Customer Reviews

Leg End

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Henry Cow's music on this their first album is a rethinking of both progressive rock, its symphonic pretentions, rock and improvised music. It's radical and revolutionary. The Cow mix both incredibly complex composed pieces with stretches of improvised rock and jazz-like interplay that continually challenge the listener. You're taken on quite a wild ride with Geoff Leighs woodwinds, Fred Friths guitar, viola, the unconventional drumming of Chris Cutler, John Greaves nimble bass playing and the keyboards of Tim Hogkinson. The music is difficult and sometimes perhaps overly ambitious, but never boring. The album is almost entirely instrumental. The one piece with vocals is the Nine Funerals of the Citizen King and after hearing that one you'll know why they didn't sing on any of the other tracks. Henry Cow were trying to throw off convention and forge their own path and for the most part are successful with Leg End, their first album. They may have gotten better with subsequent albums such as the superb "Concerts" but this is a wonderful beginning and only gets 4 stars because of what was to come.

This CD, the original mix, is the one to buy. DO NOT BUY THE REMIX. It sucks because the remixers radically changed the dynamics between the instruments and added reverb over everything ruining what is an essential album of early '70s art rock.

One of the nicer things about the Nineties has been the way so many long-deleted records by bands you were dying to listen to have come back into stock. This is the original mix of Henry Cow's first album Leg End (it's a joke - look at the sock - leg end - geddit?) because the earlier CD version was apparently remixed in a way that fans objected to. The sound here, anyway, is crisp and clean and acoustic, as the delightfully earnest young men of Henry Cow power their way through their deeply unlikely tunes. Apart from some embarrassing lyrics by Tom Hodgkinson (referring to Gertrude Stein as the "mama of Dada" is glib but inaccurate), the playing is great and there's some evil improvising. Highlight is the rousing Teenbeat, perhaps the closest the Cow ever got to having an anthem. Great stuff. Plus a booklet, with some funny photos of this least glamorous of bands onstage.

Henry Cow taps into a realm of music often over-looked by the masses. In the tradition of more widely accepted artists such as King Crimson and Frank Zappa, Henry Cow blends a wide variety of instruments into a syncopated, wild, wacky experience for the senses. "Teenbeat" provides the main theme for the disc. The interplay between the woodwinds and the drums is fascinating. Overall, if you appreciate progressive/avante-garde music that is a little "off-kilter", this disc is a must-have.

This reminds me of those 70's detective tv movies, where the weird and wacky soundtrack jived and jostled all over the place; then Peter Falk would solve the most unlikely of murders, besieged it seemed, by belligerent superiors and zany camera angles.

The celluloid connection is important in my little world. If music is 'cinematic' then it goes up a notch in my estimation. If it's vast and complex (like Thomas Leer) or dynamic and sexy (like Dollar) the stars on this antiquated review points system are dripping atop each other like so many clicking poker chips.

Music should be about surprises, about little sound-deceits that play quick tricks with the ear. Startle the brain, stimulate, give pleasure (so much music is designed to do the opposite), be fun!
I love surprises. Count those stars and you'll see just how much 'Leg End' is the desired artifact. I spend a lot of time seeking out this type of stuff. Challenging-in-a-good-sense. Talented people who don't think banging things constitutes 'art', and scoff derisorily at the simpletons who do. (And there's load's of 'them')

I can't work out whether Henry Cow are snobs looking down their noses, or lads having a laugh.
Either's fine.
The music at the end of whatever process they're employing is outstanding in every sense - not the only validation they achieve. A deserved vindication.

I'm not as converse with some of this stuff as I'd like to think. It's a misnomer of sorts, this reviewing thing. There's only so much to say, only so much emotion energized by the surging brass and blistering percussion.

I'm staggered as to how good this is. From a sympathetic position anyway, I got myself further and further embroiled in it with each delirious spin. What kind of people make a marvelous music like this, then call themselves Henry Cow?
A decent vorticist would be in raptures.

Is it rock or jazz or what I hear you ask, there is no defining answer to that. If you need to ask, you may also need to ask if Henry Cow are really for you.
Too radical? Too revolutionary? Too unpredictable....

And fun(ny!). I've decided Henry Cow are neither snobs nor lay-a-bouts, they occupy a middle ground, bound to other musics only by huge swathes of time and distance. On the middle, but pushed so far forward as to become existential.
A music which throbs with this much originality, warmth and humour doesn't belong with the plebs and charlatans you usually find festering under the 'experimental' umbrella. (more like a toadstool actually, chortle!)

