Ya know, I'm in my twenties right now and the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy has been essential listening while tripping for me already. Some of my friends too! Funny how it seems to transcend generations Definitely some of my favorite records ever!
WOW ! 5 very good choices ! Camembert Electrique is another one of my very favorites.. I worked with a group of fans who helped bring Daevid Allen, Gilli , Mother Gong And Tim Blake to the states back in the 90s ...WHAT A TRIP !
the overlap of late 60s/early 70s progressive music is immaculate. whether it be canterbury, krautrock, british folk rock, psychedelia it all ties in and its wonderful
Soft Machine - Bundles Hatfield and the North - The Rotters Club Gong - Camembert Electrique National Health - National Health Steve Hillage - L Had good times with all of these. 😎 ✌️
@William Magee Maybe not THE Soft Machine 'Canterbury sound but I included it on the strength of it being made by a 'Canterbury scene' band, as well as including Allan Holdsworth (fave guitarist), just the same as I'd include anything else with vocals by Richard Sinclair. Typically English sound, even if Daevid Allen was Australian ! 🇦🇺😎
The first Caravan album blows my mind STILL after all these years. So does the second Soft Machine album. There are more ideas expressed for other listeners to hear and take from than any other record I can think of. I've got this place of my own where I can go when I feel I'm coming down.
My brother goes to the school where many of these bands sprouted up (I could have gone there but chose to stay at my then current (and less prestigious) school) and there’s still a tradition of experimentation at this school and in the wider community at large (because of the presence of two universities here). I find it fascinating that such a small city could have a massive influence on music in general, and I feel very privileged to have spent my teenage years here and to have interacted with the institutions where this music grew from.
I'm so happy to see you made a video on this! The Caterbury Scene might be my favorite subgenre of progressive rock. My favorites are "In The Land of Grey and Pink," "The Rotters Club," "Of Queues and Cures," "Space Shanty," "Hatfield and the North," and "The Polite Force." But there's countless other great albums. Awesome video! Also, I have to mention Camel! They aren't necessarily a Canterbury band but they definitely scratch a similar itch, especially on their first 2 albums. Also, Richard Sinclair and David Sinclair from Caravan were both in Camel at one point with the former appearing on two albums (Rain Dances and Breathless). Though Moonmadness is my favorite.
Good list. For Gong I would have picked the album, "You". Probably the best combination of the Allen era mythology and the jazz direction of the Moerlen era. Hard to choose one Kevin Ayers album. For me, "Bananamour" is the best overall album. Best Canterbury? Definitely the two Hatfield and the North albums.
Third is The Art of Fugue of prog tbh. I love how Ratledge's abrasive, uncompromising organ deconstruction on beginning of Facelift just bleeds into the main part of the song almost without you noticing. Solid picks all around in my mind, one of my favorite genres of prog. Soft Machine's debut is probably my favorite of them all. The bass lines on Hope For Happiness and We Did it Again are so fun to play and not particularly hard to get down, after which you can have some fun with it like Ayers always did live. Prime example of a band that arguably shinned better in live performances than they did in the studio, where they were also pretty fucking brilliant. Another great one from the scene are National Health. Of Queues and Cures and "Binoculars" are excellent in my mind. And if you want a centre of the Earth cut, Gilgamesh's "Bobberty - Theme From Something Else" off their album Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into is probably the most criminally unknown song I know of. I would also say that quite a bit of French prog was heavily influenced by the Canterbury scene as well, Gong having been formed there and all and being a key player in the early psychedelic rock scene in Paris. Perhaps not all of it is entirely "orthodox" Canterbury scene, but I think you can really hear it in something like Atoll's "L'Araignée-Mal" on the album of the same name.
In the Kevin Ayers section, you forgot to mention that none other than Mike Oldfield was part of his band for a few years as both bassist and lead guitarist. Also, the dude was 16-18 years old in that period, holy crap.
You've taken the words out of my mouth regarding Mike Oldfield and I totally agree with you. Such a hugely talented musician at such a young age yet not even a brief mention. It surprised me too.
The BBC 2nd House performance of Tubular Bells part 1 is really fun. It's a small rock orchestra made up mostly of Gong, Henry Cow and Soft Machine members as well as traveling guitar master Mick Taylor along with Mike and his brother, et al.
I still remember vividly when Gong came to a small live house in Pontiac (I think) Michigan in 1997. Of course I had to be there but really wondered why in the world they decided to play in that small venue in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I got to see the original members: Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mike Howlett, Didier Malherbe, as well as Pip Pyle on drums. It was a wonderful experience filled with wonderful music. I saw Daevid play his glissando guitar for the first time in person and I was transfixed by it. One of the highlights of my life!
Hiroshi Hayakawa lucky...I would love to have seen Pip Pyle play live ... only discovered him after he had passed and live his drumming. Pip could change time so fluidly and played tasteful fills that move compositions forward beautifully. Along with Bill Bruford and Phil Collins, one of my favorite percussionists of all time.
Thank you! Tenemos Roads is probably the best song ive ever heard. That album is straight up prog perfection. Not only my favorite Canterbury album, but probably in my top 5. Was a bit sad to not see it included but oh well.
