From: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org (idealcopy-digest) To: idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Subject: idealcopy-digest V11 #33 Reply-To: idealcopy@smoe.org Sender: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk idealcopy-digest Tuesday, February 17 2009 Volume 11 : Number 033 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [idealcopy] Re: idealcopy-digest V11 #32 OT:Henry Cow Box [tony clough Subject: [idealcopy] Re: idealcopy-digest V11 #32 OT:Henry Cow Box Thanks for bringing this up Giluz. I guess there will be a few fans of the Cow on this list so I'll add my 2 cents... The DVD, for some reason, did make me a bit tearful. I've seen most of the musicians in one way or another over the years but never saw them together and, as you say, this is the one known recording to survive. It does seem like a lost world. I'd take issue slightly in that by 76 I think they were just past their peak. Hodgkinson and Cooper (then emerging as a composer) were writing long pieces, weighted towards European classicism. The lyrics were sometimes abstruse and turgid and, in my view , haven't aged well (though are entirely emblematic of the time). Frith indicates he had an urge to write shorter, sharper stuff, hence the argument that lead sessions for the next Henry Cow album to become re-designated as Art Bears, a project in which Cutler's lyrics, embodying the same sort of ideological principles and classical references as before, were, nonetheless comprehensible with a bit of intelligence and sensitivity on the part of the listener rather than requiring a thesaurus, classical education and degree in Marxist theory to make any sense. Eg. Each life is present in this way: Each fashioned thing speaks of its change. ("The Slave") That's economical (pun intended) and better, I'd say, than stuff about "clothes of chaos are my rage" from Hodgkinson's "Living in the Heart of the Beast" - and you're right, the ending is rousing. (By the way, I can't recommend the 2nd Art Bear's album, "Winter Songs" more strongly. Like "The Madcap Laughs", "Rock Bottom", "Trout Mask Replica" or "Pink Flag" its something of a thing unto itself.) Like Giluz says, the documentation is substantial and engaging. There's surprising little about politics (except a bit of stuff about gender politics) which is possibly telling and you can do a bit of reading between the lines where the various reminiscences of the band and associates are concerned. Georgie Born, whose contribution to the band wasn't properly documented until now, and who appears in the dvd in regulation-issue boiler suit, speaks of the humourlessness of the time though doesn't regret it. The discs include good quality recordings from early radio sessions (often bootlegged) though these are attributed to "unmarked tapes" for obvious reasons. The rest of the set includes masterfully cleaned up audience recordings and recordings licensed from European radio stations. As Cutler is keen to point out, the band's improvisatory work is brought to the fore, rectifying an imbalance in the existing recorded output. I'll shut up now and say, if you're a HC fan and the credit crunch has left you with any spare cash, you will need this set. In terms of what Giluz says is in it, I paid B#99 for the two live boxes on subscription which included 1 dvd, 9 cds, a bonus, numbered cd and an empty box in which to put the existing studio albums. Regards, Tony. > Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:08:18 +0200 > From: giluz > Subject: [idealcopy] OT: Henry Cow's 40th Anniversary Box Sets > > Finally received the 2 tour boxes. The 1st box, containing the remastered > studio albums, is still on its way. The Road boxes span performances from > the early till the late '70's, all in adequate and sometimes very good > quality - most of the live versions are better than the studio ones, and > the linear notes are detailed and illuminating as one might expect from > an ReR release. But the best, in my opinion, is the DVD of a live > performance in Switzerland, 1976, the only video footage of Henry Cow. An > electrifying performance which encompasses all of HC's virtues as a live > band - the balance between improvised and written music, the right > combination of jazz, rock and modern classical and the inevitable > connection between art and politics. Watching Dagmar Krause's performance > at the last 5 minutes of "Living in the Heart of the Beast" makes you > want to storm the streets of your town in search of the revolution (none > found in Tel-Aviv, less than a week after Israel elected its most extreme > right-wing parliament ever). This is revolutionary music, not only > because it addresses political issues in its lyrics, and