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CANTERBURY SCENE

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Canterbury Scene definition

With many other types of English progressive music developing mostly in London, it may at first seem strange that the old pilgrimage centre and relatively quiet cathedral city of Canterbury, became the centre of this very English form of progressive music and jazz fusion. Originally the Wilde Flowers, a teenage band of members living in and around Canterbury, playing a mix of pop, R'n'B and band members with a developing love of jazz, was formed in the 60's and became the seedling from which the Canterbury Scene grew. Australian beatnik Daevid Allen during a long stop-over at Robert Wyatt's parent's home, a refuge for many left field artists, was to catalyse the evolution of the Wilde Flowers into the fledging Soft Machine and the development of some avant music during the English psychedelic and underground period. From 1963 to 1969, the Wilde Flowers included most of the figures who later formed Canterbury's two best known bands, (The) Soft Machine (Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hugh Hopper) and Caravan (Pye Hastings, David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Richard Coughlan).

Canterbury was then to be the cradle for several of the more freewheeling British bands of the post-psychedelic era. While fans would suggest this is the home of an English musical quirkiness tempered with quite a bit of whimsy, within the Canterbury Scene's musical spectrum any similarities between Canterbury's major bands, (e.g. Soft Machine, Caravan, Gong, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hatfield & the North, Egg, National Health), are not immediately obvious*. Most bands will be found employing a clever fusion of rock rhythms and jazz improvisation with intellectual song-writing and varying strengths of psychedelia - some would too include folk elements (e.g. Spirogyra), others blues (e.g. Carol Grimes and Delivery). In addition, a number of bands employed various elements from classical music, for instance those bands with Dave Stewart playing keyboards. Whilst there have been a handful of excellent and distinctly different guitarists to play with Canterbury bands (e.g. Andy Summers, Allan Holdsworth, John Etheridge, Steve Hillage, Phil Miller), the lead instrument of choice has been keyboards. One English peculiarity of Canterbury is what the late John Peel called the 'School of Anti-song' because of particular Wyatt, Ayers and Richard Sinclair's approaches to vocals and perhaps the whimsy. More recently Richard Sinclair's vocal style has perhaps accurately been labelled as 'English jazz singing' by Jazzwise (i.e. singing jazz with an English rather than the usual American accent). In addition Canterbury musicians have experimented as avant garde, free jazz players, e.g. instance Elton Dean, Lol Coxhill, Steve Miller.

(*However, once you've heard some Canterbury bands the commonality becomes more obvious - chord sequencing e.g. Caveman Hughscore's electric piano opening on the tune 'More Than Nothing', the vocals, the lyrics etc.)

Both the Soft Machine and Caravan were popular in England's psychedelic/ underground scene before releasing their first albums in 1968, with Machine completing on level footing with Pink Floyd. However, by the early 70's a series of fragmenting changes of bands' line-ups, (Soft Machine went through about 30) and the subsequent formation of new bands, rapidly broadened Canterbury's range, with many newer musicians with only loose and in fact, no previous Canterbury connections. Early Soft Machine member Daevid Allen formed Gong in Paris. Both Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt left the Softs because of musical developments they did not like, to begin their own solo careers. By the mid-70's, most the old and new Canterbury bands had progressed away from psychedelia, developing their distinct forms of progressive rock some embracing jazz fusion, many playing extended jams with now limited lyrical input (e.g. Hatfield and The Norths, National Health, Gilgamesh). Caravan became more folky. However, as the 70's progressed several Canterbury bands would lose most of the rock element from their music. Gong retained their psychedelic side longest, but with the departure of Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage in the mid 70's, the band evolved into the percussion-oriented, jazz rock group Gong, which eventually became the modern day Gongzilla. Daevid Allen regained Gong's name in the 90's and through his solo work and with his University of Errors, is still evidently producing psychedelia. Steve Hillage's form of psychedelia evolved into the glissando rock of his own band and then into electronica, by the end of the 70's. In particular, Hillage through his work as a successful record producer of new bands from the 80's, develop his form of electronica through other bands. This music lost much of its complexity e.g. few riffs played over and over, rather than dozens per tune that previously had often typified prog, into a very popular form that is the antithesis of prog, i.e. the various forms of house music, with associated remixing/turntablism. For instance, Gong's "You" got the remix treatment in the 90's - but then to reflect his range of activities, Hillage has also produced and played guitar for Algerian Rai singer, Rachid Taha for over 20 years.

