Henry Cow

[bertrand]

Can't seem to find a discography on the web.

For anyone who has the magabox (or megaboxes?), does it include a John Peel session from 4/24/73 with the following tracks:

Guider Tells Of Silent Airborne Machine 5:22

Nine Funerals Of The Citizen King 4:08

Bee 9:59

This is available from iTunes and Amazon as downloads, and I am wondering if it is a one-off or part of the box/boxes.

Thanks,

Bertrand.

Edited May 23, 2010 by bertrand

[A Lark Ascending]

Not that I can see - There are versions of 9 Funerals and Guider on Disc 1 but these seem to come from private tapes. 'Bee' is nowhere to be seen (though it might have changed name. In the booklet it mentions the 24th April session but has Nirvana for Mice rather than Bee. Mayve Bee was an earlier title).

I almost certainly heard that broadcast when it first went out! I know I had a cassette tape of a Peel session with 9 funerals on.

[bertrand]

Thanks. Are the timings the same?

Bertrand.

[A Lark Ascending]

No.

9 Funerals = 5:21

Guider = 2.24 + 6.12 + 1.24 (it's presented as a suite of 3 pieces). Maybe the BBC piece is a version of the middle section.

[rostasi]

The tunes are not correctly titled (an iTunes screwup).

They should be (in order):

1) Nine Funerals of the Citizen King

2) Nirvana for Mice

3) Guilder Tells Of Silent Airborne Machine

Here is a complete list for the boxset.

No mention of the Peel sessions there or

in the booklet that accompanies the boxes

(except in the booklet chronology of concerts).

It backs up the April '73 titles as well.

Edited May 23, 2010 by rostasi

[bertrand]

Once you gave the correct track order, based on wikipedia I see that these tracks are in the box. Volume 1 (Beginnings) has three tracks recorded 4/24/73 (no mention of John Peel):

7."Citizen King" (Hodgkinson) – 5:21

8."Nirvana for Moles" (Frith) – 4:09

"Guider Tells of Silent Airborne Machine"

17."Olwyn Grainger" (Cutler, Frith, Greaves, Hodgkinson) – 2:24

18."Betty McGowan" (Cutler, Frith, Greaves, Hodgkinson, Leigh) – 6:12

19."Lottie Hare" (Greaves) – 1:24

17-19 add up to 10:00, so it matches up perfectly. 'Moles' is the original title for 'Mice'.

Bertrand.

Edited May 24, 2010 by bertrand

[bertrand]

A separate question - the music on the 2-record set Concerts is not part of the box, right, or is there some overlap?

Bertrand.

[rostasi]

Yes, it's very strange how the booklets to these are put together.

There are notes from past members, chronology of concerts,

listings of their concert and studio equipment (PA systems, vehicles, (!)) -

even a financial breakdown of various concerts by country (!) and

they have a lot of paragraphs about the influences, ideas, etc. about each of the tunes,

but no info next to each tune about the actual recording date,

so, thankfully we have the Wikipedia entry for these.

Apparently, someone studiously date-checked these things.

I'm not sure what "nb2" refers to next to some entries,

but maybe they are corrections or additions to the notes.

The only mention of the Peel dates are in the back of the booklet in the chronology.

Even Couture fails to mention these in his AllMusic reviews.

Some scans:

(notice "various unmarked tapes" statement - very odd)

No, the Concerts recording is not included, but neither are the studio recordings -

just a box where they can be placed. There is room in the first box to

put your already purchased copy of Concerts tho, so this is nice.

My understanding of their chronology:

* Box 1: The Road: Volumes 1-5

o Volume 1: Beginnings

o Volume 2: 1974-5

o Volume 3: Hamburg

o Volume 4-5: Trondheim (double CD)

o Henry Cow Concerts (double CD)

* Box 2: The Road: Volumes 6-10

o Volume 6: Stockholm & Göteborg

o Volume 7: Later and Post-Virgin

o Volume 8: Bremen

o Volume 9: Late

o Volume 10: Vevey (DVD)

* Box 3: The Studio: Volumes 1-5

o Leg End

o Unrest

o Desperate Straights

o In Praise of Learning

o Western Culture

* Bonus CDs

o "Unreleased Orckestra Extract" – a 3-inch CD-single by The Orckestra given to subscribers of the Henry Cow Box.

o A Cow Cabinet of Curiosities – a CD given to subscribers of The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set.