@@jamgod8009 I fully agree. Bought the album in 1978 when - in those pre-internet days - I thought I was the only person who liked National Health, in the midst of disco fever. Tenemos Roads is also my favourite track. When Amanda Parsons' scat vocals come in, it's just the perfect unwind from a long day. Now, over 40 years later, I realise that I'm not the only National Health fan :)
I bought their first album when it came out. Then I recorded it onto a cassette and first listened to it in my car as I was driving with a friend. During the quite part of the first track where Amanda Parsons is doing her vocals I said "I think that this is the best thing that I have ever heard". I still think so.
I live in Palma, in the island of Mallorca, 20min from Deià, a beautiful and colourful town in the Tramuntana Mountains where a bunch of musicians from the Canterbury scene landed in the 60s and 70s. Kevin Ayers is buried there in what has to be one of the most beautiful graveyards in the world, on top of a hill, facing the sea. It's definitely worth the visit if you ever go to Mallorca and like Ayers and his music.
I've been a massive Gong's Angel's Egg fan since school and didn't know they were from the same scene as Caravan and Soft Machine. Thanks for the vid!!!
I'll repeat what many have said. Rock Bottom is a top record. I think an all-time great work of art. It's incredibly sad, sinister, and tender. When I listen to it, I become aware of the gap between our everyday consciousness and this cold, alien reality that Wyatt taps into. The nonsense words that are sung in such a mournful voice in Alifie-Alifib are striking. The listener is put in this place where sense cannot be made of what is being communicated, we can't fix it or help or gain clarity, but we are affected nonetheless. It's babyish and divine simultaneously and so unsettling. And that kind of disapproving but warm female nursery rhyme at the end: there I think "are we doomed to never truly understand one another, do we just float back to what we've known unconsciously again and again, that the form or likeness of what we've known comforts us even though we can never really truly get clarity or full knowledge of our experiences? ". I don't care what Wyatt says about how he wrote the record before his paralysis, the album is about paralysis and feeling numb to your own body, and feeling that your body and life and existence are alien to you, that you control so little of your life. It's heartachingly beautiful.
That Gong album is so good. They deserved so much more attention but for such an experimental band I understand how they didn’t. I didn’t know anything about Canterbury prog until today so thank you
Absolutely agree. I feel like they occupy a weird space where their music is too "silly and poppy" for some prog heads but far too "weird and experimental" for general audiences. Thus, their brilliance often goes unnoticed.
There is a recording of the Wilde Flowers - a 34 track CD. I am not sure that it was released in those years, but is well worth a listen as one can see where the genesis of all these bands came from. To really see the connection of Soft machine to the Canterbury sound I suggest listening to their first two albums - they had moved away by 3. For those who like the sound, try giving a listen to Egg - A visit to Newport Hospital. After the first one minute the track becomes quintessential Canterbury. As said by another, don't forget that Mike Oldfield was with Kevin Ayers. I really enjoyed seeing all these bands live (at UFO, Middle Earth, and many free festivals _ where I remember Robert Wyatt shouting at the audience for making too much noise!)
My Canterbury favourites are Hatfield and the North, National Health, and Egg. Also love Space Shanty by Khan. Most of Caravan's music is really good, too. I also like the first two Soft Machine albums and You by Gong.
Fabulous video with solid analysis and really a good chat that would deserve a Pint in a good pub listening to Gong ;) Soft Machine THIRD is no doubtly a milestone in Jazz rock history ... completely taken by that album ...
Thankyou for a great t presentation. Your enthusiasm is enough to make anybody sniff out these little gems. I do prefer "YOU" by Gong ,but the "Rotters Club" has been a perennial favourite
5 albums to get you into minimal techno, thatd be pretty rad (here are some albums you could use) Byetone - Death of a Typographer Robert Hood - Internal Empire Extrawelt - Schone Neue Extrawelt Kangding Ray - Solens Arc Plastikman - Sheet One Aleksi Perala - The Colundi Sequence Level 4 Follakzoid - I The Field - From Here We Go Sublime (idk if this one counts or not)
listened to all these bands and never realised they were part of the same scene till now! was introduced to softmachine through my love of karl jenkins' classical stuff
For me a great irony of the Canterbury Scene is that they set out in 1963 to produce popular records. In 1981 Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin finally succeeded in getting a number 1 hit, with a cover of a song someone else released in 1963!
Speaking of prog - I'd love to see A Guide to Steven Wilson, covering all of his projects over the years! Porcupine Tree, No-Man, I.E.M, Bass Communion, Blackfield, Storm Corrosion, and of course his solo career.
Worth mentioning that book about Robert Wyatt : Wrong Movements by author Michael King. I grew up with Canterbury Prog with an unhealthy interest in Hatfield and the North....my group of friends could reel off long sections of the record Rotters Club ...a feature of the evening was listening to Fitter Stoke has a bath......We later saw a couple of amazing bands....National Health (with Alan Gowan)...Gilgamesh.... .the penultimate Gong fantastic the most beautiful YOU ....Gong (with Daevid Allen and Gillian SmYth with on that occasion Bill Laswell on bass) and another Gong with Pierre Moerlen and bassist Hansford Rowe )....a great venue at the time was Edgerton's in Toronto..later we listened heavily to Allen Holdsworth with Soft Machine record Bundles...Allen came to town with an ironic non prog band U.K.....