Many of Britain's better known avant-garde and fusion musicians of the 70's and 80's - including Fred Frith (Henry Cow), Allan Holdsworth (Gong, Soft Machine, UK, Bruford) and Peter Blegvad - were involved during their early careers playing in Canterbury bands. And still new musicians join the Canterbury Scene's ranks, Theo Travis being perhaps the most notable recently (Gong, The Soft Machine Legacy). The Canterbury scene was to have a major influence on musicians in Europe, especially France (e.g. Gong, Moving Gelatine Plates), the Netherlands (Super Sister)and Italy (Daedalus), and more belatedly in the USA (Hughscore). Caravan reformed in the mid 90's, while ex-members of Soft Machine could be found in various avant jazz and straight jazz fusion groups, e.g. Just Us, Soft Heap, Soft Works and most recently The Soft Machine Legacy. From the Canterbury Scene, RIO it its various forms has developed.

FOOTNOTE: As indicated above, many Canterbury Scene bands are acknowledged as having played/are playing jazz rock fusion. However, because of their strong Canterbury affliations are listed under "Canterbury Scene" in Prog Archives.

Dick Heath
Based loosely in part on the source: http://www.allmusic.com
(Edition 3, Aug 2009)

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Canterbury Scene Top Albums


Showing only studios | Based on members ratings & PA algorithm* | Show Top 100 Canterbury Scene | More Top Prog lists and filters

4.32 | 2094 ratings
IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK
Caravan
4.29 | 871 ratings
SPACE SHANTY
Khan
4.26 | 1186 ratings
RADIO GNOME INVISIBLE VOL. 3 - YOU
Gong
4.26 | 1226 ratings
IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, I'D DO IT ALL OVER YOU
Caravan
4.26 | 1039 ratings
ROCK BOTTOM
Wyatt, Robert
4.25 | 925 ratings
HATFIELD AND THE NORTH
Hatfield And The North
4.28 | 546 ratings
OF QUEUES AND CURES
National Health
4.20 | 1194 ratings
THIRD
Soft Machine, The
4.21 | 698 ratings
THE ROTTERS' CLUB
Hatfield And The North
4.18 | 917 ratings
FOR GIRLS WHO GROW PLUMP IN THE NIGHT
Caravan
4.26 | 345 ratings
TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER
Supersister
4.14 | 812 ratings
RADIO GNOME INVISIBLE VOL. 2 - ANGEL'S EGG
Gong
4.30 | 207 ratings
THE WORLD OF GENIUS HANS
Moving Gelatine Plates
4.13 | 504 ratings
BUNDLES
Soft Machine, The
4.13 | 510 ratings
THE POLITE FORCE
Egg
4.13 | 478 ratings
NATIONAL HEALTH
National Health
4.11 | 529 ratings
FISH RISING
Hillage, Steve
4.12 | 391 ratings
MAINSTREAM
Quiet Sun
4.12 | 341 ratings
PICCHIO DAL POZZO
Picchio Dal Pozzo
4.03 | 628 ratings
VOLUME TWO
Soft Machine, The
4.14 | 248 ratings
VIVA BOMA
Cos

Canterbury Scene overlooked and obscure gems albums new


Random 3 (reload page for new list) | As selected by the Canterbury Scene experts team

ABBIAMO TUTTI I SUOI PROBLEMI
Picchio Dal Pozzo
HOPPER TUNITY BOX
Hopper, Hugh
JOHN GREAVES, PETER BLEGVAD & LISA HERMAN: KEW. RHONE.
Greaves, John

Latest Canterbury Scene Music Reviews


 Hatfield and the North by HATFIELD AND THE NORTH album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.25 | 925 ratings

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Hatfield and the North
Hatfield And The North Canterbury Scene

Review by alainPP

4 stars 1. The Stubbs Effect and Big Jobs (Poo Poo Extract) as canter openings, soft, jazzy soft pop; soft rock, experimentation, already. 3. Going Up to People and Tinkling follows, a muted pop air, a fusion of genres from a jazzy bar night, ah, it's becoming clearer, sound effects too, cinematic one would say today. 4. Calyx continues, trumpet and backing vocals or both at the same time, vocal rambling above all with the great Robert leading the way. 5. Son of "There's No Place Like Homerton," an epic track whose sequencing is once again noteworthy, hence the prog vein certification; a beautiful peregrination with wind instruments at the forefront, the melody flowing unrestrainedly on an avant-garde side of the time, combining classical, hushed ambiance and suave compositions, the moment when we can understand the progressive wanderings of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Magma, Robert Wyatt. A subdued bon mot for this purely progressive take on the early 70s. An atmosphere that flirts with the works of the great King Crimson in the final third, with sax and shrill backing vocals. 6. Aigrette, not sour but almost, with this more instrumental vocal for the pastoral, floral interlude. 7. Rifferama and Richard with his swirling bass, a Camel, Caravan, born in Canterbury. Phil uses his energetic guitar to flirt with free jazz-rock, harking back to the future of Return to Forever.

