The Henry Cow Legend, Henry Cow's 1973 debut album.
Also known as Legend or Leg End, it is a cornerstone of avant-garde rock and the Rock in Opposition movement.
After about five years of touring in Cambridge and several sessions for the BBC (the John Peel Show), the band landed a contract with the newly formed Virgin Records thanks to a recommendation from Robert Wyatt as detailed in the band profile.
It's said that during the recording sessions, sound engineer Tom Newman was found drunk under the console celebrating the success of Tubular Bells, which he had produced. Mike Oldfield himself took over as director for the first part of the sessions, particularly for the song "Nirvana for Mice." This is why the album credits "First bit of 'Nirvana for Mice' engineered by Mike Oldfield."
It's a complex blend of experimental jazz, contemporary classical music, and progressive rock, with extraordinary use of odd time signatures (the 21/8 in "Nirvana for Mice" is spectacular).
The original title on the spine was The Henry Cow Legend, but the lack of writing on the cover and the pun on the sock led many to interpret it as "Leg End." The artwork is by Ray Smith, who created the sock by weaving strips of acrylic paint, a symbol that would later be reused on the next two albums, as described in more detail in the band's profile.
An album that bridges the refined Canterbury style with the most radical avant-prog. The songs are characterized by extremely complex structures, constant tempo changes, and balance rigorously composed sections written on sheet music with free, collective improvisation.
In addition to the classic lineup of guitar, bass, and drums, there is extensive use of wind instruments (sax, flute, clarinet) and Fred Frith's "experimental" violin.
An almost entirely instrumental album with a surreal atmosphere and only one sung track, "Nine Funerals of the Citizen King," featuring the band's first themes of political and social criticism related to British Marxism.
Nirvana for Mice, composed by Fred Frith, opens the album with a angular horn riff and a complex 21/8 time signature, blending melody and dissonance.
Tim Hodgkinson's "Amygdala" is one of the album's most beautiful tracks, with a pastoral and serene atmosphere but also complex counterpoints between flute, guitar, and organ.
Teenbeat Trilogy (Introduction / Teenbeat / Reprise) occupies a large portion of the album. The first is an introduction of pure free and atonal improvisation between saxophones. The middle section, "Teenbeat," is jazz-rock with sax solos, and "Reprise" relies on Frith's electric violin, almost evoking swing.
An excerpt from "With the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star" is dominated by a spectacular and hypnotic bass riff by John Greaves that flows into an exceptional rhythm section.
"The Tenth Chaffinch" is an ethereal and chaotic piece, typical of Rock in Opposition.
"Nine Funerals of the Citizen King" is the only song with vocals, and the entire band sings it in chorus. The lyrics are socialist-inspired and criticize capitalism and consumerism, creating a funeral-like atmosphere.
The performance by all the musicians is characterized by extreme technique applied to an "anti-rock" sound, in a highly integrated ensemble that balances the virtuosity of the individual players.
Fred Frith (guitar, violin, viola) eschews traditional blues-rock scales, featuring clean, angular, and counterpoint-focused guitar work. His violin is scathing. Extraordinary.
Tim Hodgkinson (organ, alto saxophone, clarinet) is the architect of the band's harshest sound, with an organ featuring distorted clusters and rapid patterns in odd meters. His saxophone is influenced by free jazz.
Chris Cutler (drums, strings, piano) is simply fantastic and revolutionary, transforming the drums into an almost melodic instrument between 21/8 and 19/8 time signatures, unstable rhythms that offer no reference points. Divine.
John Greaves (Bass, Piano) has bass lines as complex as the main melodies, melodic lines as well as rhythmic.
Geoff Leigh (Saxophones, Flute, Clarinet) adds a chamber jazz sound, with delicate flute work and aggressive saxophone work.
This album is a must-have for fans of jazz, avant-garde, and, of course, Rock in Opposition, which this great band pioneered.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.
Tracklist
SIDE ONE (23:45)
Nirvana for Mice (Frith).
Amygdala (Hodgkinson)
Teenbeat Introduction (H. Cow)
Teenbeat (Frith areaves)
SIDE TWO (2015)
Extract from 'with the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star (Frith)
Teenbeat Reprise (Frith)
The Tenth Chaffinch (H. Cow)
Nine Funerals of the Citizen King (Hodgkinson)
LineUp
- Geoff Leigh - saxophones, flute, clarinet, recorder, vocals
- Tim Hodgkinson - organ, piano, alto saxophone, clarinet, bells, vocals
- Fred Frith - guitars, violin, viola, piano, vocals
- John Greaves - bass, piano, whistle, vocals
- Chris Cutler - drums, toys, piano, whistle, vocals
Featuring:
- Jeremy Baines - pixiphone (6)
- Sarah Greaves - backing vocals (3, 4, 7)
- Maggie Thomas - backing vocals (3, 4, 7)
- Cathy Williams - backing vocals (3, 4, 7)
- Lindsay Cooper - bassoon (2 remixes)
"Sound by Tom 'Greasy Patches' Newman and Henry Cow. (First bit of 'Nirvana for Mice' engineered by Mike Oldfield)"
