Hatfield and the North - Hatfield and the North (1974)

Guybrush · 01-24-2011, 10:34 AM

This album is actually my favourite Canterbury record at the moment. It wasn't immediate, though. A long time ago, I gave it a few spins without it quite catching. Most Canterbury albums are like that, I find. Their appeal is not always in your face and this one's not that different in that respect. However, after a spin or two, the vocal performances from tracks like Calyx or Son of There's No Place Like Homerton had snuck their way into my conscious and after they had stewed there for quite a while, I suddenly found myself with a strong want to listen to it again. They had to stew for a while though, we're talking months!

When I listened to it again, I felt like the album really opened up to me. It's a gorgeous thing. Although it shares quite a few similarities with other Canterbury acts (as I mentioned in it's description), I feel like they've found their own aesthetic and it's not quite like anything else I've heard. The bits I like the most are definetly the vocal parts, like Robert Wyatt's performance on Calyx or Barbara Gaskin's sung part on Lobsters in Cleavage Probe. As the regular singer in the group, Sinclair is the perfect man/voice for the job. On the compositional and instrumental side of things, I love the often intricate-but-comfortable songs and the warm sounds. There's not a single song on this album that I don't like.

My favourite track right now is Son Of There's No Place Like Homerton and part of that is because of Gaskin's performance on the track. As a whole, side A is preferable to side B for me (which starts with Fol De Rol), but as I wrote, there's nothing here that I don't find enjoyable. The only negative thing I can think of is that it might eventually feel a little long-winded, but letting it run it from start to end is still a joy to me. One of the finest albums we've covered so far in the PFAC club in my opinion!

edit :

By the way, my version also has two bonus tracks, Let's Eat (Real Soon) and Fitter Stoke Has A Bath. I'm usually not too crazy about bonus tracks (The Other Stubbs Effect is obviously meant as an album outro and then they glue more tracks onto it after?), but both these are brilliant

The latter of the two also features Sinclair's classic underwater-gurgle singing gimmick which is always fun!

Anteater · 01-24-2011, 11:02 AM

Definitely one of the best Canterbury albums of all time (alongside Caravan's In The Land Of Grey and Pink and National Health's debut). I agree about the vocal performances in particular, but what really strikes me about this debut is how each track segues flawlessly into the one after it. Just goes to show you how great Sinclair and the rest were at conceptualizing their compositions.

Another interesting thing - Hatfield's sophomore release The Rotters' Club ended up inspiring a really awesome novel back in 2001. Here's a link for the curious-

The Rotters' Club (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Guybrush · 01-24-2011, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

what really strikes me about this debut is how each track segues flawlessly into the one after it. Just goes to show you how great Sinclair and the rest were at conceptualizing their compositions.

Yes, another good observation which I definetly agree with

Interesting trivia about that book too by the way. Wonder if it's any good?

View Poll Results: How would you rank the album?
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01-24-2011, 10:34 AM	#1 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	This album is actually my favourite Canterbury record at the moment. It wasn't immediate, though. A long time ago, I gave it a few spins without it quite catching. Most Canterbury albums are like that, I find. Their appeal is not always in your face and this one's not that different in that respect. However, after a spin or two, the vocal performances from tracks like Calyx or Son of There's No Place Like Homerton had snuck their way into my conscious and after they had stewed there for quite a while, I suddenly found myself with a strong want to listen to it again. They had to stew for a while though, we're talking months! When I listened to it again, I felt like the album really opened up to me. It's a gorgeous thing. Although it shares quite a few similarities with other Canterbury acts (as I mentioned in it's description), I feel like they've found their own aesthetic and it's not quite like anything else I've heard. The bits I like the most are definetly the vocal parts, like Robert Wyatt's performance on Calyx or Barbara Gaskin's sung part on Lobsters in Cleavage Probe. As the regular singer in the group, Sinclair is the perfect man/voice for the job. On the compositional and instrumental side of things, I love the often intricate-but-comfortable songs and the warm sounds. There's not a single song on this album that I don't like. My favourite track right now is Son Of There's No Place Like Homerton and part of that is because of Gaskin's performance on the track. As a whole, side A is preferable to side B for me (which starts with Fol De Rol), but as I wrote, there's nothing here that I don't find enjoyable. The only negative thing I can think of is that it might eventually feel a little long-winded, but letting it run it from start to end is still a joy to me. One of the finest albums we've covered so far in the PFAC club in my opinion! edit : By the way, my version also has two bonus tracks, Let's Eat (Real Soon) and Fitter Stoke Has A Bath. I'm usually not too crazy about bonus tracks (The Other Stubbs Effect is obviously meant as an album outro and then they glue more tracks onto it after?), but both these are brilliant The latter of the two also features Sinclair's classic underwater-gurgle singing gimmick which is always fun! __________________ Something Completely Different