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HATWISE CHOICE - ARCHIVE RECORDINGS 1973-1975, VOLUME 1

Hatfield And The North

Canterbury Scene


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Hatfield And The North Hatwise Choice - Archive Recordings 1973-1975, Volume 1  album cover
4.00 | 39 ratings | 5 reviews | 18% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Boxset/Compilation, released in 2005

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Absolutely Wholesome (John Peel Show 1974) (3:16)
2. La Barbe est La Barbe (Top Gear 1974) (6:51)
3. Sober Song (Top Gear 1974) (2:59)
4. Hatitude (John Peel Show 1974) (3:13)
5. Strand on the Green (John Peel Show 1974) (1:02)
6. Hotel Luna (John Peel Show 1974) (3:34)
7. The Lonely Bubbling Song (John Peel Show 1974) (1:20)
8. Stay Jung and Beautiful (John Peel Show 1974) (0:56)
9. Dave Intro (Live - London 1975) (1:55)
10. Take Your Pick (Live - London 1975) (8:09)
11. Son Of Plate Smashing Dog (Live - Emmen 1974) (1:16)
12. Thanks Mont! (Live - Emmen 1974) (2:27)
13. Amsterdamage 11/19 (Live - Amsterdam 1974) (6:20)
14. May The Farce Be With You (Live - Paris 1973) (0:39)
15. Finesse is for Fairies (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) (1:28)
16. Ethanol Nurse (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) (2:56)
17. Writhing and Grimacing (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) (3:42)
18. For Robert (Top Gear 1973) (2:09)
19. Blane over Paris (Live - Paris 1973) (6:20)
20. Laundry Soup (Top Gear 1974) (0:57)
21. Effing Mad Aincha (Live - Rotterdam 1973) (2:58)
22. Top Gear Commercial (Top Gear 1974) (1:22)
23. K Licks (Demo - Summer 1973) (2:58)

Total Time: 68:47

Line-up / Musicians

- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion
- Dave Stewart / keyboards, tone generator

Releases information

CD Burning Shed

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
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HATFIELD AND THE NORTH Hatwise Choice - Archive Recordings 1973-1975, Volume 1 ratings distribution


4.00
(39 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(18%)
18%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(67%)
67%
Good, but non-essential (13%)
13%
Collectors/fans only (3%)
3%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

HATFIELD AND THE NORTH Hatwise Choice - Archive Recordings 1973-1975, Volume 1 reviews


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Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
4 stars Well apart from VDGG's latest offering , I might have found this year's best release. On top of it , Richard Sinclair dedicated it: "To Hugh , but he WAS listening". This album could be seen as BBC sessions album (although not handled by Hux records) and can be seen as a major release. Apart from this album called also Volume 1 (meaning that a volume 2 is in the works), Richard and Pip both told me that a brand new album with new compositions was also in the works.

As for the music in here , all material from BBC tapes (roughly 2/3 of the stuff) is of excellent sound quality , and among the rest , most of it is also. Only a few imperfections appear here and there. A lot of this stuff appears officialy for the first time, so much so that this album could almost be considered as a lost album . And the quality of the songwriting and musicianship is up to par with those historical two albums. Some sessions are previous to their debut album, but most of the tracks appear to have been written between the eponymous debut and The Rotter's Club. What a gift this is.

So all Canterbury freaks can dive in with no second thoughts, this is pure 100% Canterbury juice made from fresh fruits.

Go for it , guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review by fuxi
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars At last!

It's easy to overlook Hatfield and the North, because their music refuses to be pompous. Not for them the grand dramatic gestures of Yes, Genesis or ELP. Even when you compare them with other Canterbury bands, they may seem anonymous, since they didn't have a vocalist singing moving little ballads, like Robert Wyatt from Soft Machine or Pye Hastings from Caravan. When their bass player Richard Sinclair (who had also appeared with Caravan) bursts out in song, he sounds almost apologetic.