8. Fol De Rol follows with this mantra from another age, a moment where each note coming together becomes nostalgic, vibrant, or exasperating, depending on the listeners' tastes; perfection of the moment, soulless tinkering.

9. Shaving Is Boring follows with the typical Canterbury take; It starts out of nowhere, it's barely audible, and then, and then it transforms into a minimalist electronic musical mishmash that holds up, like the work of Tangerine Dream; confusing, astounding, gradually captivating; an open-door break, the sound of footsteps, and the finale, as if coming from elsewhere, for the organ-bass-guitar assault on Canterbury time, the one that melts time with notes. 10. Licks for the Ladies follows, as if there were no sides on LPs at the time; a rural atmosphere with a distant vocal on an acoustic guitar and its electric organ. 11. Bossa Nochance follows, just more energetic. 12. Big Jobs No 2 (by Poo and the Wee Wees) in the same vein, well, why separate tracks that are only the musical continuation? Soft vocals and guitar play the part with a honeyed undertone. 13. Lobster in Cleavage Probe arrives, electric organ on choirs of sirens or nuns in bloom, the bucolic scene is confirmed; a battle without weapons between two female choirs wandering in cloudy limbo before the powerful solo, launching 14. Gigantic Land-Crabs in Earth Takeover Bid and its unashamedly crimsonian solo into violent, archaic, heavy territory?yes, the word is out, which makes me smile at the look of my prog friends, impervious to the prog metal movement, in short; a little sweetness, clarinet, tweet, tweet, or almost, before the new deluge and 15. The Other Stubbs Effect closes the debate with the psychedelically disturbing outro.

 Of Queues and Cures by NATIONAL HEALTH album cover Studio Album, 1978
4.28 | 546 ratings

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Of Queues and Cures
National Health Canterbury Scene

Review by Lobster77

5 stars National Health's second LP is generally similar to their first, but there are several points of difference: co-founder Alan Gowen is no longer involved, Amanda Parsons' lovely vocals are missing as well, and whereas all material on the debut was composed by Gowen and Dave Stewart, here the songwriting is more evenly distributed, with Stewart contributing three tracks ? "The Bryden 2-Step (for Amphibians)" Parts 1 and 2, and "The Collapso" ? and bassist John Greaves, guitarist Phil Miller, and drummer Pip Pyle one apiece ("Squarer for Maud", "Dreams Wide Awake", and "Binoculars").

Side A's first track, "The Bryden 2-Step (for Amphibians)" Part 1, begins with a hushed "dawn" introduction (complete with birdsong), which gives way to an energetic theme that might at first be mistaken for something by Emerson, Lake & Palmer before settling into a fusion-y interlude and concluding with a hypnotic passage featuring a bass solo. Regarding the next track, "The Collapso", suffice it to say that it bears no resemblance to calypso, even though Selwyn Baptiste appears briefly on steel drums; in fact, it sounds particularly ELP-ish. The final track on Side A, "Squarer for Maud", is rather more foreboding, sounding at times somewhat like some extended instrumental excursion by the Starless and Bible Black-period King Crimson, and incorporates a sudden spoken-word interjection that feels like it could have come from Robert Fripp's Exposure.

Opening side B is "Dreams Wide Awake", which starts out in a way that could put you momentarily in mind of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" and then goes back into the standard National Health solo-trading that's always enjoyable to listen to but would be a challenge to identify which track it came from if you were to hear a random segment of it. The next track, "Binoculars", features actual singing (by John Greaves), making it the most reminiscent of Hatfield and the North of anything on this LP; there's also some nice flute and clarinet by Jimmy Hastings. The album closes with "The Bryden 2-Step (for Amphibians)" Part 2, which starts with an almost bolero-like riff before breaking into the main theme from Part 1 and finally drifting off ethereally in typical Dave Stewart fashion. 4.99 a essential for the Canterbury section of a collection.