6:43 SLIGHT CORRECTION: The solo on "Winter Wine" was played by Dave Sinclair, not Pye Hastings. Sinclair plugged his Hammond through a fuzz box and a wah, which made it sound like an electric guitar. Other than that, excellent vid, my man!
Great video, thanks. One album that hasn't been mentioned is Mainstream by Quiet Sun, which features Phil Manzanera, Bill MacCormick, Dave Jarrett and Charles Hayward. This is another worth a listen.
Nice selections with good reasons for each. Your depth of knowledge and confident speech is impressive. I'm always recommending Egg's The Polite Force due to the three band members being so amazingly young, but from what I've heard, they were really an Isle of Wight thing, not Canterbury. Too bad we couldn't hear some of the sound beneath your speaking, but I suppose that would make your segment even longer. Nice job!
My top 5 Canterbury albums: 1. Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink 2. Gong - You (Radio Gnome pt. 3) 3. National Health - Of Queues and Cures 4. Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom 5. Supersister - Pudding En Gisteren
Great video! :-) Gong is such a great band that far too few people are familiar with. Gong's earlier album "Camembert Electrique" from 1971 is an unbelievably creative and fascinating album and is another must hear for fans of this type of music. I bought Soft Machine's "Third" years ago before I even knew who the band was or anything about the members and the scene, based on a recommendation from a friend. I remembering putting it in the CD player in my car as I was leaving the parking lot of the store and just being left speechless as to what in god's name was going on.. It grew on me over time and it's one I return to still every now and then, but it was a jarring introduction to the band and to music of that type (if there is so much a type even eh?).
Great, in-depth channel on various musical genres and bands. Is that the book England’s Hidden Reverse over your shoulder? If so I do hope one day you do a video on Coil. They’re a bit hit and miss but when they hit they hit hard! The Ape of Naples is as good a eulogy album as Joy Divisions Closer, Nick Drakes Pink Moon or Bowie’s Blackstar! Plus Autechre (who I think you admire) were influenced by them - check out the similarity of Coils Dark River to Autechre’s known(1).
In some respects it's come full circle, there is definitely a new Canterbury scene that is inspired by this prog past, maybe the band that got to more of an international level is Syd Arthur (check the album On An On), but also bands like Bison Bonasus and Boot Lagoon.
Joy of a Toy has always been a favourite of mine; I think Ayers and Bedford nail that mellow sound so well. At the very other end of the line, another album that I am obsessed with, is Fish Rising by Steve Hillage; a truly wonderful record, and well worth a listen, especially if you like the earlier Gong stuff. Anyway, interesting video, thanks :)
Really weird to think we would have been studying in Canterbury at the same time. I would have been watching your videos and didn't even realise it! I was studying graphic design at university of kent from 2014 - 2017. Also so weird to hear you talk about somewhere I know so well. Love your videos!
Good choices glad you mentioned to connections . Also glad you mentioned the unsung Moviing gelatine plates ( they had sa rputht deal wwith what happened to them on that second album ( my fave album by them) . Yeah many people live 3rd from Soft Machine.the 2nd ones my fave I appreciate third more now then when I heard some songs off of it first but 2 is my fave and yes 3rd you totally hear that prog jazz fusion direction. I dig the whimsical nature of that Canterbury prog stuff it's a trip how a segment of those bands went on to be Rock in Oppisiton bands and well. Which from what I gather peeps like Robert Wyatt had political inclinations with groups even like maching mole. Bands like Henry Cow were totally on that level let alone a bridge from cantuebury to RIO .great vid man.peace n blesSings to you 🙏🏾☦🦋
Heck yeah! Love that genre. Cool stuff. My personal favourite would probably have to be Soft Machine's Third, but at this point, can it really be considered part of the Canterbury scene? It's a hard one for me. I would almost put their first album in the same category as Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and that weird type of English psychedelic rock of the 60s. And then, Third, almost Prog rock/jazz fusion? Highly experimental, though. Those four minutes or something at the start of Facelift are amazing. This album is a whole journey. One of my personal favourites of any kind, actually. Also, Moon in june is the best 20 minutes pop song imo if I've ever heard one.
I think three major factors play into what makes their debut a Canterbury record. Soft Machine was from the Canterbury region, it has a very particular dry psychedelia to it that most early Canterbury scene music shared, and it has a very strong jazz edge. Most Canternury scene music had strong jazz influence.
England's progressive scene (1969-1976) is genuinely mezmerizing. There's literally too much talent going around. From the classic prog of Yes and ELP, to the folkier Genesis, to the eclectic King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator, to the symphonic prog pop of the Moody Blues, to the proto-prog space rock of Pink Floyd, to the folk prog of Mike Oldfield, Roy Harper, Jethro Tull and Comus, to the avant-rock RIO of Henry Cow, to the jazz-rock of Maharavishnu Orchestra and Soft Machine and of course, the Canterbury Scene. Goddamn
No mention of Out-Bloody-Rageous (track 4 from Third)?! This and Facelift are the winners (the latter containing live sections from their excellent Live At The Proms LP). This is a joy of tape manipulation and jazz experimentalism. Genius.
