Conference marvin::uk_music

    This is because they had one vital ingredient in their music (this also
    applies to other Virgin-labelmates like Henry Cow or Robert Wyatt)
    which was totally lacking from the works of ELP, Yes, etc., namely a
    sense of humour.
    
    Bob 

    RE: .1 Absolutely!
    
    I haven't heard Dave Stewart's work in ages; does it sound similar to
    what he did with Hatfield, Egg, National Health, Hillage...?
     

    
    Egg? Tell me, was Dave Stewart in Egg? If so when? I remember going to
    a dance in the village hall in Wing (Bucks) in 71/72 and they had
    booked this band called Egg. Well, what a disaster. The band seemed to
    go off on their own progressive, electronic extravaganza. Definitely NOT
    what the dance required. Most people seemed to sit around bored stiff
    watching these guys do their thing and then drifting off eventually to
    the local.
    
    Did I see Dave Stewart? This is the burning question.
    
    Richard

    Dave Stewart was indeed in EGG. The band lasted upto 72 before they
    split. The drummer, Clive Brooks, joined the Groundhogs. Stewart formed
    Khan before the Hatfields, while the other Egg, whose name escapes me,
    went to National Health.

    It's possibly not Egg's fault that they were hired for a dance. 
    
    As Ian anderson said at the beginning of "Thick as a Brick": "Really
    don't mind if you sit this one out."  
    
    :-) 
    
    

	If I can remember correctly, on the LP Civil Surface, Egg are joined
	by Barbara Gaskin on violin if I'm not mistaken. Is this Stewarts
	missus by any chance ??

		p1

re .4

The other Egg was bassist Mont Campbell.


Chris

    I've ordered a "National Health" disc via mail. I'll report here on its
    quality when I get it. The two Japanese Hatfield CDs I have are
    excellent! Bonus tracks include "Let's Eat (Real Soon)" b/w 
    "Fitter Stokes Has a Bath" on the first disc, and several 
    live tracks from the album "Afters" on The Rotter's Club. 
    
    Someone also said I might like the band Caravan, which as 
    I understand it featured Richard Sinclair on vocals. Any
    recommendations on Caravan? 
    
    

re -1

Your tastes may differ, but I always found Caravan a bit on the twee side. I
occasionally found the same problem with Hatfield (particularly when Richard
Sinclair was singing), but there was always enough good music wrapped around it
to allow me to ignore it.


Chris

    re .8
    
    
    "In The Land of Grey and Pink" by Caravan is worth a listen.
    
    H

"Canterbury Tales" is a compilation album and is well worth a listen as 
an introduction to Caravan.  Otherwise, I'd also vote for "In the land of 
grey and pink" an add "For girls who grow plump in the night".

Happy Listening

Mike

    I'm in the boring old US of A and was just yesterday committing some
    Hatfield and National Health LPs to tape.  What's the CD situation for
    these bands in the UK?  Have any of them been reissued?
    
    Also related stuff like Gilgamesh, Soft Heap, etc.  
    
    Were these bands popular at all during their day?  Since they seldom
    came to the US, over here they definitely are cult favorites only. 
    
    What the heck is Richard Sinclair up to these days?  After a brief stay
    with Camel he seems to have vanished as far as I can tell.  He guests
    vocally on a Phil Miller CD I got a few months ago but other than
    that, nothing.
    
    						BRIAN

I've seen all the Hatfield stuff available on CD. I haven't seen the National
Health stuff (not that I've been looking, I've got it all on vinyl). I've never
seen any Gilgamesh on CD.

You're correct to assume that these bands were never "big" in the accepted 
sense. I think the closest that Hatfield ever came to rock stardom was backing
Robert Wyatt's version of "I'm a Believer" on Top of the Pops.

I haven't heard of Richard Sinclair in a while (except on that Phil Miller
outing that you quote). I only come across Miller at jazz gigs these days. Dave
Stewart is making records with his partner Barbara Gaskin (ex-Northette). And
Alan Gowan is dead.


Chris

    The self-titled NATIONAL HEALTH is on CD out of Germany - I've ordered
    it, but it has yet to arrive, and at least once I have been told
    that CDs I've ordered from Deutschland have been out of print. 
    
    Both Hatfield and the North and The Rotter's Club are available out of
    Japan, and at least the self-titled one is available in the UK.
    
    Both Egg Cds are available out of Japan; there exists a Virgin
    subsidiary in Japan. 
    
    I've never seen Gilgamesh on CD either, but I have seen Henry Cow and
    Peter Blegvad. 
    

    RE: .12 Soft Heap
    
    Do you mean Soft Machine?
     

    According to the liner notes on the National Health "D.C. Al Coda"
    album, Alan Gowen formed a couple of short-lived bands with various
    Hatfield/Softs/Glilgamesh/etc. personnel that toured in Europe under
    the names Soft Heap and Soft Head.  At least one Soft Heap LP was
    recorded.
    
    As an aside, as far as Soft Machine goes, I have seen a whopping two
    CDs here in the US, "Live at the Proms" on Reckless (have this,
    passable audio quality, good playing) and "Third" on CBS (haven't
    picked this up yet, it's in the Nice Price series).
    
    					Brian

re -1

Most of Soft Machine's stuff is available on CD (even the early Robert Wyatt/
Kevin Ayers model, before they turned into a fusion band). There is also a low
price "compilation" of stuff from their last three albums ("Bundles", "Softs",
and "Live in Paris").

I still have fond memories of Mike Ratledge's organ!


Chris

    Richard Sinclair is still around - just this week on the radio I heard
    an ad for a gig by his latest band, Caravan of Dreams.
    
    Bob

    Well, I finally have "In the Land of Grey and Pink." 
    
    Surprisingly good! I expected that music from 1971 would sound terribly
    dated, but the musicianship is very good, as is the songwriting. From
    the opening horn riff, you know you're in for a treat. 
    
    So this is my first Caravan CD. I guess I tend to like the shorter
    songs, since sometimes on the longer pieces the band occasionally
    drifts aimlessly. 
    
    "For Girls Who Grow Plump", "If I Could Do It All Over Again,"
    and "Caravan of Dreams" are listed in my CD catalogue. "Canterbury
    Tales" is out of print, as far as I can tell. 
    
    So, "For Girls Who Grow Plump" is the next recommendation? 
    

    Re:.19 : Try "If I could do it again..." as your next Caravan cd.
    Unfortunately, the first & in my view, best Caravan LP (& rarest)
    called "Caravan" is still not on cd. It's a cross between "Grey & Pink"
    & early Pink Floyd.
    
    Chris:(note.13), I've now managed to get both National Health LPs on
    cd. The other one's called "Of Queues & Cures". On balance I still
    prefer the Egg cd's, though its a pretty close thing.
    (PS. paid 6.50pds for each cd in a 2nd hand Aldershot record shop.
    
    Alex