 Hatfield and the North by HATFIELD AND THE NORTH album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.25 | 925 ratings

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Hatfield and the North
Hatfield And The North Canterbury Scene

Review by Lobster77

4 stars Debut album by the legendary Canterbury group Hatfield And The North, probably one of the most iconic and unsurpassed masters of the genre. Comprising of keyboardist Dave Stewart, guitarist Phil Miller, bassist / vocalist Richard Sinclair and drummer Pip Pyle, with guests like reedman Geoff Leigh (Henry Cow), vocalist Robert Wyatt and others, they recorded what is considered to be the ultimate Canterbury masterpiece. The album represents everything that the genre stands for: brilliant melodies, strange harmonies, superb musicianship, quirk rhythmic patterns and a good dash of British humor. It is difficult to pinpoint why this album and its follow up turned out to be the genre's icons, but the fact that they are the first thing that come to mind when Canterbury is mentioned speaks for itself. Whatever the reasons, this is an absolute classic album, which lost nothing of its intrinsic beauty and musical perfection over time. A definite Canterbury essential 4.0
 Of Queues and Cures by NATIONAL HEALTH album cover Studio Album, 1978
4.28 | 546 ratings

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Of Queues and Cures
National Health Canterbury Scene

Review by SliprKC70

5 stars National Health was a late Canterbury Scene supergroup consisting of Dave Stewart, Pip Pyle, John Greaves, and Phil Miller. It's essentially Hatfield and the North with the addition of Greaves instead of Richard Sinclair. Out of all these talented men that played on this record, I want to quickly say that I personally loved Pip Pyle's performance on all these numbers. I just love Pyle's style as a whole, but here it's very much present all over this thing. Going along now, for the longest time, I avoided much of the main Canterbury Scene bands, but in the past couple of months I've opened up to bands like Hatfield and the North, Moving Gelatin Plates, and obviously National Health. Their second album, Of Queues and Cures, is an absolute masterpiece and possibly one of the last great moments of the classic progressive rock era. Its musicianship, precision, and sheer complexity rival even some of the greatest albums in the scene, and the sprawling song lengths give room for the band to exercise and explore their creative playing and ideas into such stunning tracks. It's perfectly balanced between playful and humorous progressive rock and fast- paced, serious avant-garde jazz fusion. All of this makes for a stellar record that, while a bit hard for some listeners to digest, is a staple for the progressive rock genre as a whole. It's also an impressive achievement, seeing how this is coming off the heels of the amazing self-titled debut they made the same year.

The album begins with The Bryden 2-Step Pt. 1, a lush and powerful melody of fast-paced jazz fusion while mixing avant prog elements into it, all while staying on a positive side. This is an excellent way to start the album and truly shows National Health's creativity when writing. The clean production on this track also puts it out there as one of the Canterbury Scene's finest examples. It's always shifting in different ways everywhere the song goes, keeping the sound fresh and unique from anything else on the song. The instrumental aspects also add more space for the band to experiment in, and they take it to their full advantage. Seriously, it's incredible how the band can go from ambient nature noise to rapid-fire jazz tunes at such volumes in such little time during the first minutes alone. The next song, The Collapso, continues this trend, being much more quirky guitar and drum work. This track is much more laid back while still pushing boundaries and exploring many different wacky instrumentations and structures. Sure, the technicality and quality of the first track aren't here, but this is still an incredible piece. One of the main problems I have with the song, though, is that it is far too short. I know the band was already stretching out what they could fit on a vinyl and that they were running out of space on a singular vinyl, but if it weren't for those limitations and they could've made this song longer, I would've liked it a lot more (as good as it already is). Squarer for Maud is probably the best song on the album, and while it might be one of the longest, the true greatness of this number is revealed more and more as the song progresses. The perfect transition from dark and ominous jazz fusion to lush and powerful avant-rock melodies is truly one of a kind in this song. The structure is also constantly teetering between different strange time signatures and wild jazz experimentation. It's hard for me to state the key perfection this song has, but basically it has every good aspect on this album doubled in terms of quality.

Dreams Wide Awake is the opening on side two and is composed mainly of drum-driven, hard-rocking, progressive rock accompanied by excessively evolving guitar and keyboard solos in the beginning, while the second half has more happy-sounding material similar to what was found on The Bryden 2 Step Pt. 1; it still brings its own unique twists and manic rhythms into the mix. It's another great piece of this record, and while it may be on the weaker side of things, it's still essential to keep this album's flow going. For a while, the next song, called Binoculars, was probably one of my most played songs. It's catchy while staying inside the realm of the band's best music, with the eleven minutes of length giving it length to squeeze wonderful vocal sections with instrumental jamming and individual spotlights on each of the band members talents. It has a neat dynamic between uplifting, soft, and quiet moments and heavy levels of loud and bombastic experimentation that make this song all the better. There is a short interlude called Phl'kat'n before we end off the album in the second part of The Bryden 2 Step, which, as the name implies, continues the musical developments found on the first part. This song definitely focuses less on having an introduction and throws the listener into the wild stuff. Sure, there are some repeating melodies from the first part, but the band manages to stay original and create a whole new atmosphere within this track. It ends off the album magnificently with this great performance.'

