Henry Cow
Concerts

"Concerts" is a double album from forty-one years ago by the well-known Henry Cow. One of the most illustrious and creative faces of the Canterbury Sound, in those picturesque seventies where a masterpiece was released every three months. They made at least two, "Legend" and "In Praise Of Learning", the latter containing the gem "Living In The Heart Of The Beast". With the theatrical labyrinths of Zappa and the ecstatic tones of the early Soft Machine already existing, they project into an extremely original jazz rock.

Twilight sounds, abrupt accents, sudden rhythms, alienation, fear, and Dadaism. All these whirling ballets will become the Bible for Univers Zero, just to give us an idea of the landscape where the ideas of Frith & Co. will arrive. This gem encapsulates the golden period, meaning concerts from 1974 to 1975 in the Netherlands, London, Norway, and also in Italy. They will return here in Ravenna at the Festa di Unità Proletaria in the fiery 1978 (unmissable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26aeIlprjjU).

It's the classic band that, despite the complexity of the compositions, revels in the freest live improvisation, proving themselves even more enterprising than on record. We then find Wyatt with "Little Red Riding Hood Hits The Road", the highly recommended "Nirvana For Mice" that surpasses the studio version and is enhanced by an impeccable performance by drummer Cutler and bassist Greaves. The high-level intersections of "Ottawa Song" and the excellent fantasies of "Ruins", from the underrated "Unrest", are other tracks that show the superior caliber of the ensemble.

We find Cutler unfurling his intricate plots also on the piano, as in the "free jazz" of "Oslo". "Groningen" and "Off The Map" are the other improvisations, about eight minutes each, of this sonorous mosaic.

The decadent cover envelops us in the occultism of "Beautiful As The Moon", a track from that blessed "In Praise Of Learning". Nonetheless, all the tracks manage to fully engage the ear. The risk of a live album can be having "dead moments" or less than perfect audio, but in Henry Cow's "Concerts" there is no trace of this.

It's an efficient "pocket-sized" representation of the band, useful both for fans and newcomers. Absolutely worth knowing about.