Slapp Happy

SLAPP HAPPY was a multinational (specifically British/German) Avant-garde pop group consisting of Anthony MOORE (keyboards), Peter BLEGVAD (guitar) and Dagmar KRAUSE (vocals). SLAPP HAPPY was formed in 1972 in Hamburg, Germany by British composer Anthony MOORE. At the time he was recording for Polydor, but was continually frustrated by the more popular direction the label was trying to woe his music. His music was sited as not commercial enough. Venting this frustration he proposed the formation of a pop group with his girlfriend (Dagmar KRAUSE) from Hamburg and an American friend Peter BLEGVAD. So Slapp happy was born. After much disputes and bantering BLEGVAD and MOORE convinced Krause of their inabilities to sing and she step up as their sing. And to this day remains as one of the distinctive characteristics surrounding the band.

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.

British progressive pioneers Henry Cow was the leading group of the Rock In Opposition (R.I.O. for short) movement, initiated by their drummer Chris Cutler. All members of Henry Cow have been involved in collaborations with Canterbury groups and artists at one point or another, and most of them still are. Their music aged amazingly well over the last 20 years due to diverse influences: some of its roots in the Canterbury school, most notably early Soft Machine, other influences (Frank Zappa, Bela Bartok, Kurt Weil). The group functioned more or less as a collective, with a true group identity that changed from album to album as members came and went.
Henry Cow's first album, "Legend" (read "Leg End"), is considered by many their most accessible, and makes a good starter. Their sound draws on modern classical music, jazz and experimental music…

This Box Set features 5 discs celebrating 5 legendary progressive rock labels! Part of the successful EMI Global Prog Rocks! Campaign, highlighting the work of some of the World's greatest artists associated with the genre. Featuring classic Prog riches from Harvest, Charisma, Virgin, Liberty / UA and newer, more cutting edge progressive rock from the enterprising Inside Out label. This compilation serves as the ideal introduction to the wide variety of bands and musical styles on these labels and offers a broad insight into the delights of progressive music! Syd Barrett, Electric Light Orchestra, Barclay James Harvest, Van Der Graaf Generator, The Nice, Peter Hammill, Gong, Hatfield And The North, Tangerine Dream, Steve Hillage, Daevid Allen, Hawkwind, Pain Of Salvation, Riverside and many more.

Rhino has a history of doing things up right, but this time it's outdone itself. More than five hours of prog, from The Nice to Golden Earring, presented thoroughly and largely chronologically. Depending on your outlook, it's either heaven or hell. There's plenty here to occupy the idle, drug-riddled mind; some well known (Focus's "Hocus Pocus," ELP's "Knife Edge," Genesis) and some wonderfully obscure…

Named after the band's striking female vocalist, Jex Thoth take their cues from the metallic strains of Black Sabbath and the retro experimentalism of Amon Düül II. Jex Thoth (formerly Jessica Toth) and bassist James Jackson Toth (leader of the experimental outfit Wooden Wand, and credited here as Grim Jim) form the core of the group, which originally took shape under the name Totem.