not only because > it conforms with marxist theories (Adorno and Brecht, especially) - > mainly because each musician, and most of them are virtuose multi > instrumentalists, play like the next note will be the last he (or she) > would ever play. The dedication, commitment and hunger, quite noticeable > in the recordings but so much more so in the video, make this one of the > best performances I watched on video, and reminded me what a great band > they were. > > "Art is not a mirror - it is a hammer", as quoted in the back sleeve of > "In Praise of Learning" (a quote from John Grierson, the founder of the > British Documentary Movement in the 1920's, director producer and > theorist who defined documentary film more than any other person) is > still the best description for HC. > > The complete 3 boxes (14 CD's + 1 DVD) cost only 99 quid. All of the > details are at > http://www.rermegacorp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=R > M&Category_Code=CU > > > giluz > - -- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:28:26 +0200 From: giluz Subject: Fwd: [idealcopy] Re: idealcopy-digest V11 #32 OT:Henry Cow Box - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: giluz Date: 2009/2/16 Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Re: idealcopy-digest V11 #32 OT:Henry Cow Box To: tony clough 2009/2/16 tony clough > > I'd take issue slightly in that by 76 I think they were just past their > peak. Hodgkinson and Cooper (then emerging as a composer) were writing long > pieces, weighted towards European classicism. The lyrics were sometimes > abstruse and turgid and, in my view , haven't aged well (though are entirely > emblematic of the time). Frith indicates he had an urge to write shorter, > sharper stuff, hence the argument that lead sessions for the next Henry Cow > album to become re-designated as Art Bears, a project in which Cutler's > lyrics, embodying the same sort of ideological principles and classical > references as before, were, nonetheless comprehensible with a bit of > intelligence and sensitivity on the part of the listener rather than > requiring a thesaurus, classical education and degree in Marxist theory to > make any sense. Eg. Quite right - Art Bears were the next evolutionary step. News From Babel were another good HC offspring, with Lindsay Cooper as the main composer, instead of Frith. One thing that bugs me is that of all the people familliar with Frith's post-80's NY period, hardly anyone knows the stuff he did with HC and AB. > > (By the way, I can't recommend the 2nd Art Bear's album, "Winter Songs" > more strongly. Like "The Madcap Laughs", "Rock Bottom", "Trout Mask Replica" > or "Pink Flag" its something of a thing unto itself.) My Art Bears favourite is the darker, harsher " The World As It Is Today" - Art Bears also released their own box of remasters + remixes + outtakes a few years ago which is highly recommended. > > Like Giluz says, the documentation is substantial and engaging. There's > surprising little about politics (except a bit of stuff about gender > politics) which is possibly telling and you can do a bit of reading > between the lines where the various reminiscences of the band and associates > are concerned. Georgie Born, whose contribution to the band wasn't properly > documented until now, and who appears in the dvd in regulation-issue boiler > suit, speaks of the humourlessness of the time though doesn't regret it. What saved them from the usual prog-rock wankerism was their innovation and ideology (and also the fact that they didn't write about green gnomes dancing in their back garden). It is the conviction in Dagmar's singing that sent me back to the "In Praise of Learning" vinyl for the lyrics of "Living in the Heart of the Beast", only to find out it dry, pompous and academic without her voice to carry. I had a short talk with Chris Cutler a few years ago about his book "File Under Popular" and he did say its first edition was a bit too politically militant - Maybe he also thinks the same regarding HC's lyrics at the time. Art Bears' texts, besides being more minimalistic and straightforward, were quite a move from their 70's social theory texts, especially because they acquired a sober pessimism which was quite more apt and much more realistic. Texts like "The Song of Investment Capital Overseas" or "The Song Of The Martyrs" are still relevant nowadays, whereas most of HC's texts, even those written by Cutler, are dated. Does anyone know why Dagmar Krause did not release anything in the last decade? She was giluz - -- Now playing: http://www.last.fm/user/giluz/ - -- Now playing: http://www.last.fm/user/giluz/ ------------------------------ End of idealcopy-digest V11 #33 *******************************