In conclusion, every listener of progressive rock needs to hear this marvelous sensation and feel the experience and excitement that is Of Queues and Cures. Literally, this is one of my top favorite albums of all time. Nothing on this record lets me down, and while this might be my second favorite Canterbury Scene album (behind Hatfield and the North's debut), it is impossibly close. I would give this record a perfect 5/5, but I think it's just barely out of reach, mainly because of that eight-second song (if you could call it that), and when talking about perfection, everything matters. My official rating is 4.75/5. I would highly recommend it to all listeners of this genre if you haven't already. It's incredible!

 Space Shanty by KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1972
4.29 | 871 ratings

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Space Shanty
Khan Canterbury Scene

Review by Lobster77

4 stars "KHAN" were a 4 piece made up of Canterbury-influenced musicians who later went on to their own projects, primarily guitarist Steve Hillage. He and keyboard virtuoso Dave Stewart dominate the album with better-than-average prog ideas that are intermittently interrupted by "far out" hippie rock cliches in the vocal verses of the song. Which is too bad, because it somewhat distracts and detracts from some creative instrumental work that is as playful as it is complex. I like what user Loserboy said that some of Dave Stewarts best Hammond work is on here, he's definitely right. Dave Stewart's keyboard sounds and arrangements make this album more detailed than spacy, despite the silly outer-space themes (especially compared to Hillage's subsequent work with the much more psychedelic band Gong). Whether playing rhythms, arrangements, or psych/hard rock leads, Hillage's guitar style is strong and unique. Many of the tendencies of prog rock, for better and/or worse, are abundant on this lesser-known release during its heyday. some of these tracks on their sophomore album ( that wouldn't be released) would be placed onto Steve hillage's solo debut "Fish Rising". 4.0 Canterbury classic
 Radio Gnome Invisible Part 1 - Flying Teapot by GONG album cover Studio Album, 1973
3.95 | 683 ratings

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Radio Gnome Invisible Part 1 - Flying Teapot
Gong Canterbury Scene

Review by Lobster77

4 stars "Flying Teapot" is the first instalment of the incredible "Radio Gnome Invisible" series, which tells the story of the Planet GonG, a world inhabited by creatures called Pixies whose bizzare method of transport gives the album it's name. For those of you not farmiliar with the Gong Mythology (which is detailed in this series), a brief plot synopsis may be in order.

The story begins when the pig-farming Egyptologist Mr. Tea Being is sold a "Magik Ear Ring" by the enegmatic Antique Tea Pot Street Vendor and Tea Label Collector known only as Fred the Fish. The ear ring is capable of getting messages from the planet GonG via a pirate radio station known as Radio Gnome Invisible. The two travel to the Hymalayas, where they meet (in a cave) the Great Beer Yogi, Banana Andana, a figure who tends to chant "Banana Nirvana Manana" and get drunk on Foster's a lot. Meanwhile, elsewhere on Earth, the protagonist Zero the Hero is going about his everyday business when he experiences a vision which causes him to start worshiping the Cock Pot Pixie (also known as Hashman), one of the Pot Head Pixies of Planet GonG. Zero is distracted, however, by a cat, which he offers fish and chips to. The cat is actually the Good Witch Yoni, who gives Zero a potion which knocks him out, thus concluding the album. Characters in the Mythology can easily be equated to band members: Tea Being is bassist Mike Howlett, Zero the Hero is Allen himself, Didier Malherbe (who met Allen and Smyth in a cave on Majorca) is Banana Andana, and the Good Witch Yoni Gilli Smyth.

Radio Gnome Invisible- One of the stranger tracks on the album, which has strong overtones of the band's earlier releases as well as the subtleties that the group aquires with their musical progression. Flying Teapot- Easily the highlight of the album, this twelve minute piece makes great use of saxophone, piano, spacey effects over a great bass line and solid beat. Pot Head Pixies- One of the more surreal songs on the album. While comparatively short, its idiosyncratic lyrics and catchy tune make it instantly likeable. Octave Doctors- This track is the only major annoyance on the album. Lasting barely longer than a minute, it seems to have been included solely as a link between the third and fifth tracks (and as an excuse for Blake to experiment with his synths).

Zero the Hero- In terms of the plotline, this is the most important track on the album, introducing us to the protagonist Zero. Malherbe's sax playing is excellent here, and the mirific ambiences seen here act as a preview to some of the atmospheres in Angel's Egg, the next instalment of the trillogy. An absolutely amazing song. Witch's Song- Contains good instrumental parts, but Gilli Symth's lyrical parts detract somewhat from the overall quality. However, a good track with a more schizophrenic style than its predecessors, which provides a great end note for the album.