Thanks for this. One of the bands I'm in was tagged by a reviewer as having "echoes of Canterbury sound"; and i honestly had no idea what that meant. Now I do. Much appreciated.
Love the video! Your channel is so helpful for learning about all sorts of music. I was curious, have you ever considered doing a 5 albums to get you into reggae?
Man, what a timing you have. I was just getting into the canterbury scene for the the past few days and now you come up with this video? I can't wait to to dig up thos reccs.
Really disappointed in the lack of gong experts in the comments, I guess Oliver will have to make a 40 minutes video explaining gong for us after all
That'd be quite something. Gong is, in and of itself, a whole genealogy of music and members.
As someone who loves Gong a little too much, I can confirm I am an expert on the band (Still need to get Daevid Allen’s book)
Finally, someone talking about Gong today. I loooove Angel's Egg
Gong legendary
I love YOU
Tea from Teeeebet😁
Calambert Electrique is a masterpiece
It’s sooooo important!!! I could talk about that album alone for hours and hours.
The radio gnome invisible trilogy has accompanied me through so many acid trips during my early twenties. I love those 3 albums so much, goddamn!
Same dude
Yes!!! It’s sparked a life long study of psychoacoustics, musicology etc. it never ceases to amaze me.
Ya know, I'm in my twenties right now and the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy has been essential listening while tripping for me already. Some of my friends too!
Funny how it seems to transcend generations
Definitely some of my favorite records ever!
I live in an American state where pot is legal. I took that as an excuse to listen to Gong really baked which their music is awesome stoned or not.
Wild, my friends and I (in our early 20s) do the same
I listen to Soft Machine's The Third 5 times every week.
This album is a masterpiece. The atmosphere is so special, also. It really puts me in a whole other world every time I listen to it.
Easily one of the greatest records, I really also enjoy the other "Third" album by Portishead
Absolutely. That album is incredible
Yeah dude. It is particularly good for tripping.
your cannabis consumption must be through the roof
Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom is probably my fav from the genre
WOW ! 5 very good choices ! Camembert Electrique is another one of my very favorites.. I worked with a group of fans who helped bring Daevid Allen, Gilli , Mother Gong And Tim Blake to the states back in the 90s ...WHAT A TRIP !
the overlap of late 60s/early 70s progressive music is immaculate. whether it be canterbury, krautrock, british folk rock, psychedelia it all ties in and its wonderful
This. I'm so happy about this.
This a a genre I never knew much about, looking forward to sink my teeth in it.
If I Could Do It All Over Again by Caravan is possibly the best one, would very highly recommend that gem.
Canterbury Scene is quite simply one of the best feel good genres of music! I highly recommend the band's Egg and Archazel.
Just recently listened to Egg's "The Polite Force" for the first time. Definitely worth checking out!
"The Civil Surface" is pretty great too!
Soft Machine - Bundles
Hatfield and the North - The Rotters Club
Gong - Camembert Electrique
National Health - National Health
Steve Hillage - L
Had good times with all of these. 😎 ✌️
If I Could Do It All Over Again by Caravan
How do you know this stuff? Are you an alien or use an expensive night cream?
@@openstudio Being over 60, living in Canterbury, and being a musician, helps immensely.
@@fantasypgatour Agreed . Fine sounds !!
👌👍✊
@William Magee Maybe not THE Soft Machine 'Canterbury sound but I included it on the strength of it being made by a 'Canterbury scene' band, as well as including Allan Holdsworth (fave guitarist), just the same as I'd include anything else with vocals by Richard Sinclair. Typically English sound, even if Daevid Allen was Australian ! 🇦🇺😎
The first Caravan album blows my mind STILL after all these years. So does the second Soft Machine album. There are more ideas expressed for other listeners to hear and take from than any other record I can think of. I've got this place of my own where I can go when I feel I'm coming down.
Hatfield and the North! Robert Wyatt! Daevid's Gong! Caravan! Richard Sinclair's singing is absolutely iconic.
The Rotters' Club is an epic album
My brother goes to the school where many of these bands sprouted up (I could have gone there but chose to stay at my then current (and less prestigious) school) and there’s still a tradition of experimentation at this school and in the wider community at large (because of the presence of two universities here). I find it fascinating that such a small city could have a massive influence on music in general, and I feel very privileged to have spent my teenage years here and to have interacted with the institutions where this music grew from.
Robert Wyatt's solo record Rock Bottom is another classic in the Canterbury Scene.
Matching Mole 🤘
I'm so happy to see you made a video on this! The Caterbury Scene might be my favorite subgenre of progressive rock. My favorites are "In The Land of Grey and Pink," "The Rotters Club," "Of Queues and Cures," "Space Shanty," "Hatfield and the North," and "The Polite Force." But there's countless other great albums. Awesome video!
