BOOKLET
HENRY COW
Leg End
Released 1973 / Virgin
Original mix reissued 1998 East Side Digital
1 Nirvana For Mice
2 Amygdala
3 Teenbeat Introduction
4 Teenbeat
5 Extract from “With the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star”
6 Teenbeat (Reprise)
7 Tenth Chaffinch
8 Nine Funerals of the Citizen King
Henry Cow’s debut is a dazzling preview of everything the band would explore throughout its career. Opening with Fred Frith’s “Nirvana for Mice,” the album mixes tightly structured compositional themes with adventurous improvisational passages. One of the most important elements in the band’s sound is drummer Chris Cutler, who produces a sound that’s constantly in motion but never unnecessarily busy. This original quintet lineup would splinter soon after this release. Departing reed player Geoff Leigh was replaced by Lindsay Cooper (who played bassoon and oboe) with the release of this album’s follow-up, UNREST. The writing of multi-instrumentalist Tim Hodgkinson writing stands in compelling contrast to Frith’s, with Hodgkinson’s sense of European classicism rubbing shoulders with avant-garde jazz and rock. While later releases found Henry Cow staking out its own sonic turf more rigorously, comparisons here to Frank Zappa’s most earnest compositional work are quite apt. Originally released on Virgin in 1973. Originally released in the U.S. on Red in 1979. Henry Cow: John Greaves (whistle, bass guitar); Chris Cutler (whistle, toys); Tim Hodgkinson, Fred Frith, Geoff Leigh. Personnel: Fred Frith (vocals, guitar, violin, viola, piano, keyboards); Geoff Leigh (vocals, flute, recorder, clarinet, saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Tim Hodgkinson (vocals, clarinet, saxophone, alto saxophone, piano, organ, keyboards); Chris Cutler (vocals, trumpet, piano, drums); John Greaves (vocals, piano); Dagmar Krause (vocals); Lindsay Cooper (bassoon); Jack Baines (wind). Audio Remixers: Tim Hodgkinson; Fred Frith. Recording information: Manor Studios. Henry Cow: Fred Frith (vocals, guitar, violin, viola, piano); Geoff Leigh (vocals, flute, clarinet, recorder, saxophone); Tim Hodgkinson (vocals, clarinet, alto saxophone, piano, organ); John Greaves (vocals, whistle, piano, bass); Chris Cutler (vocals, whistle, piano, drums, toys). The Wire (p.42) – “‘Nirvana For Mice’ presents a slapstick twin-horned riff that could have been pilfered from a Zappa record. Cutler’s drums and John Greaves’s bass keep the undercurrent thriving with rhythmically displaced energy…”
The Wire (1/99, p.59) – “…If the instrumental colors and the rhythmic signatures are characteristically 70s, the complex ducking’n’diving ensembles, the dense textures, athletic interactions and Tim Hodgkinson’s acrid alto sound as fresh as ever.”
In 1998 Recommended Records and East Side Digital reissued Legend on CD with the original mixing restored and the bonus track omitted. The original master tape having been lost, this CD edition was transferred from a mint condition Japanese vinyl copy.
Geoff Leigh – saxophones, flute, clarinet, recorder, voice
Tim Hodgkinson – organ, piano, alto saxophone, clarinet, little bells, voice
Fred Frith – guitars, violin, viola, piano, voice
John Greaves – bass guitar, piano, whistle, voice
Chris Cutler – drums, toys, piano, whistle, voice