Overall- A great album -hampered only by poor sound quality and slightly weak production- which is definately the base for the success of the later albums of the Trillogy ("Angel's Egg" and "You"). Although one must listen several time in order to get used to the eccentric psychadelia of the album (and the gong Mythology, see above), it is more than worth the effort. The use of jazz-style improv, early synthesisers and a completely unique style make this an excellent addition to any progressive music collection. 4.0 great concept album

 Fish Rising by HILLAGE, STEVE album cover Studio Album, 1975
4.11 | 529 ratings

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Fish Rising
Steve Hillage Canterbury Scene

Review by Lobster77

5 stars Steve Hillage begins his solo career with one of the greatest albums of the progressive and psychedelic rock era. Much of the material for this album was written years earlier, even before Hillage joined Gong for their classic "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy. Parts were originally meant to be on the sophomore Khan record, Hillage's earlier jazzy, Canterbury style band. Seeing as Hillage was still a member of Gong when recording this album, the rest of the band joins him to carve out his vision. The result is a jaw-dropping spaced out wonder.

The bulk of the record is taken up by three multi-part epics, starting with the highlight "Solar Musick Suite". This 17- minute opus developed from a song originally played with Khan and then Gong, and here it is in its fully fleshed out glory, taking up almost the entire first side of the LP. Hillage and the band move through many different moods, textures and tempos with graceful ease, playing with time in a way not many musicians can. Hillage's lyrics are idealistic new age spiritual hippy themes, which can be an aquired taste. The song moves through mellow parts, knotty parts and eases into great grooves that let Hillage rip on the Gitfish, culminating in a ferociously intense jam that brings to mind an extremely psychedelic Mahavishnu Orchestra. "Fish" and "Meditation of the Snake" serve as an interlude to the other mega compositions of the record, ending the first side or "Inglid".

The second side "Outglid" begins with the Hillage concert staple "The Salmon Song". If there was a radio single from this album, it's this 8 and a half minute aquatic rocker. With a straightforward rock riff this is the most conventional song on the record. Theres another mind-bending complex part in the middle before the main riff comes back in and Hillage once again takes it into the stratosphere with an amazing solo. The last song might be the most complex, with the 7 part "Aftaglid". This track moves through many different sections; loose jams, polyrhythmic chaos, pastoral acoustics, Middle-Eastern mantras, and glorious freak outs. The song builds to yet another intense jam and brings the album to a very satisfying conclusion.

Steve Hillage has created a masterpiece of a record, one of the last breaths of the original progressive and psychedelic rock era. His later albums would all follow the Zen filled vibes of this album, but never quite reach the psychedelic heights of this.4.5 great debut from one of the best canterbury guitarists. FISH

 Live at Danfest by ZOPP album cover Live, 2024
4.05 | 18 ratings

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Live at Danfest
Zopp Canterbury Scene

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars I was really curious to hear what ZOPP would sound like in a live setting. They are the duo of Ryan Stevenson, the leader, composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. And a real drummer! That would be Andrea Moneta. Between these two guys, they can do it all in the studio. Doing this live though with just two? Tough gig(haha). So Ryan added a sax/flute player, a guitarist, and a bass/piano/synth player. A five piece here playing live at "The Musician", in Leicester, England, November 26, 2023. Released in 2024. So ZOPP have released two studio albums, and now two live records. And the live ones are their two very first shows. Apparently 5 weeks of rehearsals went into this latest show.

Ashley Raynor on bass here was a great choice. He's upfront and quite impressive. I have to say this album was so uplifting to listen to all last week. Like being warm and cozy in my warm little house while the blizzard rages outside. Those distorted keyboards that are Canterbury 101 are all over this album, more so than the studio records. It's like Dave Stewart in his younger days, although Dave stands alone in my opinion as the greatest Canterbury keyboardist.

We get those two 14 plus minute monsters from "Dominion" to open and close this record. That would be "You" and "Toxicity" and both are amazing here but I prefer "You". We get an unreleased track in "Perspektiv", and it sure sounds similar to the previous song "Uppmarksamhet", both are all instrumental, and they blend into each other here. Some majestic mellotron and organ on this new one. The only track from the debut is "Before The Light" which Ryan introduces as "a golden oldie".

Not a perfect record by any means, and I prefer the two studio albums to this, but talk about bringing a smile to my face every time I spun this recording. I love my Canterbury. Some real moments on this one, and they are throughout this 42 minute album. Highly recommended to Canterbury fans out there.

