Teenbeat (instrumental)

Last updated

"Teenbeat Introduction", "Teenbeat", "Teenbeat Reprise"
Instrumental by Henry Cow
from the album Legend
ReleasedSeptember 1973 (1973-09)
RecordedMay–June 1973
Studio The Manor, Oxfordshire, England
Genre Avant-rock
Length4:32; 6:57; 5:07
Label Virgin
Composer(s) "Teenbeat Introduction"
       Henry Cow
"Teenbeat"
       Fred Frith, John Greaves
"Teenbeat Reprise"
      Fred Frith
Producer(s) Henry Cow

"Teenbeat" is a 1973 suite of three instrumentals, "Teenbeat Introduction", "Teenbeat" and "Teenbeat Reprise", by the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. The three pieces were composed by Henry Cow, Fred Frith and John Greaves, and Fred Frith respectively. They were recorded in May and June 1973, and released on Henry Cow's debut album, Legend by Virgin Records in September 1973.

Contents

Development

In 1970 Frith and Greaves began developing a piece that grew out of instrumental fragments and ideas the two had been working on. Henry Cow then experimented with these ideas to create "Teenbeat". Some of these fragments took on a life of their own and evolved into free-standing compositions. One of them was Frith's "With the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star", an extract of which appears on Legend; [lower-alpha 1] the other was Frith's "Ruins", which was later released on Henry Cow's second album, Unrest . [1] Glenn Kenny opined in Trouser Press that "Teenbeat"'s title, and the title of Frith's "Nirvana for Mice" (also from Legend), reflected Henry Cow's humour at the time. [2]

Henry Cow began playing "Teenbeat" in 1971. [3] Initial performances of the piece exploited its fragmented nature: elements were shuffled around and often interspaced with spells of open improvisation. [1] On the John Peel Show in February 1972 an extended guitar solo by Frith and several free improvisation segments were added. [4] Frith said the band "continued to mess with ['Teenbeat'] for years", and he called the piece "a beautiful living and breathing beast that was always fun to play and had all kinds of hidden subtleties." [5]

Recordings of early versions of "Teenbeat" before its release on Legend appear on Volume 1: Beginnings in The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set . They are two undated rehearsals of the piece, and a 10-minute performance on the John Peel Show in February 1972. [6]

The "Teenbeat" suite was recorded at The Manor in Oxfordshire, England in May–June 1973, and released on Henry Cow's first album, Legend in September 1973. [7] It was later remixed by Tim Hodgkinson and Frith at Cold Storage Studios in London in May and August 1980, and released by East Side Digital Records on the first CD release of Legend in 1991. All subsequent CD releases of Legend by East Side Digital and Recommended Records restored the original mix. [7]

Composition and structure

The "Teenbeat" suit begins with "Teenbeat Introduction", a saxophone improvisation duet played by Hodgkinson and Geoff Leigh that leads on from Hodgkinson's "Amygdala" on Legend. About halfway through the track, the rest of the band joins in and it continues until the main "Teenbeat" piece begins. The music increases in intensity, augmented by a wordless chorus of Maggie Thomas, Sarah Greaves and Cathy Williams (three of Henry Cow's road crew), and culminates in "Teenbeat"'s opening tune. [8] [9]

Henry Cow use different metres simultaneously in "Teenbeat". [10] 5
4 counterpoint sometimes features a 15
8 bassline. Benjamin Piekut wrote that "metrically ... [the piece] skitters all over the place" [3] He described the composition's "winking 'dance' theme", which Frith, tongue-in-cheek, called "the inner core of the piece", as follows:

The snippet has the guitar and saxophone playing a melodic phrase of 10 beats, subdivided into 3 + 3 + 4; they sound this swinging tune three times, with the third extended via Cutler's drum fill into a full 12 beats before launching into the next section of the piece. Meanwhile, the bass plays a walking line in four straight 8-beat phrases that cycle independently from what's happening on top; on drums, Cutler accentuates this 4 + 4 feel rather than the 3 + 3 + 4 division in the melody. Taken together, these two parts traverse the same 32-beat interval of time, but segment it into smaller cycles in two different ways. [10]

"Teenbeat" also features a number of fragments from other Frith and Greaves compositions. These include Frith's "With the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star" [lower-alpha 1] and "Came to See You", [lower-alpha 2] plus tunes from Greaves's "Would You Prefer Us to Lie?" [lower-alpha 3] (played on the organ by Hodgkinson) and a piece that would later become "Kew. Rhone." [lower-alpha 4] (played by Frith on guitar).

