, and a maybe record you a little about ELP's Karn Evil 9 (2nd Impression). If you are keen on this kind of music, you are likely to enjoy it a lot.

The strangest track, however, is Squarer For Maud. It consists of two jams created by the newcomer John Greaves, from Henry Cow, explaining why it sound sort of alien. It features Peter Blegvad saying at the very middle of the song some witty, crazy and so Canterbury-esque thoughts, leading to the second part. The second part presents a set of cellos, and once again they'll take your breath away.

Dreams Wide Awake is the weakest moment, IMHO, and I hope Phil Miller will forgive me. By far the least interesting from the album, perhaps due to being the most "common". Very nice song, though.

The next is Binoculars, penned by Pip Pyle, the only one in which there is somebody singing. John Greaves voice isn't as pleasant as Amanda Parsons' or Richard Sinclair's, but his style somewhat resemebles the latter's (pretty sarcastic), suiting the song perfectly. As the lyrics are critical about to people alienated by the TV, John Greaves is perfect for the job. And Jimmy Hastings plays some wonderful flute, as always.

And we have a "drum solo". Replace the drums, cymbals and percussions by eletronically treated voices that are supposed to sound like the drumming kit. Really funny song, and that's soooooooo Canterbury!

I've already talked about the closer, so I'll give an end to this huge review saying the regular about an album you like a lot. Unless you are not very fond of Fusion or really unusual stuff, do not even hesitate about buying Of Queues And Cures! Although it doesn't hook you at a first listen (and I say that for myself), you will most probably love it after several times!

By the late 1970s, Progressive Rock had become high art, some say to its detriment. Though I can't agree with that sardonic view, Canterbury fellows National Health were an excellent example of that ambition and high-mindedness, and the timing could not have been worse. Founder/organist Dave Stewart says in his notes; "...at the exact point when the British rock business and media were beginning to turn their backs on decent music and gearing themselves up to promote instead some of the most crass, simplistic, brutal, ugly and stupid music imaginable, in an atmosphere where an admitted inability to play one's instrument was hailed as a sign of genius, my friend/fellow keyboardist Alan Gowen and I decided to form a large scale rock ensemble playing intricate, mainly instrumental music. You can be sure we weren't doing it to be fashionable". You tell 'em, Dave.

After a luke-warm tour supporting Steve Hillage in the spring of 1978, the group had developed new material and began recording. Though this band's first self-titled album is considered more important, 'Of Queues and Cures' is superior in composition. Not truly a concept album but musical themes appear throughout this perfectly recorded set of seven originals beginning with 'The Bryden 2-Step' and Stewart's gooey keyboard sounds, picked-up by Phil Miller's cutting guitar, and the crack rhythms of legendary drummer Pip Pyle and bassist John Greaves. Georgie Born's cello, Paul Neiman and Phil Minton's horns add some class to this 9-minute pumper that re-articulates themes with grace, shifting from the softness of Dave's electric piano to some hard-edged jazz rock. 'The Collapso', though amusing, is a quite serious arrangement of guitar harmonies, military marches, nu-jazz and classical lines. Georgie Born's rich, brooding cello opens 'Squarer For Maude' (a performance that cemented her place in the band), eleven minutes of fantastic progressive rock filled with inspired patterns, ingenious constructions, intricate layers, the occasional freak-out, and peppered with great jams and group dynamics. 'Dreams Wide Awake' rocks and features some tasty angles from Dave Stewart's keys as well as the lighter, adult fusion sound the band played with. Also their taste for improvisation with restraint starts to come out here. Twelve-minute epic 'The Binoculars' starts mellow with John Greaves' funny moaning, pastoral sections highlighted by Jimmy Hasting's airy flute, and some dark, symphonic dirge. Part Two of 'Bryden 2-Step' wraps it all up by reprising the original motif, allowing the players one last hurrah.

For music that came out of the Canterbury scene, it didn't get any more sophisticated than National Health and if you're ready for something a bit less in your face than Yes, Tull or Pink Floyd, these fellas might really fit the bill. Nearly gave it five stars, wonderful record.

The only lineup change from their debut is bassist Neil Murray being replaced by former HENRY COW's bassist John Greaves. As has been noted, the lineup for the first two NATIONAL HEALTH albums is the same as the HATFIELD AND THE NORTH's except for the bass player (Richard Sinclair).There was a HENRY COW connection with "The Rotters Club" album as well back then, as bassoon and aboe player Lindsay Cooper guested on that one. I just have to say that I have been listening to so much amazing music lately including this album and THE MUFFINS' "Manna / Mirage" , HENRY COW's "Western Culture" and COS' "Viva Boma". This record has compositions from each band member while their debut was pretty much Dave Stewart's baby.

"The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians) Part 1" opens with birds chirping as the synths flow with lots of organ. The song kicks in after 2 minutes with prominant drums. Some excellent guitar 6 minutes in before the song calms back down before 8 minutes. Bass and light drums to end it. "The Callipso" hits the ground running before settling down a minute in. There is a Caribbean sounding section with some guest steel drums as the tempo continues to change. The first two songs and the last one are Stewart compositions. John Greaves composed the next one called "Squarer For Maud" and there is a definite HENRY COW flavour to it. There is even a guest appearance from former HENRY COW cellest Georgie Born. This one is darker sounding with angular guitar melodies. Organ arrives before a great guitar solo 3 minutes in. Spoken words 6 minutes in as the guitar comes back. This is great ! It becomes uptempo with some guest clarinet from Jimmy Hastings. Piano, drums and cello to end it. Love the ending.