 Lys fremtid i mørke by ACTIONFREDAG album cover Studio Album, 2024
4.06 | 24 ratings

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Lys fremtid i mørke
Actionfredag Canterbury Scene

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars ACTIONFREDAG are a six piece band out of Norway, and this is their sophomore release from 2024. And while their debut was just released a year earlier in 2023, that album was recorded in the fall of 2020. I say that because the music here is different. Yes, they walk those familiar Canterbury paths with the keyboards and female wordless vocals, which along with the similar themed art work connects the two recordings. We get the same lineup as well it should be noted.

They thank "All the lovely people in..." And they mention Jordsjo, Wobbler, The Chronicles Of Father Robin, Tusmorke, Panzerpappa, The Samuel Jackson Five among others. Some returning guests like the duo from JORDSJO and a couple of others. Unfortunately Steiner Borve is not back from PANZERPAPPA playing sax. Both albums are 40 minutes but this one has ten tracks while the debut has six songs. And while a couple of reviewers whose opinions I respect feel this second one is much better than the debut, I have to disagree. Just my musical tastes really, but I feel the debut is a 4.5 star record while this is a solid 4 stars, so a step down.

I like the debut cover art more as well, especially when you open it up to that two panel scene. Having said that if I could pick one song from either album I would pick the closer from this second one called "Thank You Kleveland". I'm at a bit of a loss to explain why, other than I love how repetitive it is, and the intensity. It turns more powerful late. Now the previous three tracks before this closer are probably my least favourites. So yes I feel this album isn't as consistent as the debut.

I do really like both of the "Dali Lamas Five-Dollar Mamas" tracks very much. They remind me of the debut with so much going on and there's plenty of energy too. Brighter sounds thanks to the keyboards. Catchy and a nod to Canterbury. That opener is a new direction and one I do like. The first section is familiar with those avalanche of sounds that fluctuate. How good is this! But then the change as it turns darker and more intense. A nice contrast as well between the opening two songs.

Track three is mellow with female vocals. Too relaxed really. A miss. But then "Planet Bygningsetaten" makes up for it. Next to the closer this is my second favourite. I love the contrast of the two sections, with one being female vocal led and the other male vocal led. Canterbury keys as well. "Cloudboy Blidbop" starts off in a relaxed way with guitar leading before keys and a more dynamic sound take over after 2 minutes.

This is a band I will be "in on" for a while. So much talent, and I want to see where they go from here. I will be riding this bus for a while. Nice picture of the band doing these challenging poses in the liner notes. Again the keyboardist makes me laugh.

 Turist i Eget Liv by ACTIONFREDAG album cover Studio Album, 2023
3.96 | 21 ratings

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Turist i Eget Liv
Actionfredag Canterbury Scene

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars 4.5 stars. I used to use the analogy of food to compare commercial music to Prog. The poppy stuff is like fast food that is instantly appealing but you sure get sick of it in a hurry. While adventerous music is like a gourmet meal with quality food and plenty of variety. A silly but effective way to compare what the masses keep coming back to, and what music connoisseurs appreciate. I just felt that needed to be stated again when talking about the debut record of ACTIONFREDAG.

I still can't get over the abundance of sounds where there is so much going on that it makes my head spin. They are a young Norwegien six piece with male and female vocals. Modern sounding singing I call it, sort of like what THE SAMUEL JACKSON FIVE were doing a dozen years earlier. And I did think of that band and that self titled record from 2012 a couple of times while spinning this record. And ACTIONFREDAG thank this band on the followup to this 2023 release. We get about a 39 minute album over six tracks.

While this is a young band, a couple of it's members have guested with JORDSJO and TUSMORKE, and as a result of this exposure they were able to recruit some fine guests to help out. Including the two JORDSJO guys who are here playing flute and glockenspiel. How about Steiner Brove playing sax from PANZERPAPPA. We also get guest violin, harp, female vocals, clarinet and melodica. And one other important fact is that they sing in Norwegien.

It has been a while since I have had an album cover that has kept me happily occupied as I listen to the music. So much detail in that drawing, like the guy taking a whiz against the wall, as he stands in his pee. The people looking out the various apartment windows etc. With my edition, I just open the gate fold that reveals a two panel picture with a second street. All one picture. So cool! And I like that their second album has a similar themed cover art. There is a bright sound at times, with the keys especially that again bring THE SAMUEL JACKSON FIVE to mind.

I have been putting off this review simply because I still feel it's too soon. There's just a lot to digest with this record. I don't feel like I know it enough yet, but that's also part of the appeal of the music here. The opening sounds of electric piano instantly bring to mind much of what I have been saying. Follow that intro with a high energy soundscape with so much going on and you're going to get a quick sense of what this band brings to the table. All in the first minute(lol). A good rocking instrumental to warm us up.