"Teenbeat Reprise" follows Frith's "Extract from 'With the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star'" on Legend. It begins with variations of themes used in "Teenbeat", then an extended guitar solo by Frith, which Udo Gerhards said brings to mind Robert Fripp's guitar work in King Crimson. [9] Once again Henry Cow mixes their metres: for example, guitar chords playing at 1
4 are accompanied by the bass at 3
8. Towards the end of the track, the guitar solo winds down and is replaced by the "Teenbeat" tune on Frith's violin, after which, Piekut wrote, "the song wraps up quickly with a bounding bridge to nowhere." [3]

Reception and analysis

In a review of Legend in The Wire , Philip Clark wrote that the fanfare in "Teenbeat Introduction" "arrive[s] like a bucket of icy water". [11] He said "Teenbeat" follows with "pointillistic splashes of sound" that become "a harmonically secure chorale", reaching a crescendo before "dissolv[ing] into a collage of rapidly looming jump-cuts". [11] Sean Kitching referred to "Teenbeat" in The Quietus , as "uplifting and epic". [12]

Bradley Smith wrote in The Billboard Guide to Progressive Rock that "Teenbeat", with its "ominous" drums and chorale that open the piece, and "Teenbeat Reprise", with its "raging" guitar solo, are some of the highlights of Legend. [13] In a review of the album in the Anderson Herald in 1974, Michael Graham Main commented that "Teenbeat" and "Amygdala" give the album "a unique jazz-rock blend". [14] He said Henry Cow "explodes with electrical energy" on "Teenbeat Reprise", and called it "the album's most developed number". [14]

Paul Stump stated in The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock that the placing of the organ and guitars in the stereo mix in the opening of "Teenbeat" is a good example of the "pointillist effect" Henry Cow achieved in many of their recordings. [15] He suggested that Frith's "blistering and initially conventional-sounding" guitar solo in "Teenbeat Reprise" illustrates the band's incorporation of techniques they learnt from exploring their instruments while improvising. Stump added that the "irregular downbeats" of "Teenbeat Reprise"'s rhythm section "encourage[s] a harmonic elasticity". [15]

Live performances

"Teenbeat" was performed live by Henry Cow a number of times between 1971 and 1978, including: [16]

Notes

  1. 1 2 A performance of the complete "With the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star" was recorded on the John Peel Show on 17 October 1972, and appears on Volume 1: Beginnings in The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set .
  2. ↑ A performance of "Came to See You" was recorded on the John Peel Show on 28 February 1972, and appears on Volume 1: Beginnings in The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set .
  3. ↑ A performance of "Would You Prefer Us to Lie" was recorded in London on 13 February 1977, and appears on Volume 7: Later and Post-Virgin in The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set .
  4. ↑ The song "Kew. Rhone." was later recorded by Greaves and Peter Blegvad and released on their 1977 album, Kew. Rhone. .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Cow</span> English avant-rock group

Henry Cow were an English experimental rock group, founded at the University of Cambridge in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler, bassist John Greaves, and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members alongside Frith and Hodgkinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Cutler</span> English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist

Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and (briefly) Gong/Mothergong. He has collaborated with many musicians and groups, including Fred Frith, Lindsay Cooper, Zeena Parkins, Peter Blegvad, Telectu and The Residents, and has appeared on over 100 recordings. Cutler's career spans over four decades and he still performs actively throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Hodgkinson</span> English experimental music composer and performer

Timothy "Tim" George Hodgkinson is an English experimental music composer and performer, principally on reeds, lap steel guitar, and keyboards. He first became known as one of the core members of the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, which he formed with Fred Frith in 1968. After the demise of Henry Cow, he participated in numerous bands and projects, eventually concentrating on composing contemporary music and performing as an improviser.

<i>Legend</i> (Henry Cow album) 1973 studio album by Henry Cow

The Henry Cow Legend is the debut album of British avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios over three weeks in May and June 1973, mixed in July 1973, and released in September 1973.

