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Various Artists — Canterburied Sounds Volume 3
(Voiceprint VP203CD, 1970/1998, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2002-04-01

Canterburied Sounds Volume 3 Cover art

The third volume of the Canterburied sounds series merits a bit more scrutiny than several of the other collections assembled by Brian Hopper (saxophonist and Hugh's brother who appeared on Soft Machine Volume Two). As each of the volumes exhibits marginal sound quality (at best), the collection is centered on an aural history of the roots of a cherished scene of what is now regarded as the Canterbury sound. Early tracks on this volume include loose combinations of players that would eventually become the Wilde Flowers. Tracks on this collection include a version of "Slow Walkin' Talk" where Jimi Hendrix contributes bass guitar (also included on a recent Robert Wyatt collection) to Robert Wyatt's lead vocal and piano. Wyatt and pianist Mike Ratledge spent hours developing free jazz based themes and originating what would become a "new sound" as heard on "Frenetica." Ratledge's blues variation, "3/4 Blues Thing in F" is simply that which shows the stamp of early influences such as Jelly Roll Morton. Probably one of the best tracks on the disc is the cover of Little Richard's "Kansas City" with Pete Lawson taking the lead vocal and the Hopper brothers providing backing. Brian Hopper's own offshoot group Zobe is represented by three pieces of negligible quality including the marginal track "The Pieman Cometh," while "More Idle Chat" details a conversation between members of Zobe. Hopper's detailed liner notes give an inside look at the interactions between key players. Overall, this collection together with the other six volumes serves as outtakes for the Wilde Flowers disc and is strictly for collectors only.

Filed under: Archives, Issue 24, 1998 releases, 1970 recordings

Related artist(s): Brian Hopper, Robert Wyatt, Caravan, Jimi Hendrix, Richard Sinclair, Dave Sinclair, Various Artists

 

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