LP, Visa Records, 1978 (US Pressing)
National Health was a continuation of Canterbury Scene supergroup Hatfield & the North, bringing over essentially everyone from that project, except Hatfield’s bassist Richard Sinclair (Caravan), including Pip Pyle (Gong), Dave Stewart (Egg), Amanda Parsons, and Phil Miller (Matching Mole). Unsurprisingly, the LP is packed with playful virtuosity. Growling basslines and fuzz organ take the helm for most of the composed themes, locking in with propulsive grooves and shifting time signatures of Pyle’s drums. The space fills out quite colorfully with harmonious waves of electric piano, woodwinds and Moog synthesizer. When things need to be taken up a notch, Miller comes in with some triumphantly energizing guitar solos. What really makes this album special though are Amanda Parson’s vocals, which work both as a wordless instrument within the polyphonic arrangements, and as a unifying, lyrical force during the album’s most epic moments.
Personnel: Dave Stewart (Organ, Piano, Electric Piano), Phil Miller (Electric Guitar), Neil Murray (Electric Bass), Pip Pyle (Drums, Gong, Glockenspiel, Pixiephone), Amanda Parsons (Vocals), Alan Gowen (Moog Synthesizer), Jimmy Hastings (Flute, Clarinet), John Mitchell (Percussion)
Style: Canterbury Scene, Jazz-Rock, Avant-Prog
Vibes: Uplifting, Playful, Epic, Warm, Triumphant, Bright, Energetic, Sunny, Surreal, Propulsive
Musical Qualities: Progressive, Complex, Thematic, Polyphonic, Rhythmic, Harmonious, Suite, Virtuosic, Riffs, Shred, Improvisation, Uncommon Time Signatures