<i>Unrest</i> (Henry Cow album) 1974 studio album by Henry Cow

Unrest is an album by British avant-rock group Henry Cow, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios in February and March 1974. It was their second album and was released in May 1974. It was their first album including oboe and bassoon player Lindsay Cooper, who replaced saxophonist Geoff Leigh. American critic Glenn Kenny said Cooper's presence on the album grounded the band in European art music.

<i>In Praise of Learning</i> 1975 studio album by Henry Cow with Slapp Happy

In Praise of Learning is a studio album by British avant-rock group Henry Cow, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios in February and March 1975, and released in May 1975. On this album, Henry Cow had expanded to include members of Slapp Happy, who had merged with the group after the two had collaborated on Desperate Straights in 1974. The merger ended after recording In Praise of Learning when Peter Blegvad and Anthony Moore from Slapp Happy left the group.

<i>Concerts</i> (Henry Cow album) 1976 live album by Henry Cow

Concerts is a live double album by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, recorded at concerts in London, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway between September 1974 and October 1975. Sides one and two of the LP record consist of composed material while sides three and four contain improvised pieces.

<i>Western Culture</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Henry Cow

Western Culture is a studio album by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, recorded at Sunrise Studios in Kirchberg, Switzerland in January and July–August 1978. It was their last album and was released on Henry Cow's own private label, Broadcast, in 1979. Later editions appeared on Interzone in the US and Celluloid in France. Only the UK Broadcast pressing used the custom label artwork design.

<i>Hopes and Fears</i> (Art Bears album) 1978 studio album by Art Bears

Hopes and Fears is the debut album by the English avant-rock group Art Bears. It comprises tracks by Henry Cow, Art Bears's predecessor, recorded at Sunrise Studios, Kirchberg in Switzerland in January 1978, and tracks by Art Bears, recorded at Kaleidophon Studios in London in March 1978.

<i>Henry Cow Box</i> 2006 box set by Henry Cow

Henry Cow Box is a seven-CD limited edition box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was released in December 2006 by Recommended Records and comprises the six original albums Henry Cow released between 1973 and 1979, including those recorded with Slapp Happy. A bonus 3" CD-single was given to advance subscribers of the box set which contains previously unreleased material taken from live performances in Europe by the Orckestra, a merger of Henry Cow, the Mike Westbrook Brass Band and folk singer Frankie Armstrong in 1977. The two bonus CD Orckestra tracks were later reissued on the 2019 Henry Cow Box Redux: The Complete Henry Cow bonus CD, Ex Box – Collected Fragments 1971–1978.

<i>Stockholm & Göteborg</i> 2008 live album by Henry Cow

Volume 6: Stockholm & Göteborg is a live album by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, and is disc 6 of the 10-disc 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set. It was released in September 2008 by RēR Megacorp as a free-standing album in advance of the box set release in January 2009.

<i>The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set</i> 2009 box set by Henry Cow

The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set is a nine-CD plus one-DVD limited edition box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, and was released by RēR Megacorp in January 2009. It consists of almost 10 hours of previously unreleased recordings made between 1972 and 1978 from concerts, radio broadcasts, one-off projects, events and the studio. Included are new compositions, over four hours of free improvisation, and live performances of some of Henry Cow's original LP repertoire.

"Erk Gah" is a song written by Tim Hodgkinson for the English experimental rock group Henry Cow. "Erk Gah" was performed live by the band between 1976 and 1978, but was never recorded in the studio; three live performances of the song would later be released on the live album Stockholm & Göteborg in 2008 and the compilation The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set in 2009. In 1993, fifteen years after Henry Cow disbanded, Hodgkinson recorded the composition under the title "Hold to the Zero Burn, Imagine" for his solo album Each in Our Own Thoughts (1994), featuring former Henry Cow members Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper, and Dagmar Krause.

"Living in the Heart of the Beast" is a 1975 song written by Tim Hodgkinson for the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was recorded in 1975 by Henry Cow with Slapp Happy, who had recently merged with Henry Cow after the two groups had recorded a collaborative album, Desperate Straights the previous year. The song was released on In Praise of Learning in May 1975 by Virgin Records. The song's title is a quote from the nineteenth-century Cuban poet and liberation fighter José Martí. "Living in the Heart of the Beast" was the first of two "epic" compositions Hodgkinson wrote for Henry Cow, the second being "Erk Gah" (1976), later known as "Hold to the Zero Burn, Imagine".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Orckestra</span> English avant-garde jazz and rock group

The Orckestra were a 12-piece English avant-garde jazz and avant-rock ensemble formed in March 1977 with the merger of avant-rock group Henry Cow, the Mike Westbrook Brass Band and folk singer Frankie Armstrong. They gave two performances in London in March and June 1977, and then embarked on two tours of Europe between September 1977 and May 1978, where they performed in Italy, France and Sweden.