The second song with the very long title opens with a solo bass before turning fuller, and with vocals for the first time. This is the song that first brought THE SAMUEL JACKSON FIVE to mind, the male vocals especially. Makes me smile. Violin cries out to open "Gadgetry Cum Dystopia" and we get clarinet around 1 1/2 minutes in. Vocals after 2 minutes. An interesting piece where it turns a little darker before 3 minutes. I like this. It's building. So good! Violin is back to end it.

"Peaches En Ulven" sure has lots going on just before a minute. Active percussion to say the least. This track has female vocals that bring NATIONAL HEALTH to mind be it ever so briefly before 2 1/2 minutes. Come on! Harp later on. "Jesus I Min Bod" is so intricate and punchy with high pitched sounds before it settles to bass and electric piano, then it builds. Vocals a minute in. Man, from here to about 4 1/2 minutes there is so much to focus on. Then a calm with electric piano and bass again. Love this!

The closer is almost 9 1/2 minutes long. It's the emotion on this one that draws me in. The drumming is crisp as male vocals join in. I really like his singing. His vocals have character. After a calm around 3 minutes in, it turns surprisingly powerful with guitar and drums. Another calm after 4 minutes. Atmosphere and relaxed sounds here. Suddenly lighter guitar notes appear around 5 1/2 minutes. Some depth after 6 1/2 minutes. It seems to climax after 7 minutes but then settles again before building. Vocals 8 minutes in.

Well, like the music from THE SAMUEL JACKSON FIVE, it took some time for me to find their physical music, but man was it ever worth the wait. I regret the crossover of listening to their 2024 release just as I was still finishing up on this one, because I really wasn't finished with this debut yet. Reminds me of ZOPP just how it took many spins and some patience to finally get this amazing music to click with this old brain. This band has me wondering if there is a "sound" from Norway now.

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Canterbury Scene bands/artists list

Bands/Artists Country
ACTIONFREDAG Norway
DAEVID ALLEN Australia
AMOEBA SPLIT Spain
ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS United Kingdom
KEVIN AYERS United Kingdom
BIG HOGG United Kingdom
THE BOOT LAGOON United Kingdom
BILLIE BOTTLE United Kingdom
BRAINVILLE United Kingdom
CARAVAN United Kingdom
CLEAR FRAME United Kingdom
COS Belgium
DE LORIANS Japan
DELIVERY United Kingdom
EGG United Kingdom
THE FILIBUSTER SALOON United States
THE GHOULIES United Kingdom
MICHAEL GILES United Kingdom
GILGAMESH United Kingdom
GONG Multi-National
GOWEN - MILLER - SINCLAIR - TOMKINS United Kingdom
JOHN GREAVES United Kingdom
NICHOLAS GREENWOOD United Kingdom
GRINGO United Kingdom
HATFIELD AND THE NORTH United Kingdom
HENRYTENNIS Japan
STEVE HILLAGE United Kingdom
HOMUNCULUS RES Italy
HOPPER - DEAN - TIPPETT - GALLIVAN United Kingdom
HUGH HOPPER United Kingdom
JAKKO M. JAKSZYK United Kingdom
THE KENTISH SPIRES United Kingdom
KHAN United Kingdom
THE LODGE United States
LUNOPHONE Multi-National
MAGIC BUS United Kingdom
MANNA / MIRAGE United States
MASTER CYLINDER United States
MATCHING MOLE United Kingdom
MILLER & COXHILL United Kingdom
PHIL MILLER United Kingdom
MOLESLOPE Japan
MOOM United Kingdom
MOVING GELATINE PLATES France
MR. SIRIUS Japan
THE MUFFINS United States
NATIONAL HEALTH United Kingdom
OCARINAH France
PANTHEON Netherlands
PAZOP Belgium
TOM PENAGUIN France
JOHN G. PERRY United Kingdom
PICCHIO DAL POZZO Italy
THE POLITE FORCE United Kingdom
PIP PYLE United Kingdom
QUANTUM JUMP United Kingdom
QUIET SUN United Kingdom
SHORT WAVE United Kingdom
RICHARD SINCLAIR United Kingdom
SOFT HEAP United Kingdom
SOFT MACHINE LEGACY United Kingdom
THE SOFT MACHINE United Kingdom
SOFT MOUNTAIN Multi-National
SOFT WORKS United Kingdom
STUBBS Japan
SUPERSISTER Netherlands
SUPPLY DEMAND & CURVE Ireland
TORTILLA FLAT Germany
TRAVELLING France
TWENTY FIVE VIEWS OF WORTHING United Kingdom
VOLARÉ United States
THE WILDE FLOWERS United Kingdom
THE WINSTONS Italy
ROBERT WYATT United Kingdom
ZOPP United Kingdom
ZYMA Germany

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