Nevertheless, the longer you live with the Hatfields' studio albums, the more you realise how original and how enjoyable their music is, and the more you wish there were more! Two studio albums (now re-released with bonus tracks) isn't much to go by, but fortunately we also have the Hatfields' true musical heirs, National Health, and there seems to be a new French band (Forgas Band Phenomena) who have resurrected the Hatfield spirit. (Not just a tribute band, mind you).

Even more fortunately, we are now also able to enjoy two retrospective releases of live-performances and BBC-recordings, of which HATWISE CHOICE is the first. Occasionally, sound quality is a little rough, but you're talking about a few isolated moments (out of a total of 69 minutes) and the playing is so delightful the listener doesn't get annoyed at all.

So there you are: nearly 70 minutes of top-drawer jazzy prog, thoroughly English, neatly orchestrated and an absolute treat for anyone who enjoys intricate but subtly poetic playing. When you hear the Hatfields' studio albums, you may sometimes get distracted by their wonderful guest players, but here it's just the original Hatfields quartet, and listening to them reminded me of what superb players they all were. Sinclair (on bass) and Pip Pyle (on drums) measure up to any rhythm section in prog. Phil Miller has a totally distinctive guitar sound (there's no-one remotely like him) and Dave Stewart simply used to be one of the most accomplished and inventive keyboard players in progressive rock.

In my mind there's no doubt people will still be enjoying this music a hundred years from now.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Hatfield and the North only release two albums in their brief existence - but those albums were such classics of the Canterbury scene that it's no wonder fans were left adamantly wanting more from their archives. Whilst some of the "new" song titles on here actually related to different recordings of familiar material, this mixture of radio, TV, and live recordings offers an insight into a more improvisational side of the band that the polished delivery of their studio material glosses over. I wouldn't put it on the same level as their two studio albums, but I wouldn't put it that far behind either.
Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars It doesn't get much better than HATFIELD AND THE NORTH. So of course fans have been drooling for more after pretty much having only those two studio albums to enjoy over the years. The "more" came in 2005 with the release of "Hatwise Choice" a compilation of mostly live tracks and I believe one demo. These tracks were taken from the period of 1973 to 1975, a time when the HATFIELD's were a gigging band. Pip Pyle picked and assembled these tunes, and their four stints on the BBC with John Peel are a focus, but the other live recordings take up roughly half of this almost 70 minute record.

In the liner notes they mention that this recording is dedicated to the memory of the irreplaceable John Peel. Of course Peel is thanked in these notes as well, along with Robert Wyatt and others. But I like the thanks to "Alister at the pub in Southall." Almost all of these songs have been re-titled making it fun to find out what the original piece was called. The tracks seemed stripped down really, and more raw. They let their hair down, as opposed to the two studio albums where every note seems to have it's place. Both studio albums could not be more perfect.

This reminds me of how ANGLAGARD sought perfection in the studio, but unlike the HATFIELDS they also sought perfection with their live recordings. The latter was not something that HATFIELD AND THE NORTH strove for. You could say we get a more immature version of the band here on "Hatwise Choice". Yes their hair is down. No Northettes, or incredible guest appearances like on their two studio albums. The sound quality here varies. A few aren't that great but most are very good. A lot of these tracks are quite short as well.

So while this all sounds familiar, it also sounds fresh and different. This is called "Volume 1", and the following year in 2006 they would release "Volume 2", a second compilation album they called "Hattitude". I much prefer the studio albums to these two compilations, but "Hatwise Choice" really is an essential release for Canterbury fans.

Latest members reviews

4 stars I've only received this excellent CD this morning in the mail, and have listened through twice, but am already thrilled with this resuscitated bit of history. The sound quality of the BBC recordings is (as always) excellent, the production very fresh and contemporary, and these cuts contr ... (read more)

Report this review (#70145) | Posted by RoyalJelly | Tuesday, February 21, 2006 | Review Permanlink

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