70s Cup Round 7 Match 1 *joels344 20- PB 6*

[never/ever]

A

National Health - Binoculars






B

Weather Report -Mysterious Traveller

[Loki]

Meh

[joels344]

A easily.

[toomanyhatz]

19 minutes of my life on this. I'd like at least 17 of them back, please.

A, I guess, as there's at least some semblance of a song before the weedly-woo takes over.

[Belle Lettre]

B

[naughty boy]

I'd heard about National Health, but don't remember hearing anything that knocked me out, so I looked them up: Wiki says they were one of the Canterbury lot, and this album was one of the last (1978) to be released from that genre. The keyboard sounds are horrible, the vocal is kind of nice, it goes on too long but there isn't TOO much wanking about. In the right time/mood, I wouldn't turn it off.

The other thing is Weather Report, and they're slimy


A

[Purgatory Brite]

Today I'll choose the jazz fusion heavy dudes over the jazz rock noodling.

B

[The Modernist]

There's a lot going on in A so it's difficult to get a handle on it on one or two listens. But I liked the way it contrasted different things and its somewhat rambling nature. Probably deserves further listens.

There was something quite ugly and dissonant in the WR track that might have made it an effective mood piece for a horror film, but really didn't make for a pleasant listening experience.

A

[C]

Wow! Now this is a proper match and the music I listened to in the 70s and listen to now.

Both tracks are full of music which makes a nice change - this is really tough

Great musicians in WR also - Alphonso Johnson's bass is to die for

Very very tough - a great match

-+A+-




.

[fange]

Both are a bit long, but WR are more my thing. I wish their records just sounded nicer - some fusion could still be warm and intimate, but WR were often a little clinical for me. The NH track is interesting in parts but a bit too disjointed.


B

[Polishgirl]

That moment of quiet euphoria when A finally ended was amazing! Sorry, A; completely not my bag, and I never like a jazzy flute ( not a euphemism ).

B isn't my bag either .

Abstaining.

[Dayodead]

neither sends me...Abstain

[Neige]

Two different guises of "jazz rock fusion"

I'm a great fan of this Dave Stewart, I love his innate "Englishness", and the second National Health album might be his best.

On the other hand, I've always struggled with Weather Report, and this really didn't change my mind.

A

[Penk!]

A is nearly 12 minutes long, and I suspect National Health have something to do with prog. But the first two minutes or so are rather lovely, and it doesn't lose its appeal when the vocals start; there are a few dodgy solos a bit later on but we can allow them that. It's a Canterbury thing, isn't it? Some waistcoated posho mimsying over wistful noodling. Pixies having a hoedown in a woodland glade. Yeah, I quite like this. It's naff and probably artistically indefensible, but it's all quite charming. I might give them a proper go. Time to revive my "Prog Odyssey" thread perhaps. Cheers.

B is also quite long. But it's stuffed with silly sounds while being less pastoral, less amiable, less clever than it thinks it is, and less likable. All of which means that A wins.

[trans-chigley express]

I generally enjoy the Canterbury sound and I really liked A including the sax and flutey sections. It didn't seem as long as 12 minutes either which is always a good sign.

Weather Report are never as good as I imagine they should be. The too clinical criticism above rings true. This track wasn't bad but wasn't strong enough to compete with National Health.

A

[Osgood]

I did like both tracks. I'm a sucker for the Canterbury stuff and A should be more my thing. However, as fange points out, the different parts are too disjointed and this is something that puts me off every time. B is more solid as a tune and it gets my vote. With apologies to A

B

[sloopjohnc]

I really don't want to encourage either song.

Abstain.

[Hightea]

nice matchup had for me to decide.

A - love the whole song Miller, Pip and Stewart with flute, oboe and later trumpet. Here we like a long song going thru various changes and a few light solos. NH is one of my favorite Canterbury bands and I like love most of them.

B -Josef Zawinul, Wayne Shorter with Alphonso Johnson on Bass guitar - Mysterious Traveller was a great album although I prefer the the albums with Jaco and the first album. So I will give it to

A

[GoogaMooga]

Weather Report can be quite good, check "Heavy Weather", but here they are not doing much at all. And the Canterbury scene is just poison to me. ABSTAIN

[echolalia]

I won't abstain.

A