And the socks? Your guess is as good as mine on that one. Something profound about the cosmos or a laundry reminder maybe.
Nice pattern though...(!)

This debut album by HC is in my opinion the most demanding than the rest of their works. It is also the one HC album that I discover a new thing with every time I listen to it, even I listened to it unnumerable times over the years. I am happy then for this ReR release which gives the most adequate and splendid representation of the old original.

As for the ground and pillars of HC I do not fall into the line of other reviewers here. Being aware of that HC attracted most of its listerners from the prog secene at the time, its roots is not to be found only in progmusic. According to Cutler the average prog bands were not an inspiration to them, including Crimson and Giant. Soft Machine is named though, and at times you will hear small echoes of that, they also used to play some Soft and Mole covers at live performances. Roots is to be found as well as much in contemporary avant garde compositional music such as for instance Schoenberg, Cowell and Stockhausen and in modern jazz etc. In fact HC had a very wide range of inspiration and were not as narrow in their approach as the typical prog bands, including the canterbury scene. In HC both new classical music, jazz, blues, and rock meets, but without fusing in a predictable way and still remaining their very own signature. In this way HC is unique and have made music that will be such, "new" and original, as well as musically progressive, in the true sense of the word, for many many more years to come. A classical band!

Every recording made by Henry Cow over the course of their career has its own distinct personality - and every one is full of intelligent, challenging and (gasp!) emotional music. I place that `gasp!' in there because too many people mistakenly believe that `progressive' or `serious' music, especially that with political overtones, is void of emotion.

LEG END is easily their most accessible recording - it's the one that owes most of its style and `feel' to jazz. As in all of their work, it pushes the envelope - there are elements here of rock & roll, modern composed music, along with a healthy dose of free improvisation. I once played this for a co-worker (who's also a musician) - he asked `What's this? Jazz cacophony in any key?' It's not as unstructured as his comment might imply - but it's not something you're liable to hear played on a station that features `smooth jazz', either.

The band is made up of `typical' rock instruments, with important and influential additions. There's the rhythm section of John Greaves on bass (also playing piano, whistle, and contributing vocals) and Chris Cutler (calling him a `drummer' is a grossly unfair and misleading understatement). They work here with the amazing and (now-) legendary Fred Frith (guitar, violin, viola, piano and voice), Tim Hodgkinson (organ, clarinet, alto sax, piano, voice) and Geoff Leigh (saxes, flute, clarinet, recorder, voice). There are compositions here by individuals or combinations, plus two pieces that are credited to `H.Cow', group improvisations. There is only one extended section of lyrics on this album, in the final track, `'Nine funerals of the citizen king' - it hints at the band's political consciousness, with lines such as `...if we live, we live to tread on dead kings'. Politics became the assertive center of the Cow's music with the release of IN PRAISE OF LEARNING in 1975 - I'll discuss that recording in its own review.

The listener unfamiliar with the work of this group might think that `group improvisations' means `noise' - but that's not the case here. There are talented musicians, and very much `in tune' with each other, both instrumentally and mentally. The work they produce in this way is much more organized and flowing that might be expected. The composed pieces (which also contain some elements of improvisation) are simply stunning in their imagination, construction and execution. Strains of the opening track, Frith's `Nirvana for mice', played by the full group, can be heard played on his guitars in `extract from "With the yellow half-moon and blue star"', track 5. Throughout the album, themes appear and disappear, from track to track - they jostle each other for dominance, for the listener's attention - they emerge side by side, starting with one instrument, and are subsequently taken up by others, sometimes separating again, sometimes joining together into a full-fledged orchestrated arrangement. Present in this recording are power and restraint, strength and delicacy, in tandem and side-by-side. There is a distinct `jazz' feel to this record - as I mentioned above, each successive album by this group (recorded from 1973-1978) has its own distinct personality, due in part to changes in personnel, in part to changes in the `groupthink' undergone by musicians who were constantly challenging not only themselves but their listeners as well. This musical integrity asserted itself in a statement the band released announcing their demise as a working unit, in 1978: `...we refuse to reproduce our past in order to earn our pensions'.

That integrity was embraced - and lived - by this band throughout their career as a unit, and into the groups that emerged from their demise (Art Bears, The Work, News from Babel, &c). The members of Henry Cow have remained close, and have worked together in other amalgamations since the group's split in 1978. This is not top 40 music - it's not meant for consumption by those used to the force-fed diet featured on AOR radio - but if you're interested in music that will make you think as well as entertain, check it out. The albums they recorded are - in my humble if very biased opinion - every bit as innovative and fresh today as they were when they were released.

