Review: Hatfield And The North – s/t (1974)

Hatfield And The North is the first studio album by the band of the same name.

Hatfield And The North was formed in 1972 by guitarist Phil Miller and drummer Pip Pyle. The band went through several line-up changes in the early days, with David Sinclair, Steve Miller, Alan Gowen and Roy Babbington among the band’s members. Shortly before the recording of this debut album, however, the line-up was settled on Miller, Pyle and new additions bassist Richard Sinclair and keyboardist Dave Stewart.

Despite the relatively young age of the players, the foursome that was eventually assembled already had a considerable amount of experience. Phil Miller had played with jazz-rock band Delivery and Matching Mole, led by Robert Wyatt. Pip Pyle had played on two Gong albums. Bassist Richard Sinclair was perhaps the most successful member of the group as a founder member of Caravan, having a relatively successful album on his CV, In The Land Of Grey And Pink (1971). Keyboardist Dave Stewart, on the other hand, may have been the most accomplished instrumentalist and composer of the bunch and had made a couple of very complex albums as a member of Egg and played with Steve Hillage in Uriel and Khan. What the quartet had in common was that they had all played in bands in the so-called Canterbury scene. Hatfield And The North could be considered the first Canterbury supergroup. Unfortunately, this supergroup status never translated into very healthy sales figures.

hatfield
Richard Sinclair, Dave Stewart, Pip Pyle, Phil Miller.

The Hatfields’ debut is an excellent blend of Caravan’s warm melodicism and, on the other hand, the more experimental and complex edge of Egg and Soft Machine (Richard Sinclair has playfully but accurately described the Hatfields’ music as “four times more challenging” than Caravan’s). The album consists of short tracks—mostly just a couple of minutes long—that form a sort of suite-like whole. However, two longer tracks stand out more clearly: Stewart’s ten-minute composition “Son of ‘There’s No Place Like Homerton’” and Pyle’s nine-minute “Shaving Is Boring.” “Son Of…,” the album’s most complex track, is indeed its highlight, at times bringing to mind not only Stewart’s former band Egg, but also Henry Cow—and not just because the track features a guest appearance by that band’s former member Geoff Leigh on saxophone and flute.

The second of the long songs, ”Shaving Is A Boring” is interesting because it would fit directly on Gong’s You album. Its tasty, jammy and psychedelically pulsating spacerock style with its 5/8 riffs is pure Gong of the You era. Although Hatfield’s debut was released several months before You. Well, Pyle had played in Gong a few years earlier, so maybe he already had the style in his blood. A great song anyway.

The third track that deserves special mention is Sinclair’s “Rifferama.” A fast-paced and otherwise raucous song that, true to its name, is brimming with impressive riffs for both keyboards and electric guitar, it’s also a joy to listen to. Sinclair’s hyperactive bass playing is also a thrill to listen to.

Hatfield And The North is mostly instrumental, but there are some vocals on the album. The high priest of the Canterbury scene, Robert Wyatt, sings vocals on one song ”Calyx” without lyrics, but the more prominent role is played by a trio of three female singers, the so-called The Northettes, Amanda Parsons, Barbara Gaskin (Dave Stewart’s future wife) and Ann Rosenthal. Naturally, Richard Sinclair’s warm and melancholic singing voice also finds a place in a few songs.

Hatfield and the North’s debut album is a brilliant combination of the laid-back, “whatever” attitude typical of the Canterbury scene and skillful, technical playing, and it is indeed one of the finest albums in its subgenre. The following year, in 1975, the band succeeded even more spectacularly, creating a true masterpiece with the album The Rotter’s Club.

Parhaat biisit: ”Rifferama”, ”There’s No Place Like Homerton”, ”Shaving Is Boring”.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI

Tracks:

  1. ”The Stubbs Effect” (Pip Pyle) – 0:22
  2. ”Big Jobs (Poo Poo Extract)” (Richard Sinclair, Pyle) – 0:36
  3. ”Going Up To People and Tinkling” (Dave Stewart) – 2:25
  4. ”Calyx” (Phil Miller) – 2:45
  5. ”Son of ’There’s No Place Like Homerton'” (Stewart) – 10:10
  6. ”Aigrette” (Miller) – 1:37
  7. ”Rifferama” (Sinclair; arranged by Hatfield and the North) – 2:56
  8. ”Fol de Rol” (Sinclair, Robert Wyatt) – 3:07
  9. ”Shaving Is Boring” (Pyle) – 8:45
  10. ”Licks for the Ladies” (Sinclair, Pyle) – 2:37
  11. ”Bossa Nochance” (Sinclair) – 0:40
  12. ”Big Jobs No. 2 (By Poo and the Wee Wees)” (Sinclair, Pyle) – 2:14
  13. ”Lobster in Cleavage Probe” (Stewart) – 3:57
  14. ”Gigantic Land Crabs in Earth Takeover Bid” (Stewart) – 3:21
  15. ”The Other Stubbs Effect” (Pyle) – 0:38

Band:

Phil Miller: guitars Dave Stewart: Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hammond organ, Hohner Pianet, piano, tone generator, Minimoog Richard Sinclair: bass guitar and vocals
Pip Pyle: drums, percussion, sound effects

Guests:

Robert Wyatt: vocals Barbara Gaskin: vocals Amanda Parsons: vocals Ann Rosenthal: vocals Geoff Leigh: tenor saxophone, flute (5 & 13) Didier Malherbe: tenor saxophone Jeremy Baines: pixiephone, flute Cyrille Ayers: vocals Sam Ellidge: voice

Producers: Hatfield And The North and Tom Newman

Label: Virgin

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