In Praise of Learning

Title

In Praise of Learning

Subject

Jazz, Art Rock, Avant-Garde

Description

Henry Cow's third album, originally released in 1975, found them expanded to an eight-piece ensemble after a guest session on another group's record. Henry Cow absorbed Slapp Happy into their lineup after appearing on Slapp Happy's Desperate Straights album. It was a tenuous relationship (lasting only long enough for this release, and with Slapp Happy crumbling after Dagmar Krause decided to stay on with Henry Cow), but one that produced some stunning results. Anthony Moore and Peter Blegvad's "War" has enormous proportion and power that would have been beyond the scope of a relatively quiet trio. The sheer ambition of this work is bracing. Intricately composed and arranged pieces, rife with lyrics that meld poetry with politics, give way to extended improvisations. While that had always been the Henry Cow recipe, it was never given such dramatic sweep. No one has ever, before or since, sounded like this incarnation of Henry Cow.

/blurb\
tracklist:

Side A :
War - 2:24'
Living in the Heart of the Beast - 15:18'
Beginning: The Long March - 6:20'
Beautiful as the Moon, Terrible as an Army with Banners - 6:55'
Morning Star - 6:02

Creator

Henry Cow

Source

Originally recorded in 1975

Publisher

ReR Megacorp ‎– RER VHC3

Date

2011

Contributor

Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Tim Hodgkinson, Lindsay Cooper, Anthony Moore, John Greaves and Dagmar Krause.

Format

37 minutes duration

Language

English

Type

One of the key groups in European experimental rock

Identifier

WCLP0007

Coverage

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Collection

Citation

Henry Cow, “In Praise of Learning,” WPB, accessed March 29, 2024, https://tpb.worm.org/items/show/12766.

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