I couldn't care less about Rock In Opposition and its adherents; I'll take my politics with salt, thanks. The fake sock on the cover might (not) signify utility, but as it's only an emblem maybe RIO wasn't a real political stand either. So what about the music? This is the reissue of the original version of the LP, which was released on the still-fledgling Virgin label way back in '73. Unlike many of its 'progressive' contemporaries it hasn't aged much, and it's really only rock by association. (Hey! RBA! Now THERE'S a candidate for a musical movement!) Can't really call it jazz either, although it's a bit closer to that, and there's not a Mellotron or synthesizer in sight. The most engaging tracks ('Teenbeat Reprise', for example) are also the most rock-oriented, though, revealing Fred Frith's fluid if angular and sometimes Fripp-like guitar playing and Chris Cutler's never-quite-orthodox drum and percussion work. On first listen, the band's overall approach might seem a bit twee and whimsical, and it certainly seems a less sombre affair than its 1974 follow-up UNREST. But deeper listening reveals intricate structure and intention beneath the unmitigated glee despite the comical brass grunts courtesy Geoff Leigh and the occasional uncontrolled giggle. The sole extended vocal track 'Nine Funerals Of The Citizen King' which closes the album, however, almost ruins the joke by delivering the punchline.

I agree with the one reviewer in how many of us searched for music in the seventies. I think that Henry Cow is quite different though from the likes of Yes or Genesis. Henry Cow is not heavy with the mellotron, showcase guitars or flashy multi-keyboards. They use brass instraments too, which is not normal for a rock unit. The instramentalists are all exceptional and the band might be better served being compared to Oregon, Weather Report or Soft Machine (actually Soft Machine was more punctuated). Robert Wyatt was one of Henry Cow's influences, so it is right to draw this association. Henry Cow draws a lot of their unique sound from "Electrified acoustic instraments". Nervana for Mice is a dynamite piece; the whole emsemble is showcased as a working avant-gaurd, compositional unit. I listened to them in the seventies, but they do not sound anything close to what one might associate, musically, with that decade. Art Rock I suppose, but not like Magma or Pink Floyd at all. Fantastic spin!

Not without justification, Henry Cow have been called the least accessible of all 70s rock groups. I was at secondary school in the early 70s, and many of us tried to show our individuality through the music that we bought and listened to. I thought I was being fairly individual by listening to the likes of Magma, but there was always a small coterie of boys for whom nothing was too obscure or too difficult. For them, Henry Cow was the ultimate destination of their search.

The seeds of Henry Cow were sown, mid-Tripos, at Cambridge University in 1968, when Hodgkinson met Frith. They owe a huge debt to Mike Oldfield, because it was the success of TUBULAR BELLS, the first-ever Virgin release, that persuaded Richard Branson that his label could be an 'incubator' for all sorts of obscure bands and musicians. "Go and find me the makers of all the most difficult music who don't have a recording contract," he might have said to a band of A&R people, who swiftly returned with the likes of Kevin Coyne, Ivor Cutler and Henry Cow.

I kinda like this album, although it's not always my No. 1 choice for in-car entertainment. I have the 1991 East Side Digital version, which is probably not the Original Mix. To be frank, it sounds like it was recorded in a village hall, with the mikes some distance from the drums in particular. It doesn't matter. It's a great album, which owes a minor debt to Zappa's HOT RATS. And on the subject of one band's influence on another, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that even Genesis listened to LEGEND before they recorded the improvisational track on LAMB LIES DOWN in 1974.

To give you an idea of what to expect, I'll say "1970's prog rock". But that doesn't come close to describing the music on this album.

Henry Cow generally came alongside the Mike Oldfield / Virgin / Canterbury music heap of the late 60's and early 70's. But although you could compare the band with such as Soft Machine, Hatfield & The North, Caravan, etc., Henry Cow was on its own.

The band's music tends to be more intellectual or cerebral than most of their contemporaries. It has elements of free-form jazz mixed with, say, pieces of Hans Werner Henze, but not those alone. There is also an occasional flavor of politics (musical and otherwise). Of other musicians, the closest that I could mention are Björk and Robert Wyatt, chiefly because they are also unique artists.

I've listened to Leg End a great deal over the last thirty years, and I see it as one of the very few 'progressive' albums of the 1970's that sounds just as fresh and new in 2005.