<i>The Virgin Years – Souvenir Box</i> 1991 box set by Henry Cow

The Virgin Years – Souvenir Box is a three-CD limited-edition box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was released in 1991 by Recommended Records and East Side Digital Records, and contains three albums Henry Cow made for Virgin Records between 1973 and 1975: Legend, Unrest and In Praise of Learning. Included in the box set is a 24-page souvenir booklet and a Henry Cow fold-out family tree.

"Ruins" is a 1974 instrumental composed by Fred Frith for the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was recorded in February and March 1974 by Henry Cow, and released on their May 1974 album, Unrest by Virgin Records.

"Beautiful as the Moon – Terrible as an Army with Banners" is a 1975 song composed by Fred Frith with lyrics by Chris Cutler for the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was recorded in February and March 1975 by Henry Cow and Slapp Happy, and released in May 1975 on their collaborative album, In Praise of Learning by Virgin Records.

"Nine Funerals of the Citizen King" is a 1973 song written by Tim Hodgkinson for the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. It was recorded in May and June 1973 by Henry Cow, and released in September 1973 on their debut album, Legend by Virgin Records.

<i>The Henry Cow Box Redux: The Complete Henry Cow</i> 2019 box set by Henry Cow

The Henry Cow Box Redux: The Complete Henry Cow is a seventeen-CD plus one-DVD box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow; it was released by RēR Megacorp in November 2019. The box set comprises the previously released 2006 Henry Cow Box and the 2009 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set, totalling over sixteen hours. A bonus CD: Ex Box – Collected Fragments 1971–1978 was given to advance subscribers of the 2019 Box Redux, and contains newly recovered and previously unreleased recordings, plus the contents of the 2006 box set bonus CD-single: "Unreleased Orckestra Extract". The 2019 Box Redux plus the Ex Box bonus CD contains all the officially released studio and live recordings of Henry Cow, excluding "Bellycan" as released on the 1991 East Side Digital version of Legend, and the complete version of "The Glove" from the 1991 East Side Digital version of Unrest.

References

  1. 1 2 Piekut 2019, p. 58.
  2. ↑ Kenny, Glenn. "Henry Cow". Trouser Press . ISSN   0164-1883 . Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Piekut 2019, p. 106.
  4. ↑ Kelman, John (12 January 2009). "Henry Cow: The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set". All About Jazz . Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Cutler 2009, p. 6.
  6. 1 2 3 Recommended Records (2009). The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set (Box Set liner notes). Henry Cow.
  7. 1 2 "Henry Cow – The Henry Cow Legend". Discogs . 1973. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Piekut 2019, pp. 104, 106.
  9. 1 2 Gerhards, Udo (6 August 2010). "Henry Cow: Legend". Babyblaue Seiten (in German). Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  10. 1 2 Piekut 2019, p. 60.
  11. 1 2 Clark, Philip (April 2008). "The Primer: Henry Cow". The Wire . No. 290. p. 42. ISSN   0952-0686.
  12. ↑ Kitching, Sean (8 April 2014). "After The Deluge: Henry Cow's Unrest Revisited". The Quietus . Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Smith 1997, pp. 104–105.
  14. 1 2 Main, Michael Graham (8 May 1974). "'Crosswinds' – Offering Exciting, Rythmic [sic] Melody". Anderson Herald . Anderson, Indiana. p. 5. Retrieved 22 May 2020– via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  15. 1 2 Stump 2010, p. 126.
  16. ↑ "Henry Cow Chronology". Calyx: The Canterbury Music Website. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "Peel Sessions: 28/02/1972 – Henry Cow". BBC . Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  18. ↑ Piekut 2019, pp. 116–117.
  19. ↑ Recommended Records (2019). The Henry Cow Box Redux: The Complete Henry Cow (Box Set liner notes). Henry Cow.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.