Also, I have to mention Camel! They aren't necessarily a Canterbury band but they definitely scratch a similar itch, especially on their first 2 albums. Also, Richard Sinclair and David Sinclair from Caravan were both in Camel at one point with the former appearing on two albums (Rain Dances and Breathless). Though Moonmadness is my favorite.
Doug McAuliffe you have excellent musical taste!
@William Magee I absolutely love Bundles, fantastic fusion. I also really enjoy Softs, I think that one is somewhat underrated.
This......
I adore Soft Machine and Gong. The Canterbury scene is always of my favourite genres of the fusions with jazz and the prog atmospheres.
Good list. For Gong I would have picked the album, "You". Probably the best combination of the Allen era mythology and the jazz direction of the Moerlen era.
Hard to choose one Kevin Ayers album. For me, "Bananamour" is the best overall album.
Best Canterbury? Definitely the two Hatfield and the North albums.
Third is The Art of Fugue of prog tbh. I love how Ratledge's abrasive, uncompromising organ deconstruction on beginning of Facelift just bleeds into the main part of the song almost without you noticing. Solid picks all around in my mind, one of my favorite genres of prog. Soft Machine's debut is probably my favorite of them all. The bass lines on Hope For Happiness and We Did it Again are so fun to play and not particularly hard to get down, after which you can have some fun with it like Ayers always did live. Prime example of a band that arguably shinned better in live performances than they did in the studio, where they were also pretty fucking brilliant. Another great one from the scene are National Health. Of Queues and Cures and "Binoculars" are excellent in my mind. And if you want a centre of the Earth cut, Gilgamesh's "Bobberty - Theme From Something Else" off their album Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into is probably the most criminally unknown song I know of. I would also say that quite a bit of French prog was heavily influenced by the Canterbury scene as well, Gong having been formed there and all and being a key player in the early psychedelic rock scene in Paris. Perhaps not all of it is entirely "orthodox" Canterbury scene, but I think you can really hear it in something like Atoll's "L'Araignée-Mal" on the album of the same name.
In the Kevin Ayers section, you forgot to mention that none other than Mike Oldfield was part of his band for a few years as both bassist and lead guitarist. Also, the dude was 16-18 years old in that period, holy crap.
You've taken the words out of my mouth regarding Mike Oldfield and I totally agree with you. Such a hugely talented musician at such a young age yet not even a brief mention. It surprised me too.
The BBC 2nd House performance of Tubular Bells part 1 is really fun. It's a small rock orchestra made up mostly of Gong, Henry Cow and Soft Machine members as well as traveling guitar master Mick Taylor along with Mike and his brother, et al.
@@johnjesberger5676 And a damn good performance too, I know of that line-up, absolutely amazing selection of players
Very nice video, lots of solid information ! For me Caravan's " Nine Feet Underground " and "For Richard" are pure sonic joy.
I still remember vividly when Gong came to a small live house in Pontiac (I think) Michigan in 1997. Of course I had to be there but really wondered why in the world they decided to play in that small venue in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I got to see the original members: Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mike Howlett, Didier Malherbe, as well as Pip Pyle on drums. It was a wonderful experience filled with wonderful music. I saw Daevid play his glissando guitar for the first time in person and I was transfixed by it. One of the highlights of my life!
Hiroshi Hayakawa lucky...I would love to have seen Pip Pyle play live ... only discovered him after he had passed and live his drumming. Pip could change time so fluidly and played tasteful fills that move compositions forward beautifully. Along with Bill Bruford and Phil Collins, one of my favorite percussionists of all time.
Fantano sent me here and I'm fcking staying
Hell yeah Dan Bull up in this bitch!
I love Caravan but I've never listened to these other bands so I'm excited to listen through these!
My favorite Canterbury scene record is "Of Queues and Cures" by National Health. "Western Culture" by Henry Cow is a close runner up.
Stephen Gregory Of Queues and Cures is outstanding
I am a huge fan of Soft Machine since their very beginnings
I would've put National Health on this list. - Know its hard with jus 5 but their first record always stood out to me as a pretty magical one.
Thank you! Tenemos Roads is probably the best song ive ever heard. That album is straight up prog perfection. Not only my favorite Canterbury album, but probably in my top 5. Was a bit sad to not see it included but oh well.
I agree!
@@jamgod8009 Yeah, "Tenemos Roads" because of Alan Gowan!
@@jamgod8009 I fully agree. Bought the album in 1978 when - in those pre-internet days - I thought I was the only person who liked National Health, in the midst of disco fever. Tenemos Roads is also my favourite track. When Amanda Parsons' scat vocals come in, it's just the perfect unwind from a long day. Now, over 40 years later, I realise that I'm not the only National Health fan :)
I bought their first album when it came out. Then I recorded it onto a cassette and first listened to it in my car as I was driving with a friend. During the quite part of the first track where Amanda Parsons is doing her vocals I said "I think that this is the best thing that I have ever heard". I still think so.
