Henry Cow Discussion

[Mr.Krautman]

What happened to the composers?

For pure improvisation you don't need "composers".
H.C back then was a mix of (mostly) improv. and (more or less) structured/composed "songs".
In today's H.N the composed parts are gone, all that still remains now is improv.
You may like it or not but it's a different band, even if some original members are still there.

[Mister Triscuits]

our mindset was mainly "Oh Wow! It's Henry Cow!"

Wait for their next reconfiguration as Henry Wow.

[Mr.Krautman]

Wait for their next reconfiguration as Henry Wow.

That's only if Dagmar rejoins. (probability factor: close to 0%)

... but I think Catherine Jauniaux could certainly fit well in the current lineup.

[moecurlythanu]

They could add a chamber orchestra and call themselves Henry Sow.

[Kcrimso]

They could add a chamber orchestra and call themselves Henry Sow.

They would make also a great Bowie Berlin era cover band Henry Low.

[Mister Triscuits]

Or they could all become monks; then they would be Henry Vow.

[arturs]

or incorporate themes from Chinese Philosophy as "Henry Tao"

[neuroticdog]

Isn't this the band that prostrates themselves in prayer every morning..?

...oh sorry that's Henry KowTow

best
Michael

[Dave (in MA)]

or incorporate themes from Chinese Philosophy as "Henry Tao"

They could play country & western tunes and call themselves Hank Cow.

[Trane]

or incorporate themes from Chinese Philosophy as "Henry Tao"

They could play country & western tunes and call themselves Hank Cow.

Holly Cow!!

[Piskie]

Listening to some of their music they get a bit Henry Meow.

[unclemeat]

An interview with Chris Cutler and Maggie Thomas, partly about Henry Cow and Magma :
https://shorturl.at/qQW24

[Zeuhlmate]

An interview with Chris Cutler and Maggie Thomas, partly about Henry Cow and Magma :
https://shorturl.at/qQW24

Interesting, thanx !!!

[Kcrimso]

Unrest celebrates its 50th anniversary today! For me, Unrest is one of the most important albums. A true desert island album. I wrote a review of the album and as Lindsay Cooper is one of my favourite musicians, I wanted to pay tribute to her in the text.

https://pienemmatpurot.com/review-he...w-unrest-1974/

[Batchman]

Thanks to Kcrimso's review and mention of Lindsay Cooper, I decided to look into her previous band Comus. The Wikipedia, Discogs and Progarchives pages list 3 Comus studio albums, but there is also a fourth album "Brishti" on the Comus YouTube channel which isn't mentioned. (It is listed on the musicboard page at https://musicboard.app/artist/comus/releases, though.) What do you know about that one?

[Kcrimso]

Thanks to Kcrimso's review and mention of Lindsay Cooper, I decided to look into her previous band Comus. The Wikipedia, Discogs and Progarchives pages list 3 Comus studio albums, but there is also a fourth album "Brishti" on the Comus YouTube channel which isn't mentioned. (It is listed on the musicboard page at https://musicboard.app/artist/comus/releases, though.) What do you know about that one?

Thanks for reading!

I am aware of only of two Comus albums and one EP.

[Batchman]

Thanks for reading!

I am aware of only of two Comus albums and one EP.

I presume the third album of which you are unaware must be "Out of the Coma," which was their 2012 reunion album. (But "Brishti," about which I can find no other info, has a 2009 release date listed.)

[moecurlythanu]

Not aware of Brishti. Discogs doesn't show it under their heading. 3 studio, 2 live, singles/EP, a comp and a video offering.

[Batchman]

Not aware of Brishti. Discogs doesn't show it under their heading. 3 studio, 2 live, singles/EP, a comp and a video offering.

Comus' YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-x...Gvh-QDpWFFV_jQ

Full album: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...mXbrVmP12j-g0g

[Baribrotzer]

Not aware of Brishti. Discogs doesn't show it under their heading. 3 studio, 2 live, singles/EP, a comp and a video offering.

A brief listen leads me to strongly suspect that the "Comus" who made Brishti aren't the same band who made First Utterance.
For starters, their music contains a fair amount of slick, proggy funk-metal highly dissimilar to the other "Comus".
For seconds, their singer doesn't sound much like Roger Wootton.
For thirds, their lyrics aren't in English.

[Batchman]

A brief listen leads me to strongly suspect that the "Comus" who made Brishti aren't the same band who made First Utterance.
For starters, their music contains a fair amount of slick, proggy funk-metal highly dissimilar to the other "Comus".
For seconds, their singer doesn't sound much like Roger Wootton.
For thirds, their lyrics aren't in English.

That pretty much answers the question. Remember that YouTube channels for music groups are usually auto-generated and not under the control of the artist. That seems to have happened here.

Just for laughs, I tried asking one of the supposedly better AI chatbots about the Brishti album. Here's what it said:

The Brishti album by Comus is their second studio album, released in 2009 after a long hiatus following their 1971 debut First Utterance. It showcases the band's return to their dark, psychedelic folk sound that made their debut so influential and acclaimed. Some key details about the Brishti album:

It was recorded in 2008 and released in 2009 on the Greedbag label.

The core members from the 1971 lineup returned - Roger Wootton on vocals/guitar, Glenn Goring on guitar, and Colin Pearson on violin.
The album maintains the eerie, unsettling atmosphere that Comus was known for on First Utterance, with Wootton's haunting vocals and lyrics exploring pagan themes.
Song titles like "Jhora Pata," "Ajo Ki Tui," and "Halucination" evoke the band's unique blend of English folk and Indian/Eastern influences.
While not reaching the legendary status of First Utterance, Brishti was praised by critics as a strong comeback that recaptured the spirit of the band's pioneering acid folk sound.

So in summary, the Brishti album marked Comus' long-awaited return after nearly 40 years, allowing them to build upon the dark, psychedelic folk style that made their 1971 debut so influential in the underground music world.

It references two sources: the Spotify page for the Brishti album and a review of the First Utterance album which doesn't mention any followups at all.

Obviously it's mixing up info about the real comeback album (Out of the Coma) with this one (and even that one was the third, not the second, album). The only true facts I can see are "It was recorded in 2008 and released in 2009 on the Greedbag label" and the listed song titles.

[Scrotum Scissor]

They could play country & western tunes and call themselves Hank Cow.

With a triple concept album and theatrical theme-tour entitled Country & Western Culture, all members wearing gaucho hats, dusty boots, smokin' barrels and totin' banjos at the donkey yee-haw rodeo.

[Mister Triscuits]

Country & Western Culture

In Praise of Book-Larnin’

[NogbadTheBad]

That pretty much answers the question. Remember that YouTube channels for music groups are usually auto-generated and not under the control of the artist. That seems to have happened here.

Just for laughs, I tried asking one of the supposedly better AI chatbots about the Brishti album. Here's what it said:


It references two sources: the Spotify page for the Brishti album and a review of the First Utterance album which doesn't mention any followups at all.

Obviously it's mixing up info about the real comeback album (Out of the Coma) with this one (and even that one was the third, not the second, album). The only true facts I can see are "It was recorded in 2008 and released in 2009 on the Greedbag label" and the listed song titles.

Very Artificial Intelligence. Not worthy of rollout IMHO

[Zappathustra]

With a triple concept album and theatrical theme-tour entitled Country & Western Culture, all members wearing gaucho hats, dusty boots, smokin' barrels and totin' banjos at the donkey yee-haw rodeo.