Leg End is a reissue on CD of an earlier vinyl LP, but it's not a simple remastering to digital. Fred Frith reworked it to some extent. The most obvious difference is a very brief section in the first minute of the first track. He's either brought something to the fore, or added something that wasn't there before, and the whole impression that it now gives me is Yuck. But that's only a five second Yuck. Enough "Y?", but not enough "uck!" to get in my way, and it shouldn't prevent you from buying this album if you've heard the original.

The music has vague reflections of other musicians' work that was produced before, during, and after the time of Leg End's first release. Here are only four of them, to give you an idea:
Miles Davis (the Bitches Brew era).
The Soft Machine (Third).
Centipede (Septober Energy).
Frank Zappa (various, mostly his live albums).

This is a concept album, but not the kind of 'concept' you'd expect from a band like Yes. Some of the tracks are contiguous with adjacent tracks, others are not. But the whole thing moves from start to finish like a meal. Different people will find different parts to relish; there are parts that you might think are difficult, and others are easily appreciated on their first hearing. Listening to it from beginning to end in one sitting will eventually help you recognize the structure that runs through the album. That's the only way you'll get to grips with the entire thing.

Amazon says there are eight tracks. Strange. There are ten tracks on mine.

*** Here's a brief note I've added later to define that. My CD is a British release, not identical to this one and not the 1999 remix that one reviewer referred to. Compared with the original 1973 vinyl, there's only the single brief Frith tweak in the first track, and the addition of Bellycan. But my comments about the music are still correct, so...


Here's my track by track impression, for what it's worth:

Nirvana for Mice:
The introductory track shows Frith's reworking most (the brief tinkling keyboard a short way into the track). The initial theme becomes a freeform section featuring saxophone, although the other instruments support it with obvious individuality.

Amygdala:
Somewhat freeform, with structured individual sections. Some are melodic and haunting, especially those with interwoven flute, guitar, and piano. Some are agile mixes of the instruments. Bass guitar and percussion and bass support throughout excellently. If there's a track that represents the entire album, this is it.

Teenbeat Introduction/Teenbeat:
From freeform, at times atmospheric, reeds and wind, hints of a theme emerge. As the other instruments join, the music becomes increasingly cohesive and a strong theme emerges that flows directly into Teenbeat.
Teenbeat is clearer and more thoughtful than the preceding tracks, with the members working very closely at each change. At times lighthearted, dense, playful and mournful, it's enjoyable throughout and shows how creative the band was collectively and individually, and how capable it was of producing emotional music.

Nirvana Reprise:
Frith's guitar, overdubbed, repeats a theme that appeared in Nirvana For Mice. As brief as this track is - a little over one minute - this is a simply beautiful and pure piece of music.

Extract From 'With The Yellow Half Moon And Blue Star':
All the instruments working together, not a definable pattern but a musical painting. There are parts that make me think of Mike Oldfield, but he could never produce this. It takes several musicians working individually and together to get this good. The track flows into...

Teenbeat Reprise:
Not a repeat of Teenbeat, but a supplement to it. The same comments apply as before.

The Tenth Chaffinch:
The track's beginning is ethereal, almost ambient, but it then becomes something with parts that remind me of Larks' Tongues In Aspic (King Crimson) and the Krautrock of Faust. It's more brooding than the other tracks.

Nine Funerals Of The Citizen King:
A song, with somewhat surreal and philosophical/political lyrics. Structured, but still Henry Cow, especially the instrumental section. One of my favorite tracks, it's separate from the ones either side of it. This is reminiscent of Robert Wyatt's songwriting of the Matching Mole and Truth Is Stranger Than Richard era. RW and HC were no strangers, anyway.

Bellycan:
This is the only track that wasn't on the original LP, but it doesn't seem to be a random afterthought or something put in to help pad out the empty space.
A quiet start becomes loosely structured with random contributions from band members. Some lovely guitar work from Frith.

If you listen to the track previews on Amazon or elsewhere, you will only hear brief snips. You will NOT get much of an idea about all the music on this album. But if you ever buy this based on the previews, you will grow to love it.

I first gave it a four, because some folk might find it too dense on their first hearing. If it seems like that to you, listen to it from start to finish without a break, and repeat ad lib. It definitely grows on you. After hearing it off and on for so long, I find myself humming or whistling parts of it, with my brain filling in the other instruments. Weird.

I'd give it a six, but I'll have to be content with a five if Amazon accepts the new rating.

A good album to listen to after Leg End would be the live double Concerts.