I live in Palma, in the island of Mallorca, 20min from Deià, a beautiful and colourful town in the Tramuntana Mountains where a bunch of musicians from the Canterbury scene landed in the 60s and 70s. Kevin Ayers is buried there in what has to be one of the most beautiful graveyards in the world, on top of a hill, facing the sea. It's definitely worth the visit if you ever go to Mallorca and like Ayers and his music.
Moon in june is the best song of all time for me
Third is such a strange and intimidating album it's so cool
I remember listening to Land of the Grey and Pink with my dad as a kid. Such a good album. Perfect for driving around in the country to.
EGG.. Dave Stewart, KHAN.. Steve Hillage Caravan is very cool. Gilgamesh, GONG. ALL TALENTED MUSICIANS.
Joy of a Toy! Yay! Really amazing album I still listen to regularly
The electronic intro to outbloody rageous is gorgeous
I'm not an expert but I would like to add one: Khan - Space Shanty
That's great, check out some STEVE HILLAGE solo stuff. And other GONG incarnations
@@anfrankogezamartincic1161 And if we're talking Steve Hillage, how about The Orb's 'Backside of the Moon'..
How about MATCHING MOLE and their little red book?
I've been a massive Gong's Angel's Egg fan since school and didn't know they were from the same scene as Caravan and Soft Machine. Thanks for the vid!!!
I'll repeat what many have said. Rock Bottom is a top record. I think an all-time great work of art. It's incredibly sad, sinister, and tender. When I listen to it, I become aware of the gap between our everyday consciousness and this cold, alien reality that Wyatt taps into. The nonsense words that are sung in such a mournful voice in Alifie-Alifib are striking. The listener is put in this place where sense cannot be made of what is being communicated, we can't fix it or help or gain clarity, but we are affected nonetheless. It's babyish and divine simultaneously and so unsettling. And that kind of disapproving but warm female nursery rhyme at the end: there I think "are we doomed to never truly understand one another, do we just float back to what we've known unconsciously again and again, that the form or likeness of what we've known comforts us even though we can never really truly get clarity or full knowledge of our experiences? ". I don't care what Wyatt says about how he wrote the record before his paralysis, the album is about paralysis and feeling numb to your own body, and feeling that your body and life and existence are alien to you, that you control so little of your life. It's heartachingly beautiful.
That Gong album is so good. They deserved so much more attention but for such an experimental band I understand how they didn’t. I didn’t know anything about Canterbury prog until today so thank you
Absolutely agree. I feel like they occupy a weird space where their music is too "silly and poppy" for some prog heads but far too "weird and experimental" for general audiences. Thus, their brilliance often goes unnoticed.
Golf Girl (Caravan) is a total gem. So English - and amazing lyrics
I've actually been listening to Joy of a Toy! :) amazing album
There is a recording of the Wilde Flowers - a 34 track CD. I am not sure that it was released in those years, but is well worth a listen as one can see where the genesis of all these bands came from. To really see the connection of Soft machine to the Canterbury sound I suggest listening to their first two albums - they had moved away by 3. For those who like the sound, try giving a listen to Egg - A visit to Newport Hospital. After the first one minute the track becomes quintessential Canterbury. As said by another, don't forget that Mike Oldfield was with Kevin Ayers. I really enjoyed seeing all these bands live (at UFO, Middle Earth, and many free festivals _ where I remember Robert Wyatt shouting at the audience for making too much noise!)
My Canterbury favourites are Hatfield and the North, National Health, and Egg. Also love Space Shanty by Khan. Most of Caravan's music is really good, too. I also like the first two Soft Machine albums and You by Gong.
Fabulous video with solid analysis and really a good chat that would deserve a Pint in a good pub listening to Gong ;) Soft Machine THIRD is no doubtly a milestone in Jazz rock history ... completely taken by that album ...
Haven't heard much from the scene but I love Mirage by Camel and Unrest by Henry Cow
Is that Canterbury?
not sure tbh I just see them mentioned within it
@@RegularCody More in the broader avant-prog scene
What about HC's Legend? Nine Funerals of the Citizen King is quite the banger
@@RegularCody Camel is more of a symphonic prog band a la Selling England by the Pound/A Trick of the Tail era Genesis, and Henry Cow is avant-rock
I went to uni in Canterbury... Lived there for about 6-7 years, had no idea about this, thank you for bringing this to my attention!
My introduction was Steve Hillage's Fish Rising. The line up of musicians reads like a who's who of the genre, and the album is killer.
Everything from Caravan up to 1975 is worth owning.
Except Waterloo Lily! The only Caravan album I don't like.
@@lemming9984 Definitely the worst one out of those.
*_W H I M S Y_*
saw this at the exact moment he said it
Thanks for mentioning Hatfield and the North, one of the top bands ever. Both of their albums are 10/10, and you're damn right about Mumps
Kudos for mentioning Moving Gelatine Plates! Dutch proggers, Supersister, were influenced by the Canterbury sound and are also highly recommended.
Their are some great European bands from that time.
Supersister ftw! Robert-Jan Stips is and forever will be a musical genius
Great video, In the Land of the Gray and Pink is amazing
Just watched this last night and created a Google Play playlist of all these albums. Thanks for the 5hr of Whimsy entertainment!!
