Here's a story to begin the beginning. A few words that are arbitrary. I'll try my best to make them read nice and hope that my words will turn you onto the rest of the thread. Should be a laugh certainly!
The very short story is a quick introduction to the origin of the Canterbury Scene and if you already know it, feel free to skip this paragraph.
One start of the Canterbury Scene was The Wilde Flowers who were active and played gigs in the area from 1964 to 1967. Although The Wilde Flowers never recorded, when the band broke up, the former members would go on to form the bands Soft Machine and Caravan, both very important and influential bands of the scene. Soft Machine was highly experimental and eventually quite jazzy while Caravan started out as a psychedelic rock band which took a turn to prog and pop and may be the Canterbury band which has enjoyed the most (a little bit of) commercial success, although that really doesn't mean much (In the words of the late Pip Pyle; "
playing for the pleasure, not trying to be stars"). The members of these bands also played in or formed other bands which soon led to the kind of environment where everyone's played with or know someone who plays in every other band there is on the scene. F.ex Richard Sinclair played in Caravan, Hatfield and the North, Camel and The Wilde Flowers, the last of which also Robert Wyatt played who also played in The Soft Machine and Matching Mole where also Phil Miller played who by the way also played in National Health where Pip Pyle played and both those also played in Hatfield and the North with Richard Sinclair and also Hugh Hopper who by the way was a member of Soft Heap and Gilgamesh where also Alan Gowen played who .. you get the idea. It was sort of like a family of bands, blood related through the various people who played in and circulated between them.
If you like psychedelic rock, prog, fusion or even pop from the 70s, there's a fair chance you've listened to a Canterbury band. Because there might be some unaware Canterbury appreciators out there, I'll make a little list here and then people can see if any of the bands they like are on the list.
A Sort Of List Of Canterbury (Or Related) Bands (not all have recorded mind you)
- Amazing Band
- Arzachel
- Banana Moon
- Bruford
- Camel
- Caravan
- Caravan Of Dreams
- Centipede
- Comus
- Coxhill Sinclair Band
- Delivery
- Egg
- Gilgamesh
- Going Going
- Gong
- Gowen Miller Sinclair Tomkins
- Hatfield and the North
- Henry Cow
- Hugh Hopper - Monster Band
- Hugh Hopper & Friends
- In Cahoots
- Isotope
- Khan
- Mad Axe Quartet
- Mashu
- Matching Mole
- Mirage
- National Health
- Nucleus
- Odd Job
- Ottawa Music Company
- Paragong
- People's Liberation Music
- Quiet Sun
- R.S.V.P.
- Rapid Eye Movement
- Short Wave
- Sinclair & The South
- Soft Heap
- Soft Machine
- Steel Blue
- Sunship
- Symbiosis
- The Lodge
- The Music Doctors
- The Polite Force
- The Wilde Flowers
- T-Mit
- Weightwatchers
Calyx, which is a brilliant if dated resource page on all things Canterbury, contains a
list of musicians with direct connection to the scene. Because there is no proper definition of "Canterbury scene", one might be tempted to include bands that are influenced by these in sound or where Canterbury musicians have guested, such as the Norwegian band Panzerpappa or the Japanese band Mr. Sirius .. In other words, the extended Canterbury scene can become quite large when hearts and minds are willing.
There is a lot of interest in Canterbury bands on MusicBanter, so I thought perhaps there is some interest in the scene as a whole. I myself am interested and like to collect what I can find from it. I was hoping that by creating a thread, I could facilitate perhaps not just discussions, but perhaps even some exchange of .. services! So; do anyone else here like Canterbury? If so, use this thread to discuss and pay your respects and tributes to this marvellous place in space, time and sound