"Dreams Wide Awake" is a Phil Miller tune. He asked Stewart to contribute some "mad" organ at the beginning, and that is what we get along with an aggressive and abrasive sound. A change arrives 2 1/2 minutes in. Guitar 6 minutes in is good as the song ends with a jazz vibe. "Binoculars" and "Phlakhaton" are both Pip Pyle songs.The later an 8 second drum solo, the former has Greaves on vocals. The only song with vocals by the way. It opens with solemn organ sounds for a minute then vocals and drums come in. Jimmy Hastings adds some beautiful flute melodies to this song and the drumming is outstanding. The vocals come and go and the song ends with a nice bass, guitar and drum melody. "The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians) Part 2" reprises the same melody as part 1 but has brighter moments as well as some atmosphere to end it. The drumming, guitar and organ work stand out.

It's kind of cool that in 1978 Canterbury was still being recorded and released, and we certainly are the benefactors of this. A must have for Canterbury fans. By the way Dave Stewart prefers this record over the debut, and so do I.

Less accessible than its predecessor, the band's self-titled debut, "Of Queues and Cures" is an astonishingly accomplished, mature album of elegant, variegated jazz-rock, featuring a cracking combination of musicians belonging to the Canterbury circle. This can be seen as the missing link between Soft Machine's drier, somewhat cerebral take on the genre, and Hatfield and the North's more mellow, laid-back approach.

"Of Queues and Cures" is a mainly instrumental album, with the sole exception of "Binoculars", an 11-minute-plus song about TV addiction featuring Pip Pyle's inimitably ironic lyrics and John Greaves's wry crooning. In my opinion, Greaves (formerly of Henry Cow) is the real star of the album, his fluid, stylish bass lines meshing seamlessly with Pyle's intricate drumming patterns, and stamping the musician's individuality all over the compositions. His vocals on "Binoculars" remind the listener of the sorely missed Richard Sinclair's, though by no means possessed of the same smooth, almost sensual quality.

However, the most striking feature of this album is the stellar quality of the musical composition, which offers moments of sheer auditory pleasure. Needless to say, there is nothing easy about it: it is the kind of music you have to listen carefully to in order to fully appreciate it. Putting the album on as background music is only a waste of time and electricity - this is something you need to savour and digest. The four members of National Health are supplemented by what comes across as a mini-orchestra, including cellist Georgie Born (a future permanent member of the band), a horn section and the ubiquitous Jimmy Hastings (a Canterbury stalwart if there ever was one) on flute.The addition of those elements adds richness and texture to a music which is complex, yet never self-indulgent.

It is not easy to describe the individual tracks in detail, since it wouldn't do them complete justice. Two-part "The Bryden Two-Step" is very much a showcase for Stewart's skills as a keyboardist and Pyle's military-style drumming, somewhat reminiscent of the opening track of NH's debut, the magnificent "Tenemos Roads". The credits are equally split between the four members, with guitarist Phil Miller responsible for the album's most accessible song, "Dreams Wide Awake", featuring Stewart's 'mad' organ at the beginning (check the hilarious liner notes for details. Greaves signs instead the album's other 'epic', "Squarer for Maud", a wild ride through different musical moods which goes from the soothing to the positively dissonant.

Though not quite the masterpiece Hatfield and the North's "The Rotters' Club" was, "Of Queues and Cures" is a very rewarding (though also demanding) listen - especially for those who are keen on exploring some authentically progressive, technically proficient, yet far from soulless music.

The groovy side of the National Health (Service).

The Canterbury scene can be divided into two scenes: The more pop/rock camp and the jazz/fusion camp. National Health is in the latter category and this album has both legs in the jazz/fusion camp. Melodic, but jazzy............ and very groovy. The sound is distinctive Canterbury with references to Caravan and Hatfield & The North. It is not as far out as Gong, Matching Mole and Soft Machine though. It is pretty much in the center between Caravan, Hatfield and those three above mentioned bands. Which makes a perfect blend between Jazz and Progressiv Rock, in my view.

Guitars and keyboards happily plays together with good solos and intricate melody lines. The music is at times very groovy and intelligent crafted. Not to mention fresh and timeless. There are some vocals on this album, but most of it is instrumental. Tunes like The Bryden 2-step (for amphibians)Part 1, The collapso and Squarer for Maud is superb. Binoculars is a track with lot of depth.

There is a lot of beautiful details in National Health's music which gives it longevity and regular play in my home. It is also intricate music for the brain cells. This is as good as it gets from this scene.

4 stars.

The second National Health album is without question one of the major highlights of the Canterbury scene, despite coming relatively late in the game both in terms of that scene and in terms of the heyday of progressive rock itself. The album opens with lilting synthesizers and birdsong before transitioning into the ferocious, driving rhythm of The Bryden 2-step (Part I), all courtesy of Pip Pyle's stunning drumming throughout the track. The major compositions were for the most part divided among the core group of musicians, a slight change from the first album where Stewart was the main writer. The album simply moves from one outstanding track to the next; the musicianship is of the highest caliber throughout the entire record. This author admits a certain predilection indeed for the first side - the relentlessness of Bryden Part I, the brilliance of Stewart on the Hammond on The Collapso, the majesty of Squarer for Maud - rivals anything that progressive rock has ever produced. While difficult to pinpoint any single highlight, as the entirety of the record is just sheer brilliance, it seems to this writer that the Greaves composition Squarer for Maud seems to encapsulate everything that Dave Stewart wanted this band to be - a rock orchestra of sorts playing some of the most intricate and challenging music conceivable, a feeling certainly enhanced by the presence of guest musicians such as Georgie Born on cello and Jimmy Hastings on clarinet and flute. For those that claim prog was dead by 1977 one merely has to hand such detractors a copy of this album and their mind shall be changed forever more, as they are in possession of one of the best albums of all time. An easy 5 stars for this masterpiece.