Thankyou for a great t presentation. Your enthusiasm is enough to make anybody sniff out these little gems. I do prefer "YOU" by Gong ,but the "Rotters Club" has been a perennial favourite
5 albums to get you into minimal techno, thatd be pretty rad
(here are some albums you could use)
Byetone - Death of a Typographer
Robert Hood - Internal Empire
Extrawelt - Schone Neue Extrawelt
Kangding Ray - Solens Arc
Plastikman - Sheet One
Aleksi Perala - The Colundi Sequence Level 4
Follakzoid - I
The Field - From Here We Go Sublime (idk if this one counts or not)
Dude, the field alum is awesome (and plastikman too) thanks for the suggestions :)
I never thought I'd see the day you talk about Canterbury
Man I actually love all kinds prog, I'm so glad
listened to all these bands and never realised they were part of the same scene till now! was introduced to softmachine through my love of karl jenkins' classical stuff
It's insane... I had no idea this scene existed and Cantebury is my town! pretty excited to check these records out!
For me a great irony of the Canterbury Scene is that they set out in 1963 to produce popular records. In 1981 Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin finally succeeded in getting a number 1 hit, with a cover of a song someone else released in 1963!
Speaking of prog - I'd love to see A Guide to Steven Wilson, covering all of his projects over the years! Porcupine Tree, No-Man, I.E.M, Bass Communion, Blackfield, Storm Corrosion, and of course his solo career.
Best album in this genre, hands- down, is 'For girls who grow plump in the night' by Caravan ,1973. Just terrific !
Worth mentioning that book about Robert Wyatt : Wrong Movements by author Michael King.
I grew up with Canterbury Prog with an unhealthy interest in Hatfield and the North....my group of friends could reel off long sections of the record Rotters Club ...a feature of the evening was listening to Fitter Stoke has a bath......We later saw a couple of amazing bands....National Health (with Alan Gowan)...Gilgamesh.... .the penultimate Gong fantastic the most beautiful YOU ....Gong (with Daevid Allen and Gillian SmYth with on that occasion Bill Laswell on bass) and another Gong with Pierre Moerlen and bassist Hansford Rowe )....a great venue at the time was Edgerton's in Toronto..later we listened heavily to Allen Holdsworth with Soft Machine record Bundles...Allen came to town with an ironic non prog band U.K.....
I'm only really familiar with Third, I'll definitely be checking the other ones out.
Excellent reviews . Third is a superb album
6:43 SLIGHT CORRECTION: The solo on "Winter Wine" was played by Dave Sinclair, not Pye Hastings. Sinclair plugged his Hammond through a fuzz box and a wah, which made it sound like an electric guitar.
Other than that, excellent vid, my man!
Beat me to it!
Excellent! Thanks for this info, now I know what I'm listening to!
The Dog, The Dog He's At It Again by Caravan is both a great prog tune and one of the best titles ever. Pleased to see them getting a recommend.
Heard a lot of Soft Machine and Hatfield And The North as a kid, when my brother was home. Love Hatfield's "Share It".
Great video, thanks. One album that hasn't been mentioned is Mainstream by Quiet Sun, which features Phil Manzanera, Bill MacCormick, Dave Jarrett and Charles Hayward. This is another worth a listen.
Great album too.
Nice selections with good reasons for each. Your depth of knowledge and confident speech is impressive. I'm always recommending Egg's The Polite Force due to the three band members being so amazingly young, but from what I've heard, they were really an Isle of Wight thing, not Canterbury. Too bad we couldn't hear some of the sound beneath your speaking, but I suppose that would make your segment even longer. Nice job!
This was very interesting - thank you very much!
Joy of a Toy! Hell yes. That’s a great album.
My top 5 Canterbury albums:
1. Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink
2. Gong - You (Radio Gnome pt. 3)
3. National Health - Of Queues and Cures
4. Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
5. Supersister - Pudding En Gisteren
Supersister is amazing, it's sad that they're quite underrated
Great video! :-)
Gong is such a great band that far too few people are familiar with. Gong's earlier album "Camembert Electrique" from 1971 is an unbelievably creative and fascinating album and is another must hear for fans of this type of music.
I bought Soft Machine's "Third" years ago before I even knew who the band was or anything about the members and the scene, based on a recommendation from a friend. I remembering putting it in the CD player in my car as I was leaving the parking lot of the store and just being left speechless as to what in god's name was going on.. It grew on me over time and it's one I return to still every now and then, but it was a jarring introduction to the band and to music of that type (if there is so much a type even eh?).
Great, in-depth channel on various musical genres and bands.
Is that the book England’s Hidden Reverse over your shoulder? If so I do hope one day you do a video on Coil. They’re a bit hit and miss but when they hit they hit hard! The Ape of Naples is as good a eulogy album as Joy Divisions Closer, Nick Drakes Pink Moon or Bowie’s Blackstar! Plus Autechre (who I think you admire) were influenced by them - check out the similarity of Coils Dark River to Autechre’s known(1).
It is a copy of EHR..... it’s the reprint/ second edition!
