Unrest

by Henry Cow

Overview

By this point Henry Cow consisted of guitarist Fred Frith, drummer Chris Cutler, bassist John Greaves, keyboardist Tim Hodgkinson, and, of particular importance to the band's sound at this point, bassoonist Lindsay Cooper. As is so often the case with avant-garde rock & roll, it's the composed pieces that work best, and the fact that Frith is responsible for the majority of them is significant. "Bittern Storm Over Ulm" is an absolutely brilliant demolition of the Yardbirds' "Got to Hurry," while the brief but lovely "Solemn Music" unfolds in a stately manner with atonal but pretty counterpoint between Frith and Cooper. The improvised material succeeds in a more spotty way. "Upon Entering the Hotel Adlon" demonstrates how fine the line can be between bracing free atonality and mindless cacophony. The unsettling but eventually gorgeous "Deluge," on the other hand, shows how well Henry Cow could walk that line when they tried; in this piece, random guitar skitterings, scattershot drum clatter, and pointillistic reed grunts are eventually snuck up on and overtaken by softly massed chords and Cooper's gently hooting bassoon. The effect is startlingly moving. Overall, this is one of Henry Cow's better efforts. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2024
Label:	Belle Antique
UPC:	4527516607340
Rank:	127510

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Henry Cow   Primary Artist
Chris Cutler   Drums,Piano,Vocals,Trumpet
Fred Frith   Piano,Guitar,Violin,Keyboards,Xylophone
Tim Hodgkinson   Organ,Piano,Vocals,Clarinet,Keyboards,Saxophone,Sax (Alto)
Charles Fletcher   Vocals
Georgie Born   Bass
Lindsay Cooper   Oboe,Wind,Vocals,Voices,Bassoon,Recorder
John Greaves   Bass,Piano,Vocals,Voices

Technical Credits

Andy Morris   Engineer
Chris Cutler   Liner Notes
Fred Frith   Composer
Matt Murman   Preparation,Remastering
Phil Becque   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Mike Oldfield   Engineer
Tim Hodgkinson   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Ray Smith   Photography,Paintings
Gregg Skerman   Design,Artwork
Charles Fletcher   Assistant Engineer
Henry Cow   Mixing,Composer,Producer
John Greaves   Composer
Roy Smith   Photography