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National Health: National Health / Of Queues and Cures
by John Kelman
Keyboardist Dave Stewart first emerged with Uriel and Egg--two early Canterbury groups that initially expanded on the psychedelia of earlier progenitor Soft Machine but ultimately created their own space where rock, classical and even hints of jazz music met. But Stewart truly hit his stride with Hatfield and the North, whose two Virgin albums--the impressive Hatfield and the North (1973) and undisputed Canterbury classic The Rotters Club (1975)--beautifully side-stepped all traces of progressive rock self-indulgence with a self-effacing sense of ...
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by Nic Jones
First issued in 1978, the passing of time has rendered this music ageless, as opposed to setting the seal as a product of an era. But for a change of bassist and name (National Health), the brand of complexity underscoring the group's music was of a radically different order to that of an earlier band (Hatfield And The North). Where in Hatfield's case there was no shortage of whimsy of a particularly English order, here it is replaced by a ...
read moreNational Health: Playtime
by Glenn Astarita
“National Health” was indeed one of the finest exponents of the oft fabled “Canterbury” progressive rock era as Playtime represents the band’s first – live recording to be issued either on LP or CD format. Culled from performances at venues in France and Pennsylvania during a 1979 tour, this new release presents the listener with the only recorded manifestation of a lineup consisting of keyboardist Alan Gowen, bassist John Greaves, guitarist Phil Miller and drummer Pip Pyle. Hence, Gowen had ...
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