National Health only got to make 3 long playing albums during it's lifetime, and were really lucky to find a record company that agreed to put them out. After all, it was the late 70's, when progressive rock was not quite on the height of it's popularity. But if the amount of the music they made wasn't huge, it was certainly high quality stuff. "Of queues and cures" is not one of the most well known prog albums, but it's one of the best I have ever heard.

"The Bryden 2-step (for amphibians) (part I)" opens atmospherically, but after about 2 minutes launches in to a frantic theme played by Phil Miller on his guitar. The song goes through many compositional ideas featuring complex unison melodies, a bit of jazzy trombone and Dave Stewart's trademark fuzzed organ playing. An impressive opening number.

"The collapso" is one of my favourite instrumentals all time. Described by Mr. Stewart as "a Caribbean cacophony for limbo lovers", this one is full of twisted melodies, crazy time signatures and dizzying counterpoint. Everything is tied together by a rather catchy guitar melody that is repeated in various keys throughout the track. Selwyn Baptiste's steel drums are the icing of the cake.

That is however not the most mind-blowing performance this album has to offer. That title can be claimed by John Greaves' "Squarer for Maud". The song starts with a slow crescendo and what happens afterwards I shall not attempt to describe. My English vocabulary is not big enough for that.

Phil Miller's "Dreams wide awake" is perhaps the most "normal" tune on this LP. But that is not to say it isn't good. DS's organ solo is particularly very impressive.

"Binoculars", originally titled "A legend in his own lunchtime", is drummer Pip Pyle's work, and the only song here that features vocals. A very relaxed number with lyrics about telecommunications and boredom. Nice flute solo.

The album is wrapped up by "Phlâkatön", an 8-second phonetic drum solo and "The Bryden 2-step (for amphibians) (part II)", an another stunning instrumental. "The Bryden 2-step part 2" is started by some weird organ lines playd over a bass accompaniment that sounds like the main theme from "Jaws". Then we get to hear some great synthesizer soloing over a 9/8 backround, a couple of themes from the first part and finally a fading version of the atmospheric beginning of the album.

I recommend "Of queues and cures" to every fan of progressive music. A stunning set of well crafted compositions brought to life with wonderful musicianship. In one word ? a masterpiece. Five stars, without hesistation.

I see this album has taken soooo many reviews that mine might just as well be a waste of time. But i will say something too. This is by far NH's greates work of theri ''many'' LOL. This music gets in to you and you don't feel like pushing pause or stop or lose your attention to something else. This album KEEPS you there for 53 minutes as it lasts.The music intense, jazzy at times, full of tempo and rhythmic changes.Some funny and peculiar melodies characteristic of Miller, you can hear them too on Hatfield & The North. Very similar with the Self titled Hatfield album yet this one is no concept one but of the same quality if not better. 5 stars for this MAGNIFISCENT album.Instrumental in it's 90% and where there are vocals it is superb! Maybe the best canterbury album in my opinion chosen between all the super-bands like Egg, Hatfield, Gilgamesh, Caravan, Soft Machine, Soft heap, Arzachel and so on. A MUST!

The second album from this Canterbury supergroup. Keyboardist/founder Alan Gowan, vocalist Amanda Parsons and bassist Neil Murray are now gone. Ex-Henry Cow bassist John Greaves joins for this album. Other Cow related musicians like Peter Blegvad and Greaves own replacemnet Georgie Born are here too. Dave Stewert is the only keyboardist. Other guest musicians including Canterbury legend Jimmy Hastings play wind instruments.

The music here is a blend of Canterbury and fusion with some avant-prog influences. Mostly instrumental. Pip Pyle's drumming on this album is better than his playing with Gong and Hatfield. Phil Miller is great on guitar, sounding like he does on the Hatfield and Matching Mole albums. Stewert's playing is a mix of his Hatfield stuff and what he was doing with Bill Bruford at the time. Greaves bass playing is similar to his work in Cow.

Part 1 of "The Bryden 2-Step(For Amphibians)" is longer and superior to Part 2. It starts off with sustained synth and bird noises. The bass and synth duet. Then drums and guitar. I love halfway through where you hear fuzz organ. After that some horns. The fuzz organ comes back with what sounds like bells. Part 2 has a great beginning with organ and a marching beat. This sounds like Egg. The rest of the track is not as interesting as Part 1.

"The Collapso" has a Caribbean flavour. Nice steel drums in this song. "Squarer For Maud" was written by Greaves. It sounds like a mix of Canterbury and avant-prog. Some good sax in this song. I love the part with handclaps. In the middle there is a great hypnotic two note part on organ that gets played over and over. Then a spoken word part by Blegvad. Good organ solo near the end. Some violin or cello as well. "Dreams Wide Awake" sounds like Hatfield. Nice duet of synth and guitar near the end.

"Binoculars" is the longest song and the only one with lyrics/singing. Starts off with some great guitar and organ. Maybe some oboe or flute too. Then drums and bass. Greaves starts singing and Miller plays what he is singing. The song is about how John Wayne and Rip Torn can make us all young. Or something. Phil has a great guitar tone on this song. Flute solo after 3 minutes. Before 5 minutes there is an awesome organ solo. Then it goes back to the beginning part with wind instruments instead of guitar. The wind instruments float around for awhile before the organ comes back and the singing resumes. Later on some nice Rhodes playing and some more flute and/or oboe. Then a guitar solo.

One of the best albums from the Canterbury scene. Most mainstream prog acts were starting to streamline their sound at this time. But some groups like National Health just kept progging on. Not a masterpiece but very close. 4 stars.

