Hatfield and the North - Hatfield and the North (1974)

Steve:

When discovering the bands considered within the "Canterbury Scene", there were two things that made it especially enjoyable: first, the bands had a great sense of humor (or humour, as they call it) and knew how to make even their instrumentals hilarious; and second, many of the same people kept appearing on these albums, giving the impression that you were now part of a cool club of eccentric Brits who were having a ton of fun and inviting you to join in. Once I had discovered Caravan, the next logical band to tackle (thanks to the CD liner notes that helped guide me) was Hatfield and the North, which included vocalist/bassist Richard Sinclair from Caravan.  

Despite this preparation, I was still surprised at the unique personality of Hatfield and the North once I heard their debut release. Pianist/organist/composer Dave Stewart immediately stood out as a strong instrumental voice, contributing jazzy instrumental pieces that changed constantly and conveyed an attitude of anything-goes fun and amusement, much like Frank Zappa's more playful instrumental works. On guitar, Phil Miller sounded like no one else, combining Eric Clapton's love of thick distortion and clean articulation with a jazzer's touch around complex chord changes. Richard Sinclair (pictured) further confirmed his ability to play with jazz chops, while contributing occasional vocal pieces that were disarmingly wry and goofy while containing complex changes of their own. Last but not least, Pip Pyle proved himself the perfect drummer for this outfit, as his rhythmic instincts were in sync with the band, and his own compositions added a bit of experimental flair to the album ("The Stubbs Effect", "Shaving is Boring", the latter of which appears to enter a sort of dream-state in its mid-section).  

I can't quite remember the first time I heard this album, as my post-Caravan discovery happened quite quickly, but Hatfield and the North has remained on my top shelf of prog rock records, to the extent that I cited it as "my favorite Canterbury album not by the Soft Machine". High praise that, if you know me. 

Dan:

After Steve had introduced me to this band, I was visiting London and saw a highway sign directing drivers to Hatfield and the North. That must have been the inspiration for the band as they sat around wondering "what should we call ourselves?" Having exhausted the limited variations on the Caravan theme (Caravan, Camel), why not pick the next convenient traffic sign? After all, random naming had worked for The Grateful Dead who picked their name on the first stab at an encyclopedia page. 

Both of the albums I know about (the self-titled debut and the follow-up The Rotters Club from 1975) are joyously zany while exhibiting exceptional musicianship. as Steve reports. The song "Share It" on Rotters Club is the one I remember the best, thanks to Richard Sinclair's fine vocals. 

The wacky song titles on Hatfield and the North do, quite honestly, make it difficult to remember the tunes so my practice is not to worry about where songs begin and end or what they're named. Like the long Caravan suites, it's better to sit back and go with the aural flow. 

Hatfield and the North reunited for a live performance in 1990, which is available on CD and DVD. The concert includes both old favorites like "Share It" and "Underdub" as well as new pieces. It's worth checking out. Also, Richard Sinclair formed a group called Caravan of Dreams, which released a self-titled album in 1992 and the live An Evening of Magic (1993). These are proof that the Canterbury scene lasted well beyond its heyday in the 1970s.