In some respects it's come full circle, there is definitely a new Canterbury scene that is inspired by this prog past, maybe the band that got to more of an international level is Syd Arthur (check the album On An On), but also bands like Bison Bonasus and Boot Lagoon.
oh man, when i discovered joy of a toy a few years ago i fell in love right away. I played elanor's cake over and over
Ayyy I’m from Canterbury and I had no idea about this!
Joy of a Toy has always been a favourite of mine; I think Ayers and Bedford nail that mellow sound so well. At the very other end of the line, another album that I am obsessed with, is Fish Rising by Steve Hillage; a truly wonderful record, and well worth a listen, especially if you like the earlier Gong stuff. Anyway, interesting video, thanks :)
I love Canterbury Prog, but I can see why some people find it a bit cheesy.
After all, it is a... (puts on sunglasses)... CATHEDRAL CITY
Lawrence McKay ...the Pilgrims Choice, of course.
It's definitely matured nicely
so glad this video was finally made, but wheres the "5 MORE albums to get you into canterbury prog"
Caravan! In the Land of Grey and Pink.
Brillant! Good reasons for every choice. I‘d totally agree.
Mainstream by Phil Manzanera is also a banger
Because of this video
The Rotters Club is now and has been my favourite album of all time for a year now
Really weird to think we would have been studying in Canterbury at the same time. I would have been watching your videos and didn't even realise it! I was studying graphic design at university of kent from 2014 - 2017. Also so weird to hear you talk about somewhere I know so well. Love your videos!
Just came across your channel and really enjoyed this 'Canterbury Prog' video. Caravan are certainly one of my all time favourite bands. Many thanks.
Camel - Moonmadness!
The Rotter’s Club is one of my favorite prog albums and I didn't know shit about it, DEEP CUTS FOR LIFE
Good choices glad you mentioned to connections . Also glad you mentioned the unsung Moviing gelatine plates ( they had sa rputht deal wwith what happened to them on that second album ( my fave album by them) . Yeah many people live 3rd from Soft Machine.the 2nd ones my fave I appreciate third more now then when I heard some songs off of it first but 2 is my fave and yes 3rd you totally hear that prog jazz fusion direction. I dig the whimsical nature of that Canterbury prog stuff it's a trip how a segment of those bands went on to be Rock in Oppisiton bands and well. Which from what I gather peeps like Robert Wyatt had political inclinations with groups even like maching mole. Bands like Henry Cow were totally on that level let alone a bridge from cantuebury to RIO .great vid man.peace n blesSings to you 🙏🏾☦🦋
just wanted to say that I'm still so glad you're making videos again!! always glad to see you on my subscriptions feed
Heck yeah! Love that genre. Cool stuff. My personal favourite would probably have to be Soft Machine's Third, but at this point, can it really be considered part of the Canterbury scene? It's a hard one for me. I would almost put their first album in the same category as Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and that weird type of English psychedelic rock of the 60s. And then, Third, almost Prog rock/jazz fusion? Highly experimental, though. Those four minutes or something at the start of Facelift are amazing. This album is a whole journey. One of my personal favourites of any kind, actually. Also, Moon in june is the best 20 minutes pop song imo if I've ever heard one.
I think three major factors play into what makes their debut a Canterbury record. Soft Machine was from the Canterbury region, it has a very particular dry psychedelia to it that most early Canterbury scene music shared, and it has a very strong jazz edge. Most Canternury scene music had strong jazz influence.
@@iamdamosuzuki_ They all grew up listening to Jazz: Monk, Mingus, Coltrane, Ellington, Ornette, Dolphy, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler.,etc.
I like the books in the background, do you have any book recommendations? And are you planning any video on Frank Zappa? Love your work!
England's progressive scene (1969-1976) is genuinely mezmerizing. There's literally too much talent going around. From the classic prog of Yes and ELP, to the folkier Genesis, to the eclectic King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator, to the symphonic prog pop of the Moody Blues, to the proto-prog space rock of Pink Floyd, to the folk prog of Mike Oldfield, Roy Harper, Jethro Tull and Comus, to the avant-rock RIO of Henry Cow, to the jazz-rock of Maharavishnu Orchestra and Soft Machine and of course, the Canterbury Scene. Goddamn
No mention of Out-Bloody-Rageous (track 4 from Third)?! This and Facelift are the winners (the latter containing live sections from their excellent Live At The Proms LP). This is a joy of tape manipulation and jazz experimentalism. Genius.
Thanks for this. One of the bands I'm in was tagged by a reviewer as having "echoes of Canterbury sound"; and i honestly had no idea what that meant. Now I do. Much appreciated.
There's a new UK Canterbury prog band called Zopp, highly recommended for fans of National Health and Egg.
Love the video! Your channel is so helpful for learning about all sorts of music. I was curious, have you ever considered doing a 5 albums to get you into reggae?
Man, what a timing you have. I was just getting into the canterbury scene for the the past few days and now you come up with this video? I can't wait to to dig up thos reccs.
Come from Canterbury, living in Exeter. Thanks for the amazing work you put out.