This is the question! - which is the best album of Canterbury sub-genre of all-time? On my private list National Health's "On queues and cures" has the well-earned first place. Great album and extraordinary music. This album has not any weak points. All tracks are very good ("Binoculars") or magnificent (all others). All of seven tracks are full of strong melodies and divergent instrumental parts, morover instrumental solos are well-thought and regardfully planned. It means, that there are no instrumental parts played at maximal speed as an avalanche of chaotic notes, which You can hear in numerous jazz-oriented productions, prapared by egocentric geniuses. Precise guitar parts (Phil Miller), sophisticated keyboard solos (Dave Steward) and oboe, flute and trumpet lines are elements of great compositions. In each track music drives to the specific destination along with increasing pressure. Sound value of the production is very high, each instrument, even in dense structured fragments is clear-cut and audible. And most important element for me - parts of rhythm section (Pip Pyle and John Greaves) are amazing, simply wonderful, only on few albums of the rock-giants (Wetton/Bruford, Squire/White, Portnoy/Trewevas, Meros/D'Virgilio, Niacin) You can hear it similar in terms of precision and creativity. Obligatory album for each fan of high-level rock. Five stars.

Second album of National Health - the band,often named last Canterbury Scene supergroup - continues development of music they started on their debut.

After some line-up changes they became just a quartet now (with Henry Cow bassist John Greaves on board). Unhappily, four excellent musicians even more concentrate on music itself: musicianship level is excellent there, but the music isn't. With less early Canterbury jazz fusion elements and more Henry Cow-like chamber sound, it looks musicians are really happy to build even more complex (and lifeless) constructions.

Even from very first song you will ask yourself what happened with usually so playful and improvs-friendly Canterbury sound? Possibly, musical life outside in late 70-s was extremely unfriendly to such music, but the musicians reaction just to play for themselves as complex music as they can, leaving aside all that great freshness Canterbury sound was so well-known during early 70-s, wasn't good decision I afraid.

Great musical abilities demonstration (or just excellent "music for musicians to listen"), but the spirit is gone. Canterbury on the borderline with chamber rock. Not bad,but far from the best it somewhere was.

After hearing National Health's debut I still didn't count the band into my top three Canterbury-list and I still don't count Camel as a Canterbury-scene band. Well, after hearing "Of Queues and Cures" Soft Machine fell out of there. I still think that Caravan and Gilgamesh are in their own class, if only National Health's debut would have been better, then maybe.. The album is very serious in a way but still it contains the witty humour of Canterbury. It's also more solid than the debut and contains some excellent mini-moog passages. The epic two-part "The Bryden 2 Step (For Amphibians)" is the band's best effort ever and really one of my favourite pieces that the Canterbury-Scene has to offer. The problem (if there is one) is that sometimes the songs tend to repeat themselves too much and the fact that this album was suggested for me and after glorious reviewes my hopes were a bit too high.

Still a solid 4 stars.

An oasis (one of many, I'd say) in prog's lean years between the fading of the first golden age and the dawn of the neo-prog movement, National Health's second album is the glorious culmination of all the different Canterbury scene strands that fed into that particular supergroup. With intriguing spoken word from Peter Blegvad on Squarer for Maud, an intriguing anti-TV rant in the form of Binoculars, a hilarious "a capella drum solo" and wonderful instrumentals in between, the album shows all the humour, whimsy, and musicianship usually associated with the best of the Canterbury scene. As essential as the band's debut, and as important any Canterbury collection as Hatfield and the North's two albums, or the best releases by Caravan and Soft Machine.

Canterbury darlings of jazz rock National Health followed up their debut with a delightful musical triumph "Of Queues and Cures". One would hope, having enjoyed the debut, that there would be more of the same, including Amanda Parsons beauteous vocals, and a lot of inventive jazz fusion. It is missing the vocals this time round but still delivers, perhaps even moreso than the debut musically speaking. The guitar melodies of Phil Miller, and Dave Stewart's keyboard wizardry along with the sporadic jazz drumming of Pip Pyle, return on this followup and bassist John Greaves inventive rhythms replace those of Neil Murray, and he even has a stint at crooning on 'Binoculars'.

The album cover features a jar full of ears and perhaps this symbolises that to enjoy this album you need to put on a new set of ears. This will appeal to those who like fractured time sigs and extreme jazz and I am certainly one who enjoys prog with broken time sigs and innovative experimentation. It begins with sweet whistling birds and Stewart's lulling keyboards and suddenly breaks into jazz figures to tantalise even the most disconcerted music listener.

'The Callapso' certainly moves into many competing musical shapes, with strong textures of bright colourful rhythms and dynamic soloing on guitar. This is followed by a positive experimental string dominated moody piece called 'Squarer for Maud' clocking 11 and a half minutes. It sounds like a cat stalking in a dark alley in the intro. The atmosphere is darker and the fuzz on the guitar is very appropriate. The jazz outbreak works well, along with the percussion finesse. It even has odd time sig changes that unsettle and are hard to pin down in places. This is a triumphant instrumental with huge variations in pace and rhythmical structure. I gave up counting the time sigs as it becomes highly complex in the mid section with a massive time shift and then it suddenly breaks into a weird narrative. The narration reminded me of King Crimson's Indiscipline. After this the guitars soar in again and there is a strange time sig that never sounds quite right yet works against the keyboard motif. It is great to hear so many instruments competing against each other. This is the best track from the band and well worth a listen to see how genius music can be played if one is versatile enough. The ending is masterful with scratching violins answering a jaunty beat that never stays on one bar for long. At the end of it I am exhausted and can't wait to play it again.

