National Health
D.S. al Coda

By mid-1981, the flame of Alan Gowen's life gets extinguished... But another reignites a year later to cast one last spark before vanishing forever. It's National Health reuniting to extend their greetings and thanks to the lost friend... And they do so in music, of course.

Alan's compositions are performed with that love and passion that only his old companions could effectively transmit, rendering this "D.S. al Coda" a worthy and heartfelt tribute to such an extraordinary figure.

The lineup is the same as "Of Queues and Cures," but the guests making appearances throughout the album's progress increase the number of musicians present at the recordings to dizzying heights. Dave Stewart, Phil Miller, John Graves, and Pip Pyle are joined by Jimmy Hastings, Elton Dean, Amanda Parsons, Barbara Gaskin, Richard Sinclair, Ted Emmet, and Annie Whitehead.

Despite Dave's synthesizer and Pip's use, albeit limited, of the electronic drums diverge from the sounds of previous works (though I repeat that the use of new instruments is done very moderately and intelligently despite the trends of that era), the tracks are still enveloped by that indefinable magical aura that has always distinguished them and do not make you miss the past at all. The record has much to offer, varied without leaning too much and incredibly enjoyable despite its complexity (all hallmarks of Alan's production).

There's truly room for everyone: the vibrant opening theme "Portrait of a Shrinking Man" brings Ted's and Annie's trumpets to the forefront before giving way to Elton's irrepressible saxophone, which steals the scene from the keyboards on more than one occasion in "I Feel a Night Coming On", where it almost seems like the two instruments are engaging in a dialogue about some mysterious topic, at least until Phil's guitar comes in to bring everyone to agreement. The latter becomes the protagonist in the execution of the two brief tracks taken from Gilgamesh's production and navigates expertly through the more lively sections (T.N.T.F.X.) as well as the more melodic ones (Arriving Twice). Amanda and Barbara lend their voices in "Tales of a Damson Knight" while John and Pip unleash in the subsequent "Flanagans People", the only piece performed solely by the four official members of the group. The more romantic side of the compositions is embodied by Jimmy's flute, which, first duetting with Richard's voice (Black Hat), then embracing Dave's keyboards (Shining Water), resurrects the dreamy style of the early National Health, leading us to a jewel of incredible beauty such as "Toad of Toad Hall", where the graceful and fantastic airs woven by the musicians guide us to the end of this yet another masterpiece produced in the Canterbury area.

The album cover depicts Alan during the period when the effects of leukemia are hard to hide, given its relentless progress. Even the title seems to indicate how rapidly the disease came to kill him; "D.S. al Coda" (which means "Dal Segno al Coda") is an annotation used in music to skip certain passages, as in this case, where it sadly reached the end too prematurely.