Label: Esoteric Recordings (UK), ECLEC2140
Style: Art Rock, Progressive Rock, Jazz-Rock, Canterbury Scene
Country: Canterbury, England
Time: 62:21
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 390 Mb
Displaying
some of the most stunning musicianship ever associated with England's
Canterbury scene, Hatfield and the North's second LP features, like
their eponymous debut, Dave Stewart on keyboards, Phil Miller on guitar,
Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals, and Pip Pyle on drums
(supplemented by a few guest instrumentalists and the ever-ethereal
Northettes with their "la la" backing vocals). The participants show an
admirable sense of restraint and, like their Canterbury peers, are
careful to avoid the pomposity and bombast of better-known prog rockers
of the era, such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes. The Hatfields'
convoluted instrumental passages segue into the occasional Sinclair
vocal vehicle, in which the exemplary bassist sings in a polite and
mellow croon that utterly avoids melismatic displays, histrionics, or
over-emoting; in other words, his style -- closer to, say, Bing Crosby
than, say, Joe Cocker -- would likely cause many 21st century pop music
listeners to scratch their heads with bemusement. And the songs' rather
whimsical lyrical content, while perhaps another conscious attempt to
steer clear of the pretentiousness of the typically overbearing prog
rock song style, certainly reflects a '60s/'70s mindset more than a 21st
century one, so today's jaded listeners should realign their
expectations. Things get off to a strong start with "Share It," a catchy
little number with Sinclair expressing some idealistic and
hard-to-criticize Brit hippie sentiments. Elsewhere, the "songs" are few
and far between, but crop up in odd spots nevertheless; the Hatfields
were masters of the segue and the most accomplished demonstrations of
instrumental technique wind up bleeding into ditties that might seem out
of place to some. But Stewart, Miller, Sinclair, and Pyle all make
wonderful instrumental statements. Particularly noteworthy are Miller's
two short jazzy numbers, "Lounging There Trying" and "Underdub," which,
with their sparkling electric piano work from Stewart, have a light and
airy improvisational feel despite rather thorough scoring; Pyle's
propulsive "Yes No Interlude" with its furious melding of Stewart's
keyboards and the sax of guest Jimmy Hastings; and Stewart's 20-minute
opus "Mumps." The latter is particularly impressive, with everything
anyone would want from an extended-form Canterbury-style workout. The
piece ebbs and flows through nimbly executed thematic passages and
variations, featuring one of Stewart's most compelling themes and also
one of the best fuzz organ solos that he (or Mike Ratledge or David
Sinclair for that matter) ever recorded. Smack dab in the middle of it
all, another Sinclair-sung tune arrives, this time making punning use of
letters of the alphabet. But the suite gets back on track with a
dramatic instrumental coda, melding spacy effects, more great organ
playing from Stewart, and spectacularly executed unison lines from
Miller and Hastings in crescendo before the final fade.
(allmusic.com/album/the-rotters-club-mw0000651029#trackListing)
01. Share It (03:03)
02. Lounging There Trying (03:15)
03. (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology On The Jaw (00:43)
04. Chaos At The Greasy Spoon (00:30)
05. The Yes - No Interlude (07:01)
06. Fitter Stoke Has A Bath (07:33)
07. Didn't Matter Anyway (03:30)
08. Underdub (03:54)
09. Mumps (20:29)
10. Halfway Between Heaven And Earth (live) (06:20)
11. Oh, Len's Nature! (live) (02:00)
12. Lything And Gracing (live) (03:58)
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