'Binoculars' is another lengthy track to savour the musical palette. Stewart's keyboards are spacey and emotional, and then we hear the vocals of Neil Murray. It is a pleasant break from all the instrumental work and sounds decidedly like Robert Wyatt with quite a bit of humour in the lyrics; "mule kicks, nerves twitch, legs kick, it's a shame to say you're such a bore today, your expression has gone away, If you just sit on your arse, the whole world won't pass, it's such a farce, it was quite insane?" All in all this is quite a nice song with a whimsical Canterbury flavour. The majestic flourishes in the mid section are wonderful. A classic song by any standards.

The album does not disappoint, as it is replete with full blown experimental jazz shapes and innovative musicianship. This album is a more mature approach though I missed Amanda's vocals. There is a great deal of brass on this album and it shines as a great example of Canterbury prog in the same vein as Matching Mole or Hatfield and the North. It is another album that cements National Health's reputation as one of the best Canterbury or jazz fusion acts in the business.

A band of serious, mature musicians who desire to make challenging, sophisticated music. Though all coming from Canterbury roots, I consider this album more akin to good jazz fusion than spacey, psychedelic experimentalist fun and silliness that some of the Canterbury stuff was. (Though by this time, as we all know, the Canterbury flower-power era was all but over.)

1. The Bryden 2-step (for Amphibians)" (8:55) begins with some floating instruments, finally gelling into a tightly woven, fast-paced collaborative piece. The recording quality is far superior to most of the Canterbury sounds coming before it, which is a big plus. Also, the instrumental mix is quite balanced with no one really going off to become the central show- person. The use of brass and woodwinds are effective. (8/10)

2. "The Collapso" (6:19) is fun experiment with Carribbean 'callypso' instrumentation and styles--more of a parody or play on them, really. Not any really memorable melodies or soli (maybe the fuzzed bass solo in the last minute?), it is another fairly tight group collaboration. (8/10)

3. "Squarer for Maud" (11:50) begins like 1960s European murder-mystery soundtrack: bass, piano, symbol play, cello, sustained electric guitar chords. With the rhythm-cum-melody established, Phil Miller takes the first lead with his electric guitar. At 2:15 arrives a little bridge to re-direct. The tones get heavier, more aggressive, as the sound effects on the stringed instruments get rougher around the edges. 4:07 another shift, this time into a more avant-jazz horn-led rhythm. Pip Pyle's drumming here is very tight, the glue that holds it all together--and continues to do so, along with Dave Stewart's wizardry at maintaining "controlled chaos"--Break! "Numinousness!" Quelle surprise! Slowed down piano chord progression but more frantic drum playing! The guitarist, too, brings his playing under control. The shift at 8:30 plays out into a frenetic, MAGMA-like frenzy of reckless abandon-- speed like that of a runaway train! Everybody's on board, now, they can't be stopped! Stewart and Miller are shining! the background accompanying brass is awesome! Then, spurt and sputter, it's a UNIVERS ZERO ending! Incredible song! (10/10)

4. "Dreams Wide Awake" (8:50) begins on the heavier side, like a MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA piece. The first soloist, Phil MIller, is awesome and ear-catching while his accompanists groove gets a little stale (this is jazz!) A rapid succession of key changes at 2:20 shift the music into Dave's World--organ and keyboard sounds we have all become quite used to associating with his work. The soloing is okay, but it's interesting to listen to Phil Miller's (too far up in the mix) accompanying rhythm guitar work. At 4:55 the band comes back together to give Phil and a couple of different guitar sounds another chance. At this point I'm realizing that the song is really just a basic jazz song trying to provide solid set ups for the two principle soloists to do their thing. Unfortunately, neither of the soloists is quite as captivating or mind-blowing as, say, a Lester Brown or John Coltrane. Good song. (7/10)

5. "Binoculars" (11:46) begins with multiple layered organs and horns(?) going through a beautiful progression of chords. At 1:08 Pip Pyle establishes a drum backbeat over which the others organize their chord progression (Those horns were Phil Miller's guitar!) over which some male voice sings a typically unforgettable flow-of-consciousness lyric. Nice delicate keyboard, bass, cymbol and flute work in the fourth minute lull section--and nice transition (by Pip Pyle) at the 3:53 mark taking the same melodic "pretty' part onto the expressway. 4:50 begins Dave's brief solo, before everything comes to a slowly rolling stop. (Very prettily, I might add--like a full orchestra! Is this a variation on that opening chord progression?) Horns and cacaphony until 7:55's return to bare-bones organ, cymbols and the singers tribute to John Wayne and Rip Torn. Very well recorded, this song! Excellent mix, balance and blend. Love the bass, drum and keyboard interplay in the tenth minute. Woodwinds and, later, Phil's screeching distorted guitar round out this final section of this beautiful song. Listen to John Greaves' bass work! Sublime. (9/10)

6. "Phlakaton" at 0:09, is this really a 'song?'

7. "The Bryden 2-step (for Amphibians) Part 2" opens with 'Jaws' rolling bass line, around which drums, organ, and fuzz guitar weave aggressively. By the end of the third minute the song has developed into a tight combo presenting with the same clarity and unity as they did on the opening number. Npt sure I'd end the album with the same spacey 'random' instrument play as they started, but, there you have it. They've come around full circle. (8/10)

As an example of the twilight evolution of the Canterbury bands, this is a positve note: maturity, (relative) sobriety, music to be taken serious, to be admired, not just to be amused by. If everything was quite at the level of the two masterpieces, "Squarer for Maud" and "Binoculars" we'd have an uncontested masterpiece. As it is, I appreciate Dave Stewart's reserve on this one, love the work of Pip Pyle, am duly impressed with that of bassist John Greaves, but, unfortunately, don't see that Phil Miller's work did anything to make him rise up with the cream. He's good but lacks that je ne sais quoi that makes one great.

4.5 stars, marked up for its quality at a time when quality was lacking (in production) or waning (in progressive rock).

Heading to the first expanded live tour Neil Murray announced his departure from National Health, surprisingly joining the emerging Hard Rock trend of David Coverdale's Whitesnake.His replacement would be ex-Henry Cow's bassist John Greaves.What followed was an early-78' tour all around Europe as well as on the British Islands, supporting Steve Hillage.Greaves' role would not be limited on bass duties, it would be prooved he would have an energetic role on National Health's upcoming album, both vocally and compositionally, entering the Ridge Farm Studio near Dorking, Surry in summer 78'.A huge guest list appears on the so named ''Of queues and cures'': Art Bears's Peter Blegvad on vocals, Georgie Born (who replaced John Greaves on Henry Cow in 1976) on cello, Jimmy Hastings of Caravan fame on flutes/clarinet and the list goes on.The new National Health work was eventually released in November 78' on Charly Records.

National Health insist on playing a Canterbury-flavored Prog/Fusion with tight, cohesive and impressive instrumental capacity, full of jazzy nuances and even some mid-70's CAMEL-esque vibes.What is quite different from their debut is the limited presence of the fascinating combination between ethereal plays with harmonic tunes and the extraordinary, amazing interplays of the original quartet.Instead, the focus on ''Of queues and cures'' relies on the later ideas, being an absolutely professional work of a bunch of virtuosic musicians who blend their semi-loose jazzy ideas with the tremendous breaks and unusual Progressive Rock structures.No vocals in this album, just all instrumental material, complex and adventurous Prog/Fusion with endless organ moves, technical solos and furious interplays.Hasting's clarinet and flutes add an almost RIO-esque vibe at moments, while there are also bits of Horn Rock in a couple of moments.Speaking of National Health's arrangements, these come up as pretty intricate with stretched instrumental madness in long and very dense compositions, maybe a bit too dense for their own good.You cant do else though but admire this all-star line-up, which produced some of the most complicated Canterbury music at the end of the 70's.Constant changes between piano lines and organ waves, a guitar that starts up slowly and grows into monster, indulgent solos and chaotic instrumental masturbations with abstract and more tighten themes, unleashing the endless talent of the group.

To my ears National Health's sophomore album is not on par with the band's masterful and unforgettable debut, however it remains a fantastic example of passionate, challenging and captivating Progressive Rock of the best Canterbury tradition.Strongly recommended, maybe even more if you are deep into both Progressive Rock and Jazz/Fusion...3.5 stars.

Once again going against the grain of the fading prog scene while punk and disco were usurping the attention of the masses, NATIONAL HEALTH pumped out one more album before calling it quits (ok technically there's a third) and what a magnificent album it is! Their second masterpiece in a row is OF QUEUES AND CURES and it does not disappoint one bit despite having a totally different sound than their debut.

The core line up has changed a bit as Neil Murray abandoned his bass duties and was replaced by John Greaves who is most famous for his work with Henry Cow but also was in Soft Heap as well as releasing several solo albums. His addition gives this album a rougher sound with his more experiment RIO approach. Noticeably missing from this sophomore album is the angelic vocal contributions of Amanda Parsons meaning this 2nd album sounds a lot less Hatfield and the North influenced. This album has more of a complex jam session feel to it with less vocals and more instruments. In addition to the long list from the debut we also get some cello, trumpet, trombone and oboe added to the mix. It is more of a jazz-fusion meets Canterbury sound with all the quirkiness turned up to 11 and bass and fuzz organ boosted up accordingly.

Tracks like "Squarer For Maude" have the perfect recipe for brilliance with their frenetic and sometimes repetitious jazz-fusion template that blends guitar solos and even a brief spoken word excursion inspired by Peter Blegvad of Slapp Happy. The jam continues in a hypnotic continuity until suddenly and unexpectedly changes completely reminding you that this band is always full of surprises and breathes life into everything they touch. This track is no anomaly as each one is brilliant in its own special way.

Overall an absolutely phenomenal album that pretty much celebrates the end of an era where prog ruled for a brief period which celebrates this crowning achievement with bravado. You could not ask for a better culmination of the Canterbury sound than what you get on this album where Dave Stewart kills it on keyboards, Phil Miller sizzles on guitar, Pip Pyle rocks the house and the entire block on drums and John Greaves adds yet more elements of complexity to an already amazing non-easy listening band. All the extra sounds that are incorporated on this album are just super exciting icing on an already spicy deliciously rich cake. This National Health plan is mandatory for my health and i highly recommend it for yours.

I don't remember exactly when I first heard them, but to this day they are still with me. It's a band that is so unique, and so magnificent, that I don' really have the words to describe what I feel for them. Hearing their melodies make my smile uncontrollably, and for ages I hummed their melodies (and it ain't easy, mind ya). And yet, I don't think that I can leave them outside of my reviews list, even though the rating is clear from the first sentence.

"The Bryden 2-steps (for amphibians) part 1" opens the album, with some birds and a synth, with some soft organ sounds. Some keyboards-bass noes follow, and for the first 2 minutes nothing really happens. And then the song explodes, with a great guitar motive that just screams perfection. The rhythm in here is just magical, and the organs just complement the guitar beautifully. The song continues through a series of metamorphoses, before a little bit after the 4 minutes mark it changes again, and then again. At the 5 minutes mark begins a new short section that sounds like its coming from a fifties jazz show, before we get back to our variations on the motive, with a great solo guitar beginning at the 6 minutes mark. The keyboards-guitar duet in the closing section is no less than pure minimalist genius.

"The Collapso" is a different beast, with a great rhythm and a nice play on this unique style. The overdrive guitar is magnificent, and actually- every line, every instrument role in here, is just so demanding and complex that one can just listen to every instrument on its own and still be amazed, not to mention the combination. And even so, the percussions in here just steal the show for me.

"Squarer for Maud" opens with a great bass line, with some very dark and claustrophobic overtones. Over this repetitive line layers are added and instruments just try to top each other, without really breaking free or seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. After 2 and a half minutes the Henry Cow influence is finally taking the lead, with some avant-garde sounds and textures, joined by an amazing guitar solo. The saxophone answers greatly to the call, before the song changes back and the tempo is rising slowly but steadily. As we come closer to the 6 minutes mark layers are taken out, but the avant-garde factor rises at the speed of light. And then, a short silence before some spoken poetry takes center stage, and the guitar goes soloing a few seconds later. It still sounds dark and morbid, even though it is now carrying some more weight. Clarinet is added next, after the tempo rises again, and the keyboards do their usual magic. As we come towards the end, the piano, the drums and the cello take the stage, leading us closer and closer towards the unavoidable end. The entire song has a Henry Cow vibe to it, which is only fitting and a huge win for me.

Dreams Wide Awake opens with some of the craziest organ lines ever put on a vinyl, with the added beauty of a great bass and drums combination to complement it. Stewart here sounds like he took way too many drugs, 2 and a half minutes and the song changes completely, and the entire band just do some magic tricks in the recording studio. The mood and tempo change regularly and continuously, and the meter doesn't stay the same for more than a few seconds. The guitar starts soloing at the 6 minutes mark, before a change of pace and mood takes place. So the guitar just goes dueting with Stewart.

Binoculars opens with a Hammond, creating an atmosphere of loneliness. After a minute the bass joins in, and vocals kick in 20 seconds later. The drumming is quite, yet outstanding, and the short bridges are beautiful. A strange lament on the addiction to television, way to relevant to our days. The flute solo, beginning around the 3 minutes mark adds another layer of genius, and then the rest of the band join back in, slowly, really slowly, making them sound even more like a jazz ensemble than they sometimes sound. The drumming grows much more prevalent, and a nice keyboards solo comes next. Then we slow down for a dramatic interval, and then we get a little avant-garde bridge utilizing a few saxes and other wind instruments. Vocals come back at around the 8th minute mark. We get another wonderful guitar solo to close the song, with the bass and the drums playing melodies that are just as wonderful if not even more.

Phlakhaton is a quick change of pace before we get back to The Bryden Part 2, beginning with a great keyboards line with some great drumming and bass lines underneath, and then the guitar kicks in. the atmosphere here takes the center stage, with the variations on the first part taking the second, smaller one. What a great way to close a perfect album?

I guess that by now it is pretty clear- for me it a solid 5 stars. I can't imagine a collection without it.

National Health is one of those bands I had no idea existed until now. First album of theirs I'm listening and I was really impressed.

The first track "The Bryden 2-Step (for Amphibians) Part 1" is really good and it opens up the album in a way that makes you wanting more which is always important. I just loved the way the keys sounded from the very start and the rhythm which was constantly changing though complicated and hard to follow if you're not used to these kinds of brilliant composition, was in the end more than rewarding.

"The Collapso" was next and it makes me feel like it's continuing a story with the music being similarly confusing. The synths really made a difference but the drums were also exceptional with a very progressive sound. It's one of those tracks I don't enjoy as much but it's still one heck of piece.

The almost 12-minute "Squarer for Maud" has a nice progression from a soft starting sound to the strong and complex one of the previous tracks. The alternation between the guitar and the keys as the lead is really well placed and I especially liked the solo after the spoken words which btw weren't random. Apparently "Maud" is a computer programmed to measure the "numinosity" mentioned. The cello is just excellent choice of a lead for this particular piece. It fitted perfectly and the last one and a half minutes or so were an especially well crafted closing. This one just grows on you.

"Dreams Wide Awake" just captures you from the title alone. Ofcourse the keys here are amazing and the first time I heard it with my eyes closed I was almost certain it would be my favorite track of the album (it turned out it wasn't though). The different sounds created by the keys were incredibly rhythmic and it helped a lot because of the fact that it wasn't as difficult to follow as the previous pieces. The guitar sound here was good too.

"Binoculars" is my favorite one of this album, and it's not only 'cause I always like my tracks with some lyrics in them. It's got a nice little orchestra playing with all the wind instruments after the lyrics. The flute and the trombone were a great choice for the theme of the song. The drumming and particularly the closing guitar were something else and they convinced me that this one was the best in the album. "Phlakaton" is probably the shortest separate track I've ever seen in an album, the only thing I have to say is that it brings back the absurdity of the previous pieces and it leads to the last one.

Finally "The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians) Part 2" is kind of a reprise of the first one (also, kind of obvious). I enjoyed it as much as the first one. The keys sound fantastic and the drums are once again showing off. A great way to end the album, with a reprise of the one that started it.

My closing thought is that it's a very difficult album to listen to and although I might need to update this review in the future I'm giving this a 4/5 star rating because it kind of grows on you and I wouldn't call that essential but DEFINITELY Excellent addition to any prog rock collection.

John Greaves comes in to play bass replacing Neil Murray on Of Queues and Cures. The result is National Health's Magnum Opus, a culmination of absurd creativity, absurd humor, absurd musicianship, absurd dynamism....absurd as in good.

Incredible riffs intertwine with melodic, pastoral passages and a vocal lament on television addicts, "Binoculars". In addition, this album is the last great feature for the fuzz organ that made the Canterbury sound so recognizable. Dave Stewart belongs at the head of the Progressive keyboardist hall of fame. Check out the beginning of "Dreams Wide Awake"

A must have for all serious progressive collectors, and a possible bridge album for those with no prog experience.

Despite some slight personnel changes (Greaves for Murray on bass, and the vanishing of the heavenly Amanda "Northette" Parson), there is such a continuity from "National Health" to "Of Queues and Cures" that they could almost have been released as a double. This review (and the 5 enthusiastic stars that go with it) is therefore meant for both works. So many nice (and true) things have been said here about NH's first two albums that all I can do is add my little voice to the choir of praise. Yes, this music is incredibly brilliant and complex, so full of surprises and time and tone changes, so brimming with ideas at every turn of a bar, that you can never get tired of listening to it. Yes, those guys are so good that they don't need to show off with never-ending solos, the way some jazz musicians do. And yes, this music is funny and joyful (to call it "cold" is deeply absurd) to the point that you could almost call it "feelgood music", to echo the concept of the "feelgood movie". To all intents and purposes, National Health is essentially Hatfield and the North under another name, and without Sinclair's songs (the same way Soft Machine got rid of Wyatt's songwriting and singing in 1972, although with far less interesting results). What you have here is the quintessence of Canterbury sound. Whatever began at the Simon Langton school in 1963 with the Wilde Flowers (although of course none of NH members were there at that time) reached its summit in 1978, at a time when prog was almost beaten senseless by the punks, with those two eternal albums.

Excellent follow-up.

The second National Health album no longer has Alan Gowan guesting on keyboards, nor Amanda Parsons on vocals. But they now John Greaves from Henry Cow on bass, and also guests Georgie Born (also from Henry Cow) on cello, Paul Nieman on Trombones and Phil Minton on Trumpets, and Keith Thompson on Oboe, as well as Jimmy Hastings on flutes and clarinets (Hastings is the only one here who also guested on the first album). So, the music here is virtually all instrumental, with an even more classical (and less jazzy) feel than the first album. Saying this, the music here is really top notch, often better than on the first album. Songs like the two versions of the 'Bryden 2-Step', 'Squarer for Maud' and 'The Collapso' are very musical, sounding a lot like the best moments from Rotter's Club. The only drawback on this album is Pip Pyle's 'Binoculars', mainly because of Pyle's lyrics, and the poor way they are sung (one listen and you will know what I mean). But overall, this album has a great feel, and contains some of the highlights of the band's catalogue. I give this album 8.8 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which is 0.1 more than their debut. So, again, 4 PA stars.

Of Queues And Cures is close in style to National Health's first album, which I am happy about. The line-up consists of only four people instead of six, but the band makes up for it by recruiting a fairly large number of guest musicians on various eccentric instruments, including oboes, cellos and even steel drums. The most significant difference is the absence of vocals on all tracks except "Binoculars", which I'll come back to later. Another difference is that the songwriting is more democratic: on the previous album, the only composers were the two keyboard players; this time around, all members get to contribute at least one composition of their own.

The first two tracks are once again composed by keyboardist Dave Stewart. Both follow more or less the same pattern as "Tenemos Roads": both are bookended by a mighty majestic melody, with a wild sequence of different musical events in between. The main difference is that the songs are a lot shorter than their predecessor on the last album. Oh, and the main theme of "The Bryden Two-Step (For Amphibians)" (man, what a title) doesn't actually recur until its second part at the end of the album. In any case, "The Bryden Two-Step" is an excellent album opener. The absence of Alan Gowen means there are less synthesizers on this album, and guitarist Phil Miller now has to play the song's main theme by himself, but he makes up for it by applying loads of effects to his instrument in order to make it sound like a guitar-synth hybrid, which is a delight.

Stewart's other contribution is "The Collapso", which puts the old Igor Stravinsky quote "Lesser artists imitate; great artists steal" into practice: The main melody of the song is taken straight from George Martin's "Theme One" and another part of it comes from Stravinsky's own Ebony Concerto, but Stewart manages to combine these bits into an entirely new and far more menacing whole, creating probably the most aggressive track in the band's repertoire. Also pay attention to John Greaves's bass solo near the end, where he fuzzes up his instrument so heavily that it almost sounds like a regular guitar.

Greaves' own "Squarer For Maud" is the longest track on the album, clocking in at (only) 11 minutes and 50 seconds, and is also probably the most diverse track on the album despite being based mainly on but a few musical motifs. It goes through a lot of different moods and styles, ranging from hard rock to avant-garde classical music. It also makes liberal use of the string and wind players the band had at their disposal for the time being.

Phil Miller's "Dreams Wide Awake" and drummer Pip Pyle's "Binoculars" bear a strong resemblance to the more folk-influenced music of Hatfield & The North, which isn't surprising because they had both played in that band before it merged into National Health (also, National Health's line-up at this point was almost identical to that of Hatfield). "Dreams Wide Awake" is good: Stewart kicks it off with one of the most breath-taking organ solos of his career, and for the rest of the tune creates a warm and gentle atmosphere with the help of Miller strumming away on his clean electric guitar. I'm a little less positive about "Binoculars", though. It starts off as a simple folkish shuffle that tries to mimic something in the Hatfield style, but it sadly doesn't work all that well: the only thing that distinguished this National Health line-up from Hatfield is the absence of singer Richard Sinclair, and his singing duties are on this track assumed by bassist John Greaves, whose vocal skills are less than stellar. Furthermore, a lot of the song is dedicated to long-winded chord sequences that aren't especially interesting. I won't deny that it has its prettier moments though, with Jimmy Hastings's flute solo sticking out in particular.

After that comes "Phlâkatön", which is just 10 seconds of distorted gibberish, followed by the aforementioned reprise of "The Bryden Two-Step" because just like last time, the album finishes at the same place it started. Overall, it's slightly less consistent but still a really great listen. I originally discovered this band after reading a very scathing review of this particular album, so it won't do any harm